The Mother Cake

10 years ago I felt quite strongly about the following things:

• Yoga was pretty much the most boring thing a person could do and in no way could or should be considered exercise.
• The "Center for Spirituality and Healing" department at the University I attended was hella creepy with it's meditation promoting ways and whatnot.
• Co-op grocery stores were stinky and had weird foods. And Whole Foods was almost as weird, just bigger. WHERE WERE THE BRAND NAMES?

There were other beliefs like this, but you get the gist. These days?

• Yoga is important to me and essential to my pregnancy and I crave it like I crave dessert.
• Not only have I taken a meditation class at the Center for Spirituality and Healing in recent years, but I use hypnosis techniques (very much like guided meditation) to prepare for childbirth on a daily basis.
• I not only shop at co-ops, but I am a card carrying member. I don't buy many conventional brand names anymore.

All this is to say one thing: people change. And I suppose it's also to say that I have more than a little latent hippie in me.

And now I'm about to share something with you that I never, ever, EVER in a million years thought I would do, let alone admit out loud. It shows just how different I am from the person I was a decade ago.

Ready?

(Take a deep breath and brace yourselves...)

I'm going to have my placenta encapsulated.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

I'll let you process that one while I go outside to raise my freak flag up the flag pole.

This is actually something that came up during Bella's pregnancy. I heard about it for the first time back then, but it seemed like a super extreme and bizarre thing to do. Something those wackadoodle ocean-dwelling orgasmic birthers who yodel through labor might partake in. For those that have never heard about it, basically the concept is that consuming the placenta after birth provides several benefits including: a quicker recovery, improved lactation, restored energy, replenished iron stores, and the big one - a reduced risk of postpartum depression. Consuming your own placenta delivers medicinal benefits that are matched exactly for you since your own body created that placenta. The common argument for placenta ingestion is that most mammals in the animal kingdom eat their placenta, so why shouldn't humans do the same? In fact, placenta is translated into "mother cake" in many languages. And cake is definitely something you eat. I would know. Some people eat the placenta raw (GAW!) or cook it and grind it up and put it in a smoothie (BLEGH!), but many (most?) go for placenta encapsulation - basically letting someone else make it into harmless supplement pills. All the benefits with none of the gag-inducing grossness. You can read more about placenta benefits and placenta encapsulation here.

Back to being preggo with Bella. While the benefits to placenta encapsulation sounded all very well and good, I really wasn't interested. I mean, gross, right? Then Husband asked about it at our Hypnobirthing class (I just about died) and it turned out one of the other couples there was actually going to do placenta encapsulation. Whhhhhat? For reals? But I guess cool. For them. Not me. (Seriously: gross.) Husband, however, kept bringing up the topic and thinking we should do it, too. He was worried about me developing postpartum depression given my history of depression. So I told him that if he set it up, I would do it. I knew he would never, ever in a million years get that one coordinated all on his own in the middle of wrapping up his MBA studies and working full time and applying/interviewing for a new job and managing the rental properties we own and thus it never happened. Ha! I tricked you, Husband. BOO YA!

Fast forward two years.

I have been thinking a lot about the postpartum period after Oliver and I am somewhat worried about developing postpartum depression. This concern is greater than it was with Bella, mostly because I know my level of sleep deprivation will be higher. I know myself well enough to know that crap sleep has a terribly negative effect on me. And so the idea of placenta encapsulation began to creep into my head as a possibility. And then it became more than a possibility; it became a why not?

So I did some research, asked for referrals at yoga class (had to stifle the urge to SHHHHH! the yoga instructor/doula when she casually called out to another doula about who she would recommend for placenta encapsulation), and then made a call. And now I got a contact in my phone called "Placenta Lady Kelly", there is a large glass bowl with a lid in my hospital bag to put the placenta in (someone else can so be in charge of that step!) and Placenta Lady Kelly will be swinging by the hospital after I deliver to pick up the placenta. From there she will do the encapsulation at her house using OSHA standards and then bring it back to our place. All this for $150. Most other states require that you do the encapsulation in your own home due to legal issues, which means cooking it in your own oven. Luckily Minnesota's law is not as strict and therefore it will not be done in my own home. I will have you know that Placenta Lady Kelly mentioned that "men can find the smell of placenta cooking to be off-putting" to which I say WOULD NOT EVERYONE FIND THE SMELL OF PLACENTA COOKING TO BE OFF-PUTTING? ZOMFG!

Ahem. I think I'm still getting adjusted to the fact that I'm actually going to do this. But to bring it back to the question I asked myself about placenta encapsulation earlier - Why not? It's relatively inexpensive, I don't have to worry about whether it's compatible with breast-feeding the way I would have to consider with some anti-depressants, I'm spared the ick factor of having to handle the actual placenta, and if for some reason I don't want to keep taking the pills, I can just stop. Simple as that. The benefits outweigh the bizarreness and for me, it's worth it.

So there you have it. I'm currently making myself a mother cake and I'm going to eat it, too. Funnily enough, I still don't know if I can handle looking at the actual placenta after delivery (I didn't last time). I've changed in many ways over the years, but the thought of looking at a big meat-slab-looking placenta grosses me out. I am not inspired by placenta art and would be squeamish about handling it for the purpose of burying it in my yard under a tree. I sure as hell won't be indulging in a placenta smoothie at any point in my life, no matter how hippie dippie I might get.  I'll take my mother cake in the pill form, thankyouverymuch.

Now I turn it over to you - does this totally weird you out? Have you changed your mind about this or something similar in recent years? Anyone else want to come out of the woodwork and admit to doing something freaky with your placenta, too?

Thar She Grows!

(You might need to click over to the blog to see the video)



This was a totally reasonable way to spend a rather nauseous middle-of-the-night hour...

Also, am listening to my HypnoBabies affirmations intended to be played on the day you give birth and there was something about my cervix melting like butter and to that I say DO NOT COMPARE MY LADY BITS TO FOOD SUBSTANCES.

Thank you and goodnight.

Bumpdate: 39 Weeks

Due Date: July 2, 2011. Will this be the last bumpdate??

Weight Gain: 44 lbs/0.5 lb gain in the past week. Last week my mom said, "You must be losing weight with how little you are eating!" Ha! Gotta give props to my pregnant body - it had a goal of GAIN GAIN GAIN and it never let little things like the actual amount of food consumed/energy expended get in it's way. All kidding aside, I honestly am OK with the weight gain as I know without a shadow of doubt that this is simply what my body does during pregnancy.

