Yesterday I was feeling a slight tingling in my throat, and today I've got a full-on sore throat. Not exactly what I had in mind for the days leading up to PK's arrival. Naturally, I'm not too pleased by the entire situation. For one thing, I HATE HATE HATE being sick (I know that I'm in for a rude awakening once PK starts daycare). The other thing is that since I'm pregnant, I can't take anything to relieve my symptoms. I already went through such misery back in January and February, after having caught 3 colds in a row, with the middle cold being the evil of all evils. I'm not exactly looking forward to what this unwanted bug will bring.
Unfortunately, this was bound to happen. Tons of people are sick these days. Not to mention the fact that I had a few day-long meetings last week one of my co-workers who sick kept coughing in my direction. I wish that people would just stay home when they're sick like that. My current workplace isn't like my old workplace where they kept track of how many sick days you took and when during the week it happened. Arrrgh! So aggravating!!!
I'm hoping that maybe I can make this bug go away by flushing out the toxins from my body with lots of water and lots of sweating. Some of my hard-core workout friends swear by this. I definitely have nothing to lose. Right now, my den feels like a furnace so I'm hoping that it's hot enough to sweat this little bug out. I'm trying not to go too far on the sweating thing because I don't want to endanger PK. I just don't want to be sick!!!
Showing posts with label Arrrrrrrrrrrgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arrrrrrrrrrrgh. Show all posts
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Torontonians Are Rude
You've read my bitching on how I don't care that people don't offer me their seats on the subway and how I'm annoyed that people eagerly open doors for me. Well, I guess I've done a 180 of sorts, now that PK looks like a basketball attached to my abdomen. While I really don't give a snoot about whether or not someone opens doors for me, I am starting to care more about whether or not people offer me seats on the subway.
It's not so much that I don't have enough balance to stand as the subway jerks about, but I DO have another little person to think about. Swaying around with a big belly on a crowded subway car can be very disconcerting, and I worry about PK.
In a nutshell Torontonians are rude - couldn't you tell from the post title? :P On more than one occasion, I've been in a crowded subway car, with big belly and standing room only, and NOBODY has had the courtesy to offer me a seat. I have to stand and hold the rail and hope that I don't swivel back-and-forth as the subway jerks about. What's more is that as people crowd the subway, they are either oblivious to or ignore the fact that I'm pregnant and try to smush me like a pancake.
Today was no exception. The hubby and I got on the subway, and it was really really crowded. As I got in, I asked a woman near the door to move inward a bit so that I had room to get on. She ignored me. Stupid bitch. I ended up having to stand, with the hubby holding the rail with one hand, my backpack with the other hand, and me trying to take on a stable stance so that I wouldn't flail as the subway jerked about. I finally managed to find a seat at the next stop, though no thanks to the kindness of strangers.
On another occasion on the subway, there was an empty seat out of a set of two that were perpendicular to the window. There was a guy sitting on the outermost seat (by the aisle), and the empty seat was the innermost one (by the window). One would expect the normal, gentlemanly thing to do would be for the guy to move over to the window seat so that I could sit at the aisle seat. Unfortunately, as I said, Torontonians are rude. All he did was shift his legs over so that I could squeeze into the window seat. I may not have gained a ton of weight during pregnancy, but I still have a fairly protruding belly. I can't squeeze into spaces like I used to. I was so pissed off by this guy that I declined his "offer" and looked for a seat elsewhere. Stupid bastard.
Yes, I know...y'all told me so...
It's not so much that I don't have enough balance to stand as the subway jerks about, but I DO have another little person to think about. Swaying around with a big belly on a crowded subway car can be very disconcerting, and I worry about PK.
In a nutshell Torontonians are rude - couldn't you tell from the post title? :P On more than one occasion, I've been in a crowded subway car, with big belly and standing room only, and NOBODY has had the courtesy to offer me a seat. I have to stand and hold the rail and hope that I don't swivel back-and-forth as the subway jerks about. What's more is that as people crowd the subway, they are either oblivious to or ignore the fact that I'm pregnant and try to smush me like a pancake.
Today was no exception. The hubby and I got on the subway, and it was really really crowded. As I got in, I asked a woman near the door to move inward a bit so that I had room to get on. She ignored me. Stupid bitch. I ended up having to stand, with the hubby holding the rail with one hand, my backpack with the other hand, and me trying to take on a stable stance so that I wouldn't flail as the subway jerked about. I finally managed to find a seat at the next stop, though no thanks to the kindness of strangers.
On another occasion on the subway, there was an empty seat out of a set of two that were perpendicular to the window. There was a guy sitting on the outermost seat (by the aisle), and the empty seat was the innermost one (by the window). One would expect the normal, gentlemanly thing to do would be for the guy to move over to the window seat so that I could sit at the aisle seat. Unfortunately, as I said, Torontonians are rude. All he did was shift his legs over so that I could squeeze into the window seat. I may not have gained a ton of weight during pregnancy, but I still have a fairly protruding belly. I can't squeeze into spaces like I used to. I was so pissed off by this guy that I declined his "offer" and looked for a seat elsewhere. Stupid bastard.
Yes, I know...y'all told me so...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Don't Mess with my Chi
Yesterday was a bit of a frustrating day. After waking up with such a lovely HypnoBirthing dream, it seems that my feeling of serenity went the way of the Dodo. It's not that my workday was bad or anything. It was fine, actually. It's when we got to our HypnoBirthing class yesterday that it all fell apart.
It started off well enough. Last class, we were assigned a "Fear Release" exercise, where each couple wrote down some of their fears related to birthing and parenting, and then discussed it afterwards. We had done our homework the night before and had a great talk resulting from our fear points. It was quite liberating actually. During yesterday's class, we went around the room and briefly discussed the exercise, with each couple talking about its top fear. They included:
1. Interference from the in-laws and how to tell them to buzz off nicely :P
2. Financials
3. Work life after baby
After our brief discussion, we were taken through a relaxation exercise to release our fears. I was all excited because usually the relaxation exercises leave me quite serene. I leaned back on my chair, and as Natasha (one of our instructors) read out the relaxation script, it began.
