Mothering Magazine came out with a book in 2007: Having a Baby Naturally.
I got the free sample on Kindle and I would HIGHLY recommend it. You can also read it on Amazon if you follow the link and click "look inside" and go to the first pages. You may or may not want to invest in the whole book but just the SAMPLE is highly enlightening.
I wanted to share a few tidbits:
-With pregnancy, you may be surprised to find
Expecting our Little Brother in November!
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Monday, October 8, 2012
Different Pregnancies
Everyone always says that every pregnancy is different and while I believed them I never imagined how true it would end up being for me. There have been things that have been the same but so many things have been different:
1. Morning Sickness
Jamey: Felt queasy from 6.5 weeks, only wanted to eat fruit. NEVER VOMITED ONCE. Felt totally better by 12/13 weeks.
Julien: Started feeling queasy already by 4.5 weeks--started vomiting by 5 weeks. Threw up every single day of the first trimester. Started usually by 5 am, I would need to be running to the bathroom, and I would throw up repeatedly every 10-30 mins for hours. I was only usually able to eat between about noon and 4 pm (again I usually only wanted to eat fruit--one similarity to my pregnancy with Jamey). The nausea would start again around 4/5 pm and usually I threw up at least 1-2 times again in the evening. I tried every trick in the book and nothing worked. Sometimes even drinking water would make me throw up. The vomiting got better around 12/13 weeks but only slightly. It wasn't until after 16 weeks that I started having an occasional day where I didn't throw up. These days became more as time went on. Around 20 weeks I threw up for the last time, and at 21 weeks I was finally able to start eating again.
2. Heartburn/Indigestion:
Jamey: Had little to no heartburn in the beginning, but it started up around 24 weeks. I had to stop drinking tea, had to cut out all tomato and citrus from my diet. I needed to start using Tums constantly. Things got better slightly as he dropped multiple times but overall it was pretty bad throughout the whole second half of my pregnancy.
Julien: Had awful indigestion (and even compulsive diarrhea during the first trimester. I would need to sleep sitting up on pillows but still ended up throwing up at least once in the middle of the night and also had awful diarrhea (I guess from all the stomach acids from all the vomiting?). Nothing like throwing up and having diarrhea simultaneously. Fun times. But this went away around 12/13 weeks thankfully.
And miraculously the heartburn stayed away after that for a lot longer than it did with James. It wasn't until 30/32 weeks that it started to creeeep back. I had to stop drinking tea around 32 weeks and just that was enough. I could still eat whatever I wanted when I wanted but just started to have a little discomfort laying down at night. Now at 36 weeks I just had a fun "vomiting from indigestion from eating tomato sauce before bed" which I guess means the heartburn and indigestion are back now here at the end. But I felt so good for so much longer than I did with Jamey!
3. End of Pregnancy Discomforts
Jamey: I felt AWFUL at the end. My back and whole body hurt and ached so much that I had to take a lot bath/shower every SINGLE night to relax my muscles or I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Sometimes I even had to sleep on ice packs to numb my back or I wouldn't be able to sleep. There was not a position that was comfortable for me--not laying, standing, or sitting. At the end I slept with my ribs belted because that seemed to relieve some of the pressure on my back.
Julien: I might be speaking too soon, we'll see what the last month holds--but so far I have felt pretty good physically. There have definitely been uncomfortable weeks but they have inevitably been followed by more comfortable ones.
So these are just three points in which my two pregnancies have been very very different. There are plenty of things that have been the same, as well, such as:
-craving fruit
-my pattern of weight gain (almost nothing the first trimester, 10-15 lbs by the end of the 2nd trimester, and then putting on lots of weight during the last trimester for a total gain of about 40 lbs)
-carrying low
-the positions the babies have been in and when they flipped/dropped
But these things seem relatively minor in comparison to the huge differences in morning sickness, heartburn, and the end-of-pregnancy feelings!
