Our Baby Boy is 31 Weeks Today!!!

That's right our baby boy just hit 31st week of his growth. It means 9 weeks more and he is going to be right in my arms. Well, maybe earlier. Who knows? I am feeling alright besides it started to be so hot again and I don't like it. As well today I had backache, and I couldn't even sit on a chair. I had to go and lay down for a bit and stretch my back. Baby moves in my belly very often, which makes me very happy. Today I tried to get a nap, and baby was apparently sleeping, so I decided to make a small experiment. I put my hand on my belly to see if he will feel that it is me, and guess what? He moved just at that place where I placed my hand. Isn't it amazing? He already senses and recognizes his mommy. It made me feel so good. I am really getting anxious for him to be born, but I won't rush anything. Let him to develop and be completely healthy and whenever he will want to get out, we would be soooooooooooo happy!!!

Well, this post is going to be short. Just wanted to share my feelings and my latest news.

Packing For Hospital

So.... I am feeling much better today.

Baby is doing good. I think he sleeps right now. Yesterday when I was getting ready to sleep, he was moving so much and I think I can actually feel what part of the body he kicks me with. I think yesterday I felt foot. It was so sweet. The foot was so small... Two months more and we are having a baby. YAY!!!

Well, I was going through today WalMart online store shopping for baby and guess what I saw? The list of the things you need when you are packing to go to hospital. So I thought I will post it here, so other pregnant mommies-to-be can see whether they packed everything right or not. :)

Essentials For Mom

• Nursing Bra- supports swollen, sore breasts and keeps breast pads in place.
• Breast Pads- These stop messy leaks by absorbing milk.
• Nursing Pillow- Reduces the strain on your arms, neck and back while nursing, especially in bed.
• Nightgown And Robe- More comfortable than standard hospital gowns.
  
• Slippers- For walking around the hospital during early labor.
• Socks- To keep feet warm and toasty during delivery
• Going- Home Outfit- Choose something that fit during your sixth month of pregnancy.
• Toiletries- Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, lip balm, makeup, hairbrush, shampoo and soap.
• Sanitary Pads- You will be more comfortable after delivery with your favorite brand.
• Camera- For all those important first photos.
• Address Book- You will have plenty of calls to make.

Essentials For Your Baby:

• Infant Car Seat- You can't leave the hospital without one.
  
• Going- Home Outfit- A stretchy one-piece sleepers should do the trick.
• Hat- Prevents heat loss by covering your baby's head.
• Booties/ Socks- To keep little feet snug and warm.
• Receiving Blankets- Newborns love to be swaddled.
  

Nice Extras:

• Video Camera- To document those precious first moments of your baby's life.
• Hair Clip or Band- Keeps hair out of the way during delivery.
• Massage Oils- Especially helpful for relieving back labor.
• CDs/ CD Player- Soothing music can help to relax before and after delivery.
• Pillow From Home- It adds a touch of familiar comfort.
  
• Magazines- You can expect some down time, but you won't want a novel.
  

These are pretty good tips. I have got almost everything ready from the list. Awww, it is so exciting!!!

Well... Life... I Guess...

I am so depressed right now... Do you ever have a feeling that you have made a mistake by choosing a particular path? That you shouldn't have done it, that it wasn't worth it? I have this feeling from time to time and now it gets stronger. I am not sure what to do yet, but I know I will figure out, because I simply don't have a choice. I have to... I won't go into details about what is happening in my life. I mean, really, what for? All people have their own problems without thinking about mine.

I cried today. I cry from time to time. Usually I am very happy and optimistic person. If you would see me in public, you would think that I am the happiest person you can ever meet, but nobody really knows what is going on inside my soul, my inner world... I know how to hide my feelings. I know I shouldn't cry. I read somewhere that baby actually feels the pain and the feelings of what his mom feels. This saddens me, because I would never want my baby to cry, unless these are tears of joy and happiness. I just can't stop thinking that this is not how I wanted my life to be and it kills me. I thought I always made good decisions, but the one that I made almost two years ago wasn't one of them. I am so pissed at myself. I was just a stupid naive girl thinking that it will all get better... But it won't and now.... I need to fix it, no matter how hurtful it can be. Time will make it better. It always does...