First, my thought was, "Crap, my back hurts. This is so uncomfortable. Should I shift? Nah...this will last a bit longer. I can hang on." Then, my left leg started bugging me. I don't know quite how to describe it other than a weird shooting pain down my leg - kind of like when people get those pains that indicate that the weather is about to change. I told myself, "It's okay. You're being tested. Just remain calm. Wish the pain away." But I couldn't. And so I stiffened up my leg. And this caused a similar pain on my arm. And next thing I knew, my shoulders were tense, and then my neck. I started shifting in my chair, and furrowing my brow.
By the end of it, I couldn't wait for the relaxation exercise to end, because I felt that once it ended, I could at least be more at ease in my seat. Talk about counter-productive! The funny thing is that I was able to visualize most of the things that Natasha was talking about in her script. I still went through the fear-release steps in my mind, but I wasn't relaxed, and I fidgeted the whole time.
That little episode freaked me out. What if I can't remain calm when I'm in labor? What if I start getting this annoying shooting pain? I've had this shooting pain before, when we went to see a movie a few weeks back. I spent the entire 2 hours writing in my chair, stiffening my limbs. Shifting here and shifting there. It was excruciating!
Class ended late because it was our last class *snif* (though we have a make-up scheduled for that one class we missed a couple of weeks back). We didn't get home until 10:30pm, and I was pooped by then. A nasty thunderstorm the night before had kept me awake and I felt like I hadn't slept in days.
In spite of all this, the HypnoBirthing classes have been pretty empowering. Besides realizing that having a drug-free birth not only is good for me, I also know that it's good for the baby. Plus I know what to expect when it comes to L-Day (Labor Day :P). I know that I can tell them that I don't want doctors/nurses to break my water for me, and that I can decline an episiotomy, and that I can tell them to bugger off if they tell me to birth lying down. (Did you know there are TONS of birthing positions???)
The only thing that sucks is when I tell people about HypnoBirthing, and they roll their eyes at me, like I'm some new-age psycho or have been brainwashed by a cult. I hate defending my decision to go with HypnoBirthing. I'm not crazy. It's not part of a cult. Sure, it's not mainstream, and that's probably what gets people. We've been going along with birthing in hospitals with drugs and being seen as potential C-section candidates because that's the status quo. But just because something is the status quo doesn't mean that it's necessarily right.
People used to believe that the Earth was the center of the Universe. That was the status quo and people went along with it. Today, we know better, because science has taught us otherwise. Maybe someday HypnoBirthing and other birthing methods like it will become more mainstream and people will learn to embrace it. I guess until that happens, we have to deal with the fact that in the Medical Universe, the Earth is still flat and is still the center of the Universe.
It started off well enough. Last class, we were assigned a "Fear Release" exercise, where each couple wrote down some of their fears related to birthing and parenting, and then discussed it afterwards. We had done our homework the night before and had a great talk resulting from our fear points. It was quite liberating actually. During yesterday's class, we went around the room and briefly discussed the exercise, with each couple talking about its top fear. They included:
1. Interference from the in-laws and how to tell them to buzz off nicely :P
2. Financials
3. Work life after baby
After our brief discussion, we were taken through a relaxation exercise to release our fears. I was all excited because usually the relaxation exercises leave me quite serene. I leaned back on my chair, and as Natasha (one of our instructors) read out the relaxation script, it began.
First, my thought was, "Crap, my back hurts. This is so uncomfortable. Should I shift? Nah...this will last a bit longer. I can hang on." Then, my left leg started bugging me. I don't know quite how to describe it other than a weird shooting pain down my leg - kind of like when people get those pains that indicate that the weather is about to change. I told myself, "It's okay. You're being tested. Just remain calm. Wish the pain away." But I couldn't. And so I stiffened up my leg. And this caused a similar pain on my arm. And next thing I knew, my shoulders were tense, and then my neck. I started shifting in my chair, and furrowing my brow.
By the end of it, I couldn't wait for the relaxation exercise to end, because I felt that once it ended, I could at least be more at ease in my seat. Talk about counter-productive! The funny thing is that I was able to visualize most of the things that Natasha was talking about in her script. I still went through the fear-release steps in my mind, but I wasn't relaxed, and I fidgeted the whole time.
That little episode freaked me out. What if I can't remain calm when I'm in labor? What if I start getting this annoying shooting pain? I've had this shooting pain before, when we went to see a movie a few weeks back. I spent the entire 2 hours writing in my chair, stiffening my limbs. Shifting here and shifting there. It was excruciating!
Class ended late because it was our last class *snif* (though we have a make-up scheduled for that one class we missed a couple of weeks back). We didn't get home until 10:30pm, and I was pooped by then. A nasty thunderstorm the night before had kept me awake and I felt like I hadn't slept in days.
In spite of all this, the HypnoBirthing classes have been pretty empowering. Besides realizing that having a drug-free birth not only is good for me, I also know that it's good for the baby. Plus I know what to expect when it comes to L-Day (Labor Day :P). I know that I can tell them that I don't want doctors/nurses to break my water for me, and that I can decline an episiotomy, and that I can tell them to bugger off if they tell me to birth lying down. (Did you know there are TONS of birthing positions???)
The only thing that sucks is when I tell people about HypnoBirthing, and they roll their eyes at me, like I'm some new-age psycho or have been brainwashed by a cult. I hate defending my decision to go with HypnoBirthing. I'm not crazy. It's not part of a cult. Sure, it's not mainstream, and that's probably what gets people. We've been going along with birthing in hospitals with drugs and being seen as potential C-section candidates because that's the status quo. But just because something is the status quo doesn't mean that it's necessarily right.
People used to believe that the Earth was the center of the Universe. That was the status quo and people went along with it. Today, we know better, because science has taught us otherwise. Maybe someday HypnoBirthing and other birthing methods like it will become more mainstream and people will learn to embrace it. I guess until that happens, we have to deal with the fact that in the Medical Universe, the Earth is still flat and is still the center of the Universe.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Stir-Crazy
I'm finding it harder and harder to concentrate at work these days if I spend a long period of time sitting at my desk. I'm seriously getting stir-crazy. The aches and pains and all that wonderful ick associated to 3rd trimester are sure hitting me. Today my lower back is hurting. My spine overall feels really stiff. I'm shifting in my chair every five minutes (or less). I lean this way and that way, and I'm sure that that's contributing to my aches. My posture has never been great, and lately, it has been worse. I just feel UNCOMFORTABLE! Top that with the fact that I'm trying to pump out a technical design document complete with inspiring (HA!) technical writing and pretty Visio diagrams makes me want to get up and leave, and enjoy that nice 22C weather outside.
