Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Why is urine tested at every prenatal?



Why is urine collected at each prenatal visit?

It’s pretty important to give a urine sample (at least 1-2 oz) at each prenatal to help measure the levels of protein, sugar, and possible bacteria in your urine.  My midwives leave the urine testing up to me by having me collect and test my own sample, however, if you are at a hospital or health clinic you will be asked to urinate into a small cup and leave it in the bathroom or hand it to a nurse.


Because conditions can change throughout pregnancy, it is important to remember to drink a little extra water before each prenatal, to ensure you can contribute at each appointment 


So what is important about protein?  Protein in the urine or Proteinuria can indicate a UTI, kidney infection or a sign of pre-eclampsia later in pregnancy. 

As for sugar, usually, there is no sugar, or very little, in the urine.  When there is sugar present, that can be a sign of gestational diabetes, where excess blood sugar spills into the urine.  Generally, a pregnant woman is given the option to have a glucose test between 24/28 weeks to test for this.

Bacteria in the urine is a sure sign of an infection.  Left untreated, a UTI can cause significant problems, even if there are no symptoms present. 


Ketones are also tested for.  If high levels are found it can lead to ketoacidosis  Treatment for this is often in a hospital, but your doctor will investigate why the levels are there, to begin with – if your eating or drinking is to blame and you are able to keep food down without a problem, hospitalization probably wont be required

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing with Plug

The Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing with Plug is a wonderful swing that has a built in bouncer. The bouncer can be easily removed from the swing at any time, even without waking your baby if he or she is asleep in the swing. This combination of swing and bouncer really sets this apart from other swings. On top of this, this swing has a lot of other great features.

Features of the Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing with Plug 

As regular readers will know by now, I like to start all of my reviews with a video. Some of my readers really like to watch video reviews because they let you see the product in action and some just prefer to watch rather than read. For those of you out there, I have a very nice video for you today. It’s a little on the long side but it is also very thorough. For those that would rather read, there will be a list of important features as well as an in depth review after this.



Great Sound: The Graco Duo 2 in 1 baby swing with Plug comes with some brilliant audio. It has 15 songs and nature sounds. This includes 10 classical songs which are quite pleasant. It also includes a white noise effect which is surprisingly effective to soothe babies.

AC Adapter: This swing comes with an AC adapter which lets you power the swing from your wall socket. This is a feature that I love to see because it saves you from buying a lot of batteries. This swing also allows you to use batteries instead so that it is still portable.

Dual Functions: The Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing with Plug is both a swing and a bouncer. This is a great feature that has the obvious benefit of making it more versatile. It also lets you remove the seat from the swing if you want to easily move your baby to a different room without waking him or her.

More Features of the Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing with Plug 

At this point in the features list, I like to put in a bit of text here in order to split the list up. I find reading long lists boring and when I’m bored I can’t take in information as well. I have found that my readers are quite similar and seeing as my purpose is to educate, you, the readers, that would be quite counterproductive to my goals. So any more delay here is the rest of the features.

Ease of Use: This swing is easy to use. The harness buckles in very easy, the toy bar rolls away to allow you to move your child in and out of the seat, and the electronics are simple. All the fabrics are easily removed and are machine washable.

Folds Up Small:  It folds up to less than a foot thick. This makes it very easy to store or to bring with you. One customer said that once folded, this swing fit easily into the trunk of her Toyota Prius.

Lots of Options: This swing allows you for great control over the experience your child experiences in this swing/bouncer. The swing has 6 movement speeds. The bouncer has 2 vibration settings. The music has plenty of options as mentioned above. The vibration and the swinging can be used together or one at a time.

Safe: This swing has a 5 point harness as well as a sturdy frame. This swing won’t tip over and seems to be very durable. This is a swing that you can trust with the safety of your child.

A Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing Bouncer Review with plug.


I have to start this review by talking about dual functions of the Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing with Plug. It is both a swing and a bouncer. This is a brilliant feature that makes this a very versatile product. Some parents really liked that if their child fell asleep in the swing they could easily move their child to another room without waking him or her by detaching the bouncer and carrying it to another room with them.

