You all need to read Barack Obama's response to his pastor's comments and the subsequent media hullaballo surrounding it.
I'm not just saying that because Obama's biracial, or because I think this man needs to be the next president of the United States. (Or because he gave the speech two blocks away from my job.)
It is on the New York Times website, CNN's website, and other places I'm sure.
Find it, print it, read it!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Getting Ready-ish
We have finished the gift registry and sent out invites to the un-shower. We've planned a co-ed, no awful shower games, and best of all no gift opening. We're bringing the Nintendo Wii, some board games, card games, and hopefully everyone will have a good time. Why no gift opening?
1) That's boring- we'd rather spend the time with our guests, most of whom are coming from out of town.
2) How many times can we say "Oh, how cute!" "Wow, we really need that!" "I didn't know they made that in this size!"
3) If you really wanna see what the baby got, come visit the baby after its born. Besides, I caved on telling family and friends the sex of the baby. I've been more than gracious when people touch my stomach. Do I have to share the gifts too?
4) What if some people don't bring gifts? There's no law saying you have to, and we don't want people to feel uncomfortable about coming without a physical gift. Your presence is gift enough. (aren't we disgusting!)
The baby's room is still not ready, tee hee hee. We just signed up for a one day, five hour intensive childbirth class for the Sunday after our un-shower. It's a good deal- the teacher will come to our house, bring snacks, and we only have to sit still for five hours, not travel somewhere for 6 to 12 weeks.
The midwife gave me a list of signs of pre-term labor. It is the birth center's policy to stop pre-term labor before 37 weeks. (I figure your practioner will have her own rules, so don't take that as gospel for all pregnancies.) If I have Braxton Hicks contractions that last longer than two minutes, bloody show, painful uterine cramps that don't go away with rest and plenty of water, or 4 to 6 contractions in one hour I must call the center.
I also have started to prepare an emergency contact list. The owner of our neighborhood cafe asked if I had such a list, in case I go into labor when my husband's not around. As foolish as this sounds, I never imagined he'd be away. It's especially naive of me, considering we live in Philly and he works in Central Jersey- DOH! The cafe owner offered to be a contact person, as well as two friends in the city who are new moms. I have to call a cab company to find out how much a ride out to the center costs from my house, and have that much cash on hand, just in case the backup people can't make it either.
I'm still waiting to hear from the HR Dept if my leave has been approved. I submitted that request the last week in February, and the leave is supposed to begin in 4 weeks. Am I supposed to follow up on this? If I haven't heard anything by the end of this week I'll say something.
I have a good pregnancy book to recommend: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin. The first part contains child birthing stories that run the gamut from homebirth to hospital birth, unmedicated to medicated, vaginal, c-sections and unexpected complications. The second part explains labor and childbirth without scaring the bejeezis out of you. There are graphic pictures, but you may as well look at them because it is what it is. The more you familiarize your subconscious with what is to come the less scared you'll be.
(My midwife has known Ina May Gaskin for many years. So I really am in good hands...)
1) That's boring- we'd rather spend the time with our guests, most of whom are coming from out of town.
2) How many times can we say "Oh, how cute!" "Wow, we really need that!" "I didn't know they made that in this size!"
3) If you really wanna see what the baby got, come visit the baby after its born. Besides, I caved on telling family and friends the sex of the baby. I've been more than gracious when people touch my stomach. Do I have to share the gifts too?
4) What if some people don't bring gifts? There's no law saying you have to, and we don't want people to feel uncomfortable about coming without a physical gift. Your presence is gift enough. (aren't we disgusting!)
The baby's room is still not ready, tee hee hee. We just signed up for a one day, five hour intensive childbirth class for the Sunday after our un-shower. It's a good deal- the teacher will come to our house, bring snacks, and we only have to sit still for five hours, not travel somewhere for 6 to 12 weeks.
