11 Weeks To Go

So I hate boiled eggs and yet I have just had 2 hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, why? Because yesterday I found one of the best books (I believe) regarding child birth. I have searched for information and read quite a lot of articles online about child birth, natural child birth; but nothing breaks it down like the Bradley Method of Natural Child Birth book. I read till page 44 last night and if not for the level of fatigue I felt, I could have gone on all night. Wel, the book recommended a high protein diet which after reading I realized my diet was mostly carbs, yuck- right? So I am chaning it today. Other than the usual legumes I normally consume, I am going to add meat, skimmed milk, chicken, cheese (all which I hate right now); and cut out bread, cereal, matooke and white rice… haha, will I manage?

I will surely have a pile of questions for my antenatal class instructor come October 1st- thinking of, the classes I have signed up for are for 4 weeks- is this normal? I thought 12 weeks was the basic length! But well, its Uganda, and I will accept the best I can get.

So, I have 11 weeks and 3 days left, and boy am I getting tired! I cannot imagine myself getting any bigger and rounder than I already am. I keep bumping my tummy while opening doors, coz I have not yet factored in roundness of this bump- yes it is BIG!

Good news- I am done with all my shopping… now its time to pack and make a checklist for everything I should have. I do not want to be caught unprepared coz that will throw me of balance and ruin my mental environment that I am planning to build while in labour- yes, I am going to psyche myself up into some sorta zen state for pushing- call me crazy, but I need something to handle the contractions, oh sorry, the “sensations”- haha

Brycen is kicking quite a punch these days

Time to practice my kegels- 300 flexes a day.. haha….let’s see how it goes.

13 weeks to go!

Your chances of survival, if born now, are 70%! Your lungs are developing and you should be able to take your first breath by the end of this week (now that is cause for celebration!)Now someone can hear your heartbeat from the outside, I so gotta try this out.

How far along?: 26 Weeks, 3 days

*Total weight gain: +9 kgs

*How big is baby?: You are about 760 grams (what?) and is 14 inches long head-to-heel.

*Maternity clothes?: Yes

*Sleep?: Ugh, becoming difficult. I have 4 pillows all around me, and I need more!
*Best moment this week? Feeling him shift positions and seeing my tummy stretch.

*Movement?: As if an alien… a lot, and I so enjoy it. To me its like our moss code.

*Food cravings?: Beans again… and extra spicy chips and Beef from Chicken Tonight.

*Labor signs?: Nope.

*Belly button in or out?: Will it ever come out?… its just flat.

*What I miss: uninterrupted sleep, Whisky, coffee, exercising.

*What I’m looking forward to: The nesting period and finally getting flexible enough to do perineal massage myself. The thought of someone else doing it for me is scary.

*Milestone: Into the third and final Trimester we come.

*Feelings this week: I feel so big (and look it) and I miss my energy. Where can I get some? Plus am so bored every day, I need something new and exciting to do all the time.

*Belly Picture this week: look up.

Things I Need to Know

Below are some of the few pointers that i found interesting and informative from one of the fave pregnancy websites. They are pointers my an experienced mother of 6 who is not afraid to tell it like it is. Hope i will remember all this when the need arises.

Milk In The Eyes

A lot of babies will at some stage have a blocked tear duct or a minor eye infection. One of the best things you can do before racing off to the doctor is to put a few drops of breast milk in the eye in the case of infection or to give it a bit of a clean out if it looks inflamed. Breast milk is full of antibodies so can help clear up minor infections. Obviously if the problem persists or you are really worried then it is best to also get medical advice but get that milk dripping before the appointment, it can't do any harm.
PS. I have heard you can even put it on burns or infections on yourself or the lil’un at home and it works wonders!

Perineal Massage.

For those that do not know what the perineum is, it is the skin between your vagina and anus. This is the area that is most likely to tear if you are going to. For those who have done it, they have never tore.

The First Wee After Birth.


The first time you wee after having your baby can be interesting to say the least. It all depends on how your birth has gone and if you have any grazing or tearing. If you have war wounds or even if you don't, position yourself leaning forward on the loo. This allows the urine to run forwards and miss any tears (hopefully). Also, do not allow your bladder to get too full or it can cause more after pain contractions. Always have a fresh pad ready to go as the gravity and movement will cause more bleeding. I can't mention the first wee without mentioning the first bowel motion. This is something that is often dreaded if you have had stitches or a really bad tear. The main thing is not to hold off going as you will only end up constipated. Make sure you drink plenty to keep things soft. Until things get better, it can help to support your perineum. Fold up some clean toilet paper and gently give counter pressure while having a bowel movement, a bit like they do when you are giving birth so that you don't tear. You will soon find out what helps you personally.

