For the Baby

Some of my favorite foods during the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy (besides my Sunday donut and Sunday night pumpkin pie). I didn't really like food much during the 1st trimester... but I sure did eat a lot during the 1st. Hope Baby J develops a liking for these things early on:

OJ, Organic Milk, Eggs:


Good portable snacks. Prunes & Almonds:

Canned Atlantic Red Salmon (Wild Caught). I use this instead of canned tuna or farm raised salmon.:

Cereals (notice the "Hemp" Plus Granola... says on the back that there is only 3 parts per million of THC... not a significant amount):

Bananas, Fuji Apples, Tomatoes, Peanut Butter, 2% Plain Greek Yogurt, & Cheese:

Veggies going into my salad:

Red Bell Pepper, Orange Bell Pepper, Tomato, Carrot and Celery Salad with Balsamic Dressing:

Spinach, celery, carrot salad:

Other ways I'm preparing for this baby:

Childbirth Education Series coverpage (Teacher: Kathy Killebrew):

Phases and Satages of Labor:

Transition... this is where almost all ladies will ask for and really want an epidural, but you can see in my notes that our teacher said that if you can get to 7cm, it doesn't get any harder after that and you are "almost done!"... "Think about one contraction at a time". Are those tears coming out of the corners of the ladies face? I'll probably be begging for pain relief, but hopefully my "coach" (hubby J) will refuse my request:

Taking lots of notes... now I'm a student of Pregnancy and Childbirth:

Nutrition, Labor, and Technology Choices:

On Becoming Baby Wise, Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep:

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth:

My Exercise Ball (I just sit on it... it's supposed to help with Labor):


Aches and Pains:
* I've been having some thoracic back pain. Mostly near the most acute part of my curve and I think I can feel a hook or bump in that area. I think this is due to my surgery and all the extra weight in front. If I stretch or lay down, it feels better and usually doesn't start till mid day.
* Right pelvic/hip pain. I think most people would call this sciatica, but I read today that sciatica is more of a pinched or injured nerve and causes pain down the leg. I have no numbness or pain down the leg, but just a pain in my right illiac crest (upper back pelvic) region. It's right where my 2nd back surgery scar is (where the doctor took bone from my illac crest to put it next to my spine for fusion.
* Stomach aches... mostly when I eat heavy (creamy) or sugary foods... I think. I haven't pinpointed the exact foods yet. This isn't too bad.
* I'm thirsty all day long... which means I'm drinking all day long and going to the bathroom all day.
* Waking up at 3am to go to the restroom. This is normal and good practice for when the baby wakes up at night to eat.

A poem by Amy Carmichael:

I'm almost done with the book A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot about the life of Amy Carmichael, missionary to India. I love this poem she (Amy Carmichael) wrote expressing her acute sense of the need of forgiveness and help. This poem is beautiful:

The shadows of the underworld
Compassed about my guilty soul,
And thunderbolts were on me hurled,
And lightnings flashed; and on a scroll
Was written down, without, within,
The secret of my hidden sin.

Without, within, I saw it stand,
In clearest words accusing me;
Till, as it were, a wounded hand
Annulled its record, set me free;
With that the stormy wind did cease;
A voice commanded; there was peace.

O Savior, striken for my sin,
O God, who gavest Him to grief,
O Spirit, who didst woo and win
My troubled soul to seek relief,
O Love revealed at Calvary,
Thy glory lights eternity.

Week 26: Milestones

Milestones:
#1 We both listened to a John MacArthur sermon yesterday... I used one iPod earbud and put the other on my lower abdomen for her. She kicked! I think she liked it. The sermon series is on "Self Discipline". Never to early to start learning about self discipline... Seriously, the sermon was for me. I just happened to have an extra earbud because I was laying on my side and only using one.

#2 I felt her hiccup for the first time last night at around 5am. I went to the restroom and after getting back in bed, I felt a rhythmic movement for a few minutes. I was pretty sure it was hiccups and when I looked it up this morning online, I confirmed that feeling hiccups is very common in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. Babies can even get them in the 1st trimester, but babies are so little in the 1st that moms can't feel them yet.

My next doctors appointment is on October 28 and I'll write more then.

Bradley Class #2

Before I forget, I wanted to write down some of the most important things that I remember from today's Bradley Method class:

1. www.spinningbabies.com is a great resource to learn techniques to move the baby into the proper position for birth before birth. From Transverse or Breech position to head down... from posterior position (ouch, back labor) to anterior position. One interesting suggestion by our teacher was to place something cold on the top of your belly because babies do not like cold, and then put some headphones with music on the bottom of your belly because babies like music (baby turns from breech to head down). Or you can do headstands at the pool (baby turns from breech to head down). The pelvic tilt (done on all fours) helps the baby to rotate from posterior to anterior position (can be done during labor too).