Four Simple Exercises To Prepare Your Body For Delivery Day

So, here I am again! I am very bored right now. Baby kicks from time to time, maybe getting into a comfortable position to sleep. Awwww.... Can't wait to see him.

Since I am bored, I was going through my wonderful book "Essential Guide To Pregnancy and Birth" and guess what? I found exercises that will help labor to go easier and less painful. This is what I really want. I actually found those exercises yesterday and already tried them out. They are not very hard and feel great! I will make sure to do them every single day until my labor begins.

So......

Exercise #1. Kegels.
Why? They strengthen pelvic-floor muscles and help shorten stage of labor.
How? You can actually do them any time and anywhere. But I must say it is not so easy to recognize whether you do this exercise right. This is exercise for the inner muscles in your vagina (the ones that help you not to pee when you want to). You need to squeeze these muscles for eight to ten minutes and then relax for few minutes and do them again. In order to make sure you are doing them right, place a hand on your belly while you are doing Kegels to make sure it stays relaxed, only muscles inside should work, everything else should stay relaxed.

Exercise # 2. Angry Cat
Why? It strengthens abdominal muscles and eases back pain during pregnancy and labor.
How? Get down on your hands and knees with arms held straight and spaced shoulder-width apart and with your knees spaced hip-width apart. Next, take a breath in, and exhale as you tighten your abdominal muscles, round your back and tuck your butt under. Then inhale and relax back into a neutral- but not a swayback- position. Repeat three times. Work up to ten repetitions when feeling stronger.

Exercise # 3. Squatting.
Why? It may not look elegant, but squatting is a time-honored way of preparing for and giving birth. Since pelvic opening is the widest when squatting, it can be a good position to use during the pushing stage of labor. Doing squats now strengthens legs so there will be an ability and stamina to use this position if need be when the big day arrives.
How? Hold on to the back of the steady chair for support. Stand with your feet spread slightly wider than hip-width and your toes pointed outward. Bend your knees and slowly lower your bottom toward the floor as if you were going to sit on a chair. As you lower yourself, contract your abdominal muscles, lift your chest and relax your shoulders. Most of the weight should be resting on the heels. Slowly return to standing. Repeat five times, or as many as you will feel comfortable with.

Exercise # 4. Tailor or Cobbler Sitting.
Why? This exercise helps to condition and increase the flexibility of inner-thigh muscles in preparation for birth and eases lower-back tension.
How? Sit either with legs crossed or with the soles of your feet touching each other and your knees are to the side, as well as make sure to maintain good posture. Stay in this position for as long as you are comfortable.

So there are the exercises. Hope they will help all the pregnant women and hope they will help me very much.:)

Well, I gotta go for now. I am going to go and bake some cookies. Mmmm.....

Our Baby Is All That is On My Mind!!!

I am 30 weeks and 2 days. Time is passing by and I know the next 10 weeks will pass very fast. I had insomnia for the past couple days and just couldn't sleep. First of all I thought I was hot, but then it was actually pretty cool, and I couldn't fall asleep anyway. I tried to clear my mind and count to 100 but nothing helped. I must admit it is a terrible feeling not being able to sleep. But last night I slept fairly good, which makes me very happy. I needed this sleep and rest. Baby moves a lot, especially at night. I told you, we are having a little owl. :) Yesterday, I was recording on my camera the baby movements. It would be a good memory of our baby moving. I have a cough and I don't understand why or where it came from. I don't feel bad, nothing hurts, but I just cough. I have to admit that I have pretty weak lungs. Well, trying to drink lots of hot tea with fresh raspberries. Mmmm, I love raspberries. Yesterday I asked my mum, how would I know that I am having contractions. She was like, well, you will just know... Hmm, this is not exactly the answer I was expecting.:) Did you notice that women cannot actually explain HOW exactly contractions feel? I noticed that I am not afraid of the labor at all. Really!!! I am kinda curious now, what is that and how it will feel? Well, I am going to go to make me some tea.:) Weather is hot, but there is a really good breeze and I have a good mood. I might call to one of my neighbors to come over and sing karaoke, or just sit and hang out and bring her mom along. They need to get out of their house right now. My neighbor's dad passed away about two months ago, and her mom's not in the best health right now. But hopefully everything will be fine. It just has to...

