Posts Tagged ‘Pregnancy’

November 24th, 2010

Does TSA Know Their Own Policies?

In recent weeks TSA has been making headlines all over the country about their controversial screening process which recently changed. As someone who personally doesn’t fly often, I am not overly worried about this, but as a mother seeing the video above pissed me off pretty bad.

What is make clear in the video is, TSA does not know their own screening process, rules, or medical exceptions for breast milk. They do not like being proven wrong either, which is clear when the passenger hands the TSA manager a copy of the TSA rules for breast milk screening.

Please take a couple minutes to watch the video before reading any further.

First the mother, who has clearly done her research asks the TSA agent to not put her breast milk through the x-ray machine, rightfully so, and asks that she perform the alternative screening offered for medical liquids. Because of her reasonable request the woman is pulled out of line and treated as if she was refusing to be screened altogether.

Another TSA agent comes over and asks her to identify her belongings which she allowed to go through the x-ray machine with no issue, but doesn’t allow her to touch any of her own belongings.  After asking several questions which it clearly looks like she annoyed the TSA agents with, she is told to return back to the little airport cubical which they use for special screenings.

With 20 minutes till her flight departs, she is restrained by TSA and forced to miss her flight because she asked for typical TSA exception for her breast milk. No explanation to her why she is being held, and no one answering any of her questions. Being treated as a common criminal that was trying to sneak something onto a plane, or break some kind of law.

After being held for almost a half hour, a uniformed police officer shows up, as if she broke some kind of law, and repeatedly threatens to arrest her. TSA had described her and her request for her breast milk to go through the alternative medical screening as an unruly passenger. UNRULY??

The police officer, also clearly ignorant to the TSA’s own rules threatens to arrest her for not having her breast milk x-ray’ed. And after already going through the metal detector, TSA subjects her to another unnecessary search.

After going through the physical pat down, the TSA manager, another person clearly ignorant to TSA’s own guidelines refuses to allow the alternative screening for her breast milk.  She is offered two choices, neither of which is acceptable, nor would they be acceptable to me!

1. Put the breast milk through the x-ray machine
2. Dump the breast milk out in a garbage can.

After reading the TSA breast milk guidelines himself, the manager continues to break federal law, and does not allow the alternative screening method for this woman’s breast milk.   While this is almost the end of the video it continues to make my blood boil. Why would they take the time to write up these guidelines if they are not going to follow them when there is a passenger flying with breast milk?  What is the point of women researching the guidelines to AVOID a situation like this, if they are still going to break the law and treat the woman like a common criminal?

After an hour and 15 minutes in the special inspection area they let her go. So what was the whole point in detaining her?  Was it the fact that she was an educated passenger who actually questioned them and proved that they didn’t know the guidelines for their own job?

I don’t understand what the big deal is. You would think that the TSA would be glad there are educated fliers out there who know the rules to the screening process before they even get to the screening check points.

Or is it just going to continue to be a further violation of our civil rights, and freedoms. It is time to seriously start questioning whether these are necessary security measures, or if this is just big brother working to restrict our personal rights.

November 23rd, 2010

Bad Dreams & Scheduled Cesareans

Last night I had a bad dream. It all focused around the cesarean I am going to be scheduling for May. I think we all know this wasn’t a choice that I took lightly, but I don’t think it is going to ever really sit well with me. Now my dreams are starting to show.

The whole dream was strange, just as pregnancy dreams are. We had never made it in for our ultrasound to tell us if we were having a boy or girl, so it was a huge surprise. I kept asking them if they could make it special for us to find out in the delivery room and they agreed to let us video tape the actual delivery of the baby along with the “its a” announcement.

There were tests, all kinds of on call doctors, and strangers I would have never imagined to be in the OR, including some kind of hand doctor. I am not really sure where that came from but it started to bug me out then.

They had me all “preped” for surgery and then wheeled me into the OR with NO pain medication in place. No epidural, no spinal, nothing. They told me I couldn’t have my midwife with me, no cameras, no video, nothing… They went back on all the promises they had made to get me into the operating room to begin with and my world started crashing down.

I was strapped to the table, screaming and having a huge anxiety attack and no one would listen to me.