On the bright side, *only* 10 more weeks to go! (give or take)
On the bright side, *only* 10 more weeks to go! (give or take)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Measles Update
After the hubby called me yesterday with the news of the guy in his office who potentially had the measles it was hard to concentrate. Did the guy at the office have the measles? Was the hubby immunized? Would I really be okay if I came into contact with somebody who had the measles? Would/should we be attending our HypnoBirthing class that evening?
By the time we'd left work yesterday, we still hadn't heard back from either the hubby's parents re: his immunization records or from his office re: the co-worker's medical status. He was COMPLETELY freaked out when I met up with him after work because a co-worker had sent him a measles fact sheet saying that an un-immunized pregnant woman could run the risk of premature labor or miscarriage. Oddly enough, I was the calm one. The poor guy looked like he'd seen a ghost, so I guess my reaction was to try to comfort him as he totally flipped out. I re-iterated the fact that I called the doctor's office and MotherRisk that afternoon, and that they said that the baby would be fine.
We got a hold of his parents just as we were eating dinner at Tim Horton's (the result of our kitchen having been gutted a day earlier). Unfortunately, it turns out that while he'd had the first measles vaccine, he'd never had the booster. According to Toronto Public Health, you're not considered a carrier as long as you've had your booster. I checked my records once we'd gotten home and found out that I've been immunized for the measles a whopping FOUR TIMES, so I would not be considered a carrier. The hubby, on the other hand, would be considered a carrier if office guy DID have the measles, so we thought it best to not attend the HypnoBirthing class that evening.
We were obviously bummed out, but it was the right thing to do. Besides, we hadn't heard back from his office re: the status of that co-worker, so we thought we'd be better safe than sorry. At any rate, since the disease apparently spreading like wildfire in downtown Toronto (probably parents getting it from their un-immunized kids attending daycare downtown), he is making arrangements to get that booster shot ASAP so that we don't have to go through this crap again.
At around 10:30pm, the hubby finally got word from his office that his co-worker DID NOT have the measles. Whew! Of course my first reaction was "Damn it, we could've gone to the HypnoBirthing class!", but I knew deep down inside that we'd done the right thing because:
And parents, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VACCINATE YOUR KIDS ALREADY!!!
By the time we'd left work yesterday, we still hadn't heard back from either the hubby's parents re: his immunization records or from his office re: the co-worker's medical status. He was COMPLETELY freaked out when I met up with him after work because a co-worker had sent him a measles fact sheet saying that an un-immunized pregnant woman could run the risk of premature labor or miscarriage. Oddly enough, I was the calm one. The poor guy looked like he'd seen a ghost, so I guess my reaction was to try to comfort him as he totally flipped out. I re-iterated the fact that I called the doctor's office and MotherRisk that afternoon, and that they said that the baby would be fine.
We got a hold of his parents just as we were eating dinner at Tim Horton's (the result of our kitchen having been gutted a day earlier). Unfortunately, it turns out that while he'd had the first measles vaccine, he'd never had the booster. According to Toronto Public Health, you're not considered a carrier as long as you've had your booster. I checked my records once we'd gotten home and found out that I've been immunized for the measles a whopping FOUR TIMES, so I would not be considered a carrier. The hubby, on the other hand, would be considered a carrier if office guy DID have the measles, so we thought it best to not attend the HypnoBirthing class that evening.
We were obviously bummed out, but it was the right thing to do. Besides, we hadn't heard back from his office re: the status of that co-worker, so we thought we'd be better safe than sorry. At any rate, since the disease apparently spreading like wildfire in downtown Toronto (probably parents getting it from their un-immunized kids attending daycare downtown), he is making arrangements to get that booster shot ASAP so that we don't have to go through this crap again.
At around 10:30pm, the hubby finally got word from his office that his co-worker DID NOT have the measles. Whew! Of course my first reaction was "Damn it, we could've gone to the HypnoBirthing class!", but I knew deep down inside that we'd done the right thing because:
- Even if the mothers had been immunized and their babies would be safe, the fathers could get sick. And it's not like the measles is a fun illness to have.
- If any of the mothers had not been immunized and something happened to one of the babies, we would NEVER forgive ourselves for it.
- We would expect someone in the same situation to extend us the same courtesy.
And parents, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VACCINATE YOUR KIDS ALREADY!!!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Measles: Near-Scare?
The hubby just called me at work to tell me that someone in his office just went to the ER under the suspicion that he or she has measles. I guess the Powers That Be at the office didn't want to name names to protect that individual from being smacked for his or her irresponsibility.
Of course, being 29 weeks pregnant, I flipped out. There's a measles outbreak in Toronto at the moment, and the main reason is that PARENTS DON'T HAVE THEIR KIDS VACCINATED!!! That totally pisses me off because it puts the general population at risk. Parents are weary of vaccinating their kids now because they think that vaccines are linked to autism. Newsflash: autism becomes apparent at around the same time as kids are of age to start getting vaccinated. There's no medical evidence linking the two!
I know that I've had my MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccine, but that was done over 10 years ago. Am I immune if the hubby gets sick? Did he ever get the MMR vaccine? Right now he's trying to get a hold of his mom to ask - we're still waiting to find out...
Anyway, I decided to call my doctor to be on the safe side. I was told that I *should* be okay, but suggested that I call MotherRisk just to be on the safe side. The lady at MotherRisk said that unlike Rubella (German Measles), if the mother gets sick with the measles, the baby is UNHARMED. That's at least a relief. Rubella, on the other hand, is another beast altogether. If the mother contracts Rubella, the baby can end up being born with birth defects. I know I'm fine for Rubella (I had a blood test to check up on my immunity to that before I got pregnant), so that's at least a relief. But that's neither here nor there - measles are the cause for concern right now, not Rubella.