2. It is good for a woman in labor to eat and drink for the first two stages of labor (before reaching transition). So up until you reach 7cm dilation, you can and should be drinking fluids (juice, water, electrolytes) and eating light, easy to digest food. This means that you really do not need to be hooked up to an IV as soon as you get to the hospital. Getting hooked up to an IV means you have much less mobility to move around and be active in labor. If you have to get an IV, request a heparin lock (allows you to easily hook up to or unhook from the IV). I couldn't imagine doing a 'marathon' (labor has been compared to running a marathon) without food and water for energy, especially if you labor for 24 hours (not uncommon for 1st time delivery). Imagine being in labor for 20 hours without food and water (maybe hooked up to an IV) and then getting to the stage where you need to push... where do you get your energy at that point? Nurses may tell you that it is hospital policy that you can't eat or drink once you are there, however, our teacher encouraged us to bring a cooler with drinks and food. OR... even better... she encouraged us to use the 4-1-1 rule (see #3)

3. The 4-1-1 rule. This one makes really good sense and I really hope I can do this. OK, the 4-1-1... this means that you should try to wait to go to the hospital until these three conditions are met:
condition 1: your contractions (from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next one) should be 4 minutes apart.
condition 2: one contraction (from the very start to the very end) should last 1 minute long
condition 3: let the 4 minutes apart, 1 minute long contractions continue for 1 hour and
THEN... go to the hospital. Hopefully at this point you are at about 5cm and getting close to transition (7cm). Using the 4-1-1 rule allows you to be at home (more comfortable than the hospital setting) where you can move around, get in the bath tub, eat, drink, and take a walk (keep distracted/entertained).

4. Once you reach 7cm, a lot of women will ask for the epidural or some kind of pain relief. Our teacher encouraged us to remember that after you reach 7cm, the contractions will continue, but they will not get any stronger. Most stories I've read and people I've talked to really, really want drugs at this point even if they were dead set on going natural. That is where your husband-coach and/or a doula helps you to continue on and resist the drugs.

5. You really don't want to be induced. Natural contractions caused by our own hormones are much easier on the body and give you more resting time in between each contraction. Pitocin induction will give you harder, faster contractions. Try to avoid being induced.

6. If you feel contractions coming on for the first time, take a warm bath. Sometimes the contractions will stop and then you know you weren't in true labor. Sometimes, first time mothers freak out when they feel contractions coming and they end up going to the hospital only to be sent home... they weren't in true labor yet!

Well, we learned a lot about nutrition and exercises too. But the 6 points above are the ones that stuck with me the most today. I taught high school anatomy and physiology for 2 years so I really love learning about this and I think it will be very useful once January comes.

Along with this 'knowledge' I'm receiving, I'm also asking the Lord to help me to not be anxious about the labor and delivery. One reason why I am anxious is because I had back surgery 10 years ago and my back is fused from T3 to L1 (for scoliosis). I recovered nicely and haven't had any back trouble since the surgery. I was even playing tennis with no problems. My vertebrae are not only fused, but I have 2 rods and hooks (Miami-Moss system) along my T3-L1 vertebrae. I really, really do not want to mess any of this up with an epidural and I've read many bad stories on the internet about people with the fusion having unsuccessful attempts at getting an epidural. I pray that I can avoid the epidural and keep my spinal fusion untouched... and pray that I do not get back labor (posterior positioning of the baby)...

At the moment, I think Baby J is transverse or breech. Today she gave me lots of big kicks on the right side of my belly and I felt a few movements down around my bladder. This isn't worrying me at all because I'm only at 25 weeks. I think it is at 33 weeks where you can start doing the exercises and tricks to try to get them to turn if they haven't already turned.

Baby Shower at Robyn's

Veronica, Carla, Steph, Suzie, Leah, Amber, Kristine, Avery, Cory, Robyn
Pink polo tennis dress:
Beautiful cake:
Baby booties:

Avery Mittman (Kristine's little girl):


Suzie Sanderson (Steph's little girl):


I'm overwhelmed by the love I received today from my sisters-in-Christ. One of my dear friends, Robyn, threw me a baby shower at her house today. The food was delicious and the games were fun. The cupcake/cake creation matched the invitations she sent out. Needless to say, Robyn excels in hospitality, generosity and kindness. My close friends from my old church were there to celebrate with me. I love each and every one of these girls (Cori, Veronica, Carla, Amber, Kristine, Leah, Steph, Robyn). Also, two baby girls were in attendance... Suzie Sanderson (1 yo) and Avery Mittman (8 mo). Seeing these precious little baby girls made me even more excited to have a little girl of my own. Didn't hurt that they were both very well behaved the whole party!