Right at that moment I must have been doing something funky because my cat jumped on me and woke me up. I didn’t know whether I wanted to kill him for interrupting the part where after all the horror of the dream I would learn the sex of the baby, or thank him for saving me any more misery. I think it was a little of both.

Needless to say, I am pretty upset that the dreams are beginning. When I was pregnant with my youngest son, I had VBAC dreams up the wazoo, birthing on the highway on the way to the hospital, having to stop half way to the hospital to VBAC in my doulas bathtub, all kinds of awesome dreams… and now I am being stuck with these shitty dreams?  UGH!

November 22nd, 2010

Updating the Baby Bucket List

I feel like I have been on fire the past couple weeks trying to get stuff done around the house even though I have another 20+ weeks till the baby comes. Maybe it is just my excitement as things are starting to become more real.

With all that, I wanted to update my Baby Bucket list :

1. Purchase a new infant carseat.
2. Buy a sling (We have ERGO’s and a Mei Tai, but I want to try out a sling this time)
3. Clean out our guest bedroom
4. Get both kids sleeping in their own beds
5. Purchase a car that can fit all three carseats safely
6. Have a night out with my husband, kid free!
7. Unpack all our newborn clothes (depending on the sex of the baby)
8. Have food pre-made for the first 6 week postpartum
9. Take a pregnancy yoga or dancing class
10. Find a doula
11. Write pre-made blog posts for the first weeks home to lessen the burden of writing
12. Buy a new baby swing
13. Wash all the bedding for the co-sleeper
14. Replace the sliding door in the living room, and window in the spare bedroom
15. Sit for my Lamaze Certification
16. Finish writing my Lamaze Class
17. Organize my Desk
18. Get size 1 cloth diapers for the new baby
19. Buy a new bouncer for the baby
20. Find out the sex of the baby
21. Pick a hospital
22. Set up childcare for the boys when I have the baby
23. Paint the spare bedroom
24. Re-do our bedroom (Paint, bedding, etc.)

Lots of stuff done, lots of things I have to wait longer for.

We bought a minivan, which I am absolutely in love with. It is easy for the kids to get in and out of. They love the room. I don’t have children kicking the back of my seat anymore, and best of all, we can fit another car seat in there!  Of course we are going to have to do some moving of the seats the boys are in right now to accommodate a front row, well second row seat for Elwood #3, we have a while before we have to worry about that.

The guest bedroom is basically cleaned out… we are using it for temporary Christmas storage because the boys can’t get into the room. Between the lock, and child proof door knob we are good. Come the spring we are going to move some things around, paint, and put up the wall decal we are planning to use.

I found a doula… kind of. The midwife I used for Benjamin’s pregnancy and birth has been allowed to take me on through the backup practice she works with. She is going to do all of my prenatal care, and I will meet with the most laid back OB in the practice twice during the pregnancy. Once to sit down and talk about plans, and routine expectations as well as going over my birth plan. And once for a typical check up.  It makes me way more comfortable with the whole situation to know I am going to be able to have her there with me during the surgery, as well as my husband.

New swing and bouncer… double score at Target.com last week. I got the owl set I wanted for $100!!  It was buy the swing and get the bouncer for free. Got that all taken care of, and even in the pattern I wanted. Only downside is the swing isn’t a plug in, so we are going to have to invest in rechargeable D batteries. Any suggestions?

Childcare is all set, I didn’t think it would have been much of an issue seeing as my mother decided to ditch her job. I am proud of her though, she was totally being taken advantage of and she stood her ground!

Size 1 cloth diapers are here, pre-washed, and stored. All set and ready for the little one. I anticipate we may have a week or two of newborn disposables when we get home though. Depending on how big this baby is.

I feel like I have accomplished a ton. Now I have to get my Christmas stuff done… AHH!

November 22nd, 2010

Week 16

16 weeks and counting!

Week 16!  I was excited to be able to use my PickySticky’s this week again too. Next time I will be using them is 20 weeks. Yay!

Not too much exciting happened this past week, I think I have started nesting but I think it is way too early for that. I got a lot of stuff done around the house including totally re-arranging the boy’s bedroom around and getting them to sleep in their own beds. Something I have on my “Baby Bucket List” to do before Elwood #3 comes along.

