Ryan's First Christmas

For this holiday season, we did alot of visiting. It's a good thing that Ryan is a good traveler. As soon as we start to drive, he falls asleep in the car seat. On Christmas Eve Eve, we made a trip into Hamilton so I could exchange presents with my friends and God-daughter. We had a mini-Christmas party, and had food and drinks and played some board games.

Then on Christmas Eve, we went to my mother's in Toronto, and had a turkey dinner with her and my brother. It was a nice evening, although since my brother had to work the night shift that night it was a relatively early evening. We opened presents and took some pictures. Ryan smiled for my mom, and she was really happy.

Before we left we gave Bill's Aunt Donna a call, in Mississauga, and decided to drop by. Since it was Christmas eve there wasn't anyone there, they have their big celebration on Christmas Day, but we were able to see Donna, and she was able to visit with her great nephew. We got some pictures done there as well.

Christmas Day was a much bigger trip. We left Cambridge in the morning, around 9:00 and drove to Ottawa to visit Bill's family. His mother and Bernie were there as well as 3 of his brothers, and their wives and kids. Bernie's step children and their children were also there. It was a big crowd and they had 23 people to Christmas dinner. We got there just in time, about an hour before dinner, which gave me time to express breast milk before dinner, and still mingle before we sat down. It was a delicious meal, and I treated myself to a glass of wine. After dinner we played a few games, and opened presents.

We drove home the next night after having a leftover dinner with Bev, Bernie, Gord, Lisa, Dylan and Jessica. We had been contemplating a drive to Montreal or Quebec City, but decided the money would be better spent on finishing renovating the bathroom.

Negative results

So we got a phone call with negative results for the CPT1 Disorder. It was a big relief. Unfortunately it was a qualified answer. We have to wait for our official negative results from Dr. Potter, the doctor in charge of the Genetic testing. He needs to interpret the results.

So we still need to treat him as if he has the disorder, for now. But it's still a load off my shoulders. I'm already a worry wart, this doesn't help much. I cried every day since Ryan was born, whether from hormones, frustration or worry, I'm not sure. Then I found out that he might have something really wrong with him. I haven't cried since. Funny how that works, isn't it?

No sleep

I haven't posted much, but those of you that are parents will understand. The first few weeks as a new parent are frustrating as hell, especially when you're trying to breastfeed. Ryan wants to be fed every 3 hours around the clock Once in a while he'll go as long as 4 hours, but that's about it. I sleep all day and all night, whenever he sleeps I try to sleep. It doesn't leave any time to get things around the house done. It's a good day when I can get us both up, dressed, fed, and I'm able to have a shower.

His smiles make everything worth while. My little starfish. They're so cute when they're sleeping.

CPT1

So I got a call from a doctor at the McMaster University Hospital. Ryan had received a positive test result from the Ontario newborn screening. The blood test that they take from the newborn's heel, in the hospital. He had screened in the positive for a Genetic condition called CPT1. Carnitine Palmitoyl Transferase 1 Deficiency. Immediately after finding out I of course googled it. I found this website.

It is one type of fatty acid oxidation disorder. People with CPT-1A deficiency have problems breaking down fat into energy for the body.

Energy from fat keeps us going whenever our bodies run low of their main source of energy, a type of sugar called glucose. Our bodies rely on fat when we don't eat for a stretch of time - like when we miss a meal or when we sleep.

When the CPT-1A normal enzyme is missing or not working well, the body cannot use fat for energy, and must rely solely on glucose. Although glucose is a good source of energy, there is a limited amount available. Once the glucose has been used up, the body tries to use fat without success. This leads to low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, and to the build up of harmful substances in the blood

Basically if Ryan has this disorder and gets sick, or is unable to get his nutritional needs met in some way (nausea, diarrhea, etc...) he risks having a metabolic crisis, which if serious could cause a coma or brain damage.

