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.