Holy Crap! I'm pregnant!

we're moving!

2010-05-12T11:59:00.001-04:00

I have renamed the blog and we're now there instead of here...
http://www.holycrapiamamom.blogspot.com/

SOON I will move it all to wordpress too!

XOsonya

whoops!

2010-01-30T15:47:00.002-05:00

Oh man. Where have I been? My last post was 10/18 - over 3 months ago! It's been a little busy to say the least. I work in the music business and one of my bands debuted with a #1 record last week, so I'll blame that. Angus is 1 year old now! As of just a few days ago, and his birthday party is tomorrow. He is eating whatever we give him - not really jarred stuff anymore, but mostly whatever we eat, along with extra veggies and whatnot. He is WALKING! Just in the last few days his few steps turned into full walking, and he is using that a little more than crawling. In otherwords, time has gone by SO fast. I've been a bad blogger. I plan on writing blogs on my phone and sending it to post via email. I think that is easier to do during my travels, than finding time to sit in front of the computer and get something up. Evenings are spent putting Angus to sleep, answering work emails, eating dinner and going to bed. If i'm lucky, a little TV. Weekends are all Angus all the time - except now, as he is napping. Oh, and I am still breastfeeding! I only pump 2X a day at work and not at all at home. He is drinking about 5-6oz per day when I am at work. He sleeps from about 8pm-4:30am, then has some milk and sleeps until ideally 7 or so. Not bad, huh? Things have progressed nicely albeit with a few hiccups along the way, especially in the sleep department. OK. Hopefully I will be able to post more often!

sloth

2009-10-18T05:01:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling really unhealthy lately. I've been eating kind of badly. Not so much during the day at work, but when I get home. I have no time to grocery shop, therefore we have no food, therefore we order in. No matter how often you order in, it feels like a treat for some reason. Maybe that's left over from childhood, when 98% of my meals were at the kitchen table with my family. I need to feel better. I am thinking about doing a 3 day juice cleanse to get started, but I need to check to make sure it's ok with breastfeeding. I'm sure it is...oh, and it's really crazily expensive. But as a friend who is also considering the same cleanse said, "maybe the high cost incentivises" you to do it! Still, I have better things to spend my money on, like groceries! Haha.

I am going to take some steps to feel better. I'm going to grocery shop more. When I shop, I'm also going to buy ingredients to make at least 2 meals at home. That doesn't count easy things like spaghetti. These would be a few more detailed meals with say 5 ingredients or so. Maybe something I can put in the freezer. Oh, and salads. Johnny and I used to eat salads all the time and we stopped. Honestly I think we stopped because I don't like washing lettuce. I also don't like the chemical taste from cut up salad in a bag. I think I will buy romaine leaves and then just wash and cut enough for 2 days worth of salads. Another thing I will do is walk a little further for my lunch. I go about a block, 2 at the most. I'm going to go further. It's good exercise mainly, but it's good to clear your head and get fresh air. Angus is SO mobile and before I know it he's going to be running into traffic, so I need to get in shape and feel good so I cam keep up with him!

food

2009-09-20T22:26:00.005-04:00

Angus is eating 3 non-breast milk meals a day. Jarred food - I use Earth's Best. I feel mildly guilty about the fact that I fully intended to cook some of his food - but have yet to do so. I bought the damn baby cubes and everything. I think I will make it a goal this week to at least cook SOMETHING for him. The jarred stuff is just so eeeeeeeeeeeasy, and the Earth's Best has no added junk. I do have some slight mistrust of them though. They falsified some info with their formula a while back, and I wonder about their jarred food. I do like the flavors though, and so does Angus - as long as those flavors aren't green. Ha! I am a little stressed out about 10 days from now when he's going to start getting finger food. Actually I'm more stressed out about after that, and for the next 18 or so years when I am the one responsible for feeding him balanced meals. I can barely feed myself a balanced meal. It's going to kind of suck to think about food groups and iron and protein and all that stuff. That seems like a full-time job to me! I think I'm going to have to spend some quality time reading up and learning more about this so I can not worry about it and have some meals in place. I guess that's still a ways away> in the meantime, I look forward to giving him tiny tiny pieces of food! Kiwi, Watermelon, cantalopue, cheese, fun times!

catching up

2009-09-13T22:15:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm always so behind on blogging and that every time I blog I apologize for not doing it often enough. I hope that's a given. Anyway.....Angus is almost 8 months old and he's changed SO much! 1) He's crawling! 2) He has 5 teeth and a 6th arriving any day! He is SO much fun. It's just amazing to let him crawl and decide where he wants to go and what he wants to do. He has his own little mind and personality. It keeps us on our toes - it's a while new ballgame! Gone are the days of us putting him somewhere and having him stay there! He is constantly on the go. We're going to have to get in shape and do a lot of working out in order to keep up with him.

Otherwise - we're doing well - I'm still managing to exclusively breastfeed (he's eating baby food of course). I pump 3X a day at work and my supply has been pretty consistent and I haven't had to unfreeze any bags in a while.

Angus had his first night without me or Johnny last night. Johnny went to Toronto for the film festival and I had to be at a wedding in Vermont, so I dropped him off with the in-laws on Saturday morning. It was very lonely without the both of them and while I enjoyed the thought of sleeping in, and uninterrupted sleep, I was uncomfortable for some reason and I woke bright and early anyway. It was a quiet trip. Driving alone up and down to VT was nice and peaceful. Pre-baby, I spent a fair amount of time alone - walking in the city, or just vegging out. It was nice to have a little taste of that, but the niceness didn't make he miss the boys any less. Angus survived his stay and was happy to see me and seems unscathed! We did have to use a bunch of my frozen milk stash, and that is what's it's for. I still have a few bags left in the freezer, and I pumped a ton this weekend - probably about 6 bottles worth. I actually ran out of medela bottles to put the milk in, so I emptied out an unopened water bottle. It was so funny to see that bottle half full of milk - my milk that I made! I travelled with a big cooler and cooling supplies so that I could pump on the way. I pumped milk on the highway! I was really dreading leaving him with the in-laws, but I am glad it went well and I knew they would take great care of him, but of course I'm going to worry. I'm glad it's over!

SLEEP Part Two

2009-08-19T21:55:00.006-04:00

So...sleep training week. We started on a Tuesday - kinda...it was "lite" sleep training. My goal was to fix the problem of Angus being put to bed whilst deeply asleep. He never learnt to go to sleep! So...I merely fed him until he was almost asleep, and then brought him his crib, making sure he was aware and that his eyes were open. He fussed the first couple of nights a little, but that was the start of the training. He still woke up, but not as often, but I did pick him up and bring him back to our bed when he woke up around 2am or so. On Thursday we had a doctor's appt for him, and his pediatrician's office is known for being big advocates of sleep training. Normally I don't think this is a doctor's place, but given that we were trying to figure it out, I gladly listened to their advice.

The advice, was pretty much what we already had read/researched ourselves - 1) no swaddle, just pj's 2) put him down awake but drowsy 3) if he cries, allow him to cry for 5 minutes, then go in for 1-2 minutes max and talk to him, and soothe him, but do NOT pick him up 4) if he's still crying, wait 10 minutes beore returning 5) if he STILL cries, wait another 15 before going in 6) cap it off at 15 minutes, so keep letting him cry in blocks of 15 minutes max.

The first official night of this, probably at the 25 minute mark, he went to sleep. He then woke up at 3am and 5am and we repeated the above process. Around 6 I allowed him to be up. The next night was easier all around. It hardly took him any time to fall asleep, and he only woke up at 5 and then went back to sleep. It's been pretty smooth since then! He went to be tonight quite awake, and he just hung out and fiddled around in his crib for 5-10 minutes and then lay on his side and went to sleep. Last night same thing...no tears at all, and he slept until about 5, when he woke up probably 3X for about 2 minutes each time and put himself back to sleep. I picked him up at 6:30. Magic I tell you! I was SO surprised that this was so easy, and that it wasn't complete torture. He thankfully didn't cry for very long at any point, so it could have been a lot worse. It's also working for naps too! I have noticed that he's a happier baby - less cranky and fussy - not that he was much of either of those things at all, but I am VERY thankful that we did this when we did. I was turning into a zombie! YAY ANGUS!!!

SLEEP Part One

2009-08-15T12:01:00.002-04:00

So...I've written here previously that Angus stopped his marathon sleeping sessions a couple of months back. He went from sleeping 10 hours straight, to waking up once, to waking up numerous times. Initially I would just feed him and put him back in his crib. Then I would just bring him to bed with me and let him nurse all he wanted. I would sleep on my side, he would sleep facing me with constant access to the boob. I guess it would be like sleeping on a buffet table! Needless to say, we weren't progressing well. I loved him sleeping next to me all snuggled up and cosy. My husband however, retreated to the couch at the height of this.

We also suffered from a few other problems. #1 - I did what I dubbed "boob to sleep" ie: I would breastfeed him to complete deep sleep and then transfer him to his crib. He would get 30 minutes on one boob, then a burp and a swaddle and singing of twinkle twinkle, then switch to the other boob until he pulled himself off and was in a deep slumber. This was a big problem since he never learned to put himself to sleep. The other issue I believe, is that we were still swaddling him - so it was hard for him to self-soothe using his hands should he so desire. And of course at this point, he should know how to do all those things, plus he no longer requires a nighttime feeding.

So - for some reason this week became sleep-training week!

To be continued....

Breastfeeding on Sesame Street

2009-08-10T10:34:00.001-04:00

How amazing is this! We've reverted in acceptance of public breastfeeding for some reason. I don't think this would EVER get on Sesame Street today! Weird, right? Anyway - I should have posted this last week, as it was World Breastfeeding Week, so a little late - but in honor of that, here's an amazing video from Sesame Street in 1977.

executive decision

2009-08-01T15:04:00.002-04:00

For the past few months, I have been setting an alarm and getting up to pump in he middle of the night. This was not a problem when Angus was sleeping 10 hours straight, as I would go to bed at 10, wake up around 1 or 2 to pump and go back to bed and still get 3 hours of sleep. Unfortunately for about a month + he has been waking up anywhere between 1 and 4. Most days it seems that I get up to pump, and he either wakes up while I'm still pumping, or a short time after I go back to bed. I'm exhausted. It's really catching up with me. I have made an executive decision to not set an alarm to do this while he's not sleeping through the night. I will probably start again once he starts sleeping better, but right now it's not worth the sleep loss. So... I'm going to stop torturing myself!

so insane

2009-07-22T03:03:00.003-04:00

WOW. I haven't posted in ages. Does adding my twitter stuff count? Well, it's been a bit nutty. We had a little New Jersey shore beach vacation, and my mom has been in town. Hopefully things will start to improve! Oh yeah, and Angus is still waking up every night (knock on wood as I say this - it's 3am, I am pumping and he is still asleep!). I've been very tired and it's been hard to focus on life, let alone blogging!

Anyway - let me try to catch you up.

Angus: I don't know if it's a growth spurt (he'll be 6 months very soon), or if it's his teeth (has bottom 2, maybe more are coming?) , or if he's just hungry (he is very distracted during his feedings). Whatever it is, I hope it stops! Last night I put him down and he woke up within that hour and then again within the next hour, then at 2am and then I gave up and brought him to bed with me and just let him nurse. I don't mind the "co-sleeping" but sometimes I get scared and worry that he's going to get smothered or something. I try to remain mostly awake and aware of where he is and position any sheets or blankets away from him, but there's always that part of me that worries - but I guess that's good. I am being careful!

Beach: The New Jersey shore is no place for a baby. Actually it was fine...maybe it's no place for a husband! Actually Angus is just way to little for the beach. He needs to be held all the time since we didn't really have anywhere for him to sit and it was windy, so any flat surfaces were very sandy, and I just didn't want to deal with that. (SIDE NOTE - HE'S WAKING UP! I HEAR CRYING!!! OH CRAP). I have to end this here!

so many changes, mostly good.

2009-07-12T03:07:00.004-04:00

Angus has realy changed so much in the last few weeks. To start, his tooth has a brother! He now has his bottom two teeth! He also really loves being on his tummy and trying to crawl - scooting I think they call it. He can mostly hold his own bottle. He has a crazy squack that he has figured out how to do. He has new things that make him giggle. He's almost 6 months old!

The one change I don't like, is that for a week now he's been waking up at 2 or 3am. Nothing manages to console him other than my boob. I don't know if he's teething again and waking because he's uncomfortable. I don't know if he's just having a growth spurt. I don't know if he's hungry and ready for solid food. I just don't know! What I do know, is that I'm tired. We got so spoiled with many months of him sleeping 8-10 hours straight. I even felt bad when people said "oh you must be so exhausted" because I wasn't! About a month ago I decided that I really needed to get up in the middle of the night to pump. It was crucial to my supply. I've been trying to do this for the past week, but his waking up has really screwed that up. So now, it's 3:15...he got up around 1:45, and I just got him back down, and now I'm pumping the breast he didn't eat from. Thank god it's the weekend, but still - I really hopw this is just a phase that will end soon!

city baby

2009-06-29T02:10:00.004-04:00

I think one of the best things about NYC is the subway. It takes you just about anywhere you want to go. I won't get into the fare hikes and the potentially corrupt system of management, but the subway here is a necessity. HOWEVER - there is not much worse than riding the subway with a screaming baby.

