3rd Trimester! Here we are. We've made it this far. Week 26. My god. Week 26!
(The cucumber pic is the only picture I could find that shows the relative size right now. Weird, I know.)
The little guy is still taking little breaths, even though it's amniotic fluid, it's still great practice for him. So he's a superhero to me now. I mean, did you ever try to breath liquid?
His little eyes are starting to open. HIS EYES ARE STARTING TO OPEN! He is in a growth spurt from here on out and his brain is developing at an intense rate - so nutrition is important right now. More grains and veggies! So much for the Ga Lei Bau and coconut bun (and caramel macchiato) I had for lunch. Hey, even mom has got to treat herself once in a while.
He might start jumping around more when he hears loud, unexpected noises because the nerve endings in his ears are still developing - so he responds to sound more consistently. And will from here on out. No pun intended (funnier when you say it outloud.) (or really not funny at all) (let me repost:) "....so he responds to sound more consistently. And will from here on out."
It's not even funny to me actually.
The placenta is equal in size to the little guy. Question - my placenta is in the front... if something happens that I have to have a c-section, will this be an issue?
And my belly button is now 1/2 and innie and 1/2 an outie. I'm having an identity crisis. My body is not my own. Weird things are happening. Werid spots showing up on my chest (that I thought was just sun damage - but it's getting worse and I'm covered up and not baking on the beach). No stretch marks though - still oiling up daily with the Escents aromatherapy stuff.
Rolling over at night is uncomfortable hilarious a production all on it's own. By the time I manage to get comfortable, I'm pretty much wide awake and have pissed off the cats and then Chicken starts to knaw on my foot and thinks it's Game On and "Oh yay, mummy's awake!" and Ling Ling just looks at me, turns her nose up and leaves the room.
At least I then have the bed to myself.
Until my husband rolls in around 3am, then it's a whole other production as I've got to get rid of my massive body pillow so he can have room too. ARGH.
***
The breastfeeding issue is no longer. Donald and I are on the same page and he's looking forward to all the other ways of bonding with the little guy. Circumsicion, on the other hand, is an ongoing issue - and I'm starting to rethink my decision based on what a few fathers have said, both circumsized and non-circumsized and who have circumsized their boys and some who haven't. It's been eye-opening, but it's not over yet! I still can't stand the thought of my child being cut. Of inducing trauma, knowingly. More research required...
And cloth diapers. Someone mentioned the other day that there is actually LESS diaper rash with disposables than with cloth because of the layering - that the pee is soaked into the diaper and away from baby's bum. Again, more research required. (It's not just about diaper rash, it's also about the environment but there you go.)
And another big one: vaccines. This is going to be difficult. Or perhaps not. I'm going to grab the Dr. Sears book and have a gander.
And another big one: vaccines. This is going to be difficult. Or perhaps not. I'm going to grab the Dr. Sears book and have a gander.
Also, your comments really help us to see through our fear of doing the wrong thing and our preconceptions, etc, so please continue to comment! Weigh in on the subjects - I love hearing from all of you. Makes me feel less alone in this journey. There's been a few lately that I have yet to respond to, but am going to in a few minutes, so feel free to browse through them for my replies.
Phew, this was a long one today.
S.
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9 comments:
Congratulations on the 3rd trimester, it's all downhill from here baby!!
Just a few thoughts:
Diet: Don't forget fish is brain food for everyone.
Circumcision: Michelle says the only pain (still pain, yes) is from the needle.
Diaper Rash: Breastfed babies experience little to no diaper rash until other foods are introduced into their diets ie: 5-6 months old
Lenny Kravitz: AHHHHHHHHH! The concert was so wicked good, hope you are planning on taking in the west coast show.
Love you,
M
PS- I have some good news of my own, I'll tell you later!
Hey Stephi!
You are so lucky your belly button is half outie/half innie...mine is ALL OUTIE and in a big, big, way. It's not a pretty sight. ;-)
My girls did not have diaper rash while being breastfed, but they were in huggies at the time. :-/
Rolling over in bed *is* a bit of an ordeal isn't it?! As is getting off the couch when I've been lying down. Dave just asked if there was a sandy beach nearby. I think that was supposed to be some sort of clever shot. :-P
;-)
aaahhhh - vaccines!
did you know that on the label on the package of the vaccines they give to babies, it actually says, "do not administer to children under the age of 2" - do you know why? Because it is illegal to do drug testing/research on infants. The doctors will tell you that that's the reason - but doesn't that beg the question "so, how do you know it's not harmful?"
one of the bottom lines about vaccines is that they actually weaken the immune system in many ways. The diseases, illnesses, etc,,, are introduced to the body as well as the crap that the vaccines are suspended in. They say they don't use mercury anymore, but just try to get a doctor (even one at Children's to tell you what they DO use. The ones I've talked to have all answered that they don't know. It's ludicrous.
i guess it goes without saying where I stand on the topic - Ruby has received ZERO immunizations. The thing is - I would actually vaccinate her for tetanus now that she is so active, but you cannot get the tetanus shot on its own - at the minimum it is mixed with D for dytheria and the next option is the super 5 - mixed with all the other stuff that they say is so mandatory.
do the research - but don't just talk to doctors - they all say the same thing - check out naturopaths and other mothers and as many alternative practices you can find... when the FDA actually speaks to the media and says that there could be a link between vaccines and autism, you know that there is more than a chance... it would take a lot for the pharmeceutical companies to actually admit that - how many babies have been affected thus far?