The bouncer is quite light with many small female customers noting that they had no issue carrying their child in it or with moving the bouncer in and out of the swing. Another great feature of this product is that some children prefer bouncers over swings. By getting the Graco Duo 2 in 1 you can find out your child’s preferences without buying two separate products. Not only does this save you money but it also saves you space.

In conclusion, the Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing with Plug is both an impressive swing and an impressive bouncer. With the two combined this can save you money, save you space in your home, and provides some unusual abilities that you wouldn’t have if you a bouncer and a swing separately such as being able to remove the seat to move your baby to a different room without waking your baby.

This swing/bouncer also has just about every feature you could ask for in a swing. Some people will be annoyed that the tray isn’t great but personally I think that the tray is barely worth consideration. With or without the tray this is an amazing swing.

Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo

The Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo is a swing with a lot of excellent features such as the ability to swing both front and backward as well as sideways. It also has an AC Adaptor so you can plug it in instead of only relying on batteries and it is has a very eye catching design.



Features of the Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo

Regular readers will, of course, know that I like to start all my reviews by first posting a video to show what the swing looks like in action and if I can find a video review, even better. Today’s video is rather short but fairly informative. For those that prefer to read instead of watch videos, though, there will be an in-depth, written review below as well as a list of all the features that I found to be important enough to list. Enjoy.



Multi-directional swinging: The Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo swings both back to forwards as well as front to back. This is a great feature because it provides variety for your baby. Some babies prefer the front to back swinging pattern while others prefer side to side. With this swing, you’ll be able to find out what best suits your child.

Safe: This safe has a sturdy metal frame and non-slip feet. It is certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturer’s Association (JPMA) because it meets all American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM).

AC Adapter: This swing comes with an AC adapter which lets you power the swing from your wall socket. This is a feature that I love to see because it saves you from buying a lot of batteries. This swing also allows you to use batteries instead so that it is still portable.

More Features of the Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo

At this point in the features list, I like to split the features up into multiple sections. I find long lists to be boring and hard to read. These are definitely things that I don’t wish to my readers! So for your benefit, I put in this little paragraph. Anyway, here are the remaining features of this swing that I thought were significant.

Colorful Design: The Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo has an unmistakably bright, colorful, and cheerful pattern. The color scheme is quite cute and completely gender neutral.

Folds up: This swing folds up in order to make it easier to transport. This helps to move the swing to another house or even just to a different room in your house. It folds up fairly easily and takes up very little room.

Motorised Toy Mobile and domed mirror: The Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo has a motorized mobile and a mirror in view of the baby. The mobile can spin in circles for the child’s amusement. The toys are great at catching a child’s attention and so is the mirror. Mirrors like this also develop facial awareness.

Plays music: This swing plays songs as well as other sounds. It can play 8 different songs and 2 sound effects. The volume control for this swing is excellent.

A Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo Review

I’ll start my review of the Fisher-Price Cradle ‘N Swing Luv U Zoo by noting that this is a highly rated and popular swing on sites such as Amazon. A big majority of the users who reviewed this product on Amazon gave it the full 5 out of 5 stars. This popularity is easily understood when you take a look at some of the features this swing has.


In conclusion, this is a popular swing that has almost every feature you could ask for in a baby swing including multi-directional swing movement, great controls, an AC adaptor to plug it into the wall instead of relying on batteries, and a great colourful design as well as bright colored toys that are sure to catch the eye of both baby and adult alike.

Some people did have issues with the motors. If you buy this swing it is probably a good idea to keep an eye on the motor but I wouldn’t let the thoughts of getting a faulty motor deter you from this swing. Those with issues were looked after well, if not by the manufacturer, then by Amazon. It is certainly not a big enough issue that it would make me forget about the host of excellent features.

Here is this top rated baby swing






Fisher Price Cradle n Swing, My Little Lamb

The Fisher Price Cradle n Swing, My Little Lamb is the next product we thought was worthy enough to be called the best baby swing in the market. We are all familiar with the Fisher Price brand, and it has been in the industry long enough for us to know that the baby products that it comes out with, are high in quality.



But could the same thing be said to the My Little Lamb? Find out what the real score is, and if it’s going to be a good investment for your baby.