Baby And Nutrition During Third Trimester

I am doing good so far, though now I cannot walk without a special bandage around my tummy. When I take it off, I feel like my belly is pulling me down. Believe me, not the best feeling you can ever experience. Our baby is growing rapidly and thus makes me worry about my weight gain. I weighed myself today and so far during all 30 weeks I have gained about 13 pounds. I don't think it is too much, but I don't want to gain anymore than this.

The reason is not that I am worried that I won't be able to loose weight, but I am more worried because I am going to have a natural birth and I think it is better if I gain as little as possible. However, don't get me wrong I am not going to starve myself. Just will eat smarter and healthier. I already try not to eat too much of bread or sweets. My doctor said that the following nutritions are very important right now:

• Calcium and Vitamin D. Since baby's bones are developing, I would need extra calcium. Total of the day portion is 1.000 milligrams. Check!!! I do take every day about this amount of calcium. Personally, I have very weak bones. I remember when I had just started at my university and was only into one week of my studies, I was coming down the stairs in a pair of tennis shoes. Right at the last step I put my left foot in a bad position and.... I broke foot. I still can't understand how the heck did I do that? This foot never healed properly and I can never run or do some exercises with it too much. So, I am making sure our baby gets enough calcium. Vitamin D. We actually get this from the sun and 15 minutes a day is enough but as a supplement of the sun; milk, fish, and fortified cereal will do well. It is funny, I hated milk and everything dairy before I got pregnant, NOW, I can't get enough of it. You never know what pregnancy can do to your body... and your tastes...
• Iron. I think I have it enough in my Centrum vitamins, since this mineral is very important for my growing baby and the placenta that nourishes him.
  
• Fat. Weird huh? But baby needs it too. Since baby's brain and vision will undergo a big developmental spurt this trimester, fat is very essential. I need 1.4 milligrams of omega. Well, personally, I don't like fat. But oh well, what wouldn't you do for your little baby? Good sources of fat are fish, walnuts, flaxseed, canola oil, and dark leafy greens such as kale. Man, I don't like fish nor walnuts. :( Yeah, yeah... I know, I have to eat them! Again, everything is for our little boy to be healthy...
  
• Protein. I need to eat at least 71 grams a day. A lot of protein, as far as I know is in meat, right? And OF COURSE once I got pregnant, I stopped liking meat. But I still eat a small piece of chicken or beef every day. I am actually being forced to eat it!!! You don't really want to argue with my momma, when she says that I HAVE to eat it.
  
• Water. Oh yes, I drink lots and lots of water and I am loving it, especially now when it is so hot! But, it is weird, that people have different views about water. I met like two women who said... God, no, don't drink too much water, it is bad.... Hmmm, ok... how is it bad exactly? You should eat more... Yeah, right, so that my baby will be like 15 pounds and I won't be able to deliver him? Hmmmm.... let me think!!! No, thank you very much!
• Vitamin C. This nutrient is important for tissue repair and can aid my recovery after giving birth. I have to have 85 milligrams a day. I actually get 90 of it. Nice!!!
• And the last, but not the least. Folic Acid. My body and baby need folic acid to produce and repair DNA and allow it to function. It is also important for the production of red blood cells. I should get 600 micrograms a day. I actually get 400. Need to increase my dosage!!!

So it is all good and I feel great, cause I just took a nap. Now I just require having a nap during the daytime. I always remind myself, take a nap and sleep as much as you can, cause soon... you won't have this luxury. Well, that's it for now.:d

Thank you so much to everyone who reads my blog and comments.

Approaching 30th Week Of Pregnancy...

First of all I am getting tired so easily... I try to go for a walk every day, but it starting to get so hard. I breath so heavily with each step that i sound like I sound like an old choo-choo train that is climbing up a hill. I don't sleep very well cause I am always hot and plus baby wakes me up by kicking all the time. I think we are having a little owl. He is awake at night and asleep during the day time. As well as he wants me to sleep only on my back, as every time I try to sleep on my sides, he gives me such a good kick, that it actually wakes me up. This boy knows what he wants and apparently he gets it. LOL!