Symptoms: In spite of worse morning sickness this past week, I feel better overall. A lot of the aches & pain type symptoms have lessened and I think I might be breathing a bit easier (baby dropped?). The morning sickness is probably my #1 complaint. It's funny how you can forget things - like that intense dry heaving will make me pee myself. I'm also very prone to getting dizzy/faint/nauseous if I don't consume at least a little carb snack every couple hours. How very first tri of me! But this nausea is definitely not in the same league as the worst nausea I felt earlier on in this pregnancy, so for that I am grateful. And THIS WILL NOT GO ON FOREVER. That goes a long way towards making it all OK.

Labor Signs: Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. I'm a ticking time bomb over here. Today is the first day that I'm really feeling comfortable with the baby coming as today is the day my in-laws arrive for their extended summer stay up in MN. Knowing they are available 24/7 to come stay with Bella brings me so much calmness. Anyway - as far as labor symptoms go, I continue to feel in a state of early labor much of the time. Lots of contractions, cramping feelings, and a few other less than lovely symptoms that I won't detail right now. It's a waiting game at this point - could be tomorrow and it could be in two weeks. I remain OK with going up to 41 weeks, but I will say I feel a tinge of irritation when other moms naturally go into labor at 39 weeks. Oh well. Bonus gestation days for me!

What's different this time: Yoga has not become super challenging for me the way it did at the end last time and I 'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm physically still strong - thank you 30-lb toddler! I kept thinking that maybe they changed the yoga classes to be easier and then I realized that the change was with me. So a wee pat on my back for maintaining decent physical shape in spite of some challenges along the way.

Cravings: I'm back in that irritating space of having a craving (examples from this past week are fish & chips and veggie sushi), buying the food, and then when it's in front of me I want nothing to do with it. Sad trombone. Yesterday, however, I was able to eat fairly normal all day and that felt really, really nice, especially since Husband and I went out to brunch! One craving that I can't give into is cold water late at night (it would cause some evil reflux).

Aversions: Not necessarily an aversion, but I'm still off the diet coke! I only had one fountain drink this past week. I still think this change is weird.

Sleep: A little better overall and one randomly FANTASTIC night and I owe it all to our friends, pharmaceuticals. I'm not a med-taker during pregnancy, but I did ask the midwife last week about a sleeping aid because I was getting worried about how terribly run down I was getting. At her recommendation, I started taking Tylenol PM. While most nights I'm still up several times and also have that 2-3 hour awake period in the middle of the night, my actual sleeping time is more refreshing. I'm also making sure to be in bed by 8:30 pm and to carve out at least 30 minutes for a nap each day. Finally, we hung up some super classy black garbage bags on Bella's windows in addition to her blinds/blackout curtains to stop her recent 5:30 AM wake-ups. That has helped to buy us a half hour or so in the mornings.

I am loving: That I'm finally in the "safe zone" of having readily available care for Bella should I go into labor.

I miss: Enjoying foods, drinking water without a second thought, and rolling around with ease in my sleep.

I am looking forward to: The other side of labor & delivery and holding my new baby boy in my arms.

I'm spazzing about: The enormous change we are about to bring to Bella's life. I find myself having those silly thoughts of, "We are about to ruin her life!" and getting all weepy over it, even though I honestly don't feel that way. A sibling is a gift (for the most part...hopefully) and I think she is the sort of kid who will love having a perma buddy, but I still get sad to think about this only-child chapter of her life ending. And I get a little teary when I think about saying goodbye to our family of three, even though it does mean the excitement of beginning our life as a family of four. Such mixed emotions that I'm sure have absolutely nothing to do with pregnancy hormones (*snort*).

Best thing about this week: A nice date morning with Husband on Sunday. It was an odd time for a baby-sitter - Sunday from 9 AM-noon - but it was actually almost better than an evening date, at least for a pregnant lady. Felt super relaxing. And last week there were also a couple times where I ended up laying next to Bella while she slept, which was sweet. Watching your baby/toddler/kid sleep is always magical.

Milestones: Being able to say that I'm due this week.

Movement: I still feel a lot of movement, more than what I remember with Bella at this point. I can easily grab his little feet as he stretches (ow!).

It's a...: Boy.
 
Exercise: Pretty good in the face of my physical state - prenatal yoga x2, swimming, several short walks (0.5-1 miles).  Might up the walking now that I have lots of help with Bella and don't need to save all my energy for caring for her.

Diet: Still mostly lower appetite, but I got a couple normal sized meals in there. It's funny - if I was eating like this outside of pregnancy I would be losing all kinds of weight!

Exercise goal for the upcoming week: Lots of yoga & walking. Maybe some swimming.

Belly Pic:

The Nursery/Master Bedroom Combo

The master bedroom + nursery for Oliver is 95% set up, save for a couple minor things like putting the recessed light canisters back in and re-mounting the TV above the treadmill. Of course, there are actual remodeling-type to-dos that are unfinished, such as building out the closet and putting trim around the bedroom door, but let's be realistic here - it took us over 4 years to get the room drywalled and painted. There will be no trim work or closet building done prior to us moving unless some sort of miracle occurs. And the truth is that I just don't really care anymore. The room is good enough. And that's enough to keep me calm for another 6 months to a year when we move.

So! Here's the master bedroom before in all it's multiple paint colors & unfinished wall glory. It was previously two small bedrooms that we combined to make a larger room.

And the after:

The baby's changing table is actually our two beside tables pushed together. We didn't need to buy too much for Oliver - just a second changing pad, a basket for supplies, and a co-sleeper. We moved the glider from Bella's room to our room so that I can have a place to nurse if I don't want to be lying down. His clothes and cloth diapers fit in the bedside table drawers and additional blankets, changing pad covers, and burp cloths are on a shelf in the closet. It will be kind of annoying not to have bedside tables or reading lights for the next six months while we bunk with Oliver, but such is life! Besides, the option of reading before bed is mostly out of the question, anyway, for the short term.

Like the room itself, the nursery/bedroom combo is good enough. I like that the baby things in the room are neutral enough to blend in so that the room retains most of it's adult bedroom feel. And while I'm sure the experts would say that a baby needs colors and mobiles and THINGS to keep him stimulated, I think he'll get plenty of stimulation during his waking hours from Bella and us and a chaotic rest of the house. This will simply be a place for him to sleep and get changed for those first several months.