Thanksgiving will mark TWO WEEKS till our BIG ultrasound too. I cannot wait!  I am probably going to start counting the hours down.  Did I mention I am totally jealous that The Feminist Breeder is a couple weeks ahead of me and finds out THIS WEEK!  Congrats Gina!

One thing I have decided to do though is launch a contest. If you look over in my right sidebar there is a poll called “expect net”.  I will be taking guesses from now, until the end of April as to the sex, delivery time, weight, etc.  Whoever wins by getting the closest guess is going to score something totally awesome.  I am thinking a gift card of some kind… maybe Visa, or Amazon, of course unless they start selling pedophile books again.

Cravings : Celery with peanut butter, The new Wendy’s fries, and ICE!  (Yes, I know the ice is a sign of anemia, I am already on iron supplements!)

Pregnancy Related Activites : Nothing interesting to report this week. Although I have been feeling a lot more movement.

Emotional Preggo Moment : Sunday night I landed myself in the ER. I think it was a combination of not drinking enough and nerves for the day. Everything is well, but I got to see the little one on ultrasound. At the same time I saw him/her moving around I could feel it, and it totally confirmed the flutters we have had going on IS the baby.

Weeks Left : 23!  It seems like forever, but can’t wait!

The boys wanted to take a picture too!

Update on the Virtual Baby Shower!
Almost all of our dates are filled!
January 2nd – Lamaze – 5 Copies of the new revised Lamaze Guide!!!!
January 9th – Maxwell Dean Designs – 1 Nursing Cover!  (Amazing Customer service and quality!  I just got mine in the mail!!)
January 16th – Go Mama Go Designs – One set of Wonder Bumpers
January 23rd – ScentTech Delivery Systems,llc. – Morning Sickness Soothers – This has literally how I have gotten through the last couple weeks, these are amazing!!
January 30th – The Famous Nipple Hat!  – Etsy
February  6th – Open
February 13th – Apple Cheeks Cloth Diapers – Little Bundle
February 20th – ERGO Baby Carrier Heart to Heart Insert
February 27th – Open
March 6th – Custom Wall Art – Wall Art Design Vinyl Decals
March 13th – NouWall Design – Store Discount
March 20th – Open
March 28th – Open
April 10th – Open
April 17th – “Cesarean Recovery kit” – Earth Mama Angel Baby
April 24th – Luna Pads – Gift Package
May 2nd – Hot Mama Gowns – One custom hot mama gown for the hospital!

Only 5 slots still open!
If your company is interested in getting involved, email me directly!

November 14th, 2010

Week 15

15 weeks already huh?  I remember back to three years ago, when I was 15 weeks with my oldest son. It was June 22nd, three days before my birthday and I went for my normal OB check up. Which included an ultrasound for cervical length, and I begged the tech to see if she could sneak a peak of our little one’s crotch. Low and behold, Camden was spread eagle… “Look what I got!”   I can’t wait for our ultrasound!

Cravings : Surprisingly, I haven’t had any this week. Maybe Strawberry milk, but I wouldn’t really consider that a craving.  I have been going out of my way to try and keep my diet in check because I have to go for my 1 hour glucose screening early since I had it with Benjamin, my youngest.

Pregnancy Related Activites : Well this week I had to call Quest to make the appointment for my glucose tolerance test. Would have been simple enough if I was able to speak to an actual person. I fought with the automated system repeatedly till I got frustrated and called my midwife to see if I could push it back to 17 weeks, instead of 16 weeks since they had no available appointments for that Saturday.
In other pregnancy news, I am 100% positive I have been feeling Fetus #3 moving around. He/She is going to be a sports star of some type, maybe a karate kid, because at 13ish-14ish weeks it started. I never felt it this early with my other children, but it was neat to start forming this “real” bond so early. I think movement always makes things “real”.

Emotional Preggo Moment : I think we already know my emotional preggo moment of the week which sparked my Saturday post. You know the one… I am a bad mother, I hate my children, and clearly shouldn’t have any, and don’t want anymore. LMFAO!  Sorry, I had to.

