Today's emotional ride with my twin pregnancy

Today was a good day for the most part. I ave been going through some things with my 14 yr old and alot has to do with the fact her father treats her less than trash. I recently dropped her off to his sister in laws house where he lives and pays rent and he called me tried belittling me instead of addressing what was wrong with our daughter. His sister in law tries to curse me out saying leaving my daughter there was disrespectful and what kind of mother drops off her kid with no money and clothes (mind you her father hasn't paid child support in 2 yrs) so I inform her to let him know. She told me he was moving out tomorrow and I need to stop having kids and that's why i'm single. Mind you as well my 14 has been hanging with gang members and had told her school the same day the reason she was intrested in being in a gang is because her father glorfies being a blood and having sex on his social media. So, I wanted him to talk to her so he can see how he is effecting her. When I picked her up the next day the sister in law hit me and we fought  (I'm 7 months pregnant with twins btw) and lied and said my daughter's father wasn't there and never came.
Once I get my daughter in the car, she tells me her father was there before he went to work and came back after work and all he said to her was "what's your mother's phone number."
Now, I'm also pregnant with twins by this individual who I believed to be so awesome. However, before I found out I was pregnant I started acting strange. My cousin told me today thats an excuse and nobody wants to hear that. However, I honestly thought I was going crazy until I took a pregnancy test and this great guy abandoned me, it bothered me to the point my cousin convinced me to go to his mother's house and tell her so she could tell him. However, his mom made it seem like it was my fault and ever since then he blocked me on social media, blocked my phone number and moved on with some ditzy girl he use to deal with in the past. Even buying her christian louboutins and whatever else while I try to scrap up as much funds as possible so I can have for my twins.
I have been strong and happy 90% of this pregnancy despite all that. However, today I feel hurt, lonely and want to know why me? I mean no harm to others, I work hard, I try to be the best mom I can but yet I have nobody helping me rather against me I feel. I just want the twins father back in my life as my friend. Having to do this alone is hurtful. Unfortunately, I haven't found any programs that help multiple single parents that can help with cars, carseat and stroller cost.
I guess today could've been better but at the  moment I'm having a moment.

Pregnancy Spa Day at Spa Dew in Fort Lee,NJ

I have been overwhelmed at some parts of this pregnancy and was in desperate need of a full body massage and a facial. I have been to Massage Envy before for a massage but the service didn’t seem personalized; it’s more of a commercial service like the company if you get my drift. I also had a fabulous male massage therapist but he talked throughout the whole massage, so I didn’t get the relaxation I needed. Therefore, I goggled local spa’s that where small and would give me the proper time, relaxation and dealt with pregnant customers and I came across Spa Dew - Dew beauty& wellness in Fort Lee, NJ.
I called Spa Dew on Sunday around 5pm and I was surprised they were still open that late on a Sunday and I made an appointment for the following day for 12pm. I informed the receptionist, Joy that I wanted a facial, preferably a Microdermabrasion which is a treatment that uses micronized crystals to reduce fine lines, improve scarring, diminish hyper-pigmentation, and smooth rough skin. It leaves your skin softer and refreshed, revives your skin texture and adds a lasting glow to your appearance. This procedure is costly and at Spa Dew it’s is 80 min and cost $155. Joy, told me that they would have to look at my skin to get a better idea of what kind of facial I really needed and what treatment would be best. Also being that I was pregnant she needed to know how many months/weeks I was because they only will see you after you are in your second trimester due to the fact they don’t want to hurt the baby in anyway.

Lockers available

 I arrived to Spa Dew on Monday at around 11:57 am. When I first Stepped it was dim, with tranquil music on with great aroma, however, I was a bit skeptical because there was nobody at the desk so I
looked around for a bell, nothing, so I just ended up sitting down in one of the leather chairs they had. After, waiting 8 minutes one of the employees saw me sitting and came over and handed me a 1 page client info sheet to fill out. Once I finished another employee came and took me to the locker room, where you can put away your belongings in a locker ( No you don’t have to pay a quarter to lock it, it has a lock that you make up your own 4 number password put it in twice and your things are locked up). They had flip flops and a robe laid out for me to put on after I removed my clothing, (I was told to only leave my panties on).

They provide a Robe and Flip Flops

The massage therapist was the original woman that took me to the locker room, but I didn’t know until she was took me from the locker room to the massage room. The spa is owned and operated by Koreans and there was a little bit of a language barrier, but not a main concern for me especially if she was going to give me a great massage (fingers were crossed).
Being that I am pregnant I had to lie on my side the whole time. I was given a pillow for between my legs, which was a big help. I didn’t know what to expect besides some oil and a rub down. However, I got the Prenatal massage which is a Nurturing massage for mother-to-be after the first trimester, designed to assist with relieving pregnancy-related discomforts and benefits both mother and baby, along with warm stone treatment. OH MY, that was the best thing ever. I highly recommend you get that if you never have or wondering how it felt. The oil mixed with the warm stones being massaged onto your skin felt like heaven. I really wanted it to be longer than 50 min, but I was having a facial right after so stayed content with the 50 min session.
After my massage was over I was taken by the facial specialist to another room across the hall that facials are done in. They had about 2/3 room on each side the massage rooms on one side and facial rooms on the other.

Toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion and combs are available

I know how to say Hello in Korean so I greeted the facial therapist with “yeoboseyo” which is hello in Korean. She was surprised and smiled saying you know Korean, I let her know I only knew that word and another which wasn’t a nice word, she laughed as she laid me down on my back, making sure I was comfortable. The owner, whose name is Jasmine came in and asked if my massage was well and what kind of facial I wanted, I told her I wanted Microdermabrsion. Jasmine then took a min and looked at my skin and said the Vitamin facial would be much better for me. the Vitamin facial is an intensive treatment for sensitive, dry or environmentally stressed skin. High potency vitamin C stimulates the vital functions of the skin and revitalizes damaged cells. This formulated treatment repairs and restores by providing vitamins and antioxidants deeply into the dermis level. Leave with refreshed and renewed all over. This facial is about 75 min and cost about $125. It was relaxing as well. After she cleanses your face, she puts a mask on you that has to sit for about 30 min. After she removes the mask she goes over your skin again. I basically slept through the whole facial.


