Diapers, diapers, diapers

Allmost all of our stash is comprised of goodmama diapers. Definitely love the squishiness of them and of course how well they work. OBV on the baby's bum - gotta love it!

The Pain of regret or the pain of lack of sleep

I was having some pretty severe lower stomach pain in my left side. It wasn't really in one spot and wasn't a stretch, ligament pain or gas. I was doubled over for a few minutes and so I was laying over some pillows and it sort of migrated to my back, but not really. After a while, I was able to get up and get some water to drink. I had my husband look some stuff up on line and most were saying round ligament, which I know what that feels like for me and it wasn't... It subsided a bit but after an hour I called the OB line and they called back and by then it was mostly gone but it still comes every so often. She said that nothing internally is on my left side but to go to the ER if it didn't seem like it was going away or if I wasn't able to sleep because it was still painful.

We have to to Scottsdale to go to the ER since that's where they have privileges in case I'd have to be admitted. Ugh. Is it bad that I'm NOT going because I'm too tired to wait in the ER? I'm about to head to bed now and if it does get bad again I'll go, but honestly I'm just too tired. Last night V was up from 3 am - 5 am and I just need sleep.

I hope I don't regret it. Ugh.

Links:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/159_15241.asp
http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/bloggingpregnancy/2006/05/19/abdominal-pain-during-pregnancy/

Woman abandoned day before due date

Protecting the Gift

We have a new nanny/mom’s helper. Since they do not have a car I pick up the mom and her 2 year old every day. We advised them in advance to buy a carseat for transprotation, which they did. Of course, they came with the cheapest carseat, but it works and it fits in our seat. I showed her how to use it and rethread the straps so her child would fit properly in it. Coming from India, the use of carseats is not common, afterall.
My mother in law does not see why a carseat is that necessary. While I understand her point of view– they don’t use them there and it isn’t law – I don’t agree with her point. V is around 19 pounds and 19 months. In the upcoming months she’ll hit that 20 pound mark but she will still be rear-facing. Her Britax Marathon rear faces to 35 pounds and she’s no where near the rear facing height limit.
I’ve (attempted) to imbed a video here and highly recommend all who are reading this blog take three minutes and watch the video. The tag line is this:
Rear facing: cast it
Forward facing: casket.
Education gives us knowledge. Here’s your opportunity to learn more about why it is important for a child to be rear facing, even if it means their feet tough the seat. If you’re worried about dirt, take their shoes off (and I’d love to see how much your house keeper is charging you, lol).
Extended rear facing: protect the gift.

A few links with resources:
www.car-seat.org
www.safekids.org

tandem nursing

V will be around 26 month old when new baby arrives. This is a bit of a concern for me because I know the importance of breastfeeding and I know that some babies will wean during pregnancy. V, however, is very much a boob junkie and it will take a lot to get her to stop, so that, at least, lends me some comfort.

I have come across a few people (mostly family) who've said "so I guess this means you need to wean" or "how are you going to nurse BOTH?" - well um, I do have two boobies. V will continue to nurse as long as she needs. I realize that some women do have nipple pain while pregnant, but I plan to work through it. When something is uncomfortable, I hope to have some comfort from the whole "this to shall pass" mentality, though, I'm being honest in saying - I'm not there yet, so we shall see. In the mean time she's still getting her mama's milk and she will as long as she needs it. We have our first OB appointment next week and based on information I've read, OBs aren't educated on the topic, so I won't be taking their advice on weaning, if that is their recommendation. Afterall, nipple stimulation issues regarding pregnancy just are unfounded and it isn't an issue until 3rd trimester, if at all. Most of what I have read is that if you aren't on restriction from sex there's no reason to assume you can't breastfeed.

Here are a few links of interest regarding tandem nursing.

Kelly Mom's resources. Love Kelly Mom!
Article Links from Le Leche League Intl


I have this book on the way (well actually it is waiting for me at Barnes and Noble)
Adventures in Tandem Nursing
Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond
by Hilary Flower

moving on up

So we had our home insprection today. Looks like I need to educate myself on SCORPIONS! Ugh. I saw a few and the home inspector saw 12. Luckily all dead. So this entire time I thought the home was 4 bedrooms but it really is 3 plus an office. It has a large front room area that most would use as a formal eating area but really it will probably be a kids play area for us. I'm just wondering where I'm going to put all my sewing stuff. I was looking forward to have a dedicated room. Inspection went pretty well - a few things to be done, but we're going to ask the bank to work on two of them (it is a bank owned home) - fix the AC that is broken and fix the spring on the garage door opener. We'll do the rest. No pool but there's room for one to be put in, or we can do an above ground one.

Closing date is October 15. We have packing to do (and decluttering!)

OH no! What if I fail the sugar test?

In spite of not being in the best shape, I did not have gestational diabetes while pregnant for V. For the first 7.5 months I did pretty well regulating my diet. I find, actually, that I eat much better while pregnant.

In a 'due date group' someone mentioned in their past pregnancies they had to test their blood sugar three times a day. What many do not know is that the 'uh oh you failed your sugar glucose test' is not generally that bad. Besides giving you a second chance on the test, those who do have gestation diabetes often can regulate their blood sugar through diet. According to medscape,
“Abnormal maternal glucose regulation occurs in 3-10% of pregnancies. Studies suggest that the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among women of childbearing age is increasing in the United States. This increase is believed to be attributable to more sedentary lifestyles, changes in diet, continued immigration from high-risk populations, and the virtual epidemic of childhood and adolescent obesity that is presently evolving in United States. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance of variable degree with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes mellitus accounts for 90% of cases of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy. Type II diabetes mellitus accounts for 8% of cases of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy, and given its increasing incidence, preexisting diabetes mellitus now affects 1% of pregnancies.”
Medscape. Diabetes mellitus. Retrieved electronically from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/127547-overview

Basically if you are in that 3-10%. there's an 90% chance you'll need to watch what you put in your mouth and when it goes in there and you'll be fine. I am NOT saying that GD is nothing to worry about, but what I am saying is do not assume that all is over if you fail the drinking test (and tell me again why they use artificial dyes in these tests? I asked for a color free one last time and they only had orange. I don't get it. I'm trying to prevent issues and you're causing me more! Anyway, again, I degress...), find out what you can do NUTRITIONALLY to get things going in the right direction. Talk to you midwife or OB and find out what can be done to get things under control. GD can cause birth defects, so of course, the first step is to prevent GD if possible in the first place.


Links of interest:
2007 Study on GDFoods to Avoid in Pregnancy
Prevent Diabetes in Pregnancy so you don't increase your child's risk of being overweight
General info on GD
(BTW, a large baby is not a defined reason for a cesarean! That's called an unnecessarian if there's not another (legitimate) reason!)