There you have it. In addition to the baby-related items in our room, I have some baby things (like infant toys) organized in Bella's room, a place for Oliver to sleep in most rooms of the house (whether that be a bouncer seat, a swing, or the P&P bassinet), and we have a changing supplies tucked into the dresser that the TV sits on in the living room. We made a less-than-desirable situation (still living in a too-small house with a second baby coming) work out just fine. Oliver would have slept in our room for the first few months regardless of whether we'd had a nursery for him to eventually move into, so it really isn't so different from how it might be otherwise. But will you cross your fingers for us that I don't have to write a post about Bella & Oliver's shared bedroom in six months and instead can write a post about a new, fabulous house with multiple bedrooms? Much obliged, yo.

Baby 2.0's Name Revealed!

First - I would like to share with you the state of my cervix, mostly for my own record keeping purposes and partly because I'm creepy and prone to over-share. As of yesterday morning, I was 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced and the baby was at -1 station. While I know this doesn't necessarily mean a lot when it comes to the possibility of impending labor, it does mean another centimeter I won't need to actively labor through, which is good (shorter labor!) and scary (please don't let me have a baby in the car on 394!)

Second - Please send some non-labor vibes my way, at least for the next few days. When Bella came down with a fever yesterday, it suddenly occurred to me that, huh, maybe I'm actually sick, too. While I don't have a fever (I neveh eveh get fevers, even with things like sinus infections and strep), I do feel extra poopilicious. So I would love the chance for both Bella and I to get better before Baby 2.0 comes. Luckily, Bella seems to be almost back to normal already. And extra luckily, my mom is here to help out right now. Maybe my body knew it was a safe time to completely fall apart?

Now how about I let you all in on Baby 2.0's name so we can stop calling him Baby 2.0? This is a name that Husband and I have been drawn to ever since we conceived. You see, with a due date of July 2, it cannot be overlooked that this little firecracker baby is coming right at the same time as we celebrate our nation's independence. And while there is a chance that he might come sooner than the 4th (or later, I suppose), it's been my/our hunch that he will come right around there.  And so, without further ado, here is baby 2.0's name:

Freedom Flag

We will call him Freed for short and we like that he can also go by F.F. Wouldn't F.F. OurLastName look distinguished on the top of a resume? As I look at his name written out above, I feel that the bland old text doesn't really convey the fabulousness of his name. Let's see...how about this?

 

       

Isn't it great?




PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT! Oh, I kid my friends. We won't be naming our baby Freedom Flag, although I do weirdly like the sound of "Freed" for a name. So what's Baby Boy's real name?

It's...

Oliver Logan

We have actually had Oliver in mind for our first boy's name for over SIX YEARS now. We picked it out back before we were married, before we were engaged, and before we were living together. I remember the afternoon we talked about our future babies names very distinctly. I was living in Uptown and we were driving around "the Lakes" (i.e. Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, & Lake Harriet) on a Sunday afternoon. We were dreaming out loud about living in those fabulous houses and what our lives would be like someday when we had kids (we had only been dating several months at that point...accelerated plan for the win!) and then we came upon this street.

"Oh! Oliver. I actually really like that for a boy's name," one of us said. The other agreed. And except for a very brief two day period during the second trimester, that name has stuck with us the entire time. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The name Freedom Flag will just have to wait for the next baby boy.

Bumpdate: 38 Weeks

Due Date: July 2, 2011. Soon! Or soon plus a couple weeks! Which is still soon! So, uh...soon!

Weight Gain: 43.5 lbs/1.5 lb gain in the past week. As I said last week, since I am really not eating all that much right now I'm pretty sure the weight gain in recent weeks will be peed out shortly after delivery. I looked back and I lost 23 lbs the first week after having Bella so perhaps I'll lose a similar amount right away this time?

Symptoms: First the good news - still no swelling in my feet/ankles and I have only had one of those terrible middle of the night charlie horses in my calf muscle this entire pregnancy. So, yay for those two things! But everything else remains a hot mess (perhaps hot mess isn't the right phrase given the whole vomit in the car incident this past week... ) Symptom round-up includes: nausea and some vomiting, fatigue, reflux, lots of contractions, physically uncomfortable most of the time, right hip pain, short of breath, lots of lady bit pressure, allergies/rhinitis of pregnancy. I do feel better when I have help with taking care of Bella, such as with a babysitter or on the weekends, so I'm VERY, VERY glad my mom is here for a few days this week. Hopefully this means a less symptomatic few days!

Labor Signs: Continue to get Braxton Hicks/contractions shockingly easily. Even an errand to the post office with Bella has me stopping to breathe through a contraction a few times. It seems so ridiculous! In spite of having a lot of pre-labor signs and symptoms, my gut feeling is that I'll go until my due date or just around my due date. And, even more surprisingly, I'm really OK with being pregnant another couple weeks in spite of aggressive symptoms and I would say I WANT to be pregnant another couple weeks. You see, the thought of getting some R&R this week with my mom visiting and next week when my in-laws arrive in Minnesota seems like a better thing than going into labor in this totally beat up and exhausted state.

What's different this time: Being reunited with nausea & vomiting in my third tri. Oh cruel world.

Cravings: None. I'm not even that excited by fruit. But even nausea & reflux can't get in the way of me eating cake on occasion.

Aversions: Food before 10 AM can be a struggle. And get this - I seem to be mostly over drinking Diet Coke/Coke Zero every single day. Say whaaaa? Isn't that weird? I've only had it 3 times in the past two weeks and those times I had it I could have taken it or left it. I think it's probably just that my nausea & reflux is so bad right now that I will do anything to not feel worse than I'm already feeling, but maybe I'm done with my daily bad habit?

Sleep: Soooooooooo bad. Like I mentioned before, I'm actually looking forward to crappy have-a-newborn sleep as I think it will be better than how I'm sleeping now.

I am loving: Having my mom here to help me out for a few days. I am incredibly appreciative of her help.

I miss: Going on walks and being able to go about my daily activities without a second thought.

I am looking forward to: A lot of these symptoms magically disappearing with Baby 2.0's arrival. And also getting to meet Baby 2.0!

I'm spazzing about: Getting a little nervous about the actual labor & delivery now that it's very, very close. This nervousness is mostly because I'm potentially heading into it feeling so tired and yuck.

