Why You Should Follow Your Nose During Your Pregnancy
Plenty of smells are driving you mad, but look at it on the flip side; your sense of smell is at an all-time high! It’s kind of awesome when you stop to think about it. A rose will never smell as sweet to you. So take advantage of your sensitive schnauze and start sniffing all the amazing aromas nature has to offer. Because you know, it’s working overtime for your benefit.
Studies show that plant oil vapor can actually give you a healthy dose of serotonin which will keep you smiling. Moreover, it can also boost your brain’s production of the soothing chemical gamma-aminobutyric acid (GAMA). Even trees release phytoncide which can drive down the production of stress hormones, lessen anxiety and even boost your pain threshold.
Permission to Stop and Smell the Roses
WINTER
When old man winter takes a break from walloping your town with snow, go for a little stroll in the woods. Take a deep breath and inhale the wonderful scent of the pine trees around you. Not only will those trees never smell as intoxicating as they do during your pregnancy, they’ll also lift your spirits too! One study in Japan asked 498 volunteers to take just two short, 15 minute walks through a forest per day to see the affect it had on their mood. The results? Depression, hostility and stress scores dropped drastically.
SPRING
That moment when the crocuses pop up from the earth or you spot your first robin is the best isn’t it? It means spring is finally here and it’s time to celebrate! There are some wonderful blooms you can grow in your backyard this spring that are particularly fragrant like daphne (Daphne cneorum), flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa), lilac (Syringa vulgaris), mock orange (Philadelphus spp.) and sweet pea (Lathyrus spp.). And the wildlife in your backyard will thank you too! Pollinators like bees, butterflies, beetles, flies and hummingbirds rely on flowering plants for energy. Moreover, one in three bites of the food we eat are thanks to pollinators. So it’s nice to give them a helping hand – especially when you’re eating for two!
SUMMER
Is there anything lovelier than grabbing an iced tea and wandering barefoot around your backyard during the summer? Take a cue from the bees and butterflies and pay special attention to the blooms in your garden this summer! You can even grow flowers that are particularly fragrant like angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia spp.), gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides), heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens), garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), roses, and tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa). And the wildlife in your backyard will thank you too! Pollinators like bees, butterflies, beetles, flies and hummingbirds rely on flowering plants for energy. Moreover, one in three bites of the food we eat are thanks to pollinators. So it’s nice to give them a helping hand – especially when you’re eating for two!
AUTUMN
The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to turn colours. But that doesn’t mean you have to hibernate indoors! In fact, your garden is more vibrant than ever – particularly if you’ve got fragrant flowers blooming like butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium) and garden phlox (Phlox paniculata). So head on outside and take a sniff. Flowers will never smell as intoxicating as they do during your pregnancy! And the wildlife in your backyard will thank you too! From bees to beetles, birds to hares, urban wildlife relies on a variety of plants to stay full and keep their energy up.
If you were a red fox, you would have delivered your baby by now!
The gestation period for red foxes is between 50 and 60 days! Females can have as few as one and as many as 10 pups per litter. These little pups are born blind and the vixen is pretty protective of them at this vulnerable stage – many females keep males from entering the den until their pups’ eyes open (usually around the second week).
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