The lady at MotherRisk also said that I should *technically* be immune to the measles because I got my MMR vaccine, but these things are never 100%. I still got sick with the whooping cough when I was 8 even though I had my DPT vaccine, so I am very painfully aware of the fact that she's right.
Still, I find this whole situation annoying. It's a total waiting game for us, and what a big pile of pooh this is. We have our HypnoBirthing class tonight, and we don't even know if we should show up...GAH!!!
Of course, being 29 weeks pregnant, I flipped out. There's a measles outbreak in Toronto at the moment, and the main reason is that PARENTS DON'T HAVE THEIR KIDS VACCINATED!!! That totally pisses me off because it puts the general population at risk. Parents are weary of vaccinating their kids now because they think that vaccines are linked to autism. Newsflash: autism becomes apparent at around the same time as kids are of age to start getting vaccinated. There's no medical evidence linking the two!
I know that I've had my MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccine, but that was done over 10 years ago. Am I immune if the hubby gets sick? Did he ever get the MMR vaccine? Right now he's trying to get a hold of his mom to ask - we're still waiting to find out...
Anyway, I decided to call my doctor to be on the safe side. I was told that I *should* be okay, but suggested that I call MotherRisk just to be on the safe side. The lady at MotherRisk said that unlike Rubella (German Measles), if the mother gets sick with the measles, the baby is UNHARMED. That's at least a relief. Rubella, on the other hand, is another beast altogether. If the mother contracts Rubella, the baby can end up being born with birth defects. I know I'm fine for Rubella (I had a blood test to check up on my immunity to that before I got pregnant), so that's at least a relief. But that's neither here nor there - measles are the cause for concern right now, not Rubella.
The lady at MotherRisk also said that I should *technically* be immune to the measles because I got my MMR vaccine, but these things are never 100%. I still got sick with the whooping cough when I was 8 even though I had my DPT vaccine, so I am very painfully aware of the fact that she's right.
Still, I find this whole situation annoying. It's a total waiting game for us, and what a big pile of pooh this is. We have our HypnoBirthing class tonight, and we don't even know if we should show up...GAH!!!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Glucose Tolerance Test
As I'd mentioned in my last post, the results from my glucose challenge test weren't so favorable, so I had to go for the 3-hour glucose tolerance test.
This test had to be scheduled, and I scheduled mine for this past Wednesday. Since this test requires fasting for ~12 hours, I stopped eating at 6:30pm the night before. My appointment was for 8am the next morning. When I got to the lab, there was a HUGE lineup - and the lab wasn't even open! Interestingly enough, most of the people in line were senior citizens. I guess they wanted to get their tests over and done with as quickly as possible. Why they would opt to wake up so early for blood tests and whatnot is beyond me, especially since I gathered that most of them were retired. Maybe they were fasting too. Anyway, I digress.
By the time I got started with everything, it was 8:45am. They made me give a urine sample first, and then they drew some blood (right arm) before I drank the orange drink. They gave me the drink soon afterward, which was a relief to me, because I was already starting to feel faint. Rather than feel better after consuming that drink, however, I felt worse. I guess not eating since 6:30pm the previous night didn't help. And now the waiting began. After downing the drink, I had to have my blood drawn once every hour, for 3 hours. This brought the grand total of needles poking my arms to 4. OUCH!
I found it a bit difficult to get comfortable. It didn't help that I had my backpack on me, complete with my Yoga mat (Wednesday is Yoga night), making my backpack extra-heavy. All of the technicians seemed pretty horrified that I was lugging this thing around at 6 months pregnant.
I brought 2 books with me to pass the time. One was The Omnivore's Dilemma, which, by the way, is an excellent read, though you'll probably never look at food the same way again. The other book was the HypnoBirthing book, which I got as part of the HypnoBirthing classes that we started taking. I hadn't opened the HypnoBirthing book yet, so I decided to read that. It was a great read, but waking up early that day plus fasting started getting to me, and within 30 minutes, I fell asleep. I woke up in time for the 2nd drawing of blood (left arm).
The second hour was not so painful. I was well-rested and got some good reading done. The HypnoBirthing book is a fascinating read, and really helped to calm me down. That morning, when I woke up, I had a bit of a "What the hell am I doing having a baby?" moment. I guess I'd been so busy with classes and work lately that I didn't even really have time to freak out. That morning, however, something got to me. Maybe as I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my big belly sticking out at me, realizing that life as I know it now would be over in 3 months or so. That, coupled with the fact that I have NO IDEA on what to expect as far as parenting goes just made me feel really uneasy all of a sudden. I'd told the hubby about my little freak-out morning, and he managed to calm me down somewhat. The HypnoBirthing book, however, helped calm me down further. Any bit of anxiety that was still lingering from that morning was gone. It put me in a good headspace and made me realize that having PK around will be an exciting time, even if it will be challenging at times. Right now, though, I needed to focus on having a successful pregnancy and labor.
After the 2nd hour was over, it was time to draw more blood (right arm again). The third hour went by really quickly. The blood lab was ridiculously busy the entire time I was there. I'm glad I found a seat after each time I had blood drawn, because I was tired and felt light-headed. Finally, the 3rd hour was done, and blood was drawn one last time. The vein on my left arm was pretty swollen, so the lab tech had to poke my right arm a 3rd time. If you'd looked at my arms that day, I'd probably look like a drug addict. Oy...
Now I sit and wait. My next doctor's appointment is on Monday. My test results were supposedly in sometime today and I haven't gotten any calls from the doctor's office. I don't know if it's because they'll wait to let me know about the test results on Monday, or if there's nothing wrong with me. Hopefully it will be the latter. Stay tuned!
This test had to be scheduled, and I scheduled mine for this past Wednesday. Since this test requires fasting for ~12 hours, I stopped eating at 6:30pm the night before. My appointment was for 8am the next morning. When I got to the lab, there was a HUGE lineup - and the lab wasn't even open! Interestingly enough, most of the people in line were senior citizens. I guess they wanted to get their tests over and done with as quickly as possible. Why they would opt to wake up so early for blood tests and whatnot is beyond me, especially since I gathered that most of them were retired. Maybe they were fasting too. Anyway, I digress.