Turns out, the subway is LOUD. I mean, I knew that, but imagine what it must be like to the little sensitive new ears of a baby! Angus slept his first few times on the subway, but as of late he has chosen to scream instead. I had purchased some baby ear protectors, since I work in the music business and I figured it wouldn't be long before I took him to his first show. These seem to be the protector brand of celebrity babies, so I figured if they were good enough for Gwyneth Paltrow's babies they are good enough for mine (not that Coldplay is "loud" haha). Instead of being used at a concert, they had their initial run on the subway - and they were magic! Angus didn't cry and seemed somewhat oblivious to what was going on. We were very relieved since daily life in NYC revolves around the subway - although he probably won't be going on it more than once a week, it's a relief that we have found a way to do it that doesn't upset him. Now if someone can just sell us a bubble to put around him to stop strangers from touching him!

5 months!

2009-06-27T07:17:00.003-04:00

Wow - I am really slacking at posting. I promise I will get better. I am starting to be in more of a routine, as is Angus, and I will be able to add a consistent time in for blogging.

Angus is 5 months old today! I can't believe how fast it's all going. In 1 month he'll be half a year, and that sounds crazy to me. I met a 7 month old the other day and he was just sitting on the floor, reaching into a toy box and playing with toys...amusing himself and leaning forward on his arms and rocking back and forth on his knees thinking about crawling. Angus has a ways to go before that happens, but he really only seems interested in rolling from his back to his tummy and lifting his head up and stretching his arms out.

It's so crazy to me how babies work. We get emails every month from babycenter.com about his development, and they're spot on. It will be fun when he can sit up without falling over. It will be insane when he crawls. It will be funny when he eats real food. We can't WAIT for all these so-called milestones, but there's also some part of us that will miss his baby-ness very much. Right now, we're the boss of him, but soon enough he's going to be telling us what he wants to do and where he wants to go and when. It will be so much fun, and so tiring. I'm sure that's when we'll say "remember when he was a baby and we could put him in his stroller and take him wherever we wanted to go? And make him do whatever we wanted to do?"

father's day tooth!

2009-06-21T20:24:00.004-04:00

Johnny was away for a few days and came home on father's day eve. The day before, I found a very exciting surprise in Angus' mouth....a TOOTH! His bottom left tooth is in. SO awesome! All the drooling and hand eating finally rewards us with a cute little chomper! I did my very best secret holding in and manager to not tell Johnny, and instead, I wrote out Angus' father's day card with a note to say he could find his present in his mouth. He didn't get it at first, and I pretty much had to tell him. It was quite a surprise! It came in without much fanfare - I didn't notice too much crankiness, but then again he was with sitters all week, but none of them reported any extra fussiness. I hope the rest of them come in that smoothly!

these are a few of my favorite things - breastfeeding edition

2009-06-14T02:34:00.010-04:00

There are some things I have that I really couldn't live without that I thought I would share...ok - I could live without them, but they sure are making my life easier right now!

1) Pumpin' pal super shields
These things are so great because they allow you to lean back and relax while pumping and not worry about the milk going into the bottle. Very smart idea

2) La Leche League pull-over sleep bra
I've already worn one of these out, and I just bought 2 more. They are cheap, comfy and easy to nurse with and comfy to sleep in with just enough support.

3) pumping bra
Being hands-free allows to me to do things like write this blog (which I am doingnow while pumping), eat, read magazines etc). This particular version works well for me, although it looks insane.

4) More Milk Special Blend
This tincture has really helped me with my milk production. It tastes horrible, but it works. They have different blends for different women's needs and I am a believer.

5) My Brest friend
I originally thought this thing was dumb, but then a lactation consultant showed me how to use it, and I rarely nurse without it. It keeps Angus supported and it keeps me sane. My husband calls it my lunch tray.

time flies!

2009-06-11T20:26:00.003-04:00

Time is flying by SO fast. The days fly by, and the weekends do the same. I am finding it hard to find time to blog, let alone do things like pay my bills or put stuff away! I get up with Angus at 5:30 or 6:30, and he eats and we snuggle until 8am, and then he's in the care of a babysitter or my husband while I get ready for work and then leave at 8:45. It's hard to leave him, especially since I don't get home until close to 7, and that's with leaving work 30 minutes early! I don't want to think about it too much or it will make me cry. When I get home, he gets his pj's on and I start feeding him. Halfway through his feeding he gets burped and swaddled, and then eat some more and is put to be usually around 8pm. I get about 2 hours in the morning and about 1.5 hours at night. 3.5 hours a day, 17.5 hours a week. That is awful when you think about it. Why should a babysitter get to spend more time than me with my son? Now I'm thinking about it too much. Oops. I really hope that some day I can be a stay-at-home mom, but in the meantime I need my job, and I need my health insurance, so I don't have the option of staying home. If the economy was better maybe I would have quit and then found another job down the line, but it's just not possible these days. It's hard every day, but I am getting used to it. I don't know if it will ever get "better", but as he gets older I think he'll be a little less needy and easier for sitters to deal with. Right now he needs 100% full-time attention, and I worry that a babysitter will get bored and frustrated and he will just cry and be upset and whoops...there goes my brain thinking the worst. He's 4.5 months old now and just so damn cute. I want the people that look after him to be the best that they can be and I really hope that's what they are being!

efficiency

2009-06-02T03:02:00.003-04:00

I've been doing a TON of research on pumping and Angus's eating. Thing is, the kid normally takes about an hour to eat. I think that's too long - I mean some babies take that long, and I don't really mind, but I think if he becomes a more efficient eater, I will become a more efficient pumper. What I am now doing, is going back to the method of switching sides. I stopped doing that a while ago when I thought he was having a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance (which he wasn't) and kept doing that. Now I am switching and it's helped a bit. It's only been a couple of days, but I think he's down to 40/45 minutes. I think it's helping me make more milk too. It makes sense, right? I had a day or 2 of soreness, so something is working! I've also learned that I need to do breast impressions, which had indeed helped. I've also been taking fenugreek, but I've now switched to something called more milk plus. Yuck. It tastes like medicine. Either way, I have noticed an improvement aready. I'm still now where I'd like to be in terms of output, but 2 letdowns is actually a good thing! I'm also setting an alarm and getting up to pump, which is what I am doing now at 3am - yikes! Sadly this is really affecting my mornings. I am feeling SO much more tired. I hope my body gets used to it. I'm fine when I get to work, but when Angus wakes up at 5:30 or 6:30 I feel like quite a zombie! Here's to adjusting!

back at work :(

2009-05-28T05:33:00.003-04:00

I am back at work now - day three. It seems like 4 months just flew by. My emotional state is ok during the day, but when I get home I get super sad. It really sucks that if I'm lucky I get 3 hours a day with him, and much of that time is spend by him nursing. I am trying to arrange leaving work 30 minutes early so I can leave at 6, which will help us stick to getting him to bed at 8pm.

I am pumping during the day and that REALLY stinks. I'm just not getting much out of the pump. Day 2 was better than day 1, ie: more milk, but it's still not enough....plus I need to pump 4 times a day, 5 would be awesome - and for a 20 minute session each time + set up, it's nearly 2 hours out of my day. I feel guilty about that - which I need to get over. It's just a lot of time when I am trying to catch up on work and get up to speed. I really hope I get more mik soon. I bought fenugreek drops and mother's milk tea, so hopefully I will see a result from that. Thing is, I only have 2 letdowns during a 20 minute session...and my son normally breastfeeds for an hour! I feel like I might need to call a lactation consultant to try to gt him to eat more efficiently before I will pump more efficiently, but who knows. Either way, I'm trying not to stress about it since that would cause me to make even less milk! Any tips?

clothing

2009-05-20T18:18:00.001-04:00

Angus has an unbelievable amount of clothing. His paternal grandmother is a shopping addict, and every time we see her, he gets 4 or 5 new outfits! Most are cute but some are not so cute. We usually manage to tell her when something isn't to our liking and she returns it - but I feel a little guilty so I let my husband do it. I will have to get over that. I think she has a closet full of clothes for him that she spreads out each time we go. He's a lucky little guy. If only Babywit had a store in Long Island that she could shop at!

Speaking of clothing, I need more. My body is a mess from being pregnant and I didn't buy any new clothes last year really, other than some maternity ones so I am severely lacking. I ordered some nice stuff from Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic, but my favorite items come from Boden. Their stuff is lovely! Hopefully I will manage to look half decent when I go back to work next week. Hopefully I will be able to get away during the day to run to get some pants, as I am severly lacking in those. I don't know how I'm going to fix my body though. My balance is off and I have weight to lose...especially around my gut. That was the case even before I got pregnant, and much more so now. I'm actually not that far off from my pre-pregnancy weight, and hopefully when I get back to work and closer to things like salads, it will help. I think I would have a much better summer if I was happy about how my body looked. Bikini here I come - NOT!!!

back to work soon

2009-05-17T03:45:00.002-04:00

I go back to work soon...after Memorial Day. I'm pretty bummed about it, but there is no avoiding it. I already scored an extra month off, so I feel lucky that I've had 4 months. Although in Canada, they get a year. In fact in many other countries they get a ton more time. Our system is son antiquated. Oh well. I have been pumping to try to get a stockpile of milk in the freezer, and every couple of days I can freeze some. Only every couple of days because I keep using it! Whenever I go out with him for an extended period of time, I bring along milk "just to be safe", and he usually wants it. I feel like I might need to check in with a lactaction consultant soon. He still takes about an hour to eat, and it seems like he wants to eat every 2 hours or so....sometimes 3, and I'm talking about the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next, so sometimes that's only an hour in between. Hmmm. I hope I'm not having a milk issue. I don't think I am since when I pump early am, I can often get 3-4 oz from the one breast that he didn't feed on. I wish it was more though. I'm a little nervous about what will happen when I am back at work and I hope I can get enough with pumping. I'd like to ideally pump what he needs the next day if not more. I am going to do my best to enjoy the next 9 days since I can't imagine how sad I'm going to be when it's over. I know I have his whole lifetime ahead of me, but he's just so tiny!

2009-05-10T11:50:00.002-04:00

Angus is now 3 months old...well, 3.5 months actually, and damn....this kid grows like a weed! I swear his head got bigger overnight, and it literally did. There's a spot behind his ears where I can see that skin has stretched and old skin has peeled to make room for growing skin underneath. So crazy. In the last couple of weeks he has discovered his new favorite toy (his feet) and he is figuring out his laugh a little more. He's been laughing for a few weeks, but it's getting easier to make him do it, and he has less occurrences of the hiccups, which would always happen after a good chuckle. He seems to be eating less - well, more time in-between feedings, and he's only pooping once or twice a day now. He also slept for 10 hours straight last night! I am a lucky gal. It's Mother's Day today and my wish was that my husband take care of his usual 2nd wakeup - the one around 6am, but this morning he slept right through his first wakeup usually around 4am and went straight through to 6:30 or so! Johnny took care of that one, and I got up to pump anyway, and went back to bed for a couple of luxurious hours.

I go back to work in a couple of weeks and I am working hard on being ok with it. I think it will be hard for the first few weeks and get easier after a while, but then I bet it will be harder again. If he was 2 it would be ok, because then he would be in daycare and I would feel better about his days without me. In the meantime I have a few lovely ladies that will look after him when Johnny is at work and ideally it will all be hunky-dory. For now though, I will enjoy these last couple of weeks of quality time with my adorable little man.

water + poop

2009-05-08T06:30:00.002-04:00

I can't seem to get enough water. I am consistently constipated (TMI, sorry) no matter how much water I drink. I realized the other day, that I have hardly been eating any fruit either. Right after Angus was born I was eating a lot of berries, but in the last month I maybe ate a few bananas and that's it. Whoops. Hopefully if I add a ton of fruit back into my diet, and continue drinking as much water as possible this problem will soon be alleviated. Angus is taking all my water from me and I guess I'm not replacing it or getting enough fiber.

Speaking of poop, his was green 4/5 times for about 10 days. It ranged in tones, sometimes dark green, and sometimes bright green like pesto. A few times it even had some streaks of blood in it...VERY scary. Very odd. Doctors said not to worry about either thing (well, to call them if the blood was consistent), but I did my own research and found that the blood may be caused by a lactose intolerance. So, I cut out dairy...bummer...actually it hasn't been too bad at all. I really like almond milk, and surely not eating cheese will help me lose weight! The good news is that his poop is now normal! Coincidence? I think not. I will be sure to mention this at our next appointment!

hot news

2009-05-06T07:27:00.002-04:00

good news about pacifiers!
a birth control shot for men?
women putting off pregnancy due to the economy

my weight

2009-04-29T06:38:00.004-04:00

I have been overweight for years. Not obese, but kinda "chunky" I guess you'd say. A few years ago I lost 30 pounds on weight watchers, and then gained about 15 back, which is where I was pre-pregnancy. During my pregnancy I gained about 35 pounds. Right after I gave birth I lost 25 of that very quickly, and now I need to lose just under 10 to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, and then I'd like to lose some more. I was hoping that breast-feeding would take it all way like magic, but that doesn't work if you choose to eat whatever you want, instead of eating normally and healthfully. This last week I made some changes in my diet and am making a conscious effort to make smart choices, and hopefully when I go back to work, I will at least be at my pre-pregnancy weight. Wish me luck!

the cat......