1. Morning Sickness
Jamey: Felt queasy from 6.5 weeks, only wanted to eat fruit. NEVER VOMITED ONCE. Felt totally better by 12/13 weeks.
Julien: Started feeling queasy already by 4.5 weeks--started vomiting by 5 weeks. Threw up every single day of the first trimester. Started usually by 5 am, I would need to be running to the bathroom, and I would throw up repeatedly every 10-30 mins for hours. I was only usually able to eat between about noon and 4 pm (again I usually only wanted to eat fruit--one similarity to my pregnancy with Jamey). The nausea would start again around 4/5 pm and usually I threw up at least 1-2 times again in the evening. I tried every trick in the book and nothing worked. Sometimes even drinking water would make me throw up. The vomiting got better around 12/13 weeks but only slightly. It wasn't until after 16 weeks that I started having an occasional day where I didn't throw up. These days became more as time went on. Around 20 weeks I threw up for the last time, and at 21 weeks I was finally able to start eating again.
2. Heartburn/Indigestion:
Jamey: Had little to no heartburn in the beginning, but it started up around 24 weeks. I had to stop drinking tea, had to cut out all tomato and citrus from my diet. I needed to start using Tums constantly. Things got better slightly as he dropped multiple times but overall it was pretty bad throughout the whole second half of my pregnancy.
Julien: Had awful indigestion (and even compulsive diarrhea during the first trimester. I would need to sleep sitting up on pillows but still ended up throwing up at least once in the middle of the night and also had awful diarrhea (I guess from all the stomach acids from all the vomiting?). Nothing like throwing up and having diarrhea simultaneously. Fun times. But this went away around 12/13 weeks thankfully.
And miraculously the heartburn stayed away after that for a lot longer than it did with James. It wasn't until 30/32 weeks that it started to creeeep back. I had to stop drinking tea around 32 weeks and just that was enough. I could still eat whatever I wanted when I wanted but just started to have a little discomfort laying down at night. Now at 36 weeks I just had a fun "vomiting from indigestion from eating tomato sauce before bed" which I guess means the heartburn and indigestion are back now here at the end. But I felt so good for so much longer than I did with Jamey!
3. End of Pregnancy Discomforts
Jamey: I felt AWFUL at the end. My back and whole body hurt and ached so much that I had to take a lot bath/shower every SINGLE night to relax my muscles or I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Sometimes I even had to sleep on ice packs to numb my back or I wouldn't be able to sleep. There was not a position that was comfortable for me--not laying, standing, or sitting. At the end I slept with my ribs belted because that seemed to relieve some of the pressure on my back.
Julien: I might be speaking too soon, we'll see what the last month holds--but so far I have felt pretty good physically. There have definitely been uncomfortable weeks but they have inevitably been followed by more comfortable ones.
So these are just three points in which my two pregnancies have been very very different. There are plenty of things that have been the same, as well, such as:
-craving fruit
-my pattern of weight gain (almost nothing the first trimester, 10-15 lbs by the end of the 2nd trimester, and then putting on lots of weight during the last trimester for a total gain of about 40 lbs)
-carrying low
-the positions the babies have been in and when they flipped/dropped
But these things seem relatively minor in comparison to the huge differences in morning sickness, heartburn, and the end-of-pregnancy feelings!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Community Center!
So I did something I've been meaning to do for a long time and our family joined the local community center! It has a gymnasium, gym equipment, a walking/jogging track, and most especially, a pool! We were motivated to join this weekend in the unbelievable humidity and went right home to get our bathing suits so we could go swimming!
Other amenities include on-site child care (for an extra $2 an hour), an arts and crafts room (though not really sure what/when it is used for or open?), a teen center, and a community room with this crazy lego structure/bin/table/bridge and books, computers, and TV's.