I went shopping for Sandon today. I bought a few clothes and some blankets and I really had a great time. It is so amazing realizing that you don't really think about yourself anymore. Now, I only think, hmmm what else to buy for my little one. Before it was all about me and my mom. Now.. it is all about our baby. It is like the whole world revolves around him. Though I would never forget about My Mom.

Well, since I am approaching to the 30th week there are some symptoms that pregnant women should never ignore in the third trimester. I got this info again from my book "Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth". I think it will be helpful not only for me but whoever is expecting like me:

• Pelvic pressure, low back pain, abdominal pain, cramping or more than 4 contractions in an hour.
• Blood spotting, if even it is pink.
• A decrease in baby's movements.
• A severe or persistent headache.
• Blurred or double vision.
• Severe or persistent vomiting, or any that are accompanied by pain or fever.
• Any swelling in the face, fingers or hands, or sever or sudden swelling in the legs, feet and ankles.
• Rapid weight gain. (more than 4 pounds in a week)
• Pain during urinating or no urination at all.
• Chills or fever over 100 degrees F.
• Fainting, frequent dizziness, rapid heartbeat or palpitations.
  
• Difficulty breathing, coughing up blood.
• Persistent itching all over.
• Trauma to your abdomen.

Well, I think so far I am not having any of these problems, which makes me pretty happy. Well, gotta go for a walk...

Epidural: Pros And Cons

Well, as you already know I am due on 1st October and I believe I already have to think about labor. I want to have a completely natural birth, no pain killers, no c-section, no epidural... I have read in my book "Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth", some pros and cons of the most popular pain killer for birth; Epidural. I have heard many different stories that some women enjoyed it, but mostly women had problems with it, or they have problems now- with their backs. As well, it seems that this problem will never go away.

First of all it freaks me out that this medication is delivered into the epidural space just outside the membrane that surrounds spine. No way someone sticking any needle, no matter how thin it is into my spine. So let's see pros and cons of this medication!

Pros:

• An epidural is a very effective pain relief.
• Since the effect of epidural is localized, it means a woman will be awake and alert during labor and birth and can even rest and sleep. Therefore, she will be able to have more energy when time will come to push.
• Unlike systematic narcotics, only some of the medication reaches the baby. (Hey, but some still does, right?! I am not sure WHY it is pro!)

Cons

• A woman has to stay in an awkward position for about 15 minutes when epidural is put in, and then about 20 minutes until it starts working.
• A woman might loose a sensation in her feet, and she won't be able to stand. (Hmmm, it just gets better, huh?)
• A woman and a fetus have to be always electronically monitored.
  
• Epidural might slow down labor. A woman might require Pitocin in order to get it back on track. ( Yeah, let me not take any pain killers during my whole 9 months, but then let's just put bunch of them, just because I am afraid of the pain!!!!)
• Since your lower body will loose sensation, it will lessen the bearing down reflex and may take it harder to push baby out.
  
• Having epidural increases a chance of having a vacuum extraction (by the way I saw some babies having this, and believe me they were never just normal kids) or forceps delivery.
  
• The drugs that are typically used in epidural may temporarily lower blood pressure and decrease a blood flow to the baby, which will actually slows his heart rate.
• An Epidural increases fever during labor.
• Drugs delivered through epidural can bring nausea, itchiness. Some women might have severe headaches.
• In rare cases (rare, not rare, it happens, right?), an epidural can affect breathing, as well as nerve injury and infection.
  

Hmmmm, not very many pros huh? Do I really have to go through this, when I just can go through the pain for maybe maximum a day? I believe many women just started to feel sorry for themselves, without realizing how many problems it can cause. I remember my mom telling me that she was with me into labor for 2 days. Think, 2 days without any pain killers... But hey, she is alive (Thank God), I am alive and healthy. How women were delivering before, when no any epidural or systematic medications weren't even discovered? Birth is natural. Woman's body is getting ready for it during all these 9 months. I think we just create this myth that it is so hurtful that without medications we can't do it. I believe a person can do anything, he/she just has to believe in this, and not allow fear take over...