Best thing about this week: Husband nested all day Sunday! It was kind of weird to see him tackling project after project all on his own volition, but he got a ton done: fixed the tub leak & replaced the tub handles, planted a flower box out front, repaired Bella's closet, put together some shelves and secured them to the wall in Bella's room and a bunch of other things I'm forgetting. Go Husband, go!

Milestones: Not sure if this is a milestone and I'm certainly not sure if this is appropriate to share (in fact I KNOW it's not) but I'm pretty sure I can no longer manage the lady grooming on my own. I will need Husband to help me take care of things on the dark side of the moon prior to the big event. LUCKY HIM!

Movement:Yes, although I got a little worried on Friday when I felt like movement had decreased. I'm sure reading scary stories on the Bump message boards on Thursday night had absolutely nothing to do with that... I also have some incredibly sore spots on my belly in the places where Baby 2.0 likes to push his little legs out.

It's a...: Boy.
 
Exercise: Prenatal yoga x2. This was the least active I've been since the pukey days of first tri...but I guess I can't get too down on myself since I am back to feeling pukey + all the other symptom drama. And, as much as I hate to admit it, not walking has helped my hip pain to feel much, much better. As I get closer to the end I would like to resume walking, but we'll see if my endless contractions & bodily aches & pains will allow for that.

Diet: Lower appetite continues. There were several meals that consisted only of a bowl of cereal or a piece of string cheese with crackers. But then I'm fine at other meals and will still want dessert most nights. On the plus side, our CSA

Exercise goal for the upcoming week: Lots of yoga & swimming. Maybe some walking depending on how I'm feeling.

Other goals: Continue to knock out to-do list items and organize the house as possible. Also - stay committed to HypnoBabies practice as I feel myself losing interest after doing it pretty much every single day for the past 18 weeks.


Belly Pic:

Pre-Baby To-Do List Update

1. Did you enter the "Guess Baby 2.0's Birthday" contest yet? You should. There is a $10 Starbucks giftcard at stake.

2. Speaking of Baby 2.0's b-day, I may have misled you with the info I provided. After I wrote that post I looked back in my Preggy Blonde archives and it seems that I was at 2+ cm and 80% effaced at 39 weeks pregnant with Bella...and I didn't have her for two more weeks. So now I'm wondering if I'm one of those who will walk around super dilated (creepy) and it will mean nothing. I can't believe none of you have guessed the due date or later. I suspect this is the Price is Right influence on the world...

3. My nausea has continued to linger and when my mom offered to come out for a few days next week (the parentals live in Bozeman, MT), I took her up on it. The relief I'm feeling at knowing I'll have help for 3 days next week is immense, which tells me that I'm feeling more beat up than I realized. Thank goodness for mamas!

4. We changed Bella's crib into a toddler bed just tonight, and given that baby bruzzah is coming any day, this change is coming exactly when all the parenting experts say you should not make changes. But there was a thunk last night and when we went upstairs to investigate, Bella told us she had been trying to climb out and then fell back in and hit her head. So making the switch to a toddler bed it was. She went down with no problems tonight and no attempts to get out of bed and have a party in her room, so I'm optimistic that it will take her just as long to realize she can actually get out of her bed as it did for her to realize she could climb the walls of her crib. Any advice on this one? Anyone else make the move to a toddler bed mere days before a new baby?

5. Sorry about this blog turning nearly all-baby-all-the time, but the truth is that my life is kind of all-baby-all-the-time right now. It's hard to not focus on it when you are physically reminded 24/7! I'm sure someday - like 6 months from now - I'll find other things to talk about...maybe.

And onto the actual point of this post...

For all you fellow Type-As out there, here is my updated to-do list. Things are actually going pretty well and I have felt a surge of energy to get things done since (1) realizing I really could have this baby any day and (2) the bedroom remodeling was complete. There have been some hiccups along the way, like when Bella's closet completely broke (the shelf and bar came crashing down when we moved all our clothes in there during the remodel...scary!), but I think we will get all essential things done with time to spare. And really, all truly essential things ARE already done. What's kind of irritating, however, is that my brain keeps coming up with new and somewhat random things (i.e. Husband needs a pertussis vaccine - STAT!) to tack onto the list and thus it keeps growing and growing.

Labor/Immediate Postpartum Related

Write/Print/Post Birthing Affirmations

Bella Operating Instructions for grandparents

Finalize back-ups for Bella childcare if baby comes early

Write Birth preferences/Print

Hospital bag list & packing
Photocopy Hypnobabies info for doula
Re-read Hypnobabies Workbook
Birthing Playlist on iPhone and iPod

  

Things To Wash/Clean

Breastfeeding Related - Wipe down pump, Sterilize new tubing & bottles
Baby clothes, nursing pillow covers, receiving blankets, etc.
Car seat Cover
Pack n play

Carriers – Ergo & Bjorn

Swing & Bouncer Covers
Infant Toys

Bumbo
Baby bath tub

  
Misc To Do

Install car seat base (A’s car only for now)

Put Together Bella’s Nursing Toy Box (i.e. toys for her to play with while I nurse)

Buy/Wrap Bella’s Hospital Gift
Check swing set-up
Check for recalls on baby gear/equipment
Get A pertussis vax

Prep birth announcement email list

Prep birth announcement blog post

Prep formal birth announcements

Home Organization & Deep Cleaning 
Our Bedroom - replace ceiling light canisters, anchor furniture to walls, mount TV

Bella's Room - anchor furniture to walls, window guards, fix & organize closet, remove extra slats from blinds
Living Room - anchor furniture to walls

Organize Toys

Sort & Organize Bella’s Clothes – both current & storage

Organize all baby items in bedroom – clothes, burp clothes, diapers…

Organize Linen Closet 
Sweep out garage & clean garbage can

Things To Buy
Babies R Us - Arm's Reach Co-sleeper, furniture anchors, changing pad & cover, washable breast pads
New pacifiers
Washcloths
Postpartum stuff (dermoplast, witch hazel, ibuprofen, stool softener, more pads?)