2009-04-27T12:10:00.002-04:00

I love my cat, I really do. Slash is the best, most snuggly and lovable thing ever. About a month before Angus was born, we lost Slash's brother to a whole bunch of illnesses we didn't even know he had. After that Slash seemed ok, save for a few days of looking around. Now he's taken to meowing very loudly at inopportune moments, like as soon as I put Angus down for example. At first we realized he was meowing and wide awake around 5/6 am, as that was when the sun came up and he and his brother would play. No when he does it, sadly there is no one to play with. He then comes in our room and stands near the crib and howls. It's very annoying and wakes me up, and wakes my husband up but only woke Angus up once from a daytime nap he may have been waking up from anyway. We're not sure what to do about this and our normal "stop it" noises don't work. We're trying to give him extra love and attention, but that doesn't work. He does sleep all day. which leads to much of his night restlessness I'm sure, so am I to try to wake him up from naps during the day? He's a cat! He'll go right back to sleep! We can't not let him in the room either, because then he would howl and scratch at the door, which would be even louder. Anyway - We love him, but MAN....he's walking a thin line! Poor guy.

recent news stories

2009-04-23T14:23:00.003-04:00

Some recent interesting news stories.

Gravity DOES matter - - especially in early labor.
Breastfeeding benefits mothers too!
Breastfeeding under attack - why?

work...maternity leave

2009-04-21T08:42:00.001-04:00

I am SO lucky and happy. On the first day of our trip I received great news. My request for an extra month of maternity leave was approved! Now, instead of going back to work on 4/23, I go back on 5/26, right after Memorial day weekend. I don't get paid of course, but I am so happy tp be able to spend this extra time with Angus. I merely asked my boss for the extra time, and she thought about it, consulted with a couple of my coworkers and said yes! Everyone says that babies change so much right around 3 months, and now I get to enjoy that...plus, I will have more time to get my frozen breast milk supply up, which I need to do for my eventual return to work. Now that the weather is sporadically better, we're going to go out as much as we can and take advantage of it. Oh what a lovely month it will be!

i'm back!

2009-04-15T21:23:00.004-04:00

I'm back from vacation and have many things to say - so look forward to some more frequent posting!

We just got back from our first big trip with baby. We flew to my parent's farm in Saskatchewan. If involved a flight from NYC to Toronto, then Toronto to Regina and then a 1 hour drive. I am pleased to say that Angus was a champ! We even had delays in NYC on the way out there and I was nervous that he was going to go ballistic out of boredom of something, but everything was fine! My husband had him in our sling much of the time and he seemed really happy and comfortable there, and slept a bunch! I bought a Bebe Au Lait for the flight/airport, and I'm glad I did as it made nursing in public much easier. I frankly don't care anymore who sees my boobs, but it took me a while to realize that it's not about me - it's about other people's comfort. I don't really want to be stared at or given weird looks either though. Anyway - that was nice to use, as we waited until everyone got off the flights before we did, and I was sitting and everyone else was standing and it would have been weird. I brought some pumped milk to use for takeoff and landing too (ears popping) and that was useful too. He didn't get cranky until the very end of the last flight. Otherwise, he was a total champ!

My folks live on a lovely agricultural farm, and it's some of the most gorgeous scenery and freshest air around. I am happy that we were able to go there and let them all spend some time with us and their grandson! He also got to meet my brother - his Uncle for the first time! I enjoyed watching my family interact with him, and it was funny too. My mom and dad probably haven't touched a baby since my brother was one, and that was 26 years ago - so they are a little rusty, but loving and sweet. All in all it was a great time and a nice break for my husband and I!

2 months +

2009-04-05T12:05:00.003-04:00

Angus is now 2 months + 1 week + 2 days old! I just love him so much and never want to stop looking at him. Yesterday we went to visit our friends and their new baby, and we argued about who would get to carry him up to their place - we both want him! It's nice to love something this much. It's funny - all those things people say that you think are so dumb are true...such as "you'll be surprised at how much you can love something" and "enjoy it, because they grow up so fast" and "say goodbye to sleep"/sleep now while you can", "they change everyday", you're going to think your baby is the cutest"...and so on and so on....they are all right and they are all true! Every day we marvel at how adorable our son is and how he changes just about everyday.

We have a trip involving and airplane coming up, and I'm a little nervous about it. I don't think he's going to scream the whole time, as we're good at comforting him - mostly with the boob - or a swaddle, but I wonder if he's going to sleep. Our travel day is long and if he doesn't sleep - he's going to be SO cranky and that would suck. We're trying to figure out what to bring on the plane, and what to pack. I actually bought a bebe au lait - which I never thought I would - I'm not very modest these days, but it seems like a good idea for airports and planes - for nursing and maybe even for sleeping...maybe a germ shield too! Anyway - wish us luck :)

present day...

2009-03-25T10:12:00.004-04:00

A lot has happened in 6, nearly 7 weeks. Not really in the grand scheme of things I suppose - but Angus is much more like a baby and much less like a newborn. He weighs about 10 pounds now, his eyebrows and eyelashes have grown, he smiles, he enjoys his play mat, he follows things he wants to look at, he has more hang time, he loves taking baths, he has a bedtime...etc, etc.

It's been truly amazing watching all this stuff happen, and the little changes in his personality and day to day life and habits. He really is how own little person, quirks and all.

He will be 2 months old in a couple of days and time has really flown. I am fully recovered from my c-section and I feel good. We're going to Canada soon to see my folks, so that will be interesting...baby's first airplane ride! Soon after we return from that, I will have to go back to work, which is MOST unfortunate. I am dreading it and wondering how I will make it work with the breastfeeding/pumping etc. I don't want to stress out about it too much yet but I can't help it. I really dread the thought of someone else looking after him...he needs SO much attention right now, he hardly naps and I can't imagine anyone but a mother doing this all day for him. I'm working on finding some appropriate caretakers for him, but I am procrastinating a bit because the last thing on earth I want to do is leave him. Tears come to my eyes when I think about it :(

the first couple of weeks

2009-03-20T10:53:00.001-04:00

I need to try to catch up to present day, but I feel like I have some holes to fill here! So.....I will talk about the first couple of weeks. They were pretty hard, and starting to become blurry. This must be one of the benefits of having a child...making you forget the difficult parts so you want to have more!

I was so bloated and my feet were giant when I got home. I also had stretch marks! None of those things happened while I was pregnant. The bloating and swelling was from the fluids they pumped into me, and I went down fast. After just a few days I had lost much of the water and thankfully the water weight! The c-section didn't make life very easy. I had a hard time getting up and my husband had to get everything for me. It was slow going for me. Thankfully my parents came to visit and they were a great help. Every day I felt a little bit better and became a little more mobile though. I tried to get outside for walks, but the weather didn't cooperate much and we had most of our coldest days right when I got home and needed to be outside!

I definitely didn't realize how time consuming a lot of things would be. Someone told me "newborns sleep a lot" and they failed to also use the phrase "some newborns"...MY newborn never sleeps! Well, he sleeps now, but initially he didn't sleep at all. Not even in the hospital after he was born. He was too worried about getting food to be concerned with sleep. Once we got home, he barely slept...I mean a few hours here and there, and gradually it got better, but anytime we got him to be asleep after a feeding, he would wake up as soon as we transferred him to his bassinet. I *think* he slept better at night, and for the first 2 weeks we were home so did I. Since we were supplementing with formula, my husband could get up and do one of the feedings and I could stay asleep - luxury!

Although that was nice, I had a LOT of anxiety about formula. I am a big breastfeeding advocate, and it broke my heart to have to give him formula..at least we used the organic stuff. The supplementing started in the hospital because he got a fever due to dehydration, so we had to keep doing it for a while, and then wean him off. That stuff is like baby crack. After he had the formula he would sleep SO deeply. I guess because it's higher in fat than breastmilk, so it takes less time to go through him, whereas especially in the early days of milk, I was producing skim and it went through him FAST. Anyway - I was very worried about how we would wean him off, and we started to just give him less and less, but then one day we just gave him none. It had been long enough that my milk was satisfying him more and he didn't seem to miss it or really notice.

Angus liked to eat ALL the time...I literally mean 18-20 out of the 24 hours in a day this kid would be on the boob as I like to say. It was VERY draining and I think I assumed he would eat, we would put him down and then he would sleep for a few hours. No dice. He would eat, sleep for a short time, wake up, eat, poop, etc. And in the middle of this he would be swaddled and unswaddled numerous times. Inevitably, once he was perfectly swaddled, he would take a giant poop and we would have to do that again. It was tricky...but it got and continues to get much better.

I got a good breastfeeding book, and it said that after about 40 days, things improve and you and your child figure each other out. That timeline was spot on. I've got many of his habits figured out and those first few weeks were nutty and sleep deprived and stressful....on top of my hormones working themselves out - many tears were shed - tears of joy and tears of stress. I haven't cried in a couple of weeks now though and it's been 7 weeks!

feelings....

2009-03-18T07:55:00.000-04:00

So, if you read the story of my labor and any of my previous posts about how I wanted my birth to be, you may recall that I wanted a natural childbirth. So how do I feel about the events that took place? How do I feel about what became the most unnatural birth? I don't know really. In a way I am still processing what happened. Everyone says that you can plan and hope for whatever you want, but childbirth can be like Murphy's law. Ultimately my husband is right though. In short, by signing up to have a hospital birth, you also sign yourself up for the likelihood of many interventions that "may help you progress" or "are best for the baby" and it can be hard to avoid them. Of course though, every hospital is different, every town is different and every caretaker is different.

Ultimately I am very thankful that I have a happy, healthy baby and in short that outweighs how he got here - BUT - if there is a next time, I will do it quite differently. If I am still in NYC, I would go back to St.Luke's-Roosevelt, but I would be in their birthing center under the care of a midwife. It's nice to know that if there were to be an emergency that it can be handled a mere floor away.

...or maybe I should just go to The Farm!

after the delivery....

2009-03-16T10:22:00.004-04:00

After the delivery, I was wheeled into a recovery area where we re-met up with our doula Shana. Angus was brought in briefly, and we put him to the breast and he latched on right away - which was awesome. Unfortunately, a really bitchy intern came and told us we had to let Angus to get all his tests and everything done. We tried to get her to delay for 10-15 minutes so we could bond and he could continue to nurse, but she wasn't having it and - well - she was a TOTAL BITCH. No way to treat a new mom. Anyway, I sent Johnny with him to the nursery, and eventually I was wheeled to my room. I wasn't going to be able to get up for a couple of days...I had a catheter, IV's with pain medication and fluids, and these weird things on my calves which were like electric boots. They vibrated on and off and I guess since the medication takes a while to wear off, and during that time I can't feel anything fro the waist down, they massage me to avoid DVT.

Eventually Johnny and Angus showed up and we nursed some more and tried to sleep a bit. Things were fine, but eventually night came and Johnny had to leave, which was sad. Angus was very fussy all night (he roomed with me) and I had problems getting him to latch again. He hadn't really slept, and he was only getting colostrum and it was an all night battle. What really sucked was that he was in a bassinet next to my bed, but I couldn't physically take him out of it or out him in it because of my limited mobility, so I had to keep buzzing the nurses to do it. Also, the lady next to me had a vaginal birth and was clearly disturbed by Angus' crying and my inability to stop it - which stressed me out.

Over the next couple of days the nursing got a bit better, but he was still a little fussy and continually on the boob. My catheter and my leg machines were removed, and I was up and walking...albeit uncomfortably. Eventually Angus developed a fever, so they had to give him some formula because they assumed he was dehydrated - which he was. I felt really bad about it - but I guess it was just because my milk hadn't arrived. Looking back, I would have benefited greatly from having a lactation consultant come see me - which my husband suggested, but I didn't. The nurses all give you different opinions on breastfeeding, and there are no lactation consultants on staff. We also have conflicting blood types, which caused elevated billirubin levels (which is what causes jaundice) and that may have contributed to the fever too. The fever went down quickly after the formula was given, so after breastfeedings it was recommended that I continue to "top him off" with the formula.

So....I gave birth on a Tuesday and went home on Friday. My parents had arrived in town the night before so they were there to help, which was wonderful. We left St.Luke's Roosevelt and were left to our own devices to start our journey as parents

regularity

2009-03-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

I hope to return to more frequent posting on Monday, but in the meantime - here are 2 great/interesting/funny articles I came across today...

NYTimes...flying with a baby

NYTimes...nursing and drinking

my birth story

2009-03-03T14:14:00.004-05:00

Ok...finally. Here is the story of my labor as told by my husband Johnny with help from our doula Shana. The ones in italics & bold are the text messages he sent to a small list of friends and family. It's a LONG story and was a LONG labor. Enjoy!

Friday - 1/23
13:30 - normal OB GYN appointment - Sonya is 2cm dilated and 40% effaced. They send us to St Luke’s for a sonogram and some fetal monitoring. We walk through Central Park from 93rd and CPW to 58th & Amsterdam....30+ blocks! The resident on duty sends us up to Labor & Delivery to get further monitoring (for no real stated reason). We stay there for 4 hours. Sonya sees some minor contractions on the monitor and feels them a bit when we get home.

Saturday - 1/24
07:00 - I get up for work, Sonya is definitely feeling some contractions. I go into the job expecting to be called away by mid afternoon. The call never comes. I get home around 3PM. We finish off the day pretty normally. Sonya gets some napping in, and we go to bed kind of early.