After you’re finished with your treatments and you go back into the locker room, they have brand new toothbrushes still in wrapper to brush your teeth with toothpaste that is also provided and it’s a brand we all know just FYI lol--- Colgate. I took full advantage of because my breath did feel kind of tart after all of that. They also have a hair dryer, lotion, comb, hair spray and bottled water available.
I must say my overall experience at Spa Dew was great, it was clean, staff was friendly and it is very personalized. I definitely recommend Spa Dew but only if you can afford it of course, and I know I will be going back again in the near future.

The 411 on Identical Twins

As you may know or may not know I'm expecting monochorionic twins which means I'm having identical twins.
I don't have twins in my family however, the father already has a set of fraternal twins so I assumed it was genetic and he is the one that gave me twins. However, after my first visit with a multiple birth specialist which I was referred to by my doctor I found out a lot of information.
I was recommended to see Dr. Russell Miller at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York and Dr. Miller gave me a lot of information that I did not know about when conceiving carrying and delivering identical twins.
Fraternal twins are the only twins that are conceived through genetics identical twins however are not and like Dr. Miller said "it's the luck of the draw." Identical twins happen spontaneously it was just a coincidence my partner already had a set of fraternal twins.
According to scientists identical twins occur when the blastocyst AKA fertilized cell mysteriously splits into two.
Monochronic Twin occur in 0.3% of all pregnancies and mostly occur in older women due to hormonal changes, so I guess I'm considered older lol. 
Identical twins are rare and occur randomly and that's what makes it a true blessing.
There are also a lot of complications when carrying these kind of twins because they share one placenta.
As of right now Dr. Miller told me to be aware that maybe one twin is getting more blood and nutrients from the placenta than the other one and this is often a common problem when carrying identical twins and is called unequal placenta sharing.
Another issue can be TTS which is twin to Twin transfusion syndrome meaning one baby is getting more blood supply than the other one, which can be very dangerous, even causing death to one of the babies which in turn will affect the other baby as well since they are connected through one placenta.
Also when delivering there is a high chance of a lot of loosing alot of bleeding which may result in needing a blood transfusion which some people like myself don't believe in and could possibly end in death.
Although the Doctor was not trying to scare me there are a lot of concerns that I am now aware of. I'm glad I'm aware but the same time it makes me me more cautionary on how to take care of myself while I'm pregnant and hopefully I will have a healthy delivery with two healthy babies who I cannot wait to meet.

Urban Moms Protein Recipe

Protein Breakfast 

Ingredients:

2-3 Eggs

Natural Organic Peanut Butter

2-3  Fresh Strawberries 

1/4 cup of 2% milk

Cooking Details:

Preheat frying pan, add a little olive oil so eggs won't stick.

Scramble egg whites in a bowl with a little bit of milk to make fluffy.

Pour mixture in frying pan.

Scramble egg white until done (5 min or less)

Remove from pan into desired bowl or plate. Let cool if desired.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter on top of eggs.

Cut strawberries in halves and place on top of peanut butter.

The New Smart Breast Pump

Breastfeeding is something I truly enjoy, however, the use of a breast pump can be annoying. Finally, the perfect breast pump has landed. Many breast pumps share common grievances, but this new device is here to eliminate problems for moms.

Introduced at CES 2017 this week, the new willow pump which will cost around $430

fits into a mom's bra, hands free. This new device will be available in the Spring and silently pumps without requiring any of the bulky tubes during the process.

Within the pump's design, there's an internal bag that collects up to four ounces of milk. It can also automatically sense when your body is ready to transition to expression phase without needing to wait for a preset time.

This dishwasher-safe, three-piece device is battery operated, and moms can get a few days out of pumping before having to recharge. It also works with a milk-tracking app that adds an extra element of convenience by recording which side you pump on, the duration of the session, and how much milk you produce.

Since it can fit in a mom's bra without any of the attachments, bottles, or wires, it allows moms to multitask with minimal disruption. During trials, moms were able to  and while commuting, according to CNN Money.

The pump's creator, John Chang, designed Willow to be a more discreet option and told CNN that he hopes his product will enable more moms to breastfeed by being quiet and easy to use.

-Urban Moms Blog 

Pregnancy Bump: Don't touch

Everyone loves to hear the magical news of someone being pregnant.

It is definitely a blessing to be able to carry another life. However, people also feel the need to want to touch a growing baby bump which is not always something expecting mother want.

This is my third pregnancy and with my other two pregnancies it was never a bother to me for people to touch my growing belly but now it urks me. I don't know if it's because I'm pregnant with twins and I'm super protective or because I'm older, but whatever it is it's a constant annoying especially when they do not ask.

My co-worker constantly touches my belly saying goo goo ga ga and I didn't know how to tell her nicely to stop and step away from the belly!

After asking around and figuring out how to nicely tell people to back away I wanted to share some helpful tips.

1. You have to keep in mind their intentions are good before you get nasty.

2. Stick to your guns no matter who it is touching your belly.

3. Many people do not ask and just reach out to touch, therefore, you can say things like "I would prefer that you don't, I feel very uncomfortable about people touching my belly."
Or you can kindly say "I would have preferred if you asked first."

4. Keep in mind, do not be rude sarcastic or nasty it's very ungracious and shows a lack of gratefulness.