Visit to My Friend

Yesterday I visited my friend who delivered a baby girl one and a half months ago. The baby is adorable and so cute. They named her Elizabeth. It was so interesting for me to hear all she had experienced and how the labor affected and how she was feeling through it all. She told me that she was getting ready for the labor from the moment she got to know she was pregnant. She was going to swimming pool, shaping, breathing classes, taking vitamins.

However a few days before the due date, she got sick with pneumonia. That part sucked. Doctor forced her to stay in the hospital and get a treatment with antibiotics. She didn't want to do that, but she had to in order to make sure that this pneumonia will not go to her daughter. Though due to her intake of antibiotics, baby right now has problems with her tummy, and they are taking medicines for that.

On top of that my friend had very fast labor. She delivered a baby in 6 and half hours. Contractions usually start first of all every hour and then more often, but she had them every five minutes. Poor thing didn’t have enough time to recover from each contraction. She said that it is not good when a woman delivers a baby too fast, it is better to be in labor for awhile rather than everything to be fast. Since baby was born too fast she had some swelling of the brain and they have to undergo treatment for this as well

My friend said that it really helped her that her husband was present during her labor. He was massaging her back and supported her so much. When I asked her about pain, she said that it is not true that it hurts so much. She said, yes, it hurts, but the fear makes it worse. Other than that it is all bearable and worth it.

As well as she told me that I need to get a Doppler Sonography of the baby. It actually can be done at the same time as ultrasound. It measures blood flow in different parts of baby’s body, such as umbilical cord, brain, liver and heart. My friend gave me much good advice, though I already forgot half of it. I think I need to write everything down. I want to make sure that when I go into labor I have everything with me. Well, just wanted to share this…

It's A BOY!!!!

I just had my usual ultrasound check up because we wanted to know for sure whether it is a boy or a girl. AND drumroll please... we are having a baby boy for sure!!! We are both very excited and happy! I had to make two ultrasounds in order to determine his sex. The first time our baby just didn't want to show us, crossed his legs, like he was resting. He probably was thinking, "What do you want from me? I am just laying here and looking all white and fuzzy." LOL!!! Then couple hours later I went for another ultrasound and this time our sweet little baby just couldn't get enough of showing everything.LOL! It was really cute. I saw his heart beating, it was so sweet. His heart rate is 137, which is very good. Everything is perfectly in order and all is well. We are so happy and now we just have to wait for another 11 weeks and we will hold our son. Each day I am getting less and less scared of the labor. I know that everything is going to be just fine. Why? Simple, because I want it be fine. I always get what I want and how I want, sooner or later.:)

Our Son's name is Sandon Alexandre. We wanted something unusual and handsome sounding and after going through many, many names we went there it is. It is so unusual for me to say SON. It is still so unbelievable to me that I am having a baby growing inside me. It is unbelievable to see through ultrasounds his legs, tummy, head, hands and what he is doing in there. I must say he doesn't like when a doctor was pushing ultrasound thingy on my tummy, however he is a very brave and very strong boy.

Sigh... I am so happy. I am going to post pictures of him very soon. :)

AND... I can now start shopping for everything BLUE!!! Awwww, he is going to be the most cutest boy in entire world!!! LOL!

Our Little Baby moves!!!

So..... our baby moves... I know this isn't real news but you should really be here to see HOW he moves. Yesterday I sat in a chair and decided to watch his movements. I am really so curious what exactly he is doing. Imagine my belly and that one side is so much bigger than the other. That's how our baby wants lay all the time. I start to wonder is it his head, his butt, or he is pushing his leg or hand? This is a big mystery for me. Then my belly starts to move back and forth... right and left... from one side to another. It makes me laugh and so happy. Sometimes I am thinking that he is everywhere, all over the inside of me. I read somewhere that it is good to sleep on the left side, so you won't have cramps and blood will circulate better through your veins. However, guess what? I can't sleep on that side. Every time I try to sleep on it, baby somehow gets on that side and start kicking me, but when I turn around on right side and sleep there... He is completely fine. I always wonder why? Is it like his special place where he rests and when I sleep on that side, I make him uncomfortable? Too cute...:) I can't wait to hold him.