Our fav things are probably going to be the "Tot time" in the gym (with riding toys and gym mats/soft structures) every weekday morning from 9-12, and of course the pool. One awesome thing about the pool is that there is not only a regular pool that is often open for general swim, and is 80-85 degrees, but there is a therapy pool which is open every evening and sometimes during the day for family swim and is 90-94 degrees. I seem to get cold easily in water for this pregnancy (and hot easily in the humidity, go figure), and Jamey can get cold, too, after swimming for a little while, so we have really been enjoying hitting up the therapy pool. Another benefit to the therapy pool is that one whole corner is a set of stairs which go gradually into the pool--perfect for a little kid to play on.
Actually when we (Jamey and I) went there today, it was not "supposed to" be family time in the therapy pool but I was sort of dreading the 80 degree water so I sort of just walked over with Jamey and got in. There was only one other lady in there probably doing actual water therapy, and shortly after we got in, the lifeguard went over and talked to her, probably saying: "Do you mind this pregnant lady and her kid swimming in here with you?" And she must have said "No" because he didn't kick us out. Score. I was careful to stay out of her way though and we mostly hung around the stairs anyway.
I'm really excited about the pool access, especially as my belly gets bigger and heavier, it will be nice to give my back a break in the buoyancy. I also think it will be really nice, once we have little Julien to be able to go to the Tot time in the gym and the pool--the community center is only about 2 miles away from our house so it is just a really nice accessible activity that is close to home and has a lot of different options for use.
So yay for the community center!
Other amenities include on-site child care (for an extra $2 an hour), an arts and crafts room (though not really sure what/when it is used for or open?), a teen center, and a community room with this crazy lego structure/bin/table/bridge and books, computers, and TV's.
Our fav things are probably going to be the "Tot time" in the gym (with riding toys and gym mats/soft structures) every weekday morning from 9-12, and of course the pool. One awesome thing about the pool is that there is not only a regular pool that is often open for general swim, and is 80-85 degrees, but there is a therapy pool which is open every evening and sometimes during the day for family swim and is 90-94 degrees. I seem to get cold easily in water for this pregnancy (and hot easily in the humidity, go figure), and Jamey can get cold, too, after swimming for a little while, so we have really been enjoying hitting up the therapy pool. Another benefit to the therapy pool is that one whole corner is a set of stairs which go gradually into the pool--perfect for a little kid to play on.
Actually when we (Jamey and I) went there today, it was not "supposed to" be family time in the therapy pool but I was sort of dreading the 80 degree water so I sort of just walked over with Jamey and got in. There was only one other lady in there probably doing actual water therapy, and shortly after we got in, the lifeguard went over and talked to her, probably saying: "Do you mind this pregnant lady and her kid swimming in here with you?" And she must have said "No" because he didn't kick us out. Score. I was careful to stay out of her way though and we mostly hung around the stairs anyway.
I'm really excited about the pool access, especially as my belly gets bigger and heavier, it will be nice to give my back a break in the buoyancy. I also think it will be really nice, once we have little Julien to be able to go to the Tot time in the gym and the pool--the community center is only about 2 miles away from our house so it is just a really nice accessible activity that is close to home and has a lot of different options for use.
So yay for the community center!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Mom of 2?
I'm almost 6 months along in my pregnancy with little Julien . . . in about 3 more months I will have a tiny baby seemingly dropped into my life (that's what it felt like with Jamey)!
But what's different this time around is having another child here already. I wasn't nervous when we were thinking of getting pregnant, trying to get pregnant, I wasn't even nervous at the beginning of the pregnancy probably because I was throwing up too much to think about anything else. But as it gets closer . . .
On the one hand I think it will work out fine! I have been able to keep Jamey interested in nursing (even though my milk dried up after the first trimester), and hopefully he continues to be interested . . . it would be nice to be able to nurse them both at the same time instead of having to try to entertain Jamey separately while nursing Julien... maybe even a little relaxing to have that quiet time?