Sunday - 1/25
00:00 - Sonya wakes up to full-on contractions. They start about 7 min apart, and fluctuate between 5 and 8.
00:45 - Sonya goes to the bathroom and has a bit of bloody show and notices mucus discharge is increasing.
01:00 - Contractions start to weaken a bit.
02:00 - Contractions intensify.
04:00 - I make Sonya an omelet.
05:00 - Things slow down a bit, we go back to sleep.
10:00 - We wake up, contractions are about 10-15 min apart, they stay that way most of the day.
17:00 - We take a long walk around the neighborhood. When we got home, things kick back in heavy. Contractions are about 3-5 min apart. We ride them out at home, eat some donuts we had bought on the walk, and start trying some positions to help Sonya deal with the pain.
22:30 - We call our doula Shana to give her a heads up, and call our OB Dr. Langer to tell her things were happening, but we decide to stay home for a while.
22:30 - Sonya takes a bath for about an hour.

Monday - 1/26
01:00 - We ask Shana to come over. She helps Sonya with pain and soothe her. We slowly get gear up for the hospital.
03:00 - - Sonya’s water breaks.
05:30 - We head to the hospital.
06:00 - Sonya is admitted to St. Lukes/Roosevelt.
07:00 - Sonya is checked. She is 3cm dilated and fully effaced. We are sent to our room in Labor & Delivery - Room 26. When we get there, we ask for intermittent monitoring. This is not greeted kindly, but eventually we get our way, and Sonya is free, on her feet again, and contracting on the birthing ball.
09:00 - Sonya is checked and is 5cm dilated. She takes a bit of a rest and lies down “As long as we have her lying down we should get her on the monitor”, they say...we reluctantly allow it.
09:21 - At the hospital...got here around 6AM. She’s 5cm and totally effaced, with pretty much non-stop contractions. This girl is AMAZING.
11:00 - While I was calling my folks, Dr. Lurie (our on duty OB) had come in and explained that she felt like Sonya’s contractions were “not strong enough”. She wants to introduce a intra-utero compression monitor to more accurately measure the contractions. We don’t feel we’re being given much of a choice, and it happens quickly. Sonya lies down for a bit more, and her contractions remain frequent, but weak. Dr. Lurie wants to start Pitocin. I ask for a bit of time to work with her on her feet, which I do. We begin taking contractions standing and on the birthing ball, and her contractions intensify greatly, but Dr Lurie does not like being unable to monitor the fetal heart rate (our movement had rendered the external monitor unreliable). So, she shortly insists if we were going to move around, that we apply the internal heart rate monitor. We’re uncomfortable with that, and talk her out of it.
12:30 - Sonya’s mobility is severely limited with the internal compression monitor, and she is pretty much forced back into a supine position on the bed. Things stall again, and Dr. Lurie says we need to get Pitocin going. She also recommends a Foley to empty her bladder, since she can’t get up or really move around much at all. We allow the Pitocin to be introduced slowly, and it is ramped up over the next few hours.
15:30 - The baby’s heart rate is dipping with each contraction, and they insist on the internal fetal heart rate monitor. A resident inserts it and screws it in.
16:00 - The Pitocin is reintroduced. Sonya’s contractions are now spaced out more, and still fairly weak.
16:27 - Still in fucking labor. Things have not gone as we had hoped them to. One
thing is certain, though. It cannot be underestimated how overwhelmed I am by the strength, will, and selflessness of Sonya. We are all lucky to know such a
creature...seriously - holy shit.
17:15 - Sonya is checked by Dr. Lurie and has dilated to 7cm. There are also traces of light meconium in the water but not enough or dark enough to worry about. Dr. Lurie feels like a Cesarean is around the corner, but knows Sonya wants a vaginal, natural birth. Since she will have to get an epidural to have a Cesarean, she suggests getting that first and seeing if that will relax the cervix enough to open up that last bit.
18:45 - Sonya is administered an epidural.
19:15 - Sonya nods off a bit, the Pitocin is increased, and I step out to get some food.
19:19 - After 44 hours spent riding out steady contractions without a drop of medicine, fetal heart rate issues have forced SK under an epidural. If this relaxes her cervix enough to push our baby out in the next few hours, we can avoid a c-section.
22:00 - Sonya is checked again. She is still 7cm, though the baby has dropped a bit more and is engaged.
23:15 - Depending on Sonya’s position in the bed, the fetal heart rate continues to dip severely during contractions. Dr. Lurie has an amnio-infusion administered to help relieve any pressure on the cord. The Pitocin is stopped for a bit, then reintroduced once the fluid has drained into the uterus.

Tuesday - 1/27
01:00 - Sonya is checked. She is 8.5cm dilated.
03:00 - Sonya is checked. She is 9cm dilated.
05:00 - After HOURS of lying on her back with an epidural on Pitocin, Sonya is finally dilated enough to attempt a push. There is still a lip to the cervix, but Dr. Lurie feels like she can push it aside with her fingers, if Sonya can push the baby through. Sonya’s natural labor has died by this point and the contractions are being created by the Pitocin alone. This is not a sufficient force to work with her, and her attempts to push fail.
06:30 - Sonya is taken to prep and to the OR, and I scrub up.
07:00 - I joined her in the OR for the cesarian.
07:03 - Suited up, and heading into the OR for the C.
07:24 - Angus Anton North is surgically removed from his mother and introduced to the world.
08:26 - Angus Anton North came out into the world at 7:24AM. He weighs about 8
lbs, and has reddish hair.

Wednesday - 1/28
20:45 - SK is asleep and snoring for the first time since Saturday afternoon...YAY!!!

busy busy baby mama!

2009-02-12T15:51:00.004-05:00

I swear I will tell my birth story soon, but as you can imagine, I have no time! Long story short, I wanted a natural birth, but ended up with a c-section. I did labor for about 44 hours without any drugs, but hospital stuff led me down the road to all sorts of things, which ended up in a c-section. All in all, I am happy that we had a healthy baby and at the end of the day, I don't care how he came out. Recovering from the c-section started slow and was initially very difficult but now I am feeling much better. I should be 100% in about 4 weeks...apparently it takes 6 weeks to fully recover. More soon!

IT'S A BOY!

2009-02-01T23:25:00.003-05:00

I had a baby!
Angus Anton North was born on Jan 27th at 7:24 am.
Hair: color tbd, maybe reddish blonde/brown?
Eyes: Blue

Gory details coming soon!

the most unrelaxing day ever...

2009-01-24T13:39:00.003-05:00

Long story made somewhat short.....Here's the scoop on my "relaxing" Friday - aka the first day of my maternity leave. I wrote this out originally in an email to a few friends, and now I share if with you...

We had doctor and a 41 week sonogram at the hospital on Friday
I'm 2 cm dilated, 40% effaced.
We were at the hospital FOREVER....ok, 4 hours.
We went for the sonogram, which was fine - we have enough fluid and things look good. Before that I had a non-stress test, and the doctor wanted me on it for more time, so we did more time, then after the sonogram he came down and said he "wasn't happy" with it and sent me upstairs for more monitoring. It was the doctor at the hospital, not MY doctor, and he didn't give much of an explanation as to what he wasn't happy with.

We went upstairs, which is actually labor and delivery, and into big area with about 8 curtained off spaced full of women getting the same test. Some intern said things looked fine and tried to give me a vaginal exam, which i refused. I said "I just had one at 1:30" and she was fine with us skipping it. Phew! I've received some advise about interns and trying to avoid them giving you vaginal exams. I really don't need 2 in one day thank you very much. They let us go, saying things were good. Phew.

Earlier in the day, my normal doctor also wanted to strip my membranes, which I denied. Said we'd wait until next week for that! Our next visit to the doctor is on Monday, but hopefully I won't make it until then BECAUSE...on the monitor it looked like I was having somewhat regular contractions! I could barely feel them - like a mild cramp - but they continued last night, but now they are gone. Maybe Braxton-Hicks? Either way, things seem to be moving along.

We also walked from the doctor to the hospital, which was 30 blocks in Central Park! It was 44 degrees yesterday, so a lovely time....and I had hot thai food for dinner.
Fingers crossed for some action soon.

yay! maternity leave!

2009-01-23T12:03:00.004-05:00

My maternity leave started today - yay! I am only missing one crucial thing - the baby! I am very thankful for my 3 months off though. It will be weird to adjust at first...not check work email, and not check in, but hopefully once the baby comes I won't care about any of that stuff! Today we go to the doctor AND the hospital. Doctor is a normal visit, hospital is for the 41 week sonogram so they can check the fluids, etc and make sure everything is still looking good.

overdue!

2009-01-21T16:39:00.003-05:00

Argh! I was due on Friday and now it's Wednesday and as of yesterday, I was still only 1cm dilated! 'doh! I am keeping sane and calm though. Due dates are so vague. This is not up to me! No amount of me being impatient will help. I DO want to meet this little person though, and the anticipation of labour is making me a little nutty! It's this giant fear for the unknown...not fear though, more like nervous excitement! When will I go into labour? Will I be sure that's what it is? What will it feel like? When will we call the doctor? When will we call the doula? When will I scream in pain? When will we go to the hospital? How long will it take? So many unanswered questions remain!

Anyway - I'm trying to walk as much as possible, but it's freeeeezing here in NYC, so that makes it tricky, plus there is still ice on many of the sidewalks, which makes my husband nervous. We had indian food last week, and I have some red raspberry leaf tea. If I haven't given birth on Monday I'm going to get some acupuncture. We have another doctor's visit on Friday plus a visit to the hospital for a sonogram to check the amniotic fluid level. I hope it's all ok and I hope I'll be more dilated by then! I'd even be ok with just 2cm! Tomorrow will be my last day at work for 3 months, and that will be a fine thing!

surrealism

2009-01-18T11:07:00.004-05:00

It feels so surreal to me that I am sitting here on a Sunday morning, living my normal life, watching tv and reading the paper like any weekend morning - but then I get up and think to myself that at any moment, I could start having contractions and then my weekends will never be the same again. It's a sort of scary thought - one that I don't think about too often. It's not that I'm "scared" to become a mother - it's just weird that suddenly one day I will be going about my normal routine, and that will then likely be the last time that I have that routine since EVERTYHING is on the verge of changing! I'm excited, scared and nervous. You never know when the moment will come that suddenly I will have to go to the hospital for 2+ days , and it won't be because I've broken something or hurt myself - it will be because I am bringing new life into the world. And then, when we get home, nothing will ever be the same again, because my life won't revolve around ME anymore - it will involve around a little tiny person that I am responsible for - that WE as a team are responsible for....a little half me/half husband person. It's funny how focused we've been on the birthing process, that when I think about what happens when we get home with this little thing, I draw blanks because I don't think we've really thought about that. I think those days are going to be joyous and ideally NOT full of pain and therefore we just can just go with the flow. We shall see!

it's my due date and i'll cry if i want to!

2009-01-16T12:11:00.003-05:00

Just kidding! No tears over here. I'm pretty peachy actually! The only thing slightly annoying is trying to explain the wonders of pregnancy to many people who think "due date" literally means that I am having my baby today...like somehow my body is on a strict 40 week gestational calendar - which it's not! I keep throwing out the "well, only 3-5% of women give birth on their due date" statistic, which probably makes me sound like a bitchy know-it-all. Oops. But I guess I would be saying the same thing to someone in my shoes - at least prior to this experience. Now I am much more educated about the process, and know that the TV version of birth that we're all used to is WAY off!

Anyway, we went to the doctor yesterday and I am 1cm dilated and 25% effaced, so things have progressed since last week when the only news was that my cervix was "soft", so I am pleased. Our next appt. is on Tuesday - if we make it until then! My only slight debate is if today will be my last day of work or not. I always told myself I wouldn't work past my due date, but now that it's here and I still feel good and I have no baby, I worry that it's going to be 2 weeks late, and I'll be sitting at home for those 2 weeks wasting my maternity leave when I could continue working and have that extra time at the end with my baby. But, I don't have much left to do here - my temporary replacement is here and working, so I might be bored here too! At least Monday is a holiday, so I guess I will say my goodbyes today and then play it by ear, with the most likely scenario being that I won't be here on Tuesday.....or I could come in after the doctor's appt if she says I'm still only 1cm. Decisions decisions!

"the farm" and the books

2009-01-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

We hired our doula (yay!), and she recommended a couple of books by Ina May Gaskin, a super-legendary midwife who also has an operation in Tennessee called "The Farm". It's a commune of sorts...although that's really not the right word for it...really a community with a giant birthing center and a small town where people live and work. People go there to give birth and it sounds like an amazing place. The have some crazy impressive statistics...They say less than 2% of their births result in c-sections, and it's rare that things like forceps and vaccuums are used...see the link for more. And these I believe, are all natural births! She has 2 books, and I'm 1/3 of the way through "Ina May's Guide To Childbirth". The first part of the book is comprised of birth stories, which I LOVE and I am learning a lot from them. Mainly, that when I feel like things are starting to happen, I need to 1) sleep and 2) walk. I can't wait to read her other book, which is quite legendary - "Spiritual Midwifery". Some of the stuff in these books is a little, well, earthy and hippy dippy and a little odd, but it's nonetheless inspirational. I have been trying to go to bed earlier, but the book is so interesting that it's hard to put it down! I'm not saying I'm ready to go to TN to give birth, but it's nice to know that there are many people out there that believe in giving birth the natural way, which I hope to do!

will this be the week?