Safe And Comfortable

The Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle n Swing will give your child the calm and soothing environment which is often so hard to provide especially if you’re not around to be a part of it. It has everything that you need for your baby to feel comfortable. It has two types of motion: side-to-side cradle and front-and-back swinging motion. 

It also has six speeds to offer, as well as music to add to your baby’s delight. Of course, you can choose for a more suitable lullaby if you want them to be lulled to sleep. This will no doubt keep your baby feeling safe and snug with its plush fabrics that are machine washable.

And what’s more, the seat can also be reclined or adjusted upright depending on the activity—nap time or play time. Very convenient indeed.

Features And Specifications

Here are the features that the My Little Lamb has to offer:

  • It has 3-seat positions
  • Has 6 speeds as well as a volume control
  • Can doo side cradle motion as well as head to toe swinging motion
  • Can be folded down for storage
  • Has large dome mirror & soft clouds with lambs from above to keep the baby entertained all the time
  • Music: 10 tunes & 3 nature sound effects
  • Weighs 18 lbs.
  • Measures 46” by 40.5” by 29”

Customer Reviews

These are just a couple pf reviews that the Fisher Price Cradle n Swing, My Little Lamb received from its customers:

A Fisher Price swing was a must have. Amazon had an AMAZING deal it had free shipping too. I received the My Little Lamb in perfect condition. It is very simple to assemble. It has a ton of settings and comfort features. He loves it. While the baby is still small, we don’t run the swinging option… just the mobile and sounds.” – Tigerlily403

The Fisher Price My Little Lamb is really a peach. Its motions are completely irresistible. The music is nice. The materials are very soft to the touch. The color scheme is not achingly ugly. My girl fits in this thing perfectly just now. I had been putting off getting a swing because they are expensive but I was not getting anything done trying to keep her occupied and I cracked, ran out and bought this. Worth every dime.” – D. Mancino

We Recommend the My Little Lamb if you want to make sure your baby’s comfortable and safe in a swing.


You may buy the Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle n Swing on all your favorite baby stores nationwide. For a quick and hassle free purchase, you may also look it up online. To get great deals and offers, please feel free to visit: ababycare.com

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing

The Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing is a baby swing with a lot of great features which give you good control over how this swing works. It is very light and folds up to a compact size easily. It has a lot of great features.



Key Features of The Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing


I always like to start my reviews of the portable swing I am reviewing so I always try to find a video for you guys. I find it helpful to see a video as it gives you a good idea of what the swing looks like in action and in this particular video, some of the important features are pointed out.


  • Extremely Portable: The Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing is a truly portable swing. This is attributed to its light weight and ability to fold up very small. It weighs less than 10 pounds which make it substantially lighter than most a lot of other swings on the market. It folds up very easily and once folded, takes up very little room. Not only does this make this swing highly portable but it is great for storing when not in use.
  • Comfortable: This swing is very comfortable. Its fabric is very plush and soft. The seat is deliberately oversized. The foot pillow and head support are also very soft. This swing incorporates Bright Starts’ Truspeed Technology(TM) which detects the weight of your baby and adjust the motion of the swing accordingly to provide consistent speed. This swing has 3 recline positions for added comfort.
  • Timers: This nifty little feature allows you to set timers so that your swing continues to move for a set amount of time before stopping. This handy timer can be set to 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 45 minutes before the swing stops moving.
  • Multiple Swing Speeds: The Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing has 6 different settings for the speed of the swing motion. Options are always a welcome feature in any swing.


More Features of the Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing

As regular readers will know by now, I like to split the list of features up at this point. I do this so that you do not get worn out from reading a long list of features. I find that this little paragraph of text does wonders to help my readers from phasing out so I hope it helped you! Here are the remaining features of this already impressive list.


  • Ease of Use: Bright Starts have gone out of their way to make this an easy swing to use. You can lift the canopy toy bar out of the way with just one hand for quick access to your child. The toy bar is also easily removed. The 5 point harness is also easy to button and unbutton. This swing is very easy to assemble.
  • Easy To Clean: The cushions and pillows of this swing are easily removed and machine washable. This makes the fabric very easy to clean. The rest of the swing is also very easy to clean.
  • Very Quiet: The Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing uses “Whisper Quiet(tm)” operation to make it quieter. While I honestly have no idea what that is, I can say that this swing is about as quiet as you get for a motorized swing.
  • Music: This swing comes with 6 soothing melodies. These can be controlled with a volume control as well as an auto shut-off function.


A Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing Review

To start my review of the Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing I’ll immediately note that this is a very popular baby swing. It is both highly purchased and highly rated with an of customer reviews giving it either 4 or 5 stars. The reason for this swing’s popularity is quickly understood when you look at some of the great features that this swing comes with.

The first thing that I noticed about this swing was the weight. At less than 10 pounds, this swing is considerably lighter than most other swings on the market. This is, of course, makes it very portable. Combined with the ability to fold up very small, quite easily and you’ll understand just how portable this thing is.

This makes this swing perfect for bringing with you when you go anyway such as a trip to a relative’s house. Because of the ability of this swing to fold up so small and its light weight making it easy to carry, it is quite easy to put away for storage then take out again and unfold when needed. This will be an important feature for the space-conscious parents out there. Baby swings take up a lot of room and although this takes up a little less room than some of the bigger models, it will prove very handy for some that it can be folded up for storage.

One negative issue that I found some customers complaining of after researching this swing was that the swinging motion of this swing will automatically shut off after one hour. This is most likely a safety feature in case parents accidentally leaving their child swinging for the whole night. This brings up the argument of whether or not babies should be left in their swings for the night. The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that parents shouldn’t do this. However, many parents feel that their swing is a safe place for their child to spend the night and it is, of course, every parent’s right to decide what is best for their children. Another negative comment that I seen made by a customer was that the swing motion did not move quickly enough compared to some of the larger and heavier swings. It should be noted that many customers comment on faster swings and wish they are slower. The faster a swing moves the more stimulating it is for the baby.

In conclusion, this is a baby swing that has a lot of great features. It gives you a lot of options to decide how you wish this portable swing will operate. Its light weight and ability to fold up easily make it highly portable. It is comfortable, well made, and sells for a competitive price.


Things to Consider When Buying a Baby Swing

Are you always in a hurry? Do you tend to do things quickly because of limited time?  Top rated baby swings these are some dilemmas that new parents experience. Babies are a lot of work. Time, energy, devotion and love are all necessary. As parents, these things aren’t hard to give. What is hard is giving time for other things like household chores, grooming, and taking care of yourself.



Overview Top Rated Baby Swings

The baby swing’s advent has been revolutionary because of new parents’ search for baby equipment that can help lighten up their day-to-day routines. It is easy to place your child in it and let it swing. With a baby swing, you baby calms down and even sleeps sometimes.

Of course, it is always nice to cradle your child in your arms; nothing compares to the joy it brings. But there are several circumstances in which you need both hands to work. There are also the times when you want to do something like take a shower. These scenarios will make you realize a baby swing’s benefits.

If you are now convinced of the top rated baby swings advantages, you are probably now looking for one. Let us help you in making a selection. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when buying your baby swing.

  • Durability: High quality is important when choosing a baby swing. Your child’s safety greatly depends on the baby swing’s build and materials. Before buying take a close look at the body.
  • Comfort: Comfort is also something not be compromised. If your baby is comfortable, he or she can have a relaxing and enjoyable time in the swing. Padded or cushioned nest side frames and foot pad are just some examples of features that can give comfort.
  • Features: Features that make the baby swing convenient to use are of great importance too. Make sure that it will benefit the child and lighten up other house members’ burdens. Musical settings, interchangeable positions, speed settings, and timers are popular features that are most sought after.
  • Accessories: Accessories like a toy bar and front tray are some of the most important. When looking for a baby swing, keep in mind that accessories should entertain your child and stimulate his or her mind.
  • Portability: Find something that is light and foldable. This makes a transfer from one room to another easier and simplifies bringing it with you when you travel. Just fold the baby swing and you’re good to go.

Did you read all the benefits and advantages a top rated baby swing can provide? Your baby swing will give your little one a perfect sleep. Summer Infant, Graco, Bright Starts, and Fisher-Price are some brands on the market that are famous manufacturers of baby swings.

We have gladly compiled some product best baby swing reviews on this product line. Read them and you might own one of them today!

Baby Shower Song