B gift/Nursing Box Items - Sticker book, watercolors/tea set, garage sale books & puzzles

Window guards

Big Sister/Little Brother t-shirt & onesie

Snacks & drinks for labor (Gatorade, Coconut Water, Gu?, Energy bars, etc)

If I Somehow Go To 42 Weeks...
Shampoo Carpets 
Personal stuff bins (both basement & top of stairs)

Office organization

Assvice to My First-Time Pregnant Self

You know how a first time pregnant woman will write a status update on Facebook about sleeping crappy and there is always, ALWAYS someone who jumps in with the, "Just you wait until the baby is here. Then you'll know what bad sleeping is like!"

Ah, assvice. And isn't parenting assvice the best of all? Because there is always a just you wait type of comment that can be made to someone complaining about any stage of the pregnancy & parenting game. And none of that supposed advice helps, because you can't really do much to prepare yourself for the next stage. It's all just something you need to live and experience for yourself. Besides, the gripes that someone is experiencing are still very valid even if there are possibly harder times ahead.

Where is this all going? Well, I have been wanting to go back to my first-time-pregnant-self and assvice the shiznit out of that girl. "JUST YOU WAIT until you are pregnant with a toddler to take care of. THEN, my friend, and only then will you truly experience the challenges of pregnancy. So enjoy how good you have it right now!"

Which would have made first-time-pregnant-me give a twisty Joey Potter smile to slightly psycho second-time-pregnant-me while backing away slowly. I shudder to think of the depth of crazy third-time-pregnant-me might be like.

You see, I have been feeling oddly jealous of my first-time-pregnant-self. Like the fact that by 37 weeks, 3 days I was D-O-N-E with working. I had hours (HOURS!!!) in which to spend my day doing whatever it was that my little heart desired. I didn't have a fraction of the symptoms I'm experiencing this time around. The challenges I was experiencing then were nothing compared to the challenges I'm experiencing now.

I was already going to write this post when an event happened today that made this seem all the more poignant. You may have already seen it on my twitter feed, but here is the gist of what happened. I woke up this morning feeling super nauseous, but this is nothing new - at least nothing new for the past few weeks. I proceeded to go about my day, because that is what you do when you have chronic morning sickness issues. I felt better after a few hours and had a good yoga class and picked up a few things at the co-op with Bella. On the car ride home, however, things started to get ugly. I had eaten a few crackers to tide me over until lunch and had just drank 16 oz of iced tea that I'd picked up at the co-op. A perfect storm of pregnancy symptoms - nasty reflux, tiny stomach capacity, low blood sugar, and low-level nausea - and circumstances - stop & go traffic on the highway due to the Twins game - suddenly had me feeling nauseous. Like REALLY nauseous. Desperately searching the car for a plastic bag kind of nauseous.

Long story short, there was no plastic bag to be found, I hit every red light on the way home (DAMN YOU, TWINS FANS!) and when it was getting to threat level orange point, there was no where to pull over for several blocks due to being on a bridge.  I was trying to mouth breathe with the best of them and was chanting "Almost home, almost home" to myself when suddenly, ONE FREAKING BLOCK from our place I began to projectile vomit those 16 oz of ice tea and crackers. I was at a stop light and yanked the car door open and puked half onto the street and half onto my car door. And then it happened again. And again. The best part of about experiencing all this at nearly 38 weeks pregnant was that I couldn't bend over enough to keep it off the door. It should be noted that people who can't bend over should not be put in the predicament of spontaneous projectile vomiting.

And that is where the assvice-y Laura thinks to herself, "Oh, first-time-pregnant-self you should be REVELING in how easy you got it right now!" Because after I got home, I still had to deal with my child - feed her lunch, get her ready for her nap, etc. etc. I couldn't just have a quiet weep fest on my own before getting started with cleaning the car. I did still have a weep fest, but it involved a little being going, "Mommy throw up! You OK, Mommy? Throw up in car. Mommy, mommy! You OK?" And the car clean-up part was a little tricky since I needed to give Bella the diversion task of wiping off the rear wheel with a Wet Wipe. (Incidentally, that rear wheel is positively germ free now!)

I'm feeling better-ish, but still somewhat nauseous. I called Husband all weepy shortly after it happened and he decided to come home right away to help me out for the rest of the day. I'm really glad this happened this week and not last week when he was out of town.

For the rest of the day I'm going to do my best to live it up, first-time-pregnant style and take naps that don't necessarily coordinate with Bella's naptime and do what I want, when I want and if I spew, I will spew in a proper receptacle. I will fully take advantage of these few hours of doing my own thing because now that I am second-time-pregnant-me, I KNOW just how luxurious having some free time can be.

Oh, first-time-pregnant-me, JUST YOU WAIT!

Contest: Guess Baby 2.0's Birthday!

Up for a little contest? Whoever guesses Baby 2.0's birthday to the closest date and time will win...

[drumroll, please]

a $10 Starbucks giftcard!

(Why Starbucks? Because nothing says newborn like espresso? Or maybe just cause you all seemed to like that particular giveaway a lot when I did it a little while back.)

So! To enter just leave a comment with the specific day and time (make sure to specify AM or PM) you think Baby Bruzzah will be born and also leave an email if you do not have a blog or profile with contact information.

Here is some helpful info that is likely completely irrelevent to help you in your guessing:

• Due date is Saturday, July 2. This is EXTREMELY accurate as I was a charting fool and knew that I ovulated on October 10.
• Bella's due date was May 19 (also extremely accurate as was based on ovulation date) and she came on May 27.
• As of Tuesday, I was 2 cm dilated and "quite" soft/effaced and the nursing student could poke the head pretty easily.
• I get contractions all the time these days, but nothing that you could time.
• I keep losing bits of my mucus plug. (**Kindly passes vomit bags around.**)
• I'm feeling especially nesty and am actually finding some energy to get things done.
• I am experiencing something that rhymes with "moose drools", which is often a labor sign.
• The midwife thought I would be more likely to give birth prior to 40 weeks this time around.

So there you have it. Start your guessing. Comments will close on Sunday at midnight. If the baby comes before Sunday, then...yeah. My brain would explode. But you are welcome to guess the next few days if you are feeling fiesty.

And go!

When a Preggie Busts a Move...Take Two

Remember when I was K.U. with Bella and I decided to make a dance video at a very large and in charge 36 weeks pregnant?

Belly Dancing from Laura on Vimeo.

Oh yeah. It happened again. Apparently this is something integral to the gestation of my babies. A nesting instinct, if you will.

We decided to hit up the Children's Museum first thing on Sunday morning as my friend Susan had given me the hot tip that it was generally not crowded then. And not crowded it was! We were the first people there and we didn't see another family for the first 20 minutes.

