The Kangaroo Method

I am planning on breastfeeding when the baby comes.  I have been hearing a lot about the Kangaroo Method.  This is the definition I got offline from Wikipedia for those that haven't heard of it before.  "Kangaroo care seeks to provide restored closeness of the newborn with mother or father by placing the infant in direct skin-to-skin contact with one of them. This insures physiological and psychological warmth and bonding. The kangaroo position provides ready access to nourishment. The parent's stable body temperature helps to regulate the neonate's temperature more smoothly than an incubator, and allows for readily accessible breastfeeding."

I am wondering if this really works.  I recently went to a breastfeeding class and they spoke to us about this also.  Research has shown that if you are wanting to breastfeed, performing the Kangaroo method will increase your chances of being successful by 70%.  I know there are many mothers out there that haven't done this method and have been fine with nursing their baby.  But, if there is anything I can do to help increase the chances of being successful I will do it.  I also think that this will be a great bonding experience for my husband.  That has been a concern of mine too.  I want him to be able to bond and most men do that by feeding their baby.  But, if I breastfeed he won't be able to do this for a while.  If anything I think it would be great for him and her to do. 

I'm wondering if anyone reading this has done this method before after giving birth?   If so, did it seem to help?  Please leave comments below. 

What's in my hospital bag :)

Since I am considered a high risk pregnancy I think it's important to be prepared.  One thing I can do is to get my hospital bag ready.  I am in the third trimester now, so it's important to have this in the car in case something was to happen while I was out.  There was only one problem, what should I take?!?  After speaking with many moms I finally came up with what I thought was important to bring on that special day.  To make it easy I'm just going to list them.  :)

~ Baby take home outfit.  I actually have the cute outfit, a onesie that is preemie just encase the other top doesn't fit her.  Plus, one of my friends had a baby and her little boy peed on his outfit before they left the hospital.  So, I have a backup outfit too.  A little overboard I know! 

~ A comfortable outfit for me and shoes

~ Phone charger

~ Camera with extra batteries

~ Socks, 3 pairs

~ Toiletries

~ Undergarments

~ Nursing bras.  I plan on breastfeeding. 

~ Bobby pillow

~ Nursing pads

~ Nipple cream

~ Blanket for the baby.  She is due in November so it will be cold out.

~ Baby Book.  I have this one on here because I have a section in the book were you can get the babies hand and foot prints.  Most of the time the nurses will do this for you.  

Don't forget that you will also be getting a bunch of goodies from the hospital.  Like unused diapers and wipes from the pack they were using for your little one.   If you have any suggestions that aren't on here feel free to leave them in the comments below. 

Spa Day at the Children's Shelter

This past weekend I volunteered again to help at the children's shelter.  It's something that I really love to do.  Seeing the children's faces and how much fun they are having makes it worth it every time.  When I woke up that morning I must admit I didn't really want to go because I was so tired.  Tiredness seems to be a daily occurrence now.  But, I had made a commitment and this wasn't about me.  We had a spa day with the girls.  There were four of us volunteering that day and five girls.  We did mani/pedi's and facials.  They also had little goodie bags to take with them.  They all seemed to love it and to see the smiles on their faces was priceless.  

That previous morning I had to go to the grocery and get the oil changed in the car.  After doing all that I knew it was going to be a long day since I had to go to the shelter too.  I had two hours to rest up after that busy morning before I had to leave again.  The drive to