The midwife gave me a list of signs of pre-term labor. It is the birth center's policy to stop pre-term labor before 37 weeks. (I figure your practioner will have her own rules, so don't take that as gospel for all pregnancies.) If I have Braxton Hicks contractions that last longer than two minutes, bloody show, painful uterine cramps that don't go away with rest and plenty of water, or 4 to 6 contractions in one hour I must call the center.
I also have started to prepare an emergency contact list. The owner of our neighborhood cafe asked if I had such a list, in case I go into labor when my husband's not around. As foolish as this sounds, I never imagined he'd be away. It's especially naive of me, considering we live in Philly and he works in Central Jersey- DOH! The cafe owner offered to be a contact person, as well as two friends in the city who are new moms. I have to call a cab company to find out how much a ride out to the center costs from my house, and have that much cash on hand, just in case the backup people can't make it either.
I'm still waiting to hear from the HR Dept if my leave has been approved. I submitted that request the last week in February, and the leave is supposed to begin in 4 weeks. Am I supposed to follow up on this? If I haven't heard anything by the end of this week I'll say something.
I have a good pregnancy book to recommend: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin. The first part contains child birthing stories that run the gamut from homebirth to hospital birth, unmedicated to medicated, vaginal, c-sections and unexpected complications. The second part explains labor and childbirth without scaring the bejeezis out of you. There are graphic pictures, but you may as well look at them because it is what it is. The more you familiarize your subconscious with what is to come the less scared you'll be.
(My midwife has known Ina May Gaskin for many years. So I really am in good hands...)
It's Full Disclosure Time
I'm giving up on the scroll down business. You know the deal by now.
I woke up about 4 this morning to go pee. I started to go and stopped just as suddenly, which I thought was weird. I waited a few seconds, nothing. As soon as I stood up the floodgates opened. No, my water did not break. My guess is the baby's position stopped the flow when I sat down. So I guess when I really gotta go I'll have to stand over the bowl. Great...
My husband and I had a very informative midwifery appointment last Thursday. The head midwife let the trainee explain perineal massage. I got all excited cuz I thought she asked if I had any prenatal massage, which I did that Monday. They are NOT the same thing!
The perineum is at the base of the vagina. You're supposed to lube your thumb or fingers (or some willing participant lubes their fingers) and inserts them just inside, pressing down towards the rectum and gently rubbing side to side. This is to help stretch the perineun in preparation for labor and for prevention of episiotomy (cutting the skin between the rectum and vagina) and tearing.
The trainee was a little coy during the explanation, and the head midwife was getting a little frustrated and took over. Midwife says the practice is controversial, in that there have been no studies to prove its effectiveness, and there are mammals (the horse was her example) that expel big babies from their bodies without doing perineal massage. The choice is ours. She also said having sex will pretty much do the same thing, but was quick to say that perineal massage is not sexual- the pressure stings and when you do it right you should feel like you have to poop. Some people get off on that, I reckon - I ain't one of 'em... I also can't see my crotch, and can barely wash it standing in the shower. Forget being able to perform perineal massage on myself now lying down. I'm a mere mortal woman, not a Vivid Girl.
Then again, my doula has a yogi friend who says she was "on her junk daily" doing this perineal massage and did not tear at all during child birth. So there ya go!
Yes, I can still see my feet, but I had to buy another maternity dress to wear. The baby gets upset if I sit for too long and the jean skirt I used to wear every day is now too tight. I'm 34 and a half weeks and now is when the baby grows a half pound every week. It's very difficult to get out of bed, especially when I have to break the seal at 3 in the morning. My bladder is so full that it sometimes hurts to get up. It's the pressure of the baby, that's all.
That is all. Not so bad that time, was it?
I woke up about 4 this morning to go pee. I started to go and stopped just as suddenly, which I thought was weird. I waited a few seconds, nothing. As soon as I stood up the floodgates opened. No, my water did not break. My guess is the baby's position stopped the flow when I sat down. So I guess when I really gotta go I'll have to stand over the bowl. Great...
My husband and I had a very informative midwifery appointment last Thursday. The head midwife let the trainee explain perineal massage. I got all excited cuz I thought she asked if I had any prenatal massage, which I did that Monday. They are NOT the same thing!