Since we had the ENTIRE PLACE to ourselves (!!) that meant there was no worrying about taking turns and sharing and setting a good example and therefore we hogged the shit out of the music video stage. We kind of half paid attention to Bella, but let's be honest here, it was all about us having a good time.

People. Where was this thing in my teens and twenties? This would have been brilliant on a Saturday night instead of just some joe-schmoe karaoke at a dive bar (WASSUP Sportsmans?) And I know many of you are probably thinking that a music video thing at a Children's museum would have to be lame, but OH HO HO you would be wrong.

I might be a bazillion weeks pregnant, but, man, I just gotta dance. One might even say I was born from a boombox. (*Gigglesnort* Anyone else catch Step Up 3? It's totally a watch instantly on Netflix right now. YOU'RE MOST WELCOME!)



And let's not forget about Husband's moves, either.


It was good times, people. Good times.

Bumpdate: 37 Weeks

Due Date: July 2, 2011. 0-5 weeks from now. Somewhere in there.

Weight Gain: 42 lbs/2 lb gain in the past week. I must be beginning to retain water or something because I SWEAR TO GOD I am eating half my usual amount. But overall it seems I'll gain a little less this time around.

Symptoms: Oh boy. First, I want to mention that everyday I am grateful for this healthy pregnancy. BUT this is a much rougher third tri than last time. I guess I'll use the Swistle line of "I acknowledge my luckiness, without giving up my claim to the suckiness." Symptom round-up includes: Intense fatigue, reflux (now taking Zantac), pretty much always uncomfortable, always feeling short of breath-even while simply lying in bed, hip pain (just right side though...weird), aches & pains, allergies/rhinitis of pregnancy causing nausea and other cold symptoms. Whee!

Labor Signs: **New category!!** There were a few times this weekend where I thought, "Uh oh - this might be it!" I now get Braxton Hicks very frequently - to the point where I tried timing things (nothing panned out), I lost part of my mucus plug (aaaaaaaand gross!) and I had some early labor signs that I had with Bella that had me questioning what was up (bad nausea & diarrhea, if you want the TMI).

What's different this time: Like I just mentioned, I'm having a much harder third tri with Baby 2.0 than I did with Bella. My archives indicate that I didn't feel this way until I hit my due date last time. I had also "dropped" (i.e. Bella dropped lower in my uterus to get in position for birth) by this time and that had helped me to feel more comfortable as reflux & the ability to breathe had improved a ton. Apparently you don't drop until right before labor with second and later babies so there isn't much hope for a change in the next few weeks before the birth. I asked the midwives why the baby doesn't drop earlier in subsequent pregnancies, but they didn't know. It seems physiologically backwards to me!

Cravings: None come to mind.

Aversions: I have a hard time eating in the morning due to nausea, but no big aversions.

Sleep: Bad. There really is no comfortable position and for 6 out of 7 nights I had that long period of wakefulness in the middle of the night. Unlike earlier in my pregnancy, I don't have much energy to get things done during that time.

I am loving: Still really happy about upgrading my gym membership to get pool access. I have also been finding these hideous pregnancy spanx to be useful for wearing with skirts when I'm going to be out and about. Since my body thinks thighs are a top priority for growth during pregnancy, it helps keep them from rubbing together. I know I'll use them postpartum, too. And they are really nothing like spanx in terms of shaping - no worries about having a hard time getting them on!

I miss: I am particularly missing the ability to sit or lie down on the couch comfortably when I want to just relax and I also miss having a lap for Bella to sit on when we are reading books.

I am looking forward to: Finishing up some organization/nesting projects this week. I move slowly, but progress is being made!

I'm spazzing about: It's an age-old classic this week: pooping during pregnancy! So as some of you may recall, I foolishly (make that FOOLISHLY) ate at a vegetarian Indian buffet hours prior to giving birth last time. Now there was no poo-splosion or something, but poopage did occur. Now that I'm in the any-day-now zone, I have been over-thinking what I'm eating and therefore trying to avoid anything too high in fiber. Like I'm constantly trying to eat as though I might have a surprise marathon to run in the very near future (i.e. labor & delivery). Oh, I know it will all be fine, but maybe I should add "I prefer not to poop during labor" into my birthing plan so that my subconscious will understand what's what.

Best thing about this week: I'm group B strep negative! This was something that concerned me because with the very high likelihood of a fast labor, I would not have had enough time to get all the antibiotics required when you are group B strep positive - and that could have meant NICU time for Baby 2.0. But now it's something I can completely cross off the "to potentially worry about" list!

Milestones: I'm full term!! In less fun news - there might be the start of some stretch marks way down on my belly.

Movement: Movements are becoming less dramatic, but things are soooooo tight for my wombmate. My belly/uterus often feels painful to the touch from the pressure of Baby 2.0's limbs pushing on me. Ouch.

It's a...: Boy.
 
Exercise: Prenatal yoga x2, Swimming x3 (twice w/Bella, once alone).  I think it was a good idea to take a week off of walking, esp with my right hip issues. I'll continue to try to stay active in ways that don't cause my body to fall apart later. It's amazing how something so simple - like grocery shopping - can have me completely sore later on.

Diet: Still have a much lower appetite and no energy to cook more than a couple times a week. Feel lazy and not like myself. Boo.

Exercise goal for the upcoming week: Aim for 2-3 yoga sessions + regular swimming. Walk as possible.

Other goals: Pack a hospital bag & finish Bella's Operating Instructions (Bella's g-parents haven't seen her for 7 months so they have no idea about day-to-day stuff)


Belly Pic:

Bits & Pieces

• Thank you for your parenting-two-kids advice in the last post! Lots of helpful stuff and it really did help to calm me down.

• Husband picked out this bubble wand for Bella at Target. It looks a...yeah. I will let you decide what it looks like. 

• After 12 nights of extra terrible sleep either on the not-quite-comfortable-for-sleeping living room couch and/or the twin-sized futon jammed up next to B's crib in Bella's room, we are finally back in our room as the remodeling is complete. Even though I'm still switching between all three places during my multiple night wake ups (sometimes a new locale helps me fall back asleep), it feels soooo good to be reunited with my sleep number bed. This picture is just a sneak peak of our "new" bedroom (basically just a room with finished walls and new paint). I'll do a post featuring our makeshift nursery/bedroom in the next couple weeks.