Weeks Left : 24 weeks. Wow!   Time is really flying!

I thought I would update everyone on the Virtual Baby Shower lineup also since we had a couple new people sign up this week also! They just keep coming in!

January 2nd – Lamaze – 5 Copies of the new revised Lamaze Guide!!!!
January 9th – Maxwell Dean Designs – 1 Nursing Cover!  (Amazing Customer service and quality!  I just got mine in the mail!!)
January 16th – Go Mama Go Designs – One set of Wonder Bumpers
January 23rd – ScentTech Delivery Systems,llc. – Morning Sickness Soothers – This has literally how I have gotten through the last couple weeks, these are amazing!!
January 30th – The Famous Nipple Hat!  – Etsy
February  6th – Open
February 13th – Apple Cheeks Cloth Diapers – Little Bundle
May 2nd – Hot Mama Gowns – One custom hot mama gown for the hospital!

I feel like I am missing some companies, but it has been a long weekend! Bare with me! LOL

October 31st, 2010

Week 13

I totally missed week 12, Sorry!  I have had a ton going on and between getting our NEW car fixed and getting ready for today (Halloween) I think I have lost a couple brain cells. That doesn’t include minor family confrontations I have had to deal with from less than active members of my extended family.

Cravings : Taco Salad, Sprite, Cape Cod Potato Chips, and my toddlers fruit snacks.

Pregnancy Related Activities : I have a lot going on… This week I have my first appointment with MY midwife I saw with Ben. I am going to be meeting with her, and the OB/GYN she recommended for my delivery. I am very anxious and excited though. I can’t wait just to give her a HUGE hug! She has helped me so much through this process and I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay her.

I am starting to feel slightly more human though which is a huge up side. I am not nearly as sick as I have been, and it is starting to get easier to juggle my children, their activities and all the things I need to get done too.

Emotional Preggo Moment : It seems like every week I am having a good one of these… LOL Last Saturday I brought my toddler to the Circus. This is the second time in his life we have gone, and we had a blast. Seeing his smile and excitement just warmed my heart, then I was there in the middle of the “big top” crying. Lovely!  LOL

Weeks Left : It is looking like we are at the 26 week left mark.

Another update I wanted to post about was the Momotics Virtual Baby Shower!  We have had a ton of awesome companies sign up, so I wanted to give you a sneak preview of the schedule!

January 2nd – Lamaze – 5 Copies of the new revised Lamaze Guide!!!!
January 9th – Maxwell Dean Designs – 1 Nursing Cover!  (Amazing Customer service and quality!  I just got mine in the mail!!)
January 16th – Go Mama Go Designs – One set of Wonder Bumpers
January 23rd – ScentTech Delivery Systems,llc. – Morning Sickness Soothers – This has literally how I have gotten through the last couple weeks, these are amazing!!
January 30th – Open
February  6th – Open
February 13th – Apple Cheeks Cloth Diapers – Little Bundle

If your company, or a company you work with might be interested, you can get the details here!

October 28th, 2010

What Does Birth Control, and a Bank Loan Have in Common?

I love Amy Romano, even before she started writing for Science and Sensibility, she was a practicing midwife in my local area with a high  popularity, and referral rate. A great resource for our local community, that is for sure. Anyways, the point of this is, she continues to give me amazing information left and right.

Last night I was cruising through facebook and came across something she posted on her own facebook page. It was a link to an article about just another horrible violation of a woman in America, thanks to the ACLU’s blog. I had to sit down and read it, and once I was finished, write something about it because of my outrage.

Imagine going into the bank to apply for a Mortgage to purchase a home, and being asked about your family planning, and birth control. Yes, I shit you not. Talk about a huge over stepping on the part of Mortgage lenders, but it gets better!

Indeed, as the New York Times first reported, some lenders are applying newly tightened restrictions on home loan credit in the wake of the foreclosure crisis in a way that has resulted in pregnant women, women on parental leave, couples, and families with children being inappropriately questioned about irrelevant aspects of their private lives and subjected to pregnancy discrimination and sex stereotypes.