And... remember this - just because you don't give it to your baby at 2 months or 3 months, doesn't mean you can't give it later - delaying the shots is also an option. A lot of people opt for the shots after the language centers are developed (speech and stuff)... some opt to do it before school or pre-school etc... YOU HAVE CHOICES - don't allow yourself to be bullied through fear.
Love to you, Nicola
Congrats on your pregnancy, and glad to hear the Escents Stretch Mark Prevention oil is working for you!
So many decisions to make and many more to come years from now!
Have you ever visited a forum on www.mothering.com ? They have lots of info on their discussion board about cloth diapering, non-vaccinating or delayed vaccinating, not circumcising, etc. It's pretty good, although some of the "hippie-ness" there is a bit much for me, overall it's useful info.
I thought I'd chime in on the circumcision issue after another made a comment about the only pain of circ being from the needle. That is simply not true. Pain relief isn't completely effective during the procedure and the baby will be in pain every time he urinates or dirties his diaper. There's no way around it. The acidity of the waste will burn that open wound until it's all healed. And then some boys grow up and have problems with painful erections because of how the skin was removed and scars, so that could potentially hurt him later as well. I really researched circ long and hard (sorry, pun unintended!). I decided not to circ my son and I'm happy with that decision. My husband is circed and was on the fence until he saw a video of a circ and then figured out on his own that it wasn't in the best interest of our baby. Why risk surgery of any kind unless it's absolutely worth it? I could give you reasons but you don't know me so why would you trust me? You mentioned Dr. Sears and vaccinations. Dr Sears also has a lot to say about circ if you're interested, as does Dr. Edell.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/t012000.asp (you'll have to click "no thanks" to the newsletter link first)
and
http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/408/9985.html
Those links helped me make my decision. The Dr. Sears book is really good on all things baby related, especially vaccinations. I did vaccinate my son but I didn't give him any shots at birth. We opted to start at 2 months and not ever give more than 2 shots at a time. I personally didn't want to overload his little system. But there are pros and cons to the vaccination debate. In hindsight I wish I would have skipped the Hep B and I'm not sure we'll get the Chickenpox one. I think natural immunity to that will be better. But that's just my opinions on the vaccine and circumcision issues.
Good luck to you in whatever you decide. I'm sure you'll make the right choice for your family. Best wishes!!!
Lilly
We chose not to circumcise our little one.
Oh yes I remember the rolling over at night. I felt like a beached whale trying to roll myself over.
We use regular diapers (Pampers Swaddlers) and our baby's never had a rash - it does a pretty good job wicking away moisture, and if you rub Aquaphor all over, it's added protection.
From one new mom (now 10 months postpartum) to a soon-to-be mom - I can't emphasize enough that you have to take all diff. advice from people and from books - and then you trust your gut and make your decision based on all this info. It's easy to second guess yourself and feel like you can't do anything right or that you have no clue.
I still don't have a clue, but now I trust myself more, and I look to bebe's cues as the most important information to base my decision/actions on.
My nephew has received no vaccinations and has been a healthy, normal kid....well, he's far cuter and smarter than normal but I'm probably biased:) He's 8 now..just fyi.
Good luck with these tough decisions. Remember - whatever you decide you MUST have faith in it...there's no going back or regret - you'll have to hold positive about whatever you do.
Some opinions, written with a little snark, not by me.
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/06/the_jenny_mccarthy_rally_tomorrow_antivaccine.php#more
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/05/more_of_the_consequences_of_not_vaccinat.php#more
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/03/vaccines_and_autism_the_incredible_shrin.php#more
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/01/reactions_to_the_schechter_and_grether_v.php#more
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/01/sallie_bernard_responds_to_the_new_engla.php#more
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/12/an_autistic_child_pays_the_price_of_andr.php#more
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/08/if_you_think_its_just_about_mercury_when_1.php
I'm sorry there are so many, I found it hard to choose one.
Also, there's a book to counter the Sears:
http://www.amazon.com/Autisms-False-Prophets-Science-Medicine/dp/0231146361
But you may not be able to trust it because the author's made meeeeeeeeelions of dollars selling vaccines.
I'm sorry, just one more:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=333#more-333
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