So I brought him to McMaster, to get bloodwork and urine samples, for the testing. We should know in the next week or so. Until then I was told to treat him as if he has the disorder. We were given a Jump to the front of the line letter. It states that if Ryan is sick we need to take him to emergency and skip triage, in order to be treated, and started on a glucose IV immediately. If the tests are inconclusive we will follow up with a skin test.

Waiting Sucks.

Ryan arrived

The email announcement I sent out on December 7th
************************************

Our little bundle of joy, Ryan Frederick Downes, was born on
Tuesday, November 28, 2006, by Cesarean, at 12:58 am. He was 12 days late, and refused to come out on his own. He refused to budge even after 2 separate attempts to induce labour. So we went to a cesarean. Previously, on Nov. 23rd we had tried an induction that failed. We went back to the hospital on Sunday Nov 26th to try and induce the labour, and stayed for 3 hours, then went back on Monday morning at 8:00 am to start another induction. This time I dilated 2 cm, so they broke my water at 2:00 pm and I dilated another 2 cm, and progress stopped. I was scheduled in for a cesarean at 9:30 pm, but ended up being bumped by other more urgent cases. I went into the OR just after midnight, and Ryan was finally born.

We had to pull him kicking and screaming into the world, but now the little bugger's here.When he finally made his appearance, he weighed in at 9 lbs, 11 ounces. I'm still recovering from the experience. :) We stayed in the hospital until Friday Dec 1st and finally we were able to go home.

I've attached a couple of pictures of Ryan. In the first one he is
a few hours old, in the second, a little over a week old. He's already wearing 3-6 month sizes in sleepers, and he's not even 2 weeks old yet. He's bigger even than his weight might have you believe.

I feel single

It's Saturday night and I'm waiting for a guy to show up. I thought once I got married, that these types of problems would go away. You'd think he'd at least call...

So I tried looking up information on the chances of induction working a second time, and there is really nothing out there in interwebland. There doesn't seem to be much literature on the subject of pitocin or oxytocin inducement not working. It appears that most of the articles I found concentrate on the fact that it creates contractions that are too strong or close together, and the complications that result from that.

From what I've read, the best and most successful (least c-sections) way to induce is; to prep the cervix with Prostaglandin, then to administer Oxytocin through IV, followed by an amniotomy (breaking the water) once the cervix has dilated a few cm. Luckily, I wasn't able to have the amniotomy, due to my lack of dilation. This is probably what saved me from being forced to have a C-section immediately. Once your water breaks the doctor will only wait for so long before a c-section needs to be performed.

So we're still scheduled to go in on Monday, which I suppose means that I'll have my baby boy my Tuesday. :)

Am I going to be pregnant forever?

We went in on Wednesday night to start inducing labour. It had been a hard decision for me to make, but in the end I decided to go ahead with the induction.

So, we went into the hospital at 7:00 on Wednesday night. I registered, signed in and went to one of the labour rooms. I assume this was in case I was kick-started into a quick labour. The nurse examined me, and then monitored me and the baby for 30 mins before starting. She applied a prostaglandin gel (Prostin) to my cervix and then monitored me again for 30 mins, and made me walk around the hospital for 10 minutes, then monitored me again. There were no adverse reactions from me or the baby, so they sent me home, to rest and wait for labour to start. I guess alot of women end up coming back the same night, once they're sent home. Well, not me. :)

We were scheduled to come back the next morning at 7:30 am to start the actual induction phase. We arrived at the hospital a little late, of course, and registered again. This time I was given a hospital ID bracelet though. So we went to one of the labour rooms again, and they did another internal exam. I hadn't dilated at all during the night, which was a little disappointing. They got me hooked up on the IV, and gradually started the oxytocin drip. When I asked the nurse she told me that most women start to feel contractions after about 30 minutes on the drip. Well the time went by, they increased my dosage, with no effect. Around lunch time I started getting pre-contractions, which were basically just a tightening of my belly, but not of my uterus. Unfortunately the baby's heart rate was dropping a little after each of these pre-contractions. So they stopped the oxytocin. The baby's heart rate came back up and normalized. Since the change was minor they started the drip again. We worked the oxytocin back up to the same level as before (from 30 ml/hr to 60 ml/hr), but with no reaction, from me or the baby. They continued raising it again, past the point it had been at before (all the way up to 90 ml/hr) with still no reactions. I wasn't even getting any pre-contractions anymore. At this point it was 7:00 pm. I had not dilated, and wasn't having contractions, after almost an entire day on the IV.