By the time I got started with everything, it was 8:45am. They made me give a urine sample first, and then they drew some blood (right arm) before I drank the orange drink. They gave me the drink soon afterward, which was a relief to me, because I was already starting to feel faint. Rather than feel better after consuming that drink, however, I felt worse. I guess not eating since 6:30pm the previous night didn't help. And now the waiting began. After downing the drink, I had to have my blood drawn once every hour, for 3 hours. This brought the grand total of needles poking my arms to 4. OUCH!
I found it a bit difficult to get comfortable. It didn't help that I had my backpack on me, complete with my Yoga mat (Wednesday is Yoga night), making my backpack extra-heavy. All of the technicians seemed pretty horrified that I was lugging this thing around at 6 months pregnant.
I brought 2 books with me to pass the time. One was The Omnivore's Dilemma, which, by the way, is an excellent read, though you'll probably never look at food the same way again. The other book was the HypnoBirthing book, which I got as part of the HypnoBirthing classes that we started taking. I hadn't opened the HypnoBirthing book yet, so I decided to read that. It was a great read, but waking up early that day plus fasting started getting to me, and within 30 minutes, I fell asleep. I woke up in time for the 2nd drawing of blood (left arm).
The second hour was not so painful. I was well-rested and got some good reading done. The HypnoBirthing book is a fascinating read, and really helped to calm me down. That morning, when I woke up, I had a bit of a "What the hell am I doing having a baby?" moment. I guess I'd been so busy with classes and work lately that I didn't even really have time to freak out. That morning, however, something got to me. Maybe as I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my big belly sticking out at me, realizing that life as I know it now would be over in 3 months or so. That, coupled with the fact that I have NO IDEA on what to expect as far as parenting goes just made me feel really uneasy all of a sudden. I'd told the hubby about my little freak-out morning, and he managed to calm me down somewhat. The HypnoBirthing book, however, helped calm me down further. Any bit of anxiety that was still lingering from that morning was gone. It put me in a good headspace and made me realize that having PK around will be an exciting time, even if it will be challenging at times. Right now, though, I needed to focus on having a successful pregnancy and labor.
After the 2nd hour was over, it was time to draw more blood (right arm again). The third hour went by really quickly. The blood lab was ridiculously busy the entire time I was there. I'm glad I found a seat after each time I had blood drawn, because I was tired and felt light-headed. Finally, the 3rd hour was done, and blood was drawn one last time. The vein on my left arm was pretty swollen, so the lab tech had to poke my right arm a 3rd time. If you'd looked at my arms that day, I'd probably look like a drug addict. Oy...
Now I sit and wait. My next doctor's appointment is on Monday. My test results were supposedly in sometime today and I haven't gotten any calls from the doctor's office. I don't know if it's because they'll wait to let me know about the test results on Monday, or if there's nothing wrong with me. Hopefully it will be the latter. Stay tuned!
Week 28
Although I look more pregnant this week, I'm always surprised by how many people look at me and say that I look small for being 6 months pregnant. I guess one of these days I should post an updated photo so you can judge for yourself. I'm still not experiencing any issues with balance that I hear so many pregnant women complain about.
I am, however, starting to experience swollen feet. At least I think they're swollen. I bought a pair of slip-ons about 2 months ago or so, and they were a bit large on me when I first bought them, and now they fit pretty snugly. I'm guessing that it's due to swelling. As long as my feet don't swell so much that I can't fit into my shoes, I'm totally okay with it. Another thing that's new to me is a tightness that I feel on my calves. I actually think that they're swelling too. I find that sometimes after I sit for a while, they feel rather stiff, and I have to shake them out.
Another wonderful side-effect of 3rd trimester is that I find that my arms seem to fall asleep a lot more easily than they did before. I get that pesky pins and needles sensation that requires a bit of shaking to get rid of.
I swear that throughout my entire pregnancy, just when I've adapted to one thing, some new sensation/ailment comes along which takes me by surprise and requires me to adapt once again. I guess that's the way it rolls. As long as the surprise isn't too huge, I can live with it.
Speaking of surprises, I was in for a big one last week, when I went to see my new OB. After the epicly-long appointment with my new OB last week, the hubby and I decided to hit McDonald's for milkshakes. I've pretty much sworn off McDonald's except for ice-cream, and breakfast. We always hit McDonald's for breakfast on ultrasound day because there's one right beside the lab where I get my early-morning ultrasounds done (granted, I feel guilty every time I go there for breakfast). Anyway, I digress. So we'd just gotten our milkshakes from McDonald's and started walking back towards the subway station, when I get a call from the OB's office. Apparently my glucos challenge test results had come in, and I was JUST above the cut-off. The cut-off for that test is 7.8, and my results came in at 8.1. This meant that they wanted to schedule me for the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Ugh. I don't mind drinking the sugary Orange Fanta drink, but sitting in a lab for 3 hours is not my idea of fun. Ugh.
Other than the glucose test, I went on yet another maternity clothes shopping trip. I've pretty much decided that I won't be buying any more long-sleeve shirts for the rest of the season, in spite of the fact that it has been rather cold in Toronto lately. Summer clothes, however, are still on the table. I'd like to think that the weather will warm up relatively soon, and therefore I would like to have a decent summer wardrobe.
Although I love the stuff at Rhonda Maternity, it IS on the expensive side. So I decided to go to Thyme Maternity. They've got decent selection AND I had a $50 discount card that I got with my last purchase there. Bonus! I ended up buying more items than I'd planned on buying, but I'm betting on the fact that I will get more wear out of these clothes.
The only thing that totally bugs me about Thyme Maternity is when I go to pay for my clothes. First, they try to make me fill out some ballot for free baby stuff. I don't need some crappy package of baby products that I will probably not even use - especially since we're going for the enviro-friendly Seventh-Generation products that we can get at Whole Foods and Grassroots. After passing that hurdle, I am always asked whether or not I want to be put on their list. I politely tell them "No, thank-you." Usually they're not pushy, but one time I was at Thyme Maternity, the cashier told me that I had to give them my address so that they could put me in their system. I knew that this was bullcrap, and I called her on it. She finally left me alone. I really hate it when stores push you to give them your address - ESPECIALLY when I know that they can't force you to provide you with that information.