• Bella is now capable of watching a whole 30+ minutes of a TV show at a time, but she reserves this special ability only for Caillou, the weird Canadian show about a bald 4-year old and his occasionally negligent parents. Of course, she is usually only willing to stick with it for 30 minutes if I sit right next to her. Luckily she will let me read a book most of the time. Now let's talk about Husband. He will put some war movie I have zero interest in on the Netflix queue and then when it arrives, it will sit for a few weeks, because he will insist on waiting to watch it until I can sit right next to him on the couch even though I beg him just to watch it on his own. Yup. He is less willing to let me read a book in these situations. That dude SERIOUSLY needs to work on his independent play skillz.

• I now feel comfortable doing the free form dancing thing during yoga classes (picture waving my arms in the air and twirling in a circle while swaying my hips back and forth...totally creepy and yet there I am connecting with my "inner goddess" without a care in the world) and I am seriously considering some ridiculous hippie-ish things with the birth of this child. I suspect that if we go for having a third kid I will be opting to have an orgasmic birth in the ocean while making noises like, "coo-ca-roo-coo!" as mermaids swim around me. It's the natural progression.

Moms of Two or More - Seeking Your Advice

So in theory I'm ready to take on another baby. We have been prepping Bella by talking to her about Baby Bruzzah and reading a couple books on a very regular basis: What's Inside and I'm a Big Sister and I would LOVE more book recs if you have them. I have planned ahead for how to manage Bella while nursing by putting together a "nursing box" of quiet activities that she can do next to me while I'm nursing. The nursing box will contain books, sticker activities, maybe some coloring books and crayons and other things like that. We will be getting Bella a little present to receive at the hospital  when she meets her new brother so that she feels special, too. Husband and I have already talked about how we will spend individual time with each kid, hopefully on a daily basis even if just for 15 minutes. And I'll have both my mom and my in-laws in town this summer to help out, which is fabulous.

So, like I said, in theory I'm ready to take on another baby. But in reality? AYYYYYEEEEEEEEE! I am scared out of my mind.

Once upon a time, when I was a mere 9-ish weeks pregnant with Bella, a co-worker mentioned that she wasn't a baby person. I remember feeling dumbfounded. What? How could she say that? She already had two kids! And was planning to have more! And yet she wasn't a baby person? At the time I thought it was kind of a terrible thing to say, to be honest. Like it was implying that she didn't love her baby until it got older.

Can I share something with you? Something I feel kind of weird to admit?

I'm not a baby person.

I wish I was. I really do. I see people whose blogs turn into all-baby-all-the-time because they are just gushing with love of their little creature. I've had friends who seem nothing but smitten with the caretaking of their baby. And while I loved Bella as a tiny infant, it was more of a dutiful love. An instinctive urge to protect and care for her, but the gushy, mushy, wanting to kiss my baby for hours love took MONTHS to develop. I faked it till I made it (as my archives would reflect), but it took far less effort, I guess I would say, to love Bella once some time had passed.  I think a lot of that was due to the sleep deprivation that came with having a baby. Plus the lack of a schedule and the confusion of what to do to and whose advice to follow to fix problem X/Y/Z and just the general scariness associated with the (real or imagined) fragility of an infant.

And so that is why having a new baby around freaks me out. Because I worry that life is just going to feel terribly challenging for several months due to the fact that I'm not really a baby person. Plus there is the whole doubling my workload while dramatically reducing my "benefits" of getting to take breaks or have free time or sleep at night. I am pretty sure that going from 1 to 2 kids is going to be a much harder adjustment for me than it was going from 0 to 1. I love the idea of having multiple kids, but that is multiple KIDS. Not babies + kids.

Please don't get me wrong. There will be exquisitely charming moments with Baby 2.0 and perhaps I will get that magical love cocktail of hormones after birth this time and will find myself to be a total baby person after all. I imagine I will be less scared of all the potential "What ifs??" with Baby 2.0 and that might bring a calmness that translates to enjoying the baby stages more. But maybe not. Maybe it will be as scary and challenging as I imagine.

And so that is where you, my village and my people, can step in and help me out. Do you have any advice about how to get through those first several months with a baby and an older sibling, particularly if that older sibling is a toddler? What things did you learn along the way? What would you do the same or differently? I'm looking for any and all advice you have to throw my way, whether it be a practical tip ("TV is your friend!") or just a piece of sage advice that I can mull over when things are feeling overwhelming ("This too shall pass").

OK, hit me with your best advice. Thank you in advance!

Bumpdate: 36 Weeks

Due Date: July 2, 2011. 3-6 weeks to go! Seriously? Only 3-6 tiny little weeks? Mind = blown.

Weight Gain: 40 lbs/1.5 lb gain in the past week. This makes total sense as I was eating about half of my normal amount due to reflux & nausea. Oh body. You so funny.

Symptoms: Reflux, generally uncomfortable, sometimes I think my right leg is going to fall off at the hip socket, aches & pains, cramping/contractions with over-exertion (and over-exertion can equal walking too fast into Target, sigh), short of breath, nausea in the morning again (from allergies?), fatigue. I can't imagine how bad the soreness and aches & pains would be if I weren't seeing a chiropractor & doing yoga. I had the teensiest bit of swelling in my feet yesterday; I imagine that will get worse with the heat wave we are having.

What's different this time: So even though I'm still gaining, gaining, gaining, it seems I'm more compact in the hips this time and just bigger in the belly. I was able to wear a maternity skirt that wouldn't begin to go over my hips during the third trimester last time.

Cravings: Fluids & water and things like lemonade. It's always very sad as 8 pm approaches and I know that I'm not going to be able to drink more past then. 

Aversions: Meat, Poultry & Fish are getting really weird to me again. I cooked a few meals with those things last week and had to choke them down. It does seem like my morning sickness is returning a little bit.

Sleep: Bad. I am pretty much exclusively on the couch in the living room as we get our bedroom remodeled, but the bathroom is on another level which is all sorts of frustrating in the middle of the night. How did the pioneers do it!? Even if I weren't sleeping in weird places, I am just very uncomfortable and end up tossing and turning a lot. I don't think I ever get deep/quality sleep as each morning I wake up feeling like complete poop. Also - Bella is now getting up at 5:30 in the morning. We are hoping she will go back to sleeping until 6:30 once there isn't a parent in the room with her in the AM (Husband is sleeping on the futon in there with here).