Our Baby is 28 Weeks!!!

Our Baby is 28 weeks and it makes us very happy. It means we have another 12 weeks to go and our little one will arrive. Scary and exciting at the same time!!! I feel fine, except I get tired so easily. As well, as have I have a constant backache that sometimes gets so unbearable. Today I went to swim with my mom and had a great time. I heard from someone that swimming really eases the backache and yes, it does. I am barely hurting now. So swimming is GOOD!!! It made me so tired, but tired in a good way. Does that make sense? Anyway, I can't believe that I officially entered 3rd trimester! Our Baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures almost 15 inches. He actually can blink his eyes, and his eyelashes started to develop, and his eyesight is getting better with each day... Amazing!!! Well, besides all of this excitement... I noticed that I am starting to get stretch marks on my belly. This is not exciting. I am putting a lot of vitamin E cream, but skin still stretches. I am sure all pregnant women go through this but still, it sucks!:(

Chinese Horoscope Says That 2007 is The Lucky Year To Have A Baby

Chinese Horoscope says that this year is a very good year to have babies. Couples from Asia try to have babies in this year in order to ensure their newborns get a happy, wealthy life by starting off in the Year of the Pig.

This Chinese lunar new year, which starts on February 18, is believed to be an especially auspicious "golden pig year" which only comes around every 60 years.

South Korea is going a step further, saying it's the best time in 600 years to have a baby due to an anomaly on the Chinese calendar where this pig year -- known as "red," the color of wealth, follows a year with two days to mark the start of spring. Source: China Daily

I want to believe in this very much, cause this is when our baby will arrive. YAY!! Well, we know anyway that baby is going to be happy, beautiful, healthy and wealthy... and very smart....and very cute.... and just our little baby...:)So good luck to everyone who is going to have a baby in 2007!!!

Today Our Baby is 27 Weeks

Today our baby is 27 weeks... Few weeks more and we will have our little treasure in our arms. Today I sang to baby... Honest to say I am not good at singing, but this way he will get used to it and will know it is mommy. Well, I am feeling pretty good today, though my back hurts, and I have cramps in my legs. I am sure the reason is that they simply are carrying extra weight.:) Believe me though, this is a very pleasant weight. I have insomnia sometimes, so I need to make myself very tired in order to fall asleep. I am getting tired very easily, but other than that I feel good. Today I was remembering when we made second ultrasound, I saw our baby sucking his thumb. That was so adorable!!! Our baby is already acting like a new born. He sleeps and awakes at regular intervals... opening and closing his eyes. God, I want to see him so much!!! Can he hurry?:)

Just a Blog

I went to the doctor today for a random check up. Tomorrow I am suppose to know the results, though I am pretty sure everything is just fine. Well, time is going by so fast and I realize that very soon I will go into labor. It scares me from one side and doesn't from another. I know in order to be able to deliver without any problems, I need to learn how to breath properly during contractions and during labor. My mom got me a very good magazine with an article that teaches techniques on what to do during labor. I read somewhere that it is painful because women make it painful themselves mentally. They actually set their minds that it is going to be very painful. We don't realize that our mind plays tricks on us. I don't say that it is completely painless, but I don't want, at the same time, to put myself in a position to panic when the time comes. So in order to be completely prepared I believe I have to do one thing- to be ready for everything. Not knowing what to expect freaks me out a little bit. I often ask myself, when some of my friends say, that it is painful.... HOW painful is it? Can I compare this pain with anything else I have experienced? Oh well, million of women do this every day.... so I will do it as well...:) At the end I have no choice... Baby needs to be born one way or other, right?:)

My Dream About Our Baby

I had a wonderful dream today about our little baby. I don't exactly remember all the details but I remember being in labor and delivering our son. Yes, it was a boy!!! His skin was actually glowing, like an angel. He had blue eyes. The Baby opened his sweet eyes, smiled and made me so happy. And... I woke up... :( I don't like to wake up from these kind of dreams... But when I woke up I realized that this dream soon will become a reality. I will soon hold him in my arms, and sing him a lullaby that my mom used to sing to me... I will do everything to be a great mom. I just will love our baby with all my heart and soul... the rest will just come along...