But what many are saying is this new violation of rights is a misinterpretation of stricter guidelines on Mortgage lending. The new guidelines require lenders to obtain verbal proof of employment 10 days before closing, to verify the borrower has at least two years of employment and three years of projected income to ensure these families will not default on their home loan like so many people are today in the Mortgage crisis.

The article from the ACLU also includes :

But some lenders have told moms-to-be and new mothers flat-out not to bother applying for loans, or have denied their applications without even verifying their income once they discovered the women were pregnant or on maternity leave. In other cases, lenders have used the temporarily lower income that women would receive during their leave, rather than their regular salary, as a basis for determining their ability to pay over a three-year period. Because women are more likely than men to take short-term unpaid or reduced-pay leave, such practices have a disproportionate effect on women.

When I started reading more into this I knew there was something wrong, and when I thought to myself… this can’t be legal, I found out through the ACLU that in fact, this practice is NOT legal. And these banks can, and just may be in some deep shit eventually. Federal laws strictly say that no one can be discriminated against by gender, marital status, or family status, which includes pregnancy.

But this is just another example of how America treats our pregnant women. It is unpaid maternity leave first, then discrimination for jobs, loans, and everything else under the sun. Heck, I was scared recently when purchasing a car I would be denied for a loan for being a work at home mother, who is also pregnant. Thankfully the reputable bank we got out loan through didn’t pry into my uterus.

This is a serious problem in our country whether people want to come to terms with it or not. We need better treatment for our pregnant women, and new mothers. We need huge changes in our maternity leave laws, benefits, and options… and it doesn’t stop there!

October 25th, 2010

It Has Been A Year…

It has been a little over a year since a very good friend of mine, and my doula for Ben’s birth passed away. Karen was my mentor in the childbirth community local, a pioneer in the doula field here in Connecticut, and a second mother to me. We would go to her house all hours of the day to hang out, chat, learn more about childbirth, thumb through her insane library of resources, or just have dinner. She was a friend, a good friend.

But what does that have to do with my writing today?

Last night, I woke. My first instinct was to call Karen. Then I slowed down and started to put all the events together.
I had a dream about Karen. She was alive though, and only sick. She was in the hospital, and I was talking with her youngest son, who I had talked with a lot in the days after Karen’s death.

The whole dream was so strange, and it felt so real. Like most dreams do.
I am trying to understand and put everything together as to what this dream means, or if Karen was trying to talk to me. It mostly focused around her being in the hospital, and my prenatal care with this baby, and the delivery.

Karen herself had three c-sections with her children. and I often wonder more details about it now that she isn’t here to talk.

I am just kind of rambling today. I am like a deer in headlights after this. It was way too real, almost like I could have reached out and touched her myself. I still am shaken and can’t really put together why it happened.

I fully believe all things happen for a reason, and dreams sometimes have a message.
(I promise I will write my 12 week post tomorrow)

October 3rd, 2010

Week 9

Week 9 already! Seems to be flying by when I post about it, but in my day to day life, I secretly hate finding out about pregnancy as early as I did this time, and with my oldest son. It makes it seem like eternity, especially the first trimester.

Lots of fun and interesting stuff happened this past week, including my first prenatal care appointment which was really uplifting. Although it was followed by a horrible emotional breakdown in the midst of nighttime sickness and trying to get my children to bed for the night.

Cravings : Key Lime Soda, Rice Cakes, Organic Cherry Lollipops, Greek Salad, and Coffee. Which is REALLY random because I HATE Coffee!

Weight Gain : 3 pounds, but it has fluctuated from 2-4 pounds depending on the time of day, etc.

Symptoms : Of course the all day sickness, I am super hungry all the time, but when I eat it makes me feel horrible all over again. And I am super emotional. Crying at the slightest little thing, or spilling something in the kitchen. All those small meaningless things that can send a preggo over the edge.

Pregnancy Related Activities : I had my first prenatal appointment on Wednesday with the group of midwives that the High Risk group referred me to. I am going to continue my prenatal care with the midwives and take a couple months to decide after learning more, talking to my midwife from Benjamin’s birth and researching birth options more. If we elect for the cesarean in the end, I will obviously transfer back to the Perinatologist group in which two female perinatologists have signed on to care for me, and perform the surgery and postpartum care. If I choose the path of labor and trying for a VBA2C I will stay in the care of the midwives. It is a lot to decide and think about but the goal of all involved is the healthiest outcome for the baby, and myself, as well as my future health and long term reproductive health. Although at this point because of the judgment I have been getting from the outside, and lack of support I have got from birth advocate acquaintances, I will most likely keep this choice to myself, and out family.