I am loving: That for only $10 I was able to upgrade my gym membership at Lifetime to include a near-ish gym with a pool. I can either use childcare while there or go swimming with Bella. SCORE!

I miss: Most things about the non-pregnant state.

I am looking forward to: Getting back into our bedroom this weekend! Husband finishing up his last business trip until post baby this week. Having a baby in my arms in a few short weeks.

I'm spazzing about: It's weird, but I spend a lot of time thinking about whether or not we should have a third child. You'd think I could put off that type of spazzing for at least a year or two, but the challenges of being pregnant with a toddler has me thinking that two might be it for us. And then I think - two might be it for us!? and get a little sad. I know it's completely getting ahead of myself, but it's odd to think this might be the last time we go through all the stages of pregnancy & infancy.

Best thing about this week: Enjoyed some good family time and faboo food this weekend at the Mill City Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. Plus it was the first weekend with truly gorgeous weather.

Milestones: The faintest linea negra has started to show up. Still no stretch marks and I consider myself to be a genetically lucky lady as I'm hardly on top of my moisturizing. All my beauty & primping time is allotted to maintaining Bella's curls. (KIDDING as always, but I was asked yet again today if I curled her hair this morning.)

Movement: Yes, and I feel hiccups in the hoo ha regularly.

It's a...: Boy.
 
Exercise: Few times (gym & yoga) in addition to short (~1 mile or less) walks and just today added in swimming. I continue to push the envelope and overdo it really easily, like today when I did a yoga class and 20 minutes of swimming (mostly easy laps and running in the pool). I feel like doing those activities shouldn't be too much and yet it is when you factor in how often I end up picking up and carrying Bella (like in parking lots where she likes to run away from me but won't hold my hand or up the stairs when it's naptime and she is refusing to walk up the stairs on her own). It's like I have a very small amount of physical work I can do each day and I have to decide if I'm going to spend it taking a 30 minute walk or taking Bella to the park. I know it's not forever, but DAMN is it frustrating that I'm not a Super Preggo who can maintain high levels of activity.

Diet: Appetite way, way down this past week due to nausea & reflux. I don't remember that happening last time, but maybe it did.

Exercise goal for the upcoming week: Add in regular swimming. Keep trying to take short walks as possible.

Other goals: Do some Hypnobabies stuff w/husband and get birth preferences/plan for midwives completed.

Belly Pic:

Too small sports bra starting to rebel against massive bosom...

The Hugging Gene

Yesterday, after our doula left following our second meeting, Husband turned to me and asked when we could start to hug her. Because Husband feels weird NOT hugging people hello and goodbye. (And for the record I told him I thought we were ready to take things to the next level. Ha.)

Me? I forget to hug friends, not to mention family members. A hugger I am not, although I've gotten better over the years.

Today Bella initiated hugs with both the man doing work on the bathroom and my chiropractor. Both of whom she had just met. Luckily, they were charmed by Ms. Chatty Pants and were in possession of the hugging gene themselves, so it was less awk than it could have been.

My girl might physically resemble me a little more than she resembles Husband, but her personality? She is undoubtedly her daddy's daughter.

Pre-Baby To Do List

So it's June 2. And that means I am exactly one month out from my due date. Excuse me while I hyperventilate for a minute.

Hee-hee-hoo! Hee-hee-hoo! Hee-hee-hoo! (That would be lamaze-style breathing to calm myself, if it weren't obvious already.)

Okay, hyperventilation complete, I figured I could share with you my pre-baby to do list. I thought making the list would help calm me down about getting stuff done, but it actually has me just as overwhelmed as I was before - if not even more so. WHOOPS. It's not so much that there is a ton to do, but the fact that I'm soooooo very fatigued all the time is impeding me from getting much of anything done. I'm struggling to stay afloat on the regular life stuff (dishes, making dinner, whatnot) in addition to my daily Hypnobabies practicing, so the thought of tackling this to do list seems daunting. I'm sure this is all great practice for how overwhelmed and behind I'll feel with having an infant and an active toddler. Just like it's great that I'm practicing crappy sleeping. Ahem.

I honestly do think I'll be OK with some things not getting done - several of them certainly aren't necessary to complete prior to Baby 2.0's arrival (i.e. - SHUT IT to the part of my brain that is demanding our travel toiletries be perfectly organized RIGHT NOW). In the meantime I'll keep plugging away with an item or two a day, as I've been doing for several weeks. And on the flip side of only having a month left...I get to meet my baby in a month! Now that the end is very close and very real, it is easier for me to actually imagine having a fourth member of the family. It's such a weird and crazy thing - gestating for 9 long months and then suddenly one day your life is completely different.

Wish me luck on getting stuff done!

Labor/Immediate Postpartum Related

Write/Print/Post Birthing Affirmations

Bella Operating Instructions for grandparents

Finalize back-ups for Bella childcare if baby comes early

Write Birth preferences/Print

Hospital bag list & packing

  

Things To Wash/Clean

Breastfeeding Related - Pump, Nursing Pillow Covers, Bottles
Car seat Cover
Pack n play

Carriers – Ergo & Bjorn

Swing & Bouncer Covers
Infant Toys

Bumbo
  
Misc To Do

Install car seat base (A’s car only for now)

Finish baby-proofing

            Anchor furniture to walls

            Window guards

Put Together Bella’s Nursing Toy Box (i.e. toys for her to play with while I nurse)

Buy/Wrap Bella’s Hospital Gift

Prep birth announcement email list

Prep birth announcement blog post

Prep formal birth announcements

Home Organization & Deep Cleaning
Organize Toys

Sort & Organize Bella’s Clothes – both current & storage

Organize all baby items in bedroom – clothes, burp clothes, diapers…

Bella’s closet

Personal stuff bins (both basement & top of stairs)

Organize Linen Closet 
Shampoo Carpets

Things To Buy
Arm's Reach Cosleeper (Babies R Us coupon)
New pacifiers
Washcloths
Postpartum stuff (dermoplast, witch hazel, ibuprofen, stool softener, more pads?)

B gift/Nursing Box Items - Sticker book, watercolors/tea set, garage sale books & puzzles

Window guards

Big Sister/Little Brother t-shirt & onesie

Snacks & drinks for labor (Gatorade, Coconut Water, Gu?, Energy bars, etc)