My doctor came and laid out my choices to me. I could have a Cesarean that night, (waiting at least 6 hours for an OR) or wait a few days to see if I started labour on my own, and we would schedule another inducement for Monday. If the inducement on Monday doesn't work, I could have a cesarean at that point. My husband and I talked about it and weighed the pros and cons. I asked if there was a way to determine if he was too big to fit out the birth canal, and they said that the only way to really tell was through a trial of labour (some women's bones stretch apart, and the baby's head can compress). We also asked what the chances of another inducement working were. The doctor didn't have any stats, and wasn't willing to commit. When Bill finally asked him to commit to a stat of more or less than 50, he did say that in general it was successful on the second try less than 50%. I'm going to try an google some info on this.

In the end we decided to wait out this weekend and see if anything happens spontaneously, if not we'll try again on Monday. I am mentally preparing for a cesarean at this point. I don't think Ryan's coming out until we force him. :o/ He's a stubborn, ornery, little guy alright. I hope he's not this much trouble when he gets here. :P

Inducing Labour

So I've been thinking about this whole inducing labour, and it really has me worried. I've been researching it on the internet, and I've found alot of great reasons to have it done, and also alot of reasons, why it shouldn't be done.

An informative article and a scary article.

I'm basically weighing the options of inducing the labour and pushing out a large baby one week late, or waiting, and risking the deteriorating of the uterus, and placenta, and pushing out an even larger baby, when he feels like coming. The longer I wait to induce, the higher my chance of a C-section is, since he will only get bigger, and I may find myself in a position where he's just too big to push out.

I'm supposed to call on Wednesday to make an appointment, if I haven't started on my own.

Birth Plan

I figured I would post this, and share my plans. Not that anyone is reading this, except my husband. I just did a general guideline, nothing too specific, and I am pretty flexible on most of it, since I know nothing ever goes according to plan. :)

Maintain Mobility - No epidural/IV/Fetal Monitoring
- Maintain choice of labouring positions

Pain Relief - Using Gas, Counter-Pressure, massage, and various positions to ease pain
- Demerol and Epidural only if necessary, or if I become exhausted
- Bath and Shower to relieve back pain.

Support - My husband, standing at my shoulder
- Doesn't want to cut cord, or see baby until born

Ability to drink clear fluids during labour to stay hydrated.

Prefer No Episiotomy - unless deemed necessary

Delivery - See and hold baby before weighing, etc...
- Allow time to bond, skin to skin contact, try to initiate breastfeeding
- No eye drops or Vitamin K injections


Obviously if I have to have a C-section, these things will change, but I want to stay as close to my ideal as possible. I'm also allowing flexibility if the pain becomes too much for me to bear.

Due Date!

Today was my due date, and no baby yet. I guess he's on Shirley Standard time. My friends always tease me that I'm fashionably late for everything.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and the doctor told me that the baby has dropped further down, and that I'm 1 cm dilated. I had kind of figured that there had been some progress, because I 've been feeling alot of pressure on my pelvic bones, and more crampy feelings in my lower abdomen.

We discussed induction, and he said that if I haven't gone into labour by next Wednesday Nov 22nd, that I should call the hospital and make an appointment to be induced. I need to call the hospital at 6:00 pm and go in and get this cream for my cervix, and I should be in labour by next Thursday.