The perineum is at the base of the vagina. You're supposed to lube your thumb or fingers (or some willing participant lubes their fingers) and inserts them just inside, pressing down towards the rectum and gently rubbing side to side. This is to help stretch the perineun in preparation for labor and for prevention of episiotomy (cutting the skin between the rectum and vagina) and tearing.
The trainee was a little coy during the explanation, and the head midwife was getting a little frustrated and took over. Midwife says the practice is controversial, in that there have been no studies to prove its effectiveness, and there are mammals (the horse was her example) that expel big babies from their bodies without doing perineal massage. The choice is ours. She also said having sex will pretty much do the same thing, but was quick to say that perineal massage is not sexual- the pressure stings and when you do it right you should feel like you have to poop. Some people get off on that, I reckon - I ain't one of 'em... I also can't see my crotch, and can barely wash it standing in the shower. Forget being able to perform perineal massage on myself now lying down. I'm a mere mortal woman, not a Vivid Girl.
Then again, my doula has a yogi friend who says she was "on her junk daily" doing this perineal massage and did not tear at all during child birth. So there ya go!
Yes, I can still see my feet, but I had to buy another maternity dress to wear. The baby gets upset if I sit for too long and the jean skirt I used to wear every day is now too tight. I'm 34 and a half weeks and now is when the baby grows a half pound every week. It's very difficult to get out of bed, especially when I have to break the seal at 3 in the morning. My bladder is so full that it sometimes hurts to get up. It's the pressure of the baby, that's all.
That is all. Not so bad that time, was it?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
34 weeks
I'm at week 34, and all is well. The nurse I check in with says my glucose levels are "excellent"....oh shit- I have to prick myself...be right back...yep, still excellent. I am drinking LOTS of water, eating more often and more balanced meals. My midwife says I should continue these eating habits and exercise after birth because of my family's history of Type II diabetes.
She mentioned the awful things that can happen when your diabetes goes unchecked. My paternal grandfather was a diabetic amputee. I'm not interested in that, muchas gracias.
My last two week appointment is March 27, then every week after that until this baby comes shooting out, allegedly on the 24th of April. That's a lovely image, isn't it? It is my joy to entertain you :-)
She mentioned the awful things that can happen when your diabetes goes unchecked. My paternal grandfather was a diabetic amputee. I'm not interested in that, muchas gracias.
My last two week appointment is March 27, then every week after that until this baby comes shooting out, allegedly on the 24th of April. That's a lovely image, isn't it? It is my joy to entertain you :-)
On Patience (Soap Box Time)
"It's easy to have patience when you don't do it [deal with a child] everyday."
-Anonymous
Someone said this to me a few months ago while I was attending a crying child. It's a poignant statement. My response was internal because the crying child was more important at the moment. What I wanted to say was "I believe the words you're looking for are 'thank you.' This child is watching you walk out the door without her as you take your newborn and significant other out for the evening, jackass! Wouldn't you feel neglected and hurt too?"
But I held my tongue, because I have patience.
Children cry, scream, get angry, don't listen, roll on the floor, whatever it is they do when they go crazy. But they're children. You asked* for them, now you have to take care of them, which requires patience. So instead of being snippy with someone for having the patience to deal with your child or children when you don't, be appreciative and grateful for the help. I say this more as a reminder to myself, because I'm sure there will be times when I may forget what I expect others to remember.
*Unless you were raped of course. Now if you keep the child, the violence surrounding her conception does not preclude the love and nurture she needs from you.
-Anonymous
Someone said this to me a few months ago while I was attending a crying child. It's a poignant statement. My response was internal because the crying child was more important at the moment. What I wanted to say was "I believe the words you're looking for are 'thank you.' This child is watching you walk out the door without her as you take your newborn and significant other out for the evening, jackass! Wouldn't you feel neglected and hurt too?"
But I held my tongue, because I have patience.