Healing sun.

Sun is a great healer. There is nothing better than getting the sun on the war wounds of birth. I have only torn once in birth with my first baby (never felt it at the time). It was a nasty tear but I wouldn't worry too much about it happening as most people do not feel it at the time. It was afterwards that it was more of a bother. A spray bottle of tea tree oil to keep things fresh and baring all to the sun is great. The sun is also great for sore/cracked nipples and also for a baby with jaundice. Just find a private spot where you will not receive a surprise visit from some unexpected guest and let the sun do its wonders.

The Shakes

Someone else left me a message that they thought I should add to this section and it is one I can relate to. Soon after birth it is not uncommon to get the shakes, not because of blood loss or cold just a very normal body response after birth. Legs and especially the thighs can become uncontrollable. This can also happened during the transition phase of birth. I cannot blame it on a long labor either as my last 3 were only 2 hours. I have heard labor likened to running a marathon the body goes thru a lot and uses huge amounts of energy. My shaking doesn't last too long and then I'm up in the shower but it's good to know this may happen so don't get a fright.

Post natal depression

Most of us will have times of feeling overwhelmed during pregnancy and times of feeling down once baby has arrived. With tiredness that you have never felt before and the demand of a new born, things can be a little more difficult to manage. Usually, amongst feeling this way, we will still be able to smile and enjoy our baby but for some, things progress a bit further and depression sets in. This depression causes those who are experiencing it to be unable to enjoy their baby and life in general becomes too hard to cope with. My personal view to help keep on top of things is to have a good support network around you. It may not keep the blues away entirely but it will help. If you do not have family around you then ask some friends to help out. If you are struggling to find joy in your life and with your new baby, do seek help from friends and see your doctor. It can be a very sad and lonely place to be when you feel depressed and I realise not everyone has the support they need. I think it is an area that the west needs to be more aware of and we need to do more to look after our new Mums.

Night and Day

I often hear Mums saying that their babies seem to have the day and night back the front so I thought I would let you in on my couple of secrets that have worked for me. This is not a scientifically proven approach but it is what has worked for me. Hope it can help you too.

1) During the day time keep the curtains open when baby naps.
2) At night only use very dim lighting to feed.
3) During the day, feed baby as soon as it wakes up. After the feed make sure baby wakes up for a while. As I try to get a 3hrly routine going ( see my post no.11 The first eight weeks for more info on this) I try to keep baby awake for 1.5hrs each time (this includes the feed time, they may be a bit sleepy during the feed though) I find a nappy change, cold cloth to the feet, a bath can all help to wake a sleepy baby. Some babies need more work at keeping them awake but it pays off in the end.
4) At night, do not stimulate the baby after a feed. Feed and put straight back to bed. I start doing this from about 9pm onwards. If a nappy change is needed then try and do it half way through a feed so baby will go off to sleep again.

So it's not rocket science but may take a bit of training. If baby is kept awake in the day and gets to see the light during the day then come night it will be ready to sleep. Even if baby is waking for a feed at night he/she should then settle back to sleep quickly without having a waking time and keeping you all up. Lets face it, it's hard to stay awake in the middle of the night, I'd much rather enjoy my little one during the daylight hours.

Baby Poop

The first poop your baby does is called myconium and it is black and sticky like tar. It can take quite a bit of cleaning to get this off and initially it is hard to know how hard you can wipe. I found girls easier to clean than boys in the first stages. A friend of mine told me that she plasters the baby’s bottom with vaseline when it is first born and it makes cleaning off the myconium much easier, I have not tried this myself but may give it a go this time around. Remember to wipe girls from front to back so you don't introduce fecal matter in to the urethra. The amount your baby poops is also widely varied. Some babies will poo little bits all day, others will save one big poo per day and do it all the way up their backs and others may only go every second, third, fourth day. Some may even hold on for a week. Mums often worry that their baby is constipated if they do not go every day but it is very hard for a baby just having milk to get constipated. If you are concerned then a teaspoon of brown sugar dissolved in water can help. Don't obsess too much about how much they poo. As long as they have plenty of wet nappies then you know they are getting enough milk.