Cute Baby Girl Gifts:


I remember before the Lord Jesus Christ saved me, I had very few close friendships. I was living in the city of Santa Clarita and I thought that there weren't any other girls nearby in my situation - single, young, hungry for friendships. The Lord, by His amazing mercy and grace, revealed Himself to me in July of 2004 (through the Bible and hearing the preaching of the gospel at Grace Community Church) and He totally turned my heart around (repentance and faith in Him). It was like chains were lifted off of me. I was made a new creation in Christ. At the same time, the Lord lavished friendships on me. Pretty soon, I met each one of these precious ladies at Grace Community Church and I've known most of them since 2004. The Lord provides for us more than we can even ask Him or imagine. He knows exactly what we need. The #1 most important thing I needed was to know Him and trust Him as my Lord and Savior. All the rest, friends, peace, joy, my husband, my baby, are extra blessings that I do not deserve, but I happily accept as kindness, mercy, and love from my Savior... more than I could ever ask for or dream of.

25 Weeks...

October 13, 2009. It's a gloomy day outside and we got rain. I made a high protein breakfast this morning (1 egg, 1 cheese, 1 toast with peanut butter and jelly) and then headed off to aerobics. I love that class. The teacher is super nice and she always makes sure I'm doing OK. It gets my heart rate up to around 140bpm at the peak... and I can slow it down any time I want. I'm probably in better shape now than I have been the last few years. But I weigh about 20 pounds more than before preggo! I feel good because I'm eating healthy, exercising and getting plenty of rest. I am having fun planning healthy menus and picking out healthy foods to eat.

Matt's trial starts tomorrow and he has been gone now for 3 days. He always tells me he is praying for me and the baby. In memory of him, I'm wearing his sweat pants, white t-shirt and sweat shirt today. Today is a clean, read, cook, and rest day. My sister-in-law and cousins (Sue and Danielle) are coming over for dinner and a movie tomorrow.

I have my first baby shower this Saturday at my friend Robyn's! It'll be a small group of close friends. I can't wait to see everybody and catch up.

Bradley Husband-Coached Childbirth Classes starts tomorrow!

I'm really excited about starting the Bradley Husband Coached Childbirth classes tomorrow. Our teacher, Kathy Killebrew, was highly recommended to me by 3 couples from our church. She teaches in Pasadena and La Canada. On a sad note, my hubby went out of town today for 2 or 3 weeks for a trial in Norfolk, VA. I'm so sad that he is gone. We've never been apart for this long. (Both of us realize that this amount of time is nothing compared with what our troops have to go through when deployed... I can't imagine being apart from my spouse for a year or more like our troops go through.) When I first moved to California I lived alone for 2.5 years so I know what it is like to live alone. Life is just much better when he is here. I eat better (I cook more), I laugh more, I sleep better, and I just feel better when we are together. I think I might be sad tomorrow to attend the first class by myself, but I'm good at writing "meeting minutes" and will send him the info he needs to know to 'coach' me during delivery. And the class runs for 10 weeks so he'll get a good chunk of the classes. Classes are Sunday's from 1-3:30pm... so he is having to DVR the football games on Sunday (we love DVR). Baby J is keeping me company by kicking me periodically to remind me that there is a sweet baby on the way. I love the fact that I'm carrying around my hubby's genetic information. I'm so thankful to the Lord for the blessings he has given me. I know that my Heavenly Father is always with me and always desires a relationship with me so I'm never really alone.

Kathy Killebrew's info:
Kathy Killebrew, B.A., C.C.E., Birth Doula 1986-2000
Empowering birthing couples for 27 years
626-797-7833
empower4birth@hotmail.com

24 Weeks...

Today I took the 'modified' blood glucose test. The original one my doctor wanted me to do is the routine gestational diabetes blood glucose test: fast for 8 hours, then drink an ultra-sugary drink, then get your blood drawn an hour later to see if your body responds properly. I asked the doctor if I could do something else because I don't want to drink the ultra-sugary drink. I told him I would go ahead and follow the gestational diabetes diet. Doctor said that everyone should be on the gestational diabetes diet because it is a super healthy diet. He said I was allowed to decline the original test. So I declined it. Instead, he had me do the following:

* 8 hour fast (midnight to wake time in the morning - easy)
* blood draw
* eat a regular meal and wait 2 hours
* blood draw to test glucose

We'll see how this goes. In the mean time, I'm going ahead and writing down what I'm eating throughout the day: Breakfast, snack 1, lunch, snack 2, dinner, snack 3... and I'm trying to follow the gestational diabetes diet. In the handout they gave me about the gestational diabetes diet, the nurse circled the 2000 calorie diet where you are still allowed carbs, but they should be things like whole grain bread, cereals, brown rice, and high in fiber type carbs... eaten in moderation. The handout says I can eat the following:

carb starch (15g) - 9 servings
[examples: 1/2 cup cereal, 1/2 cup pasta cooked, 1/3 cup rice cooked, 1 piece (6") of corn on the cob, 1 small potato, 1 oz slice of whole wheat bread, 1/2 pita pocket 6" across]

carb fruit (15 g) - 4 servings
[examples: 1/2 banana, 1 apple, 15 small grapes, 1 orange, 1/2 cup of OJ, 3/4 cup pineapple]

carb milk (12 g) - 3 servings
[examples: 8oz low fat yogurt, 8oz Milk 1%]

carb veggies (5 g) - 4 servings
[examples: 1/2 cup cooked veggies = 1 serving, green beans, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, etc...]

meat and meat substitutes - 6 servings
[examples: 1 oz cheese, 1 oz turkey/chicken, 1/4 cup cottage cheese 4/5% fat, 1 oz lean beef, 1 egg, 1 oz pork]

fat - 5 servings
[examples: 1/8 avocado, 2 tsp peanut butter, 1 slice of bacon, 1 tsp butter, 1 tbsp coffee cream]

Lots of foods are allowed, but in small portions. Processed and sugary foods are out, but some of my favorite foods, like peanut butter, cheese, fruit, and milk, are still OK... in moderation. In the GD diet, you are supposed to eat small meals with regular snacks so you don't let your blood sugar drop or spike throughout the day. Another key to avoid gestational diabetes is to exercise regularly. Of course, if you are pregnant, you need to be careful not to over do it... keep your heart rate below 140bpm, drink lots of water, and don't exercise more than you were used to before becoming pregnant.

Now, to be honest, the first week I tried the gestational diabetes diet, I ate a few bites of tiramisu on Tuesday, a delicious crossaint on Wednesday, a piece of cherry pie on Friday at lunch, and strawberries dipped in chocolate on Friday at dinner, and a cupcake with ice cream on Sunday night. Hmmm... this week I'm doing much better and sticking to the diet... except for the piece of pumpkin bread I ate last night... oops... :)

Test Results
blood glucose test results for 'modified' test = I passed!!
Note: The day of the test, I had my blood drawn after 8 hours of fasting, then I ate flax plus cereal with milk and a banana and then waited 2 hours and then got blood drawn to test for glucose.

23 Weeks

Purpose for this Blog:
* Keep in touch with family & friends
* Keep a record of new baby stuff
* Share pictures with family and friends

Update: October 1, 2009
I'm at 23 weeks now in my pregnancy. We know we are having a baby girl. I feel her kicking all the time. I love feeling her kick. The first 16 weeks of pregnancy were difficult because I had stomach aches all day, but I never had nausea... so I guess it could have been worse. I've been feeling great because I'm getting plenty of rest and spending lots of time with my husband now that I'm staying at home. I love my new job - preparing for the baby and taking care of my husband and my home. I've also had time to join an aerobics class on Tue & Thurs and use the city swimming pool to swim laps a few times a week. I've been able to swim 20 laps in 30 minutes (nice and easy). We haven't picked out a name yet, but even if we do, we are going to keep it a secret until she is born.

Things I'm super excited to do with Baby J:
* hold her
* kiss her
* feed her
* walk around the block with her
* take lots of pictures of her
* teach her how to play tennis
* teacher her how to play piano
* teach her how to swim
* teach her to love, fear and serve the Lord

A few pics in chronological order:

At 17 weeks before our San Diego get-away:


At 18 weeks... It's a Girl!!
Feet are up by baby's forehead... can you see her leg and feet bones?

Her cute little baby face:


At 21 weeks... I'm feeling big, but they say I'll get much, much bigger:


At 23 weeks... I think I look bigger than I am, but my hubby assures me that the picture is an accurate representation of my size :)


At 25 weeks:


At 28 weeks... having a little back pain now. Can't believe I'm going to get any bigger.


30 Weeks


34 Weeks


36 Weeks