So two hurdles down. One more to go. Next I was asked if I wanted the anti-stretch-mark cream that they sell. I'd been thinking of getting some of that stuff anyway, so I took the bait. Then I was told that if I bought two bottles of the cream, I'd get the third one for free. The one bottle was already $20 and I had no idea if it was even any good, so why the hell would I spend $40 on TWO bottles just to get the third one free??? Thanks, but no thanks.
Three hurdles later, I was finally able to pay for my merchandise. At least they didn't bug me when I told them that I didn't want a bag and that I didn't want my clothes wrapped in tissue paper. Bleh. I really like the clothes at Thyme Maternity, but their employees really need to work on being less pushy.
I am, however, starting to experience swollen feet. At least I think they're swollen. I bought a pair of slip-ons about 2 months ago or so, and they were a bit large on me when I first bought them, and now they fit pretty snugly. I'm guessing that it's due to swelling. As long as my feet don't swell so much that I can't fit into my shoes, I'm totally okay with it. Another thing that's new to me is a tightness that I feel on my calves. I actually think that they're swelling too. I find that sometimes after I sit for a while, they feel rather stiff, and I have to shake them out.
Another wonderful side-effect of 3rd trimester is that I find that my arms seem to fall asleep a lot more easily than they did before. I get that pesky pins and needles sensation that requires a bit of shaking to get rid of.
I swear that throughout my entire pregnancy, just when I've adapted to one thing, some new sensation/ailment comes along which takes me by surprise and requires me to adapt once again. I guess that's the way it rolls. As long as the surprise isn't too huge, I can live with it.
Speaking of surprises, I was in for a big one last week, when I went to see my new OB. After the epicly-long appointment with my new OB last week, the hubby and I decided to hit McDonald's for milkshakes. I've pretty much sworn off McDonald's except for ice-cream, and breakfast. We always hit McDonald's for breakfast on ultrasound day because there's one right beside the lab where I get my early-morning ultrasounds done (granted, I feel guilty every time I go there for breakfast). Anyway, I digress. So we'd just gotten our milkshakes from McDonald's and started walking back towards the subway station, when I get a call from the OB's office. Apparently my glucos challenge test results had come in, and I was JUST above the cut-off. The cut-off for that test is 7.8, and my results came in at 8.1. This meant that they wanted to schedule me for the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Ugh. I don't mind drinking the sugary Orange Fanta drink, but sitting in a lab for 3 hours is not my idea of fun. Ugh.
Other than the glucose test, I went on yet another maternity clothes shopping trip. I've pretty much decided that I won't be buying any more long-sleeve shirts for the rest of the season, in spite of the fact that it has been rather cold in Toronto lately. Summer clothes, however, are still on the table. I'd like to think that the weather will warm up relatively soon, and therefore I would like to have a decent summer wardrobe.
Although I love the stuff at Rhonda Maternity, it IS on the expensive side. So I decided to go to Thyme Maternity. They've got decent selection AND I had a $50 discount card that I got with my last purchase there. Bonus! I ended up buying more items than I'd planned on buying, but I'm betting on the fact that I will get more wear out of these clothes.
The only thing that totally bugs me about Thyme Maternity is when I go to pay for my clothes. First, they try to make me fill out some ballot for free baby stuff. I don't need some crappy package of baby products that I will probably not even use - especially since we're going for the enviro-friendly Seventh-Generation products that we can get at Whole Foods and Grassroots. After passing that hurdle, I am always asked whether or not I want to be put on their list. I politely tell them "No, thank-you." Usually they're not pushy, but one time I was at Thyme Maternity, the cashier told me that I had to give them my address so that they could put me in their system. I knew that this was bullcrap, and I called her on it. She finally left me alone. I really hate it when stores push you to give them your address - ESPECIALLY when I know that they can't force you to provide you with that information.
So two hurdles down. One more to go. Next I was asked if I wanted the anti-stretch-mark cream that they sell. I'd been thinking of getting some of that stuff anyway, so I took the bait. Then I was told that if I bought two bottles of the cream, I'd get the third one for free. The one bottle was already $20 and I had no idea if it was even any good, so why the hell would I spend $40 on TWO bottles just to get the third one free??? Thanks, but no thanks.
Three hurdles later, I was finally able to pay for my merchandise. At least they didn't bug me when I told them that I didn't want a bag and that I didn't want my clothes wrapped in tissue paper. Bleh. I really like the clothes at Thyme Maternity, but their employees really need to work on being less pushy.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Name Game
People keep asking me if we've come up with any names for the baby. The answer is yes and no. We started looking at names when I was at 12 weeks. The boy names came really easily. I suggested 2 names, and the hubby took to them immediately. No questions asked. My top name was his top name. Easy peasy! The girl names, on the other hand, have been tougher. Our initial brainstorming session did yield an initial short list of girl names; however, none of the names we came up with tickled my fancy the way the boy names did. I didn't worry too much, since I was pretty convinced that PK would be a boy. It turns out, however, that PK is a girl, according to two different medical professionals.
Since I wasn't totally satisfied with our initial list of girl names, it was back to square one. We tried baby name sites. We bought a book. Let me tell you - there are A LOT of weird names out there. I definitely think it's cool to have an original and/or unusual name, but within reason. Parents-to-be need to realize that kids can be evil little brats and they'll pick on other kids over ANYTHING, including a name. So Apple, beware of playground bullies. If you get beat up, blame mommy Gwenyth Paltrow. (What was she thinking?!)
I am also opposed to weird name spellings. If you want to be original, at least pick an exotic name. And by exotic, I mean a person's name that exists from another culture, not some made-up crap name that will get your kid beat up in the schoolyard (see previous paragraph).
I was born in Brazil, and I thought it would be cool to have a Portuguese name. Unfortunately, most Portuguese names, to me, sound dorky, especially when you anglicize them. Compounded with the fact that the hubby is of Scottish and British descent (as WASPy as it gets!), I can't even imagine what it would be like for him to try to pronounce (let alone spell) a Portuguese name. My own name anglicizes nicely, so the hubby has no trouble with spelling and pronounciation. :P
I'd also considered French names, but that puts us in the same pickle as the Portuguese names. I also thought that a Shakespearean name would be neat, but I haven't encountered a Shakespearean girl name that is the "it" name.