Peeing Your Pants

A lot of us find that sneezing and coughing during pregnancy can cause great pressure on the bladder and cause a wee woopsy. We can put it down to a baby pushing on the bladder and less control. The thing I want to mention now is about after birth. LEARN YOUR BLADDER EXERCISES NOW!!!!!! Get onto your pelvic floor exercises straight away after birth. The other up side is that exercises can also do wonders for your sex life.


Bleeding After

It goes without saying that blood is involved when giving birth and that you bleed a bit after birth. The thing I was not aware of when I had my first baby was that straight after birth you can bleed quite heavily and it was hard to know if this was a normal amount to lose or if I was hemorrhaging. It seemed to gush out at times especially when I moved, much more than having your period. No one was concerned at the amount I was losing so I guessed It was all normal and it was, each baby has been the same since. Pads are essential and they need to be really good thick absorbing pads. Clots can also form and I had times when the bleeding had slowed and then a large clot would pass and the blood flow would start again. If you are continually passing large clots followed by great gushing of blood then you do need to get it checked out or if you are soaking through pads in minutes of putting a new one on.
Lastly on this topic, you can bleed for up to six weeks post baby. During those six weeks the bleeding will gradually ease off and change colour from red to pink to a brown and may even stop for a few days and then start again. It pays to keep wearing pads for a while after your bleeding stops just in case it does start to flow again.

Sweating

After birth and for the next six weeks or so It is not uncommon to wake up drenched in sweat. I used to find I was absolutely so wet, with drips even falling from the back of my knees.
I have read a couple of reasons for this, one being hormones and the other that your body's getting rid of the extra fluid that it retained during pregnancy. Not so nice for you or the man you are sharing a bed with. I don't have any advice for this but to ride it out. It does eventually stop.

Breathing

When baby is first born they don't always breathe straight away and it can be a little scary. Usually it seems longer than it actually is. The movies always show the baby coming out and screaming straight away. Don't worry if this doesn't happen as quickly as you expect. My 4th baby took about 1.5 minutes to breath and it felt like half an hour while I waited. I guess we just want that reassurance that all is well.

Surviving the first 8 weeks

Of my own personal experience, the first eight weeks you are in survival mode. You are tired, perhaps sore nipples and you feel like your body is not your own. The good news is that despite all this you can cope with tiredness because the joy of having a new baby outweighs the tiredness. For first time Mums it can seem forever and you may even think that this is how it is going to be for ever and ever. Rest assured there is light at the end of the tunnel. I often find that after about 8 weeks baby/Mum settles into a routine ( I encourage routine, I'm not big on demand feeding) Even if you do not routine feed, baby tends to become more settled and predictable.
Sample routine:
I tend to adopt a flexible routine. I am not bound by the clock but use it as a guide. I find I very quickly can distinguish my babies cries because I know where he is at in his routine. Here's my routine in very basic form:
1) Baby wakes, I feed him
2) Keep baby awake for a while, nappy change, play, bath etc (Feeding and wake time take about 1.5hrs)
3) Baby goes to bed (sleeps about 1.5 hrs).
In total it is about a 3hr cycle give or take half an hour between feeds as sometimes baby has a grow or is unsettled. O So to really summarize, I feed every 3 hrs to start with in the first few weeks but may be flexible depending on baby having a growth spurt. The routine mustn't rule you but it gives you a good guideline of what to expect when. I wouldn't do it any other way. I choose to feed baby when he first gets up rather than to nurse him to sleep as I find Nursing to sleep can become a habit that is very hard to break later on. I like my babies to be able to fall asleep on their own with the occasional nursing to sleep if unsettled.
So there you have it. That's how I have done it for all 5 babies and I wouldn't change it if you paid me. I have seen too many Mums run ragged with demand feeding. Some people love demand feeding and have the time and energy to feed their baby every time he cries and it works for them. It's not wrong to demand feed but I do think it can tire you out very quickly. Everyone will have their own opinions on this and although I encourage routine I do not encourage being bound by routine but I also don't encourage your baby ruling your life.

Your Baby May Salute You

After 3 lovely girls I finally had my first boy. Although I knew the male anatomy was different I was a little stumped as to how hard I could wash these wee little testicles (actually they were quite huge at birth which is very normal). I quickly found out they were pretty robust.
The thing I was not prepared for is that boys have erections right from the start. That’s right your baby may salute you soon after birth. It is also not uncommon to find a little touch of blood in their nappy for the first few weeks. Apparently it is to do with hormones. Both boys and girls can also get enlarged breasts and leak milk.'