Emotional Preggo Moment : Thursday night I missed most of my shows because I had an emotional crying fit because I felt so sick I couldn’t even get my kids to bed. I had to have my husband do the bedtime routine. While he normally helps me nightly, it broke my heart because it is one of those things I love doing with the boys. It made me second guess being ready for a third child, but once the sickness passes, I am sure everything will be fine.

Also, a year ago tomorrow,  October 4th, 2009 one of my best friends, my mentor, and my doula with Benjamin passed away. I cannot believe it has been a year since Karen died, and it has been playing on me very hard, especially since all she helped me with when I was pregnant with Ben.

Weeks Left : 31 and counting!  I am almost at the 1/4 of the way through mark!

And the poll!

September 27th, 2010

Week 8

Week 8 already!  It has been a month since I found out we were expecting. An entire month, that has been filled with comedy, supportive comments, less than supportive people in our lives, and overall joy for our very unplanned little one. I started off wondering what the hell we were going to do, and now I have formulated a plan, of not only savings, but of my work schedule, time I am going to be having for myself, and my husband’s schedule of last classes.

Cravings : Cookies n Cream Ice Cream, Apple Cider, Ranch dressing/dip, Feta Cheese Omelet.

Weight Gain : Looks like I am still at 2 pounds in either direction. Depending on the time of day, how I have felt for the day, or when I am weighing myself.

Symptoms : Morning sickness still… I don’t know how I would have survived this past week without the Earth Mama Angel Baby Happy Mama Spray. Slowly but surely and I am hoping I am almost in the clear with this…

Pregnancy Related Activities : Monday after I put my last update up, I woke up bleeding, more than I should have or would have been considered safe. And I freaked out. I was able to be seen by the practice I consulted with, and had an ultrasound. We still had a strong heartbeat, and everything looked ok, and by the morning sickness, and how the bleeding stopped, I am hoping we are in the clear.

I also had a couple phone calls with my midwife I used with Benjamin, and we talked about my surgical records further, studies, suggestions, and I was also able to speak with a very popular, and trusted OB/GYN who blogs and got some clarity about Benjamin’s birth, and VBA2C in general. I still feel very torn between our options, but I still have 30 weeks to decide!

Emotional Preggo Moment : My husband is SO cute… today we went to the diner, and our diner ONLY has my favorite Creamy Chicken and Rice soup on Sunday. I got the kids into the car while he paid the bill. He comes walking out to the car with a large container, and I thought he got himself some pudding. Nope!  He got me a huge container of my favorite soup!  SCORE!  I totally almost cried, and have had a huge smile on my face all day long!

Appointments : I will be meeting with a group of Midwives to establish prenatal care on Wednesday. Their backup OB/GYN’s are who I met with two weeks ago, and referred me into their care. I can’t wait since a couple of my friends have delivered with them, and absolutely had an amazing experience.

Weeks Left : A lot… still!  LOL   32 and counting!

And a fun poll for the week!

September 19th, 2010

Week 7

Our First Ultrasound

Today marks week 7 of my pregnancy with our third child, and this past week was an eventful week to say the least. A lot of ups, and downs, scares, and new information brought to light, even if it was not all as accurate as I thought. The hormones are hitting me hard, and the decisions I have to make in my own care have made thins additionally stressful. I have been distant during this process, as you can see from my lack of daily posts. I promise, I will work on getting back up to normal.

Cravings : Yogurt, Cheddar Cheese, French Bread Pizza, Cheese Burgers, Mashed Potatoes, and Corn on the Cob.

Weight Gain : It looks like 2 pounds at this point, but depending on the time of day it fluctuates.

Symptoms : Morning sickness like nuts!  I am constantly eating to tame my nausea, sometimes it works, and other times it doesn’t. Thankfully our living room is our play room for the children, so I can rest while they play. And I am still nodding off anywhere, anytime, and any which way I can.