I really like the name Ariel, but the hubby says it reminds him of the character in "The Little Mermaid". Too bad. It's one of my favorites. I also like the name Aïda (as in title character in the Verdi opera), but the hubby thinks it's too weird. Too bad. I loooooooooove the umlaut! Pooh on him. :P I would also love a name with an accent. I think the name Padmé is cool because of the accent, but the kid would NEVER live down the "Star Wars" reference. That's up there with Nicholas Cage naming his kid Kal-El. Oy...
We did finally come up with a short list of girl names (around 3 or 5 names), though I think that it has been narrowed to two candidates. They are easy to spell and easy to pronounce. They are Anglo-ish names, which is probably good, given the hubby's super-WASPy last name. :P The problem? We both like both names; however, he really likes one name, and I really like the other.
Now in case you're wondering, I'm not sharing names until showtime. I got the idea from my sister-in-law. She and her husband did that when they were expecting their first child, and I think it worked out well. EVERYONE has an opinion about names, and some people can be quite adamant about it. We definitely don't need that right now. Unfortunately, when we told family that we weren't sharing our baby names, I got some serious lip service from my side of the family. My mom and my sister both said something along the lines of, "But why wouldn't you tell ME?", and my grandmother is completely disturbed by the fact that we don't have a name for the baby, and she doesn't know what to call it. I would've told her about the PK nickname, but try explaining that to a 75-year-old Brazilian lady. Not easy.
I did cave and tell my mom the boy name, but it was after we'd found out that we were having a girl, so no danger. Even so, I got so much criticism for that one name, that I'm really glad that I didn't reveal the girl name. Besides, I think that the hubby would not have been too pleased about that one. I think that part of the reason why we won't quite settle on a girl name is to stave off prying family members. If we don't pick a name, we don't have to tell them that we've picked one but aren't telling. I guess we've picked two but aren't telling, but oh well. :P In the meantime, I get name suggestions from my mom and my grandmother every so often. I smile and nod. I love my mom and my grandmother, but it's our decision, not theirs.
As for the middle name, THAT was easy. Call me weird, but I don't like middle names, which is pretty funny considering that the hubby goes by his middle name (big long story around that one). My aversion to middle names might be an upbringing/cultural thing. In Brazilian culture, the child's middle name is the same as the mother's maiden name. I guess it's more like a surname than a middle name, really. At any rate, I told the hubby that I would like PK's middle name to be my maiden name, and he agreed. (Did he really have a choice? :P) So I guess in the end we get the best of both worlds. I retain a bit of my culture, and PK ends up with a North American name that the hubby can both spell and pronounce.
Since I wasn't totally satisfied with our initial list of girl names, it was back to square one. We tried baby name sites. We bought a book. Let me tell you - there are A LOT of weird names out there. I definitely think it's cool to have an original and/or unusual name, but within reason. Parents-to-be need to realize that kids can be evil little brats and they'll pick on other kids over ANYTHING, including a name. So Apple, beware of playground bullies. If you get beat up, blame mommy Gwenyth Paltrow. (What was she thinking?!)
I am also opposed to weird name spellings. If you want to be original, at least pick an exotic name. And by exotic, I mean a person's name that exists from another culture, not some made-up crap name that will get your kid beat up in the schoolyard (see previous paragraph).
I was born in Brazil, and I thought it would be cool to have a Portuguese name. Unfortunately, most Portuguese names, to me, sound dorky, especially when you anglicize them. Compounded with the fact that the hubby is of Scottish and British descent (as WASPy as it gets!), I can't even imagine what it would be like for him to try to pronounce (let alone spell) a Portuguese name. My own name anglicizes nicely, so the hubby has no trouble with spelling and pronounciation. :P
I'd also considered French names, but that puts us in the same pickle as the Portuguese names. I also thought that a Shakespearean name would be neat, but I haven't encountered a Shakespearean girl name that is the "it" name.
I really like the name Ariel, but the hubby says it reminds him of the character in "The Little Mermaid". Too bad. It's one of my favorites. I also like the name Aïda (as in title character in the Verdi opera), but the hubby thinks it's too weird. Too bad. I loooooooooove the umlaut! Pooh on him. :P I would also love a name with an accent. I think the name Padmé is cool because of the accent, but the kid would NEVER live down the "Star Wars" reference. That's up there with Nicholas Cage naming his kid Kal-El. Oy...
We did finally come up with a short list of girl names (around 3 or 5 names), though I think that it has been narrowed to two candidates. They are easy to spell and easy to pronounce. They are Anglo-ish names, which is probably good, given the hubby's super-WASPy last name. :P The problem? We both like both names; however, he really likes one name, and I really like the other.
Now in case you're wondering, I'm not sharing names until showtime. I got the idea from my sister-in-law. She and her husband did that when they were expecting their first child, and I think it worked out well. EVERYONE has an opinion about names, and some people can be quite adamant about it. We definitely don't need that right now. Unfortunately, when we told family that we weren't sharing our baby names, I got some serious lip service from my side of the family. My mom and my sister both said something along the lines of, "But why wouldn't you tell ME?", and my grandmother is completely disturbed by the fact that we don't have a name for the baby, and she doesn't know what to call it. I would've told her about the PK nickname, but try explaining that to a 75-year-old Brazilian lady. Not easy.
I did cave and tell my mom the boy name, but it was after we'd found out that we were having a girl, so no danger. Even so, I got so much criticism for that one name, that I'm really glad that I didn't reveal the girl name. Besides, I think that the hubby would not have been too pleased about that one. I think that part of the reason why we won't quite settle on a girl name is to stave off prying family members. If we don't pick a name, we don't have to tell them that we've picked one but aren't telling. I guess we've picked two but aren't telling, but oh well. :P In the meantime, I get name suggestions from my mom and my grandmother every so often. I smile and nod. I love my mom and my grandmother, but it's our decision, not theirs.