2009-01-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

My estimated due date is on FRIDAY! Yippee! I have been waiting to get here for 9 months, and although I know that only 3-5% of women actually give birth on their due dates, it feels good to almost be here. I still feel ok, which I am surprised at, but at night I feel like crap. I ate so much last night that I was so uncomfortable and I woke up at 5am and vurped (burp and a bit of vomit comes up). GROSS. I really feel like a whale. It's so hard to merely move from one side to the other, an ordeal if you will. I haven't considered kicking my husband out of bed yet, but it might come to that soon! I don't plan on taking any extreme measures and drinking castor oil, or trying any of the old wives tales quite yet, but I do plan on eating some Indian food on Friday night! I also have some red raspberry leaf tea, which is supposed to help, but I think I am a little scared to drink it. I want to let the baby choose it's own due date, but I want to meet it and be a mom soon too!

losing faith in humanity

2009-01-12T22:06:00.001-05:00

Today's commute really took the cake. As usual I got on the last car of the L train and just my luck, it wasn't packed and a woman was getting up from one of the tiny seats at the end. I was psyched. I was then totally and completely cut off by a hasidic man. I mean c'mon! I was wearing a bright red jacket and SO obviously hugely pregnant. I was upset about this, but not so much because I really wanted to sit down, but really because every time this happens to me, I lose a little faith in humanity. Today was extra unsettling, but I was just sad that people can be so rude and inconsiderate. Thankfully a man on the bench seats offered his seat up for me, and I was grateful, but I spent the rest of my ride stewing and I REALLY wanted to say something to the man, but I just couldn't do it. Taking the subway is something I won't miss when I go on maternity leave!

the glider

2009-01-09T20:39:00.003-05:00

Our glider finally arrived today after much online shopping and pricing and deciding and poll-taking and then waiting. It's HUGE. Our plan was to put it in our living room, since we don't really have a baby room. The baby will be in our bedroom for a while, and then MAYBE move into our spare room, which is now an office. I was envisioning a calm living room environment, maybe with some TV watching while feeding on the glider, but the thing feels like the giant chair at Universal studios! My husband spent the day building a "comfortable environment" in our spare room, which I mentioned this morning after I said I would be "ok" with it in the spare room if such a thing were to exist in there, and now it does! He rules. So....we've got it in here, it's a nice corner and everyone is happy! The only problem is that the crib, which is still in the box since we won't be using it for a few months is now wrapped in plastic outside, and of course I worry that the drastic temperature changes we've been having in NYC will cause it to bend and break....especially since we're to get a snowstorm tomorrow. We shall see...maybe it will be fine out there. Anyway - the glider is the second to last piece of this puzzle. What's the last piece, you ask? THE BABY! WHICH IS DUE IN 1 WEEK! YAY!

Doula

2009-01-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

After taking our classes at Real Birth, it became evident to us that our goal of achieving a natural birth might be more likely if we had an additional, experienced support person by our side during labor and delivery. AKA a DOULA. I mean in addition to the Ob/Gyn or nursing staff. I like to think of it as a hired friend actually. We're in the process of talking to a couple of them, and their prices range wildly, due to experience I think. The official D.O.N.A website has been useful too. We meet one more on Wednesday night and then will hopefully make a decision either way. I think having someone there to help relax me and use their bag of tricks to manage the pain would be smart. I like the idea of a doula too. It's a good way of thinking and our doctors seem to be ok with us using one also, which is good. They don't interact too much with the doctors - they are there to interact with us and to help us make knowledgeable decisions about our choices and care. I will keep you posted!

Patience

2009-01-05T22:09:00.001-05:00

I think we're pretty much ready to have this kid! All supplies are in the house, and our brains are in parent mode. We've taken the classes, we've watched the videos, we've bought the stuff and we feel quite ready to go! I don't know what it feels like for my body to be ready, but the baby seems pretty cosy in there and is still kicking away and moving around and hasn't - to the best of my knowledge - "dropped" yet. Mucus plug is still intact and there haven't really been any signs that this will happen soon. So.....it's just a waiting game! The due date is 11 days away still, but that date is so vague that I don't really take it to heart. Apparently only 5% of babies are actually born on their due dates. First babies are usually late, but all my friends have been early, so who knows! I'm ready for this to happen though and I am exercising great patience.

anxious!

2008-12-29T21:39:00.003-05:00

My due date is now a mere 18 days away and it could really happen at any time! I'm excited and nervous and generally I have an undercurrent of excitement, nervousness and anxiety running through me at all times. It's always in the back of my mind - the question of "Oh my....what is this pain - is this a contraction?" with every ache and pain. However, the baby hasn't dropped yet (I don't think), so I don't think it's happening any time soon. My bowels have become a little looser though (I know T.M.I), but I can blame that on eating Christmas food maybe. Our next doctor's appointment is on Wednesday and it's the big 37 week appointment that I have been waiting for. We will get to see it, and they will do a vaginal exam, so I will know if I'm dilated or anything. The non-stress test will happen again and that will tell me if I am having any contractions, which as of last week I was not. So....these days I really look forward to going to the doctor! We've been going to dinner and going on dates - 2 movies and the ballet (Nutcracker - magical) as to take advantage of the fact that I am in NYC and I don't have to work right now, so that is an added bonus. Fingers crossed! I'd like to make it to close to the due date. I want a 2009 baby - and I like the idea of Jan 20th...inauguration day! That would be cool.

a perfectly timed break

2008-12-27T16:03:00.002-05:00

I feel VERY lucky that the company I work for allows us all the time off between Christmas and New Year's. It's been great in the past to travel home (see last post) but this time it's great because I can get some rest and go to movies and to dinner and take a lot of naps. I am starting to feel this weight that I am carrying around, and it's heavy - so it's a real treat to be able to be home and take naps and rest and do what I want! I can't believe this baby is going to come out soon. Still so surreal! I am starting to realize why people say things like "I can't wait to get this baby out of me" etc....I always felt like that is a mean thing to say and kind of harsh, and I still don't think I will ever say it, but I am slowly realizing why it's said. And I realize it at night when every night is more uncomfortable than the last, to the point that I have recently said that I hate sleeping. Naps are ok, but trying to be comfortable for 8+hours is impossible and kind of torturous! I can't wait to sleep on my back again. And I can't wait to meet the baby, but I still enjoy knowing that it's safe inside of me!

Christmas in the US

2008-12-27T10:13:00.004-05:00

I'm Canadian, and I usually spend Xmas with my mom and dad and brother, but this year marked the 2nd time ever that I was not able to be with them! Being that I'm due in 3 weeks, flying to a remote town in Saskatchewan that is over an hour away from a hospital is not a good idea. Plus, I think some airlines don't even let you fly when you're within 30 days of your due date. I can see a lot of people lying about that though. It's really nice to be here in NY though. We spent xmas eve with my husband's aunt in NJ, and it was a mere 2 hour drive, and then we went to Long Island to his parent's house. It was many more people than I am used to, but a really nice and festive time with a big family. There were 2 young kids there too - our nephew/godson AJ who is about 15 months, and his cousin who is near the same age. EVERYONE was like "go to dinner now when you still can" and dispensing all sort of random advice. It was funny to hear their opinions on certain things, like epidurals etc. But the dinner thing is good advice and we went out yesterday to see Milk, which was amazing, and tonight we're going to see the Nutcracker, which is one of my xmas presents from my husband. I've never seen it and I look forward to it! Tomorrow I'm hoping for another movie too!

an early family change

2008-12-25T22:16:00.005-05:00

On Monday, we had to take our other cat, Ravioli to the vet as he had been losing weight and coughing and generally not doing well. Sadly he was suffering from Lymphoma, an enlarged spleen, fluid in his lungs and a host of other stuff...he wasn't doing well at all, and the doctor said he wouldn't have much time left and would go further downhill fast, So....my husband made the tough decision to put him down, as there was no way to tell if he was comfortable or not and he would have just gone severly downhill and it would have been terribly sad to watch and worse for him. It was really sad, but I think he made the right decision. Cats are so hard to judge as they keep their feelings to themselves and when they start acting sick, they are often on their last legs. Ravioli had been with my husband for 10 years, so it was REALLY hard to say goodbye and still is. He was a real trooper about it and we will miss our beloved cat.

how did the classes go?

2008-12-22T09:35:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed our birth classes, and I think my husband did too. They were super informative. I was really worried about 2 days in a row of 7.5 hours each, and worried about being bored/falling asleep, etc, but there really wasn't a dull moment. We covered it all and watched movies of many births. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday and I now have a lot of questions for my doctors in relation to the kind of birth I would like to have.....natural. I've known this all along but the classes solidified a couple of things for me. Mainly, that I don't wish to have an epidural. It seems scary and I think the risks outweigh the benefits, so I really don't want one. I would like to ask our doctors about fetal monitoring, birthing positions, laboring positions, and many other topics that I wouldn't have know to ask had it not been for the classes! I just really hope I like the answers!

birth classes!!!

2008-12-20T09:57:00.001-05:00

This is our birth class weekend! My husband is NOT looking forward to 2 intensive days taking up our weekend, but I am looking forward to getting them done! Everyone asks me if I'm ready to have this baby, and my answer lately has been "not until I get these classes taken!" I'm quite glad we'll be getting them over with and I hope we learn some good stuff!

ankles and feet

2008-12-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

Yikes! My ankles are starting to swell! Slowly but surely I can see them getting bigger. About a week or so I started wearing my hubby's socks since they're all old and worn out and baggy, as when I wore mine, I got an elastic line that looked like I was cutting off my circulation. Whoops. I think it's going to be so weird when they get giant. I've seen pregnant friends ankles and they can look like elephantiasis! Oh, and my feet are starting to hurt after not much walking. I guess this is all related, plus the fact that they are carrying about 30 extra pounds at this point. Oh, and I took off my engagement ring earlier this week....the wedding ring doesn't have much room either. Let's just hope my shoes still fit me for a while longer. In this weather, I don't think wearing flip flips is an option.

sleep?

2008-12-18T22:35:00.002-05:00

Every night it gets harder and harder to sleep, and that's kind of my only complaint! About 2 weeks ago it started getting uncomfortable. I just keep waking up many times, and when I wake up, I am wide awake - which makes it harder to get back to sleep. My back also gets a little sore and so does most of my body. I sleep with a tempurpedic pillow, which rules, and I have a pillow between my knees. I tried a pillow throne which was recommended by a friend, but I think I'm just so used to being on my side, that I'm paranoid about being on my back in any way - even propped up. Usually when I wake up, I try to drink water, since I know I always need it - BUT I stopped doing that since guess what - it makes me pee! So, not drinking water at night is helping a bit and allowing me to wake up less, but I think this is just the way it's going to be for the next few weeks! I don't mind so much since I only have 2.5 days left of work before our xmas break, and that means lots of naps. I don't seem to have a comfort problem when I nap for some reason!

new arrivals!

2008-12-10T20:56:00.007-05:00

Yay! our stroller arrived - well, actually it's a car seat and frame. We got a Graco snug-ride in "Milan" design, which seems to be one of the most top rated car seats around. We'll get a real stroller too at some point, but since we're having a winter baby, I think this will be the cosiest initially.

Also in the house is the gorgeous bassinett my friends Dawn & Josh are lending us. Their adorable baby Trixie has recently moved into her crib, and we get to use this now. It's really stylish, and is the bassinet version of my dream crib!

love and pain

2008-12-10T20:53:00.002-05:00

DAMN this baby kicks HARD! Last night I was actually in pain and kind of freaked out by the strong kicks and movement I was feeling. I was like WHAT is the baby DOING? It chilled out a big, but I guess it's just getting bigger and stronger and has less room to move, so I am feeling it more - but it was weird. Maybe it was something I ate? Other than the strong kicks at night, I am also having more sleeping issues. I sleep well for the first few hours, and then I wake up, thinking that I must have slept through the night, but I glance at the clock and it's only 2:30am....argh! Then I toss and turn more for another 6 hours....Pillow between the knees, pillow under the belly, pillow under my head, pillow over my head - I'll be VERY happy when I can sleep on my back again!

I also am starting to feel like I almost 35 weeks pregnant this week. Yesterday I was feeling some pain in my ligaments after only walking about 2 blocks, and every time I get up from a chair I feel 95 years old. Actually i feel kind of similar to before I lost a bunch weight a few years ago....a little icky and achey! I am not at the point yet where I am saying "I can't wait to get this baby out of me" like some pregnant people I've come across....and frankly I can't ever see myself saying that. It seems harsh and mean. I feel like this baby is currently in the safest place it can ever be - don't get me wrong, I don't want to keep it in here forever, but once it's out - I have to share it, and having it in here and feeling it move is a warm, fuzzy and loving feeling that I will be sad to be done with.

pS> I think the image i've included is totally fake...it seems to be a pretty famous internet image. I call bullshit.

slow down lady!

2008-12-04T20:24:00.002-05:00

That is me speaking to myself! I am generally a fast walker. I'm one of those people who has to walk faster than the person in front of them. HOWEVER - it's time that I slow down. A) I waddle and B) my ligaments get sore if I go to fast. I keep starting off fast and having to remind myself that I am nearing 34 weeks of pregnancy and I must go slower! It's funny though. I am amused at myself often. I am usually running late to places, so at least now I have a good excuse - "hey! I'm pregnant!". Oh, and in the last 24 hours, three people have told me that I'm glowing. hmmmmm....am I?