But what about the other times? Jamey is really really good about entertaining himself and playing alone, but when he feels jealous of me or like I am paying too much attention to something else, he can get very upset and clingy . . . if Julien is an easy baby like he was, he hopefully won't mind being stuck in the swing for frequent naps or be propped up on the couch to observe the world while I do normal stuff with Jamey, but what if he's one of those babies who refuses to be put down, who won't nap easily . . . will I be able to handle it?
Then there's me. The last person on the list . . . I always think to myself that I'll be able to put my self aside and just spend a few months focused on having two babies . . . but will I really deal with this? In the past the "plan" to forget about myself has never worked out. I must be a lot more selfish than my Mom was when we were young, but after a few weeks of putting myself aside I start to long for adult time and conversation, for an online outlet, for intellectual challenge . . . and this longing, if unaddressed, becomes something darker and more harmful--a resentment with guilt attached--a sense of deserving but not deserving . . .
So now with three months left I start to worry. Will I do it? Can I handle it? Well I don't honestly know.
What I do know is that I've figured a lot of things out in the last almost-2 years of being a stay at home Mom. How important play-dates are. How important it is to try to get out of the house every day. How much having a bit of a schedule can help me and Jamey both feel happy and healthy . . . How rejuvenating it can be to chat with another Mom at a playground . . . and I have a great therapist right now who specializes in postpartum depression, I've made great strides in the past 6 months in learning how and when to reach out for support and help when I need it. I'm not the same person I was when I felt lost and unsure of how to find myself again . . . so I'm hoping it will be okay.
Maybe it will even be good. And in another part of me I start to long to hold and cuddle my sweet new baby . . . I'm excited as much as nervous and so we march on.
But what's different this time around is having another child here already. I wasn't nervous when we were thinking of getting pregnant, trying to get pregnant, I wasn't even nervous at the beginning of the pregnancy probably because I was throwing up too much to think about anything else. But as it gets closer . . .
On the one hand I think it will work out fine! I have been able to keep Jamey interested in nursing (even though my milk dried up after the first trimester), and hopefully he continues to be interested . . . it would be nice to be able to nurse them both at the same time instead of having to try to entertain Jamey separately while nursing Julien... maybe even a little relaxing to have that quiet time?
But what about the other times? Jamey is really really good about entertaining himself and playing alone, but when he feels jealous of me or like I am paying too much attention to something else, he can get very upset and clingy . . . if Julien is an easy baby like he was, he hopefully won't mind being stuck in the swing for frequent naps or be propped up on the couch to observe the world while I do normal stuff with Jamey, but what if he's one of those babies who refuses to be put down, who won't nap easily . . . will I be able to handle it?
Then there's me. The last person on the list . . . I always think to myself that I'll be able to put my self aside and just spend a few months focused on having two babies . . . but will I really deal with this? In the past the "plan" to forget about myself has never worked out. I must be a lot more selfish than my Mom was when we were young, but after a few weeks of putting myself aside I start to long for adult time and conversation, for an online outlet, for intellectual challenge . . . and this longing, if unaddressed, becomes something darker and more harmful--a resentment with guilt attached--a sense of deserving but not deserving . . .
So now with three months left I start to worry. Will I do it? Can I handle it? Well I don't honestly know.
What I do know is that I've figured a lot of things out in the last almost-2 years of being a stay at home Mom. How important play-dates are. How important it is to try to get out of the house every day. How much having a bit of a schedule can help me and Jamey both feel happy and healthy . . . How rejuvenating it can be to chat with another Mom at a playground . . . and I have a great therapist right now who specializes in postpartum depression, I've made great strides in the past 6 months in learning how and when to reach out for support and help when I need it. I'm not the same person I was when I felt lost and unsure of how to find myself again . . . so I'm hoping it will be okay.
Maybe it will even be good. And in another part of me I start to long to hold and cuddle my sweet new baby . . . I'm excited as much as nervous and so we march on.
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