As for the middle name, THAT was easy. Call me weird, but I don't like middle names, which is pretty funny considering that the hubby goes by his middle name (big long story around that one). My aversion to middle names might be an upbringing/cultural thing. In Brazilian culture, the child's middle name is the same as the mother's maiden name. I guess it's more like a surname than a middle name, really. At any rate, I told the hubby that I would like PK's middle name to be my maiden name, and he agreed. (Did he really have a choice? :P) So I guess in the end we get the best of both worlds. I retain a bit of my culture, and PK ends up with a North American name that the hubby can both spell and pronounce.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Maternity Clothing Conspiracy
I'm pretty convinced that there's a maternity clothing conspiracy out there, to dress mothers-to-be in the tackiest clothes ever. I think that's why so many moms get "mom cuts" and start wearing ugly clothing. They've been brainwashed into tackiness during pregnancy, and so they just continue the trend into motherhood. I think that's it.
Now that the weather is warming up, I thought it would be nice to get a few maternity skirts. I like wearing skirts and dresses all summer long if I can, and I don't think that just because I'm pregnant, I shouldn't continue the trend. I've got a couple of skirts that I can actually wear while pregnant, but I figure I want at least 2 more pairs that I can wear, hopefully in a similar style, so I can wear once I regain my figure as well. Variety is the spice of life, after all. :)
Anyway, yesterday, I set out to look for maternity skirts at the inexpensive stores that sell maternity wear: H&M, Old Navy, and GAP. Oh, they had maternity clothes all right...but a) they were tacky and b) they had no skirts (or if they did, they were butt-ugly). Bleh. So much for going the inexpensive route. I guess I could've tried Thyme Maternity, but at that point, I was annoyed by the shopping mall and annoyed by the fruitlessness of my search, so I decided to return to my little piece of maternity wear heaven: Rhonda Maternity.
We got there just before closing, and in 10 minutes, I'd managed to find 2 skirts which matched my search criteria. Piece of cake. Yes, I spent almost $200 on 2 skirts (GASP!), and no, I was not planning on spending that much $$$ on 2 skirts, but I did try the cheapie route, and it failed me. At least I know that I won't look frumptacular and that I can wear them post-partum. Was it worth the $200 then? Yes.
Is there a maternity skirt conspiracy out there? Yes. Why do I say this? If there was no conspiracy, I would've been able to find my skirts at the cheapie places. No such luck. QED. So skirts are taken care of. Now I just have to worry about finding some pairs of shorts and a few dresses. I dread shopping for shorts because I know that the only crap that I will be able to find will be those stupid crop pants (ugh) or capris (double-ugh), or Bermuda shorts (triple-ugh).
Now I understand why so many pregnant women try to borrow maternity clothes from friends/family...
Now that the weather is warming up, I thought it would be nice to get a few maternity skirts. I like wearing skirts and dresses all summer long if I can, and I don't think that just because I'm pregnant, I shouldn't continue the trend. I've got a couple of skirts that I can actually wear while pregnant, but I figure I want at least 2 more pairs that I can wear, hopefully in a similar style, so I can wear once I regain my figure as well. Variety is the spice of life, after all. :)
Anyway, yesterday, I set out to look for maternity skirts at the inexpensive stores that sell maternity wear: H&M, Old Navy, and GAP. Oh, they had maternity clothes all right...but a) they were tacky and b) they had no skirts (or if they did, they were butt-ugly). Bleh. So much for going the inexpensive route. I guess I could've tried Thyme Maternity, but at that point, I was annoyed by the shopping mall and annoyed by the fruitlessness of my search, so I decided to return to my little piece of maternity wear heaven: Rhonda Maternity.
We got there just before closing, and in 10 minutes, I'd managed to find 2 skirts which matched my search criteria. Piece of cake. Yes, I spent almost $200 on 2 skirts (GASP!), and no, I was not planning on spending that much $$$ on 2 skirts, but I did try the cheapie route, and it failed me. At least I know that I won't look frumptacular and that I can wear them post-partum. Was it worth the $200 then? Yes.
Is there a maternity skirt conspiracy out there? Yes. Why do I say this? If there was no conspiracy, I would've been able to find my skirts at the cheapie places. No such luck. QED. So skirts are taken care of. Now I just have to worry about finding some pairs of shorts and a few dresses. I dread shopping for shorts because I know that the only crap that I will be able to find will be those stupid crop pants (ugh) or capris (double-ugh), or Bermuda shorts (triple-ugh).
Now I understand why so many pregnant women try to borrow maternity clothes from friends/family...
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Lay Off My Belly!
Now that I'm starting to really show - enough that my arsenal of maternity clothes has gone from 3 shirts and 2 tanktops to a whopping 7 shirts and 2 tanktops - people seem to think that I have a sign posted on my belly that says "Touch Me". WTF is up with that??? Before getting pregnant, my abdomen was completely uninteresting to the general public, and now, everyone seems to think that it's public property. Not cool.
I've read in my pregnancy books that this is a common occurrence, but I guess I didn't quite believe it until now. After all, IT MAKES NO SENSE. Unfortunately, I'm too shy to say "Stay the F! away from my belly, you creep!", so I just smile and laugh when they touch my belly. Obviously the wrong kind of feedback as it only encourages that type of behavior.
Here are some belly-touching deterrents that I've come up with thus far:
1. Post a big sign on my belly that says "Lay off!"
2. Slap anyone who touches my belly
3. Always walk around with my hands in front of me
4. Touch the toucher's abdomen if they touch mine
5. Spray the toucher with Lysol
6. Rub the toucher's head
How would you deal with this? Any suggestions are welcome!
I've read in my pregnancy books that this is a common occurrence, but I guess I didn't quite believe it until now. After all, IT MAKES NO SENSE. Unfortunately, I'm too shy to say "Stay the F! away from my belly, you creep!", so I just smile and laugh when they touch my belly. Obviously the wrong kind of feedback as it only encourages that type of behavior.
Here are some belly-touching deterrents that I've come up with thus far:
1. Post a big sign on my belly that says "Lay off!"
2. Slap anyone who touches my belly
3. Always walk around with my hands in front of me
4. Touch the toucher's abdomen if they touch mine
5. Spray the toucher with Lysol
6. Rub the toucher's head
How would you deal with this? Any suggestions are welcome!
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