Predictions

2008-12-02T21:16:00.003-05:00

In the last week or so, people have started predicting the sex of our child. Mostly people I know, but today a total stranger! I was walking to the fruit stand to get my daily banana and this guy yelled out "it's going to be a boy". In typical NYC fashion, I had my headphones on and chose to ignore him. I also wasn't 100% sure he was talking to me! I had to go by him again to get to work, and he sort of stopped me and said "I think you're having a boy" and I said "I don't know!" and he repeated himself and I smiled and told him I would remember his prediction when the time came. A fellow I work with also predicted a boy and said "I'm never wrong". So......I wonder! They have a 50/50 chance, right? I REALLY like the name we have picked for a girl, so I am leaning towards that as a preference, but I'm trying to not have a preference because I don't want to be disappointed! Our boys name is good too, but since I was 12 when my brother was born, I feel like I saw a boy being raised so now I would like to get to watch a girl and buy cute dresses and frilly clothes, etc - but if it's a boy they have cute stuff too - just not as cute!

cats

2008-12-01T12:59:00.002-05:00

We have two lovely cats. One named Ravioli, and the other named Slash (pictured). We've often wondered if they would start to sense my pregnancy and act weird, or if they would just start hating us. So far nothing has happened, but one of them is sick and it's stressing me out a bit. On Wednesday am, there was a big cat poop in my closet which I thought was one of them sensing the baby and acting out, but sadly I was wrong. Our big fat lovable cat Slash is sick. We were away from Wednesday night to Friday night and when we got home, there was puke and poop in many places, including our bed. I washed our bedding and the cleanup was fine, but since we had been away, we didn't know if he was eating or drinking or peeing or pooping or what. We took him to the vet on Saturday am, and they realized that he was horribly impacted with poop. They sedated him and took it out, and upon xraying, they had some other concerns. 1) Maybe he has asthma or 2) maybe he has a heart condition. Ugh. Anyway - after we brought him home I thought he would bounce right back and start eating and drinking as soon as the sedation wore off, but no dice. He drank a bit, but hasn't eaten. So...he's going back today for some fluids and discussion about the next step. I hope after he gets some fluids and maybe the vitamins etc that are included that he will bounce back. Fingers are crossed. It's crazy how upsetting it is, and it makes me even more concerned for baby's arrival. If I'm this concerned about a cat, what state will I be in when I have a sick baby? That's what my husband asked me, and I told him that doctor's know a LOT more about babies than cats....so....hopefully I will remember that some day!

PS> I'm 33 weeks!

PPS> We have the newborn care class tonight!

stuffing

2008-11-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

I am quite excited for Thanksgiving. 1) I get a few days off and 2) I like Thanksgiving dinner. This year however, people have warned me about eating the nice soft and juicy stuffing that is cooked in the bird. Apparently the inside never quite gets to the temperature it needs to in order to kill any weird stuff that might be lurking and it's not recommended for pregnant people to eat it. Thankfully my mother in law cooks some outside of the bird, but it's never as juicy! I look forward to eating everything else though. I am going to try hard to not eat fast and not be a pig, as the last thing I want is for someone to comment on how much I might eat! I don't get to go see my family for Christmas this year as I normally do, which will be upsetting - but I am trying not to think about it. I will really miss being with my folks and my brother and eating our traditional meal, but one can't fly 3 weeks before their due date! Thankfully I'll see them in late January.

comfort level

2008-11-25T16:24:00.003-05:00

My comfort level is going down, but really only at nighttime. I'm SO bored of sleeping on my side. I try to sleep on my left side, which they say is best, but I like my right side better. I've been sleeping with a pillow folded in half between my knees, but in the last week or so I will wake up and feel really uncomfortable - almost pain, but maybe not - in my hips. More like achy I guess. It's kind of hard to describe. Last night I put the pillow, unfolded between my calves and that was a little better, but I am not sure what to do to alleviate this feeling. I bought a snoogle a while back and I don't use it that often, but I might have to give it another try, or just get all the pillows in the house and experiment. I don't want to take up too much space though! My husband needs to sleep in there too! Otherwise, my daytime comfort level is ok. I wish I was still taking yoga though. I had NO aches or pains when I was doing that, so I might try one of my dvds or maybe will try to go to the class in my neighborhood this weekend. So, in short - things are ok. I'm getting WAY bigger too, and now getting kicked in the ribs! Doctor tomorrow!

the continual protein battle

2008-11-20T09:28:00.001-05:00

I am supposed to be eating 80-100 grams of protein a day, which I am finding pretty much impossible. I don't really eat much meat, which is really the problem with being a "flexitarian" as I have been coined. I'm REALLY going to try hard today though, and I started my day with a 2 egg, cheddar cheese and bacon sandwich on whole wheat. The problem is that I am trying to be healthy and not gain much more weight, and that my friends is NOT a healthy breakfast. I am going to buy a protein shake later which has about 30g of protein in it, but it's like drinking chalk. For dinner I will buy some soy, but I read somewhere that too much soy isn't good, so it's a catch 22 all the time. I need to research other sources of protein. I eat salmon once a week, and 4X a week I eat Fage yogurt, which has 17g of protein, I have pumpkin seeds often, and I suppose I could eat cottage cheese, but eh....what to do!

maternity/nursing bras

2008-11-19T15:53:00.001-05:00

I am in a quandry. The other day I went to buy a new maternity bra, and I got a size larger than the one I previously had (which is a couple of sizes larger than normal) and it's just not comfortable. Mind you, it's the same as the one I have been wearing for the last while, just bigger. It has underwire, and that seems to be the culprit. Under my arms, it feels like it's almost pointing out, instead of curving in, and it's very annoying. My boobs are big enough that I feel like I need the support of underwire, but I am going to look into some other options. Plus, the pregtastic podcast I listen to had an older episode (#44 I think) with a lactaction consultant and she said that underwire is not good if you plan to breastfeed, at least as the birth gets closer. SO> I think I am going to look into some Medela bras, or ideally go to this place my friend Lisa told me about - The Upper Breast Side - what a name! It's apparently a mammary mecca to all things breast feeding. Unfortunately their hours (and their website) are lame, but hopefully I can get there soon!

(ps: the photo is of model Jerry Hall breastfeeding!)

busy bad blogger

2008-11-18T21:50:00.005-05:00

Sorry that I've been a bad blogger lately. I guess I've been a bit busy! For example, last night I decided to torture myself a bit and go shopping for some key items. I really needed a new pair of maternity jeans, and a new maternity bra. So...I went to H&M, The Gap and Macy's. I got a little something at each place and didn't get home until 9:30 or so, and then went out for dinner with my hubby, which put me WAY past my bedtime! I can still manage to do this, but it's getting tougher. My feet get sore (but they're not swollen yet) and my body aches a bit and I get cranky. I definitely cherish my sleep and my rest, and as time passes I need to sit back a little more and chillax haha. I used to walk all over the place endlessly, but I tire easily and can't go as far as I used to. Hey - I'm 31 weeks - what are you gonna do!

CHARLEY HORSE!!!!!

2008-11-12T21:43:00.003-05:00

I think I've had a pretty normal/typical pregnancy, but there's only a few things that seem to happen to a large number of pregnant people that I have fallen prey to. For example, early on I had a few skin tags in my armpits, which really sucked for shaving purposes. They have since gone away. I've also been really zitty. I normally have good skin, so this extra oil production was a bummer, but I have controlled it with toner and it seems to have mostly gone away. BY far though, the worst thing is the charley horses I seem to get at LEAST once a week. Usually while sleeping, or half-sleeping, I guess I move my leg the wrong way - and not always with a stretch. It's like a fire alarm in our home. I yell "CHARLEY HORSE" and bless him, my husband grabs for whichever leg I give him and he helps me work it out. Well, he does most of it and I just grab by toes and pull down for the stretch. He is the best and I wonder what the neighbors thing when they hear me yell once a week...well, I bet I know what they think - but they are wrong. Anyway - my brother said "you're dehydrated" and surely that would be the case if I wasn't pregnant, but this is a typical pregnancy thing and the worst one for me so far! I need to do more stretching of the calf muscles, because it's just WAY too jarring to wake up like this, and I need my beauty sleep!

30 weeks!!!!

2008-11-10T11:39:00.003-05:00

I am 30 weeks now. I can't believe it. 10 weeks to go, which if you think about it, is not much time. It's 10 more weekends. 10 more episodes of Grey's Anatomy....10 or something is not that many PLUS, god forbid it could come early. Yikes! All this has made me think about all that we have left to do and get. We are borrowing a bassinet from a friend, which I will pick up soon, and we need our changing table thingy from Ikea, and we need a glider. Those are the three things, but for some reason they feel like big hurdles. Hmmm.....my birthing classes aren't for another month or so, which now suddenly feels like cutting it close! Wow. I need to chill out and take it day by day, but I think when it turns from "I've entered my 3rd trimester" to I've entered the third quarter of my pregnancy, it turns some sort of corner. Either way, other than having a nasty cold I've been feeling ok as long as I take it easy. If I go on long walks or exert myself too much I get very tired and my feet hurt. I've been sleeping well - probably because I've been sick, but hey - I'll take it!

cold and hot

2008-11-07T11:01:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I've been dragging a bit. My little brother is in town and I spent some time hanging out with him, and now I seem to have a cold. I am on day 2 of stuffiness, a mild sore throat, a little cought and extra tiredness. Yuck. I'm drinking an Odwalla "C Monster" and hopefully between all the fruit I plan on eating, and my continual water drinking, I can flush it out or something. TGIF too. I can sleep in this weekend and get some R&R! Oh, and the "hot" in the title? I think I am starting to be a lot hotter than everyone around me, but it's hard to tell as here in NYC it's been warmer than it should be. It's been in the mid-60's which I think is a little high for this time of year, so last night despite having all the windows in our room open I still only slept with a sheet. It was breezy too! And when I walk around outside, I am always the least bundled up person. I guess time will tell - when it's super snowy and freezing outside and I am boiling, I will know that this is the pregnancy hots!

PS> tomorrow I will be 30 weeks = 7.5 months pregnant!

lovely day!

2008-11-04T22:05:00.003-05:00

On Sunday I had a baby shower and man oh man was it lovely! We had friends and family over for more of an open house, and I can't believe everyone's generosity. We go SO many lovely gifts and I have SO many thank you cards to write :) I am getting more and more excited as the time progresses, and now we have so much lovely stuff to utilize! I am 29 weeks and feeling good. My brother is visiting and I took a vacation day yesterday to hang out with him and I was SO tired and sore after about 8 hours of walking around....I would have been able to do that no problem, but it was my feet and legs that got very sore. At least it was good exercise though!

prenatal yoga & exercise

2008-10-30T11:57:00.002-04:00

My series of four prenatal yoga classes are over, and honestly - - I'm kind of sad! I quite enjoyed them. I would have signed up for the next round, but I would have had to miss the first 2 classes, and it would be a waste of $. I met a nice lady who is due a week before me, who goes to a class on Saturday mornings in my neighborhood here, so I might try to go to that, but it's at 9am - and that's EARLY!!! But I think it would be good for me to find some drop in classes to go to. I think the stretching was good for me. I was sweating the last class - she worked us HARD! I am a big fan of structured exercise. I am never good at doing videos or things at home, and much prefer a group environment. My belly is growing FAST and I am in turn, moving a lot slower, so I need to keep motivated in order not to just lay on the couch.

I passed the 2nd glucose test! yay me!

2008-10-28T21:52:00.002-04:00

Good news! I "passed" the 3-hour glucose test! YAY! I thought that would be the case. The day before the first test, I had a LOT of sugar. Someone sent us delicious cupcakes and word got out that I was an icing fiend, so I had my cupcake + the icing from 2 other cupcakes. It wasn't until after I ingested all this sugar that I said to myself "whoops - I have the glucose test tomorrow"! So I am not surprised with the results of the first one. I am happy, but I still need to watch my sugar intake, and this is a HORRIBLE week to do that with Halloween and all. Plus, we're having people over for a baby shower/open house this weekend and there will be plenty of tasty treats to eat! Anyway - I must remember to eat healthy. Also, I am at 2 week doctor's appointments now. Whoa....getting closer! I'm 28 weeks and officially in my 3rd trimester. Time flies!