This means only 1 more week until the baby comes! (At the most)

Cloth diapers

I went and bought these finally. I have been looking for them everywhere, and it seems that the only place where I can buy cloth diapers is at Sears. I got some good ones, Kushies. I got waterproof ones and some regular ones, and they're velcro fasteners, with gathered sides. So there won't be any worries about sticking the baby with pins, and less worries about leakage.

It cost me a pretty penny. I spent almost $150 for 10 waterproof, 16 regular cloth diapers, diaper liners, and washable nursing pads for me. And they were on sale! My comfort is that I know it would be a lot more expensive to pay for disposable diapers on a monthly basis. Not to mention that I hate the idea of throwing out 200+ diapers a month into the landfills.

My friends all tell me that I'll switch to disposable once I actually have to use these, and wash them on a regular basis, but I'm pretty determined. I can see myself using disposables on long trips, and maybe even switching once I have to put him into daycare, but I want to try to keep it up as long as I can.

Last Day at work

Today was my last day at work, and I ended up staying at my desk trying to wrap things up until about 7:00 pm. That meant that I was late for my French class, but the teacher understood. I've been staying at work late for the last couple of weeks try to wrap everything up, but I just wasn't able to do it. I had gotten myself all caught up on my current files, and my desk was cleaned out and ready for my replacement, but I had a bunch of filing (including creating the files) that I just couldn't get through. Oh well.

I don't have to go back to work now, until December 2, 2007. It's kind of hard to believe. I don't know how I'm going to handle it. I've never had that much time away from work or school since I was a child.

Nursing Bras - Plus size

So I went to the store that the Breastfeeding class nurse recommended to me. Maryleena's. I was able to find a bra that fit, although it did seem to be a bit too big in the band width, it fit everywhere else. I figured since it was only $33, and most of the other bras I had seen were much more expensive than that, I would go for it.

I picked up a Bravado bra in size XL++, which apparently translates to a 42G Bra Size. The band is too big, but I guess that's the price I pay to find a cup size that'll fit. They offer them in a bunch of colours, including leopard print, but they only had white in my size. :) It's really comfortable, probably because it's more like a sports bra, than a traditional bra.

If this one works out, I'll probably go back and order some more in different colours.

Surprise Baby Shower

The girls at work threw me a surprise baby shower today. I had been expecting them to do something, but I didn't think it was that day. They were very secretive, and make great liars. My supervisor lured me into the Training room under false pretenses, and everyone was there. They had arranged a ton of food, and decorated it. They had all chipped in and bought me a stroller and car seat combo. Another woman who had just left on Maternity leave herself came back and brought her baby with her, so it was fun getting to see a little newborn too.

Since I had already been given a stroller and car seat by a friend of mine, I've decided to return the one that they bought for me, and get store credit. We still need quite a few things, including a playpen, so I think I'll be picking those up with the credit, and keeping the second hand stroller that I was given. The second hand stroller had all of the same features, except it's a little bit older.

Plus I got to bring home leftovers for dinner, so I didn't even have to cook!

Dr. Appointment

I had a doctor's appointment today, and he gave me the results that were compiled from my ultrasound. According to the measurements that were taken, we're having a VERY big boy. He was estimated to weigh about 8lbs and 13 ounces. The doctor also let me know that I should expect him to gain about a half a pound a week until I deliver. That means that at full term, this baby will be about 10 lbs 5 oz! This also doesn't bode well, for my long held belief that I will go overdue.

I was also told that his head radius was 10.2 cm! Now I remember learning in my birth class that I am expected to dilate about 10 cm when I deliver. Hopefully, his head will be malleable, and I will stretch enough, because the numbers don't seem to mesh. :/
The OB said that Cesarean is an option as well, with larger babies. My OB also said that we can use the vacuum, if needed. (He doesn't use forceps) Basically we'll have to wait and see, just like with any other birth.

