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Community Corner

Gifts for Expectant Moms

Moms-to-be deserve extra pampering

In about two weeks, a pregnant friend of mine will be visiting. I am very excited, since I haven’t seen this friend for a while. What’s even more special is that this friend is expecting twins, who are due in June.

As a mom who gave birth to twins (nearly eight years ago), I know how difficult it can be to carry them. Any pregnancy is hard on a mom’s body, but carrying multiples is extra taxing on a mom-to-be – there’s the extra weight that the mom is carrying, and the nutritional and other demands placed on her body will be greater than those in a singleton pregnancy.

So, I’d like to put together a gift basket for when my friend visits. I want to find things that will help make her life easier now, while she’s preparing for the arrival of her little ones. That’s because I know that once her twins arrive, she will be very busy and will be hard-pressed to find time for herself.

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I’ve done some thinking and searching on the web and found these gift ideas that would be great for any expectant mom-to-be:

1. House-cleaning gift card: Expectant moms are tired enough and don’t need to worry about keeping up with the vacuuming and dusting, etc., so giving a gift card to a local cleaning service is a nice touch. Some expectant moms, especially those who are on bed rest or have an at-risk pregnancy, are told by their doctors to lay off the cleaning. Plus, it’s best for moms-to-be to stay away from the , anyway.

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2. Gift card for a meal out: Moms-to-be have a lot on their minds and could use a night off from . Why not treat her by giving her a gift certificate to one of her favorite restaurants? If she’d like to stay in, why not cook her a home-cooked meal? Or, if cooking isn’t your thing, have a meal catered for her.

3. Find out what she’s craving: Does the expectant mom you know crave something, like chocolate or ice cream? Buy her some of her favorite treats or take her out to a gourmet food or candy shop for some shopping.

4. Help her get comfortable: Moms-to-be can find it tough to get comfy – it can be difficult finding a good sleeping position and her back and legs might ache. Try giving expectant moms items like body or maternity pillows, lotions to smooth on her expanding belly and scented bath products to pamper herself with.

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