37

2008-10-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

I am going to be 37 tomorrow. Whoa! 3 years from 40. No biggie really. I have to do math to remember how old I am most of the time. I think I stopped paying attention as soon as I turned 21. I remember telling my husband I wanted to be pregnant before I was 38, so we succeeded in that front, and now if we have another one, maybe by the time I'm 40! Generally I feel good. I think I eat relatively healthily, and take good care of myself. I could use more exercise, but that will come. I'm hoping to work really hard after the baby is born and do a lot of walking and exercising and I think I will be determined to get the weight off - at least I hope so! Either way, this will be a special birthday - my last one before we turn into a real "nuclear" family!

chivalry is dead

2008-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you'd ever like to assure being totally ignored on the subway, I highly advise getting pregnant. It's really funny how rude and awful people get. Since I am a nice person, I will always give up my seat for an old person, someone with a cane or crutches or someone pregnant. Apparently I am in the minority. Only 3 people have ever gotten up for me. I don't totally mind standing, since it's usually only for 2 stops until most people get off and I can sit - and my route home is at the beginning of the line, so there is always a seat for me. I think when I am feeling worse I will try harder to get a seat...like glare a little and flaunt my belly. But seriously.....people are rude!

glucose test results

2008-10-21T20:00:00.003-04:00

I failed the glucose test! My results came back "high". Bummer, but apparently a lot of people fail this one and have to do the extended one. I just made my appointment for 8am on Thursday (Argh!!!) and for that one I have to fast as of midnight the night before, then get my blood taken, and then drink the drink, then have it taken after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd hours. I guess I'm not totally upset about this, as I don't think I have it. I eat pretty healthy, I don't eat too many carbs as it is, and I have been working hard on getting more protein into my diet. I think if you get diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you then are sort of on the atkins diet...low carb, low sugar, high protein. It would be good for me to have some structure - but I would rather not have it. My blood test also came back with the news that I am slightly anemic. I am RELIEVED to hear that, as it explains why I am tired all the time. Before I was pregnant I was taking an iron supplement, and I stopped when I became pregnant. Now I am on it again and hopefully in a couple of days I'll have some good energy!

glucola

2008-10-16T22:22:00.001-04:00

Today I had a doctor's visit, and it was the dreaded glucose test! This involved me being asked to drink a orange drink - I think it's called "Glucola" - and then wait an hour and have blood taken to test for gestational diabetes. Here is the official wording according to the American Pregnancy Association: The test evaluates how your body processes sugar. A high level in your blood may indicate that your body is not processing sugar effectively (positive test). If the results of this screen are positive, the woman may have the Glucose Tolerance Test performed. It is important to note that not all women who test positive for the Glucose Challenge Screening test are found to have diabetes upon further diagnosis.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this drink, and it really wasn't bad at all. It was just like flat orange soda. It went down the hatch and then I saw the doctor for my normal checkup. This was Dr.Brown - the 4th in my practice, and the only one I had yet to meet. She was quite lovely and informative and friendly. She felt around and we listened to the heartbeat and everything seemed normal! I go back in 2 weeks for the Rogam shot (because I have B- blood type, and my husband is B+) and another checkup. I don't know if I am going in 2 weeks just for the shot, or if this is when the more frequent appointment starts. I didn't ask. Anyway - all is well in babyland!

on a lighter note.....finally a craving!

2008-10-15T20:00:00.004-04:00

I have wanted hot chocolate every day! I guess it started a couple of weeks ago when it actually was fall in NYC for a minute, and sadly I work about 1 block away from Jacques Torres - which is noted for some of the BEST hot chocolate in the city. It is literally a cup of melted chocolate, very thick and very delicious. I don't know how I'm not going to have it today! Although, it's probably not TOO bad for me, considering I'm not that much of a milk drinker...maybe it's some of the only dairy I get! How's that for justification? I made it last night for my husband with cocoa powder, sugar and milk...I had some caramel salted hot chocolate from starbucks, which I hesitated getting because of the high calories....dare I even try to find out how many calories are in the Jacques Torres version? I know I am not supposed to be on a diet, but I think it's smart to at least be aware of HOW much of a pig I am being! Anyway - this seems like something weird that I always want, so I am officially calling it a pregnancy craving!

anger management

2008-10-14T20:00:00.005-04:00

I have found myself to be super angry and grumpy lately. It's not all the time, it's just that something can VERY easily set me off. I am not sure if it's hormones, or some sort of pregnancy depression. I am going to ask my doctor about it on thursday and hopefully she will be helpful, but it's really angering me..haha. It's probably not easy on my husband either - in fact, he surely sees the worst of it. There are times/days he really needs to tiptoe around me and I feel bad for him. Anything can start me crying and curling up into a ball and sobbing myself to sleep. That's happened a handful of times, but when it does, it really really sucks. I start being mad at whatever has set me off, and then I tear up, and then I just feel sorry for myself - and feeling kind of alone. It's times like this that make me feel like a kid, and I literally want my mommy. My parents being SO far away is usually a big source of my tears and even typing this is making me feel verklempt.

I hope to remedy these grumps by altering the things that are making me sad. My on and off hatred for New York has been ON and at a maximum, so I am going to alter my route home to avoid the crowds on Bedford avenue, and instead have a quiet, leisurley walk home. I am going to take it slower and take more deep breaths and realize that I don't need to be first off the subway. I am going to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, and that will make me less tired and less rushed in the morning. I am going to work with headphones on more often to avoid the annoyance of some coworkers, and I am just generally going to try to relax. Maybe I'll even consider another relaxing activity such as more prenatal yoga or swimming. My husband will be away for much of this week and hopefully when he returns I'll have chilled out and become more of a positive person. I don't like feeling the anger, as I don't want it to influence or impact the baby. I don't want it to come out sad and depressed! Serenity now!!!!!!

sleep & yoga

2008-10-09T20:00:00.002-04:00

I have been SOOO SOO SOO SO tired since about Saturday. It's really bumming me out, and I'm not sure yet if it's because I'm pregnant or if it's because I'm coming down with something. Traditionally I do get sick in October, and historically it's started with mega-sleepiness for days beforehand. So....I'm actually hoping it's a cold, because it would really suck to be THIS tired for the rest of my pregnancy. I've been trying to go to bed earlier, and in fact on Sunday I slept until noon, but today I felt ok until about 5pm when I started feeling groggy. I'm going to up my fruit and see if that might help, but I really hope this is just some sort of passing "phase", but only time will tell!

Despite my exhaustion, I forced myself to go to the first of four prenatal yoga classes that I signed up for (and pre-paid for) on Tuesday night. It was a good class and I enjoyed it, and even suffered from some muscle soreness in my legs yesterday! There were about 20 people in the class, and they ranged from 9 weeks to 26 weeks pregnant, with more of them in the middle - like 15-18 weeks pregnant. I felt good in it, and I think my experience with many of the poses from Bikram yoga helped me out, but I learned to focus from Bikram and not worry too much about when people around me were doing, plus I was in the front row and there no mirrors - so I guess I could have been the worst in the class, but who knows - and who cares! It's better than sitting on the couch and watching TV, which is EXACTLY what I would have been doing!

some news items of note!

2008-10-08T10:56:00.003-04:00

-The New York Times via an Australian study reports on use of Acetaminophen in baby's first year of life may raise risks of asthma, excema, and allergic runny nose

-The Wall Street Journal talks about swaddling blankets

-The New York Times reports on findings that having a fan in the baby's room can decrease SIDS deaths

-A UK website writes about strange and funny baby products on the market

weight......wait!

2008-10-06T19:58:00.006-04:00

It's kinda weird when suddenly you are told that you can't be on a diet anymore, and since I was on one (weight watchers( for like 5 years, it was like woo hoo! PARTY TIME! But now that I have creeped up to near my pre-weight watchers weight loss number, I am getting a little freaked. I know I'm pregnant and I am supposed to gain weight, and I think I am actually doing well, but I feel like I've really taken advantage and eaten much too much sugar. I just had a cup of hot chocolate from Jacques Torres, which is literally a cup of thick and delicious melted chocolate. Sadly it's way to close to my office. Anyway - after I finish my oatmeal tomorrow, which I already put some brown sugar on - that's it - no more added sugar or sugary things. I think it's best that way. I am best at cold-turkey. I can't just "reduce my intake" of things that I love....like sugar. I think generally though I've been eating pretty healthily, being conscious about protein thanks to my mom, and trying to eat salads and some balanced meals. I also used to eat a lot of frozen meals, and now I rarely do. SO....Thank GOD my yoga starts tomorrow, because I could really use a dose of the feeling that one gets after doing something good for their body!

the hospital tour!

2008-10-02T20:32:00.001-04:00

We went for our hospital tour the other night....interesting stuff I thought. First of all, these tours are pretty frequent, like a couple of times a week - maybe more. Even so, there were 72 or so people on the tour! All couples, of all different pregnancy ranges. Some people weren't even showing, and some people looked like they were ready to pop. A very diverse group! The super nice lady, who also is the head of education/classes took us on the tour and we started in a boardroom where she gave us handouts and explained the different options in terms of rooms - private room, birthing center (all private rooms), and normal double occupancy rooms. She was SO thorough and nice, as was the info she gave us.

We then headed upstairs to the 11th floor I think for a tour of these rooms. The normal labor and delivery rooms are all single occupancy and not bad. They even have tubs in them for laboring, just not as big as the ones in the birthing center. You do your thing in this room and then 1 hour later, they move you to whatever room you have requested (maybe). You can sign up for a private room, and if there is one available and you're next on the list, you get it - except you also have to be willing to pay $750.00 right then and there on your credit card. Those rooms were ok, still a little grungy, but nice. You get special meals, and your husband/partner can stay the night, which is not the option in the double rooms. The double rooms aren't bad - but I guess it would really depend most on who was your neighbor and how annoying they were. The tour lady told us that she is still friends, 35 years later, with the woman she shared a room with!

The birthing center was cool, it smelled good and it was peaceful and quiet. I would LOVE to be in there, but unfortunately my doctors don't deliver there anymore. Apparently they used to, but because they have to commit to be there the whole time, labour included I guess, it's not possible since they work in shifts. ie: there are four doctors in the practise and one of them is always at the hospital. The lady said they were "liberal" - so hopefully that means they won't force drugs and epidurals on me. Anyway - I am happy to give birth there and I hope it will be good and that I won't go into labour on New Year's Eve, because if that's the case I will have to take the subway - crossttown traffic on that night would be INSANE!!!!!

24 weeks!!!!!

2008-09-29T23:05:00.003-04:00

I am SO happy to be 24 weeks. I hear that at this point, if something weird were to happen (ie: premature labour), that babies born this early have a very good chance of surviving. I really hope that doesn't happen, but it's nice to know that I've entered some sort of safe time zone. In fact, I met a baby that was born 3 months early and he seems perfectly normal and happy and growing well! I am still feeling fine, but if I don't get enough sleep, I feel SO tired and zombie-like. Like last night....I got to bed much later than usual due to dinner with a friend in town, and woke up a bunch in the middle of the night, which is really nothing new, but today I am SO tired. My legs are also really sore from some walking up a few flights of stairs (went to the horse races (won $124.00!) which ended up being a lot of up and down to different viewing levels) I did on Saturday, which was no big deal, but I guess I am really out of shape! I think we're doing our maternity tour tomorrow night, and my prenatal yoga classes start next week!

zits and classes

2008-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have a million zits on my face. They have been coming and going for months, I guess about 6! Normally I have pretty good skin, but it's been SO oily and these zits are killing me. They're not even normal, they're more like red spots that I can't even squeeze. Major bummer. I guess I should be lucky that I have been blessed with good skin, and if this is a price to pay for having a baby, I'll gladly pay! Speaking of paying, I signed up for birthing classes today. I'm doing them at Real Birth, which comes highly recommended by many. My husband and I will be taking "Comprehensive Childbirth", which is like school, but it's on the weekend. 2 days, 7.5 hours each day. Ouch! Then I will take breastfeeding alone, which is a mere 3 hour class, and then I will take newborn care alone, which is also a mere three hours. My husband doesn't seem to be interested in this one, so I guess he knows all about the basics of diapering, soothing techniques for a crying baby, establishing normal sleep, bathing and dressing, how to take a temperature, choosing a pediatrician and when to call them, what's normal in newborns, postpartum family adjustment and what helps. I sure as hell don't, and while I'm sure some of it will be self-explanatory, but from what my friends that have gone tell me, it's very useful, so I am looking forward to it and I am glad to give up a mere three hours to learn these things.

2008-09-25T20:50:00.004-04:00

We've finally decided on a crib. It's the one in the image to the left, and it's an Amy Coe crib from Babies R Us. I really like that it has a drawer....although I can tell you that our bedding won't be pink! I am psyched to have this crossed of the list - although we still need to order and get it! We've also decided on the stroller situation but not yet the stroller itself. We're going to get a stroller frame that a car seat sits on, and then after it's born, get a proper stroller. Being that it's going to be born in the freezing cold winter of January, the visits outside will be somewhat limited initially, and we can use the frame or a carrier! Decisions are being made and it makes me feel good - a little more relaxed. Now I just need to get the ball rolling on our hospital tour and birthing center tour and birthing classes! I kind of want to take hypnobirthing too - which is not as weird as it sounds. I've only heard amazing things about it, and I HATE hospitals, and I have problems relaxing, so this sounds like exactly what I need!

general update

2008-09-22T22:06:00.004-04:00

I am almost 6 months pregnant! Holy crap. I don't know why, but that feels SO far along....I guess because it is! It's funny though. I am 23 weeks, and 20 weeks is the halfway mark, and that doesn't seem as far as 6 months...anyway. I am still feeling good and feeling more kicking also! I don't think I am showing as much as I could be, and I can't decide if that is a good thing or a weird thing. I am not yet at the point where I am obviously pregnant, unless you already know - but strangers don't seem to be aware. I am wearing maternity pants full-time, which is lovely. My husband is jealous of them and their stretching abilities! I am working with my friends to sort out plans for a baby shower, and I have started registering! We had a doctor's appt last week and she listened to the heartbeat and said that it's strong and that it sounds good, and confirmed that all our test results (anatomy scan, spina bifida etc) are fine....so...things seem to be progressing well and I am happy!

names

2008-09-18T11:41:00.002-04:00

We are not finding out the sex of our child until it is born, so we have to have a boy name and a girl name decided on. We are 100% decided on the girl's name, and have been for ages, maybe even before we got pregnant, but this boy's name is eluding us. We have it whittled down though, and our fridge list only has a few names left on it. I am hoping for a name that is somewhat original, that not 4 other boys in the class will have...so no Spencer, Tyler, etc. ...actually I like those names, but my husband denied them...for good reason though. He crossed off my Sam and my Max, but we're left with a few good ones and I think we'll have a decision made soon. It's funny. Parts of the baby process have reminded me of the wedding process. When I was planning our wedding, once we had a date and a location, I was able to relax and not worry for a while. This feels similar. Once we have names and a crib and stroller picked out I feel like I will chill out a lot!

cribs and strollers

2008-09-15T19:47:00.005-04:00

Johnny and I went on another baby products excursion on Saturday. We went to mini jake, Giggle and Schneiders. We are researching cribs and strollers and I hope to have these decided on soon! The cribs are making me crazy. I like a pricey Oeuf one, the "Sparrow" - and I like this Amy Coe one from Babies R Us, which is mid-range and then there is the basic Ikea "Gulliver" crib for 99$. That is a TON of price range, and then you still have to spend 200-300 for a crib mattress, which is really where you need the quality! Argh!!! I am sort of going nutty trying to decide, and I think we need to go to Ikea and check their cribs out. Are they good enough? Are they sturdy enough? Do we have enough Ikea in our home (yes). I think we will decide between the Amy Coe and the Ikea and be done with it. The Oeuf is a nice designy piece, but I'd rather get something a little less pricey.