Children cry, scream, get angry, don't listen, roll on the floor, whatever it is they do when they go crazy. But they're children. You asked* for them, now you have to take care of them, which requires patience. So instead of being snippy with someone for having the patience to deal with your child or children when you don't, be appreciative and grateful for the help. I say this more as a reminder to myself, because I'm sure there will be times when I may forget what I expect others to remember.
*Unless you were raped of course. Now if you keep the child, the violence surrounding her conception does not preclude the love and nurture she needs from you.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Sometimes I Feel Like a Junkie
I've been monitoring my blood sugar levels since Monday. So far they are staying at normal levels, with two outliers: 53 after yesterday's breakfast, and 126 after Tuesday's lunch. I'm a live science fair experiment!
I am walking around the city with lancets (tiny needles), strips that suck up the blood, and a sharps bottle for the used lancets. My doula and any one else looking at our table in the Liberty Marketplace witnessed the following ritual on Tuesday:
Unzip little black case
Remove digital monitor and finger pricker device from case
Insert fresh strip into monitor
Insert fresh lancet into pricker
Massage finger to fill with blood
Prick finger
Squeeze until enough blood comes out
Place strip in droplet wait for reading
Discard used strip and lancet
Return all paraphanalia to little black case
I felt like I should have been in an abandoned brownstone, sitting between Willie BoBo and Johnny ShakesALot in the stairwell while they smoke their crack. But la doula and I were talking, it was time for me to take the reading, and it was a good education for the both of us. No one called the cops on me, so I live to prick myself another day...
You're probably wondering why I didn't get up and go to a bathroom to do this in private. I need to normalize the process for myself. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and public bathrooms are dirty. There is not enough bloodletting to be considered a biohazard. I have to do this four times a day, regardless of where I am. I can't condition myself to test myself only in a bathroom.
What is difficult is eating so often at work. It's less of a problem at home because the kitchen is right there and no one is interrupting me while I eat. If I eat the right amount I get sleepy. If I eat too little my blood sugar is low and I have a headache and feel lightheaded and shaky. And I have to prepare lunch and snacks before I leave the house based on the guidelines put forth by the nutritionist.
The real hard part is creating a balanced meal on the run when you're broke, and eating leftovers for days. I could eat leftovers before I got pregnant no problem. Now the thought of having the same thing over and over doesn't inspire hunger. And when you are broke you don't have the luxury of being a picky eater.
The results of Tuesday's visit are my motivation. Right now the baby is 5lbs, only five days ahead on the growth schedule; the doctor said at this point the size is not at all alarming. I can do the best I can to keep that under control by planning out these meals.
I am walking around the city with lancets (tiny needles), strips that suck up the blood, and a sharps bottle for the used lancets. My doula and any one else looking at our table in the Liberty Marketplace witnessed the following ritual on Tuesday:
Unzip little black case
Remove digital monitor and finger pricker device from case
Insert fresh strip into monitor
Insert fresh lancet into pricker
Massage finger to fill with blood
Prick finger
Squeeze until enough blood comes out
Place strip in droplet wait for reading
Discard used strip and lancet
Return all paraphanalia to little black case
I felt like I should have been in an abandoned brownstone, sitting between Willie BoBo and Johnny ShakesALot in the stairwell while they smoke their crack. But la doula and I were talking, it was time for me to take the reading, and it was a good education for the both of us. No one called the cops on me, so I live to prick myself another day...
You're probably wondering why I didn't get up and go to a bathroom to do this in private. I need to normalize the process for myself. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and public bathrooms are dirty. There is not enough bloodletting to be considered a biohazard. I have to do this four times a day, regardless of where I am. I can't condition myself to test myself only in a bathroom.
What is difficult is eating so often at work. It's less of a problem at home because the kitchen is right there and no one is interrupting me while I eat. If I eat the right amount I get sleepy. If I eat too little my blood sugar is low and I have a headache and feel lightheaded and shaky. And I have to prepare lunch and snacks before I leave the house based on the guidelines put forth by the nutritionist.