Pregnancy Related Activities : Well, as most know, I had a consult with a “VBAC Friendly” provider on Thursday, which I learned more about on Friday. I spoke with my midwives that took care of me during my second pregnancy, and specifically the one who was present during my second cesarean with Ben. Information I learned during that consult was incorrect, especially about the surgical report detailing a single layer closure. In fact I had a double layer closure with Ben like I requested while in surgery. I am not sure where the miscommunication was, but I feel much better knowing that. I also have a consult with the OB’s that back up my midwives discussing going into labor on my own. After talking with my midwife, I feel much more comfortable with the whole situation and know whatever choice we make will be the right choice for our family. One thing I have concluded is, I am not a martyr, just like I wasn’t with Benjamin, and if the situation directs us in the way of another cesarean, that is what I will do for my health, as well as the health of my child.

Emotional Preggo Moment : I totally started crying during my consult on Thursday, as well as seeing the heartbeat on our ultrasound.

Appointments : I had my consult/ultrasound on Thursday, and I will be talking to the OB’s that backup my midwives this coming week.

Weeks Left : A butt load!  33ish and counting!

And the poll!

September 9th, 2010

Fertility Blend

Before I even start writing this post out, I want to state up front not only for my protection, but for the protection on my readers, that this post is not medical advice, and I am not advising you to do what I did getting pregnant with my two boys. This is simply what helped me.

With that being said!  When my husband and I decided we wanted to have my oldest son, it wasn’t an easy thing, and it took us months. I was often confused because I was a healthy, twenty one year old, with no real issues. I had always had a regular cycle, except for when I was on birth control.  So when months went by with negative tests, ovulation strips, and blood tests.  All of it landed me at my local health food store.

I had worked for a Chiropractor and Natropath as one of my first jobs out of high school, and saw so many miracles take place through natural medicine. Herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, and simple Chiropractic adjustments. So I knew going to the health food store was the right thing to do.

After wandering the aisles of this store, I asked a woman that worked there for help. It just so happened that she was a natropath, so it was a total score all around. She pointed me in the right direction of something called Femaprin. She game me the strict instructions. Take 6 a day!  Break it up however I want, which I did 2 with breakfast, two with lunch, and two with dinner.

On top of this I added in Evening Primrose oil till ovulation, and an extra folic acid supplement.

Believe it or not, that month is when I got pregnant with Camden. My ovulation was late, and I had two negative blood tests, but I was pregnant. Eventually I had a positive blood test, and the evil OB I was seeing scared me to death by labeling Camden a “threatened miscarriage”.  I sat on edge till I was in my third trimester just because of those two words.

Overall, I still swear by that process. It helped me so greatly!

September 6th, 2010

What to Expect While Expecting = Worst Pregnancy Book EVER!

I have never been a fan of this book. I think it is frightening, inaccurate, and gives a lot of outdated information, even in the newest additions. But of course it is still the number one selling pregnancy book of all time. How it got there I will simply never understand though. Maybe it is the catchy title?  Other than that the book belongs in my backyard fire pit.

I belong to a message board of all local women in Connecticut, and a couple weeks ago, one of the women was reading her copy for her own pregnancy knowledge, and came across a section about alternatives to sex if you are put on bedrest, pelvic rest, not allowed to orgasm, etc.  I was completely turned off by this section for a number of reasons, but the number one reason was the suggestion that was put in place for pleasing your partner if you cannot have sex.

Honestly?  None of it sounds satisfying at all. Seriously, is this 1950?  Do we need to be the perfect housewife, or partner and make sure our partner is satisfied?  Maybe some of us are all for the extra work, but no woman should be made to feel like she MUST please her significant other if she is not comfortable with it at that point in time. Not for nothing, but the day I let my husband screw my “thighs” would be the day that hell froze over.

Who makes this shit up? Seriously?

Although I am glad that I wasn’t the only person completely turned off, and upset by this portion of the book. There certainly was a great amount of outrage at the comment. I just can’t believe this book is reaching as many pregnant women as it does!

Ugh, I guess that is the end of my vent…