Also for Halloween, I dressed up for work and to give out Candy. I wanted to dress up as something that would take advantage of being pregnant. So I put on overalls, a t-shirt, and running shoes. I wore a crown, had a scepter, and a sash that said "Ms. Conception". It went over very well, and I received a lot of compliments on it. I was all excited to give out candy to the neighbourhood kids. I had carved a pumpkin, and bought a box of 80 chocolates. We only had 5 kids show up. Five! Bill was happy to have the chocolates for his lunches though.

Baby Shower

I had my baby shower yesterday, and it was alot of fun. First in the morning, Bill and I went and picked up the baby furniture we had arranged to purchase from a friend of my mother. It was a great deal; including a crib, dresser, rocking chair and change table, as well as the mattress, bedding, and a whole bunch of other things that she threw in for free. The set was solid Maple, and really well made, the bedding, etc.. was custom made, and really good quality. It was a good purchase, and should last us right through all of our kids. We paid less than it would have costs us to buy that melamine cr@p that they sell in the dept. stores.

Bill took everything home in the pickup while I continued on to Mississauga to pick up my mother. We arrived at the baby shower at about 12:45 a few minutes late, and there were a few people there already. Even considering the cancellations (3), we had a full house at my friend Shawna's. Tracy and Shawna had outdone themselves and had a food spread out that was more than enough for double the guests. Everyone had bought items from the registry which was a relief, because it was all stuff that I needed. We played some great games, and everyone was talking to one another and mingling. I had two other people there who were also pregnant, and one who had just given birth. So there was lots of pregnancy comparison going on. :)

All in all it was a great day, and I felt like I had a social life again. :)

When I got home Bill carried everything in from the car, and I went crazy, insisting that all the furniture and everything in the baby's room needed to be set up that night. Well, I cleaned the room, Bill got the furniture set up, and we unpacked most of the stuff. I still have some organizing to do, but the baby's room is ready. I feel prepared now! (Although I still have quite a few things to buy, to fill in the gaps)

2nd Ultrasound

So I went for my ultrasound today. It was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. Laying on the examining table, was incredibly painful on my back. The baby was weighing down, and I was in so much pain, that I thought I was going to faint. I think the pressure of laying on my back must have cut off the blood flow or something. This is the second episode I've had like that during the pregnancy. The other was while I was grocery shopping. I thought I was going to pass out, and I had to leave my cart in the aisle and go outside and put my head between my knees to recover.

This episode in the ultrasound was worse, because the nurse was pressing the scanner on my belly, and I don't think she believed I was feeling as bad as I was. I haven't felt that bad for 2 years. It was the first time that I had felt those symptoms; when I passed out while camping and had to be taken to the hospital. The cause has never been determined, so it's something that still worries me once in a while.

She gave me a pillow for my lower back, and wet paper towels for my face. It didn't help very much. We continued the ultrasound, for the most part, with me on my side and got as much done in that position as we could. As a result the ultrasound pictures were a little disappointing, and didn't come through as clearly as they could have. I'm not going to bother posting them. Even I find it hard to distinguish what it is I'm seeing, and I was in the exam room. All in all it was a disappointing day.

Breastfeeding Class

We decided that Bill didn't need to come to these classes, since he doesn't have breasts. :P So I got there a few minutes late, and when I walked in by myself, I felt a little awkward when I realized that there were dads there. But, unlike the childbirth classes, there were also single moms there too. In the end I'm glad Bill didn't come since it would have been a waste of his time. We covered general information for the first hour, which the fathers participated in, then the second hour was practical, where they kind of just sat on the other side of the classroom, or wandered the hospital hallway. We expanded somewhat on what I had already read and learned from my childbirth class. Most of it was review, but that's ok. Repetition is good for a pregnant woman's faulty memory. ;)

We did practice some of the feeding positions, but it was awkward using dolls that weren't lifelike or even life size in some cases. I feel pretty comfortable about it now, which is good. I was able to talk to the nurse about finding a nursing bra that would fit me. Up until this point, the only place I'd found that had them in my size is in Burlington, and the prices range from $60-$100 each. She recommended a place in Southworks mall called Maryleena's, which I'm going to check out. If that doesn't work out I may have to risk my sizing, and order over the internet.