PS> The crib pictured is my "dream" crib, but it's also a ridiculous $2500!!! Forget about it! I could by a car for that.

2008-09-15T19:40:00.003-04:00

It seems like murphy's law, that as soon as I post something saying the baby is kicking a TON, that the kicking slows down. It figures! After a couple of days of plentiful kicks, the kicking is now very sporadic and not happening too often. I'm not worried since everything I've read says that I have a few weeks to go before it SHOULD be more consistent, plus I know that my placenta is on the front, so there is a big cushion between the kicking and feeling the kicks. I am convinced that it's just not facing out and that's why I'm not feeling it. Either way, we have the doctor on Wednesday, so I will ask her opinion on when it should be more consistent.

In other news, I somehow twisted my back the other night and I stand and walk crooked. I was in SO much pain yesterday that I didn't leave the house and I just napped and tried to remain comfortable. Now I have a bad back, but this was some of the worst pain I've been in in a very long time. It feels a bit better today, and better once I walk for a bit. I had a hunch that I should have at least goen for a walk yesterday, but I didn't. That probably would have made things feel a whole lot better. Here's to hoping it goes away soon!
PS> I'm 22 weeks....5.5 months!

kicky mckick's-a-lot

2008-09-11T22:18:00.003-04:00

The baby is officially kicking. My husband even felt it the other night. It feels SO strange....but it's so nice to finally have my own kind of knowledge that there is a living, growing being in there! It's strange...I felt it in Chicago, then not for a couple of days, then I felt it a lot one day , and then not for another 24 hours, and today I am feeling it a lot. I read that it gets more consistent as it grows and there are even patterns to be felt after about 24 weeks! neat-o! I was on the subway yesterday and felt a massive kick that it actually made me jump! Yesterday I barely felt it at all, so that was a pleasant surprise. I've renamed it "Kicky".

On another note, we're going to have another baby store adventure this weekend. A couple of weeks ago we went to Babies-R-Us and Buy Buy Baby. This weekend we're going to go to The Stork Store, Schneiders, and Mini Jake. My goal for this month is to have a glider purchased and also a new rug for our living room...oh and to have appointments made for our hospital tour and the "intro to the birthing center" class so I can see if it's a place I want to be! I think setting goals like this is key in the coming months. I also want to decide which crib to get and which stroller/car seat to purchase too, but I don't know if I need to do those things this month. We shall see!

health and eating

2008-09-07T20:12:00.005-04:00

I find that on weekends, I sort of take a holiday from eating 100% healthy. Not everything is thrown out the window, and maybe this weekend was particularly sugary, but if I don't go out, I eat at home, and I don't have any fish here and I haven't been in a salady mood. In fact, I've been just wanting sugar. I made cookies tonight to surprise my husband and maybe to satiate my love for raw cookie dough a bit too. I am POSITIVE that I haven't gotten enough protein this weekend, so I know that tomorrow I am going to get a salad with salmon on top....and later in the week I'll get my salmon teriyaki. I just feel like weekends are lazy time! I also meant to do my prenatal yoga each day, and guess what - I didn't. Ugh. I don't think exercising at home is meant for me. I think I will research a class that I can go to - maybe even pay in advance! ha! I will do that this week. Actually, I know there is a weekend class near my house, so I will aim to try that on Saturday! Maybe if I set this goal now, it will be more likely to become reality. I just keep hearing that giving birth is like running a marathon - the amount of energy it takes and god knows I can't run a marathon now - or ever!

friday links and news

2008-09-05T14:34:00.007-04:00

I added a couple of links to the link section, cool mom picks and pregtastic. I want to say something about Pregtastic though...this is the BEST podcast ever. Seriously. I listen to my ipod every morning on my way to work, and normally it's music, but since I discovered this show, I downloaded all of them and listen religiously. It's usually 2-5 ladies in the San Diego area, all of which are pregnant (except the host, but she has 2 kids) and they discuss their "ups and downs" and there is a weekly topic. There are often knowledgeable guests, like Dr. Sears and the woman who invented hypnobirthing...Anyway - I gush, but I have learned a LOT from this show and I have found it so unbelievable helpful and I never tire of it! HIGHLY recommended.

Oh, and here are three news stories I found interesting...
-Questions remain about BPA safety

-Mom's reactions to baby's first cry post-birth different vs. C-sections and vaginal births

-toddler vaccinations set record

what a week!

2008-09-03T20:42:00.006-04:00

Phew!!! What a week. I went to Chicago for work - no problems there, fine time, great town, and then I came back and it was labor day weekend! That meant a quick 2 night trip to Long Island to see the in-laws and my sister and brother in law and my godson, and it was a busy weekend! Thank god I had Monday off, and yesterday was my 20 week anatomy scan! YAYAYAY! That took place at the hospital I will deliver at, St.Lukes-Roosevelt in Manhattan which provided us with a great opportunity to get our bearings, as thankfully I have never been to a hospital in NYC. It seemed like a nice clean place, and I really only saw the fetal maternity ward or whatever you call it, and not the actual maternity ward. For that I need to schedule a tour (note to self: schedule tour!

Anyway - we filled out a piece of paper, waited in the waiting room (bring a magazine or book if you're going, there were NONE there), and then went into a room with a nice gal who was the ultrasound technician. I pulled my pants and undies to just below my pubic bone and off they went! It was about 25-30 minutes and she looked at pretty much all aspects of the growing baby...the head, arms, legs, feet, hands, heart, spine, you name it! She spent a lot of time on the heart, which I guess because it's important to watch it work and make sure things are working well. We told her we didn't want to know the sex, and she said "ok, I'll let you know when I get to that area and you can look away", but she didn't - or didn't tell us to look away and we were none the wiser, which makes me think it's a girl - because maybe there's nothing to see - at least nothing resembling a penis! Ha! After she was done, she gave us 3 photos and then a doctor came in and reviewed everything super fast and said everything was fine and that they would send results to my doctor. And that was that! Painless and supposedly normal! I'll call the doc on Friday to check in about the results anyway.

PS> I'm 20 weeks!

baby moving?

2008-08-27T20:53:00.005-04:00

Sorry - this will be short but sweet since I am going to Chicago in the AM for work...I have to pack and go to bed. So...AM i feeling the baby move? Sometimes I feel some flutters, sometimes I don't. I was told that since my placenta is attached to the front, that it might take me a little longer to feel it, but I thought I did, but then it became lighter. I dunno! Time will tell! We have our 20 week anatomy scan on 9/2, which will be super exciting and maybe the baby will move and I will see it AND feel it move! I'm off to Chicago for a quick trip tomorrow....wish me luck and sleep!

protein

2008-08-26T21:05:00.004-04:00

I'm on a protein kick...well, I should have been all along. Truthfully, since I got pregnant I have been trying harder to eat more healthily and be more conscious of what I ingest, BUT I haven't been eating enough protein. My mother has been concerned about that for a while and mentioned it a couple of times, but I assured her I was fine. The other day however, I looked up exactly HOW much protein a pregnant woman is supposed to be eating, and it's 75g per day. That's sort of a lot, and I realized that I probably rarely hit that. So...I'm keeping track, and upping my protein. I just finished a protein shake, which has 30g of protein in it, and yesterday for lunch I had some salmon, which has 45g of protein in it (that's what the photo is...not of my lunch, but of salmon) - Oh, and I found a yogurt with a whopping 17g of protein in it! I hope this manages to make me feel healthier and maybe even less tired! On another note, my ligaments are hurting a bit, which in my mind is good, since it probably means that my belly is getting bigger and soon I will look officially pregnant and not just fat! I have been feeling ok, still need to go to bed earlier, and getting used to sleeping on my side, but I really miss sleeping on my back. Oh, and I'm 19 weeks now!

"cravings"

2008-08-23T23:54:00.001-04:00

I don't think I've had "cravings" yet per se, like what IS a craving? In my mind, a pregnancy craving isn't really limited to being pregnant. I think it's just wanting something and having no reason to deny it for yourself. When people ask me if I've had any cravings, I sort of think of some medical deep need for something that is a switch in my brain, not just some random food I feel like eating. The dictionary says craving is "an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing". So, I don't think I've had any of those. I have WANTED (to have or feel need) some foods, but that's no different than prior to me being pregnant! Those things have included the following: bacon, milkshakes, fruit, nutella, spaghetti, tacos, salted chocolate. It's not like I need any of those things immediately, it's just that I've been on a diet for at least 5 years, and now suddenly I am not supposed to be on a diet? What's a girl gonna do? I'm gonna eat what I want! If any actual cravings come up, I'll let you know!

doctor

2008-08-21T19:53:00.001-04:00

We went to the doctor yesterday afternoon for an 18 week checkup. We met another doctor in the practice and she was very nice. There are 4 doctors and we're at the point where we start rotating in order to get to know them all, since you never know who will be on when it's time to deliver!

Again, no ultrasound, but we did hear the heartbeat - which is always nice....to know that it's still there and doing well! The rate was 130bpm, which is good. Thing were smooth at the doctor. Not much to report. They took blood for the spina bifida test, since that wasn't included in the CVS testing. Good news about that, is that I didn't pass out. The nurse that took my blood said "I remember you.." in a worried/snarky tone.

I am most looking forward to our 20 week anatomy scan, which is on 9/2. That will be the first time we've seen the baby in about 2 months!

I'm still feeling good, trying to drink a ton of water, since I do have constipation as always. I am showing a bit more, but I haven't "popped" yet. I don't exactly know what that means, but from what I hear I will wake up one morning and magically not be able to do up my pants. People that tell me this swear that they aren't exaggerating, but I don't believe them, so we'll see!

In other news, I THINK I am feeling some movement. It feels like occasional fluttering, and I think that's what it is, but it's so faint that it's hard to tell. The doc said in 2 weeks I will know it for sure...cool!!!

i'm back!

2008-08-20T22:25:00.004-04:00

I'm back from 6 days away. It's nice to be back home and in my own bed! I was in Vancouver, where I was born, and Victoria, where I was raised. We had a lovely time in both places and saw lots of friends and family.

People were very excited to see me and my slowly growing belly, and it seemed that babies were the hot topic everywhere, much to the chagrin of my husband. He did well though. We spent a lot of time with a lovely 5 year old, and he got some good practice in!

My cousin gave me a lovely gift of a maternity shirt and sweater, which I am psyched about. It's a white shirt, which I have been looking for, and the sweater ties in the front, which will be perfect! Being that I will be super pregnant in the winter, sweaters are key. I also got 2 pairs of maternity pants thanks for my friend Tracy. She helped me find some good stuff. We also stayed at her place in Victoria and hung out with her 5 year old - Thanks Tracy!

My trip was bittersweet though. My parents recently moved from Victoria to Saskatchewan, so I wasn't able to see them, so it was weird being in my hometown and them not being there, and me not being able to go to our house. It was sad! I also don't know when I will get back to the w.coast. I hope it's soon since I have so many lovely friends and family there that I want to see them all again soon!

on vacation!

2008-08-16T12:56:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the slight delay. I'm on vacation in Vancouver and Victoria, the place of my birth and where I grew up, respectively. I will put an official new post up soon!

more clothes...

2008-08-12T21:41:00.004-04:00

So last night I decided to head up to the H&M in our area that has a maternity section, which happens to be the one in Herald Square right near Macy's. Yay Macy's! I was pretty damn surprised at how small the maternity section was, but the nice thing was that it was on the 3rd floor and not busy. I didn't have to wait to try anything on and at H&M that is a rarity. I tried on some jeans, pants and tops. The jeans ans pants were both ok, but I was worried about shrinkage - not of me, of the clothes;) so I decided to wait until I really needed them which will probably be in a few weeks. As of now I am wearing pants and jeans that are 2 sizes up from my normal size. I still have to undo the buttom sometimes though. The shirts were crazy. All elastic gathered waists with but poufy bottom halfs. I was really looking for something to wear now, not in 3 months, so I got one maternity shirt in this super nice royal purple color which should last my whole pregnancy. I then ventured downstairs to the normal clothes and found 2 more shirts that worked well 2 sizes above normal. I'm feeling content for the moment with regards to shirts! I popped into Macy's to see what was up there, and low and behold their maternity section is a damn Pea In The Pod...same stuff I saw the other day. The good thing though, was that the salespeople left me alone. So next time if I'm feeling like I really need something from that store, I'll just go to the macy's version!