The real hard part is creating a balanced meal on the run when you're broke, and eating leftovers for days. I could eat leftovers before I got pregnant no problem. Now the thought of having the same thing over and over doesn't inspire hunger. And when you are broke you don't have the luxury of being a picky eater.
The results of Tuesday's visit are my motivation. Right now the baby is 5lbs, only five days ahead on the growth schedule; the doctor said at this point the size is not at all alarming. I can do the best I can to keep that under control by planning out these meals.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Non-Sequitors
Last week I submitted my request for maternity leave to HR. Go to the Department of Labor's website and read your employee manual for more info. I believe the FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) is for 12 weeks, unpaid. I'm supposed to be grateful that they just don't fire me for getting pregnant- it's almost like a penalty. Sure you can get pregnant, and we'll hold your job for you, but don't expect to get paid, and you should be back in twelve weeks.
Twelve weeks=Three months. So if I want my job back I have to leave my three month old in the care of someone else. For a country that loves to spit out the phrase "family values," this separation of the family unit at a critical time of family development is counterintuitive.
I had my first post-GD midwife appointment. I was feeling pretty crappy about the diagnosis. I thought I was doing all I could to have a healthy pregnancy. I'm Nelly Negative, raised a fundamentalist Christian, so I immediately chalked this up to divine punishment for thinking I would have a natural childbirth. My midwife was much more level-headed. To get this diagnosis with eight weeks to go was, as the head midwife said, a slap in the face. GD happens to one in twelve pregnant women through no fault of their own.
The placenta processes the sugar you eat, but some placentas don't process it as well as others. So the insulin in you acts as a growth hormone in your fetus. This is why it's important to be screened for GD and to maintain your blood sugar levels. Eat often, three meals a day and three snacks. Limit, not eliminate, carbohydrate intake, and drink lots of water.
The monitoring is not so much fun. I have a glucose monitor and I have to prick my finger four times a day until I give birth. I also have to test my ketone levels (make sure there's no protein in my urine). One if four women need insulin shots to help maintain normal levels (around 95 at fasting, and around 120 two hours after eating). I will also have two more ultrasounds to check the size of the baby. If the baby is too large I would have to have a cesarian section. The silver lining in all this is that I do not have Type II diabetes. GD goes away after you give birth.
Midwife says thinks positively. So I will maintain my blood sugar levels, the baby will be a normal weight, and I will write about the waterbirth in April. Everything will be fine.
Twelve weeks=Three months. So if I want my job back I have to leave my three month old in the care of someone else. For a country that loves to spit out the phrase "family values," this separation of the family unit at a critical time of family development is counterintuitive.
I had my first post-GD midwife appointment. I was feeling pretty crappy about the diagnosis. I thought I was doing all I could to have a healthy pregnancy. I'm Nelly Negative, raised a fundamentalist Christian, so I immediately chalked this up to divine punishment for thinking I would have a natural childbirth. My midwife was much more level-headed. To get this diagnosis with eight weeks to go was, as the head midwife said, a slap in the face. GD happens to one in twelve pregnant women through no fault of their own.
The placenta processes the sugar you eat, but some placentas don't process it as well as others. So the insulin in you acts as a growth hormone in your fetus. This is why it's important to be screened for GD and to maintain your blood sugar levels. Eat often, three meals a day and three snacks. Limit, not eliminate, carbohydrate intake, and drink lots of water.
The monitoring is not so much fun. I have a glucose monitor and I have to prick my finger four times a day until I give birth. I also have to test my ketone levels (make sure there's no protein in my urine). One if four women need insulin shots to help maintain normal levels (around 95 at fasting, and around 120 two hours after eating). I will also have two more ultrasounds to check the size of the baby. If the baby is too large I would have to have a cesarian section. The silver lining in all this is that I do not have Type II diabetes. GD goes away after you give birth.
Midwife says thinks positively. So I will maintain my blood sugar levels, the baby will be a normal weight, and I will write about the waterbirth in April. Everything will be fine.
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