Last Birth Class

We had our last class tonight, and one of the couples in the class was missing, because the mom went into premature labour last week. I think she was 3 weeks early. It kind of made it more real to me, that the baby could come early. It was also a little disheartening to listen to all the other moms talk about how they have their baby's rooms ready and decorated, and diapers and clothing bought. Some of them even have bags packed for the hospital. I don't even have a place for the baby to sleep yet! I've been so sure that I wouldn't deliver early, that I would deliver on time or late, that I now feel like I've left everything to the last minute. He'd better not come early.

The one final thing we did tonight was to make an appointment for a baby brag session in January. We're all going to meet at one of the girls houses and bring our babies, and see each other after we had time to recover. :) I understand the concept, and I know I'll probably look forward to getting out of the house with some other new parents by then. It's just that I didn't really make friends or bond with any of the other ladies, and it feels kind of forced to me. Oh well, I guess I'll wait until January to decide to go.

Ultrasound pictures

This is little Ryan Frederick Downes at about 21 weeks old. Just in case you can't tell, that's his profile, face up, with his hand near his forehead. Bill's quote on this picture:

I like this pic because it shows him scratching his head, pondering life's many mysteries, including..."why am I almost here?" =)

I had a Doctor's Appointment yesterday, and he said that everything is progressing along fine. The baby is in position head down and facing back, but that he hasn't dropped yet. That's good news since it means I'm not likely to go into labour anytime soon. He asked me to book an Ultrasound appointment, so we can check on the baby, and see how his size is progressing. I'm looking forward to it, because I can't wait to see my little guy again. :) Maybe it'll relieve my worries about his size. Sometimes I worry that he'll be small, since my weight gain has been small. Other times I worry he'll be big, because women in my family tend to deliver late, and to have large babies. I was over 8 lbs, my brother was almost 10 lbs, and Bill was 9 lbs when he was born. That's alot of baby to push out. :P

My appointment is scheduled for October 25th, so maybe I'll have some news and some more pictures to post then.

Pregnancy Weight Gain

So I figured I'd make two posts today, since Bill volunteered to work on the holiday, and I'm home alone. Plus, I want to try to put something up every couple of days, so this will catch me up. ;)

Right before I found out I was pregnant, I had won (tied anyway) a weight loss challenge at my office, by losing 20 lbs. I had been preparing for our Wedding, and I was still planning on losing additional weight after the challenge was over. Shortly afterwards I found out I was pregnant, which was a wonderful surprise. The only problem being that I started worrying about gaining a whole bunch of weight. I had a friend who gained almost 100 lbs during her pregnancy. She has since lost that weight, but it was hard for her to take it off.

So began my anxious monitoring of my bathroom scale. I started off weighing myself at the same time of day, every morning. I had already made alot of changes to my diet to include more fresh fruits and veggies, more fibre, and less junk. I continued almost with the same diet, I just increased the amount I ate. I asked my doctor about it, and she said that since I was already carrying some extra weight that I only needed to gain about 25 lbs with the baby. It is absolutely necessary for a mother to gain weight with her pregnancy, even if you're overweight to begin with. The baby cannot live on fat stores alone, they need nutrients, calcium, vitamins and protein on a daily basis for optimal growth.

When I tried to find information about weight gain expectations, I found this chart which shows how the additional weight is distributed.

7.5 - 8.5 lbs	Baby
2 lbs	Amniotic Fluid
1.5 - 2 lbs	Placenta
1.5 - 2 lbs	Breast Tissue
3 lbs	Blood Volume
2 - 2.5 lbs	Uterine Muscle
4 lbs	Water
8 lbs	Maternal Stores

The weight needed is about 32 lbs. If you're overweight to begin with, you can gain a little less, and vice versa, if you're underweight to begin with, you'll need to gain a little more. A healthy weight gain is anywhere from 25 to 35 lbs.

I'm about 34.5 weeks pregnant, and I've only gained 20 lbs. Sometimes I'm proud/happy about it, but sometimes I worry about it. Is this enough weight? My stomach and breasts keep getting bigger, and my fundus height is normal, but it just isn't being reflected on the scale. I haven't gained any weight in a few weeks, and I've heard that many women stop gaining weight in the last few weeks/month of pregnancy. I know lots of women would say, don't worry you're just lucky, but I really want to hit that 25 lb mark. What if this is it for the pregnancy?

Maybe I'll just shut up and go help myself to some Thanksgiving leftovers now. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, and I made a huge Thanksgiving Dinner. Turkey potatoes, stuffing, gravy, veggies, and an Apple Brown Betty for dessert. While I made dinner, Bill mowed the lawn, planted tulips and peonies, and weeded the garden. It was a nice meal, although it was just Bill and I. Bill said something interesting during dinner, which was that this would be our last "Holiday" dinner with just the two of us, for a very long time. It made it a little sweeter to recognize that and enjoy it in the moment. Although, I will say that our little guy made his presence known the entire time I was preparing, and and even eating dinner. :)

All in all it was a very nice day. I'm looking forward to being a mom, but it was romantic to have our Thanksgiving dinner to ourselves.

Breast Envy

“Breastfeeding is considered to be a child’s first immunization,” says UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman.

October 1st to 7th 2006 is World Breastfeeding Week in Canada. I've been seeing lots of information about this everytime I go to the Hospital, or to my Doctor's office. Cambridge also had it's second annual breastfeeding challenge on Tuesday. I wonder how many women showed up for the challenge, I tried to google it, but I couldn't find anything. It might have been interesting to participate, but really it's pretty much an accepted thing to breastfeed your child in public. It's legal for women to go topless in public anyway (in Ontario), even if your breast is nowhere near a child's mouth. :P

There is an International Code for the marketing of breast milk substitutes. The main points are that there should be no advertising of breastmilk substitutes to the public, no promotion through the health care system, and infant formula must not be portrayed as equally healthy as breastmilk. Studies have shown that formula-fed babies are at increased risk of childhood cancer, asthma, ear and respiratory infections, allergies, diabetes and gastrointestinal infections; score lower on intelligence and vocabulary tests, and as adults, are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity. In many countries, woman are brainwashed into thinking that formula is better, easier, or more liberated. Many women see a stigma attached to breastfeeding, believing that only poor women do it, and they only do it because they have to. (i.e. can't afford formula)

Although the International Code was ratified by the World Health Assembly, it has not been passed into law by the United States or Canada. I find it completely ironic, that we haven't included it in our laws. We are a first world Nation, with a Universal Health Care system, and yet, we don't feel the need to support breastfeeding. I guess it's the Big Business influence. Formula, baby food, diapers, and all things "baby" are HUGE moneymakers. It seems all you have to do is instill the fear in parents that if they don't get some specified "product" that they are a bad parent or giving their child substandard care. In general they are equating the amount of money you spend with how much you love your children. I see formula ads in parenting magazines, and advertising everywhere they can. Companies like Playtex, actively try to recruit parents through places like Welcome Wagon, Maternity clothing stores, sears Portrait studio packages, everywhere new parents are trying to find their way. Although they do limit themselves to promoting their product, and compare it only to other formulas, and never claim that it is better than breastmilk. I am almost the last of my group of friends to have a child, and yet, I am the first person to decide to breastfeed. The only exception is a friend that is now expecting her third, who is planning to breastfeed as well. I honestly don't understand why you would not breastfeed your child if you were capable. That is kind of my fear right now, that I won't be capable. Nothing so far indicates that I'll have a problem, but it isn't always something you can tell in advance.

Hopefully this won't be the first time in my life that I experience Breast Envy.

How early is too early?

I read an article in McLeans today about whether starting children in preschool/Montessori at an early age was good for them or not. It was a very interesting article and made me think alot about the plans I have for my children.

When I was about 20 years old I took a course in Day Care management. I was working in a Day Care centre at the time, although I gave that up as being a career that is drastically underpaid. Part of the course covered different teaching methods, including the Montessori method. I have thought ever since then that this is the way I want to go with my children, to give them the best start in life. I know that when I was a child, I had much more fun, and learned alot more in day care centres, than the times that I was cared for in someone's home. Maybe this is because I was raised in a single parent home (see further along in the post for my reasoning)

Ideally, I think that if my husband and I had the financial means, that home schooling would be the perfect option, at least while my children are young. I met a woman through Mensa that home-schooled her children, and they are so bright, outgoing, and precocious. I would love to see my children thrive, as hers seem to have done. I have no dounts that I have the creativity and intelligence to teach them what they need to know, in a fun way. Although when it comes to teaching biology, etc... I would probably want to step aside. I'm not that confident.

The article mentioned that there are studies being done now, that say that children in day care centres for more than 30 hours a week, have a slowing of cognitive growth.

"So if kids spend more [than 30 hours a week] in preschool centres, they're simply not keeping pace in their acquisition of social skills,"

The study warns against children attending preschool or daycare for more than five or six hours a day, or up to 30 hours a week. "Institutions, no matter how small and warm and fuzzy, start to regulate kids' behaviours," says Fuller. "Once you rigidify and routinize that, then kids start to shut down, and their cognitive growth starts to slow down."

Over the past decade, researchers have learned that the brain grows in response to love and affection during the first two years of life, he says; without this, babies' brains don't develop fully. "Children raised without sufficient loving care do not fully become the human beings they were meant to be."

I think this is a pretty common sense statement. The article also states later on, that Day Care is most beneficial to children living at the poorest levels, as they have fewer resources at home and less support. Children in middle-class homes actually have little or no benefit from a group day care environment. What I'm getting from this is that if the parents engage their children on a regular basis and raise them in a loving environment, that it helps their children more in the learning arena than learning their ABC's at a younger age.

Anyway, it was definitely food for thought. I guess it's good that I have some time to think about these things before I make any decisions. What with having 7 more weeks until my due date, and another 13 months Maternity Leave afterwards. :)

Belly Photos

I've seen all of these great pregnancy photos over the last few years. The celebration of women's bodies is a wonderful thing, and a woman always seems at her most beautiful when she's pregnant. I see these wonderful (most likely airbrushed :P)photos of celebrities, done by famous photographers, and I want that memento/keepsake for myself. There are local photographers that offer pregnancy packages to take pictures of your belly, but frankly I just don't have the money to fork out hundreds of dollars to commemorate my first pregnancy. So I decided to fool around today with some photos Bill took of me with the digital camera this week. This collage is what I've come up with. I still have other ideas of stuff I'd like to try out, plus other pictures to play around with, but this is my favourite from today.

It's my first time, I swear.

My first post, and I'm not quite sure what to say :)

I figured I would start off with the picture that commemorates the actual day we found out we were expecting. This was around March 24th. The baby was a surprise, but we were immensely happy. Since then we've gone through alot, including taking possession of our home in April, our Wedding and Honeymoon in May, as well as the Ultrasound in July, where we discovered we were expecting a son.

Something cool happened today, I had won an auction on Ebay from Motherhood Maternity. I won an auction for a lot of 25 pieces of new nursing clothing (mostly tops but also a dress, and bathing suit, from their warehouse) for $167.50. They arrived in the mail today, and the cool thing was that I didn't have to pay any duty on it. I had been expecting at least to pay GST, but it was just delivered to the door, nothing due! Anyway, I spent a fun hour trying on the clothes most of them fit, even though I'm still pregnant. I also had fun showing Bill the benefits and easy access of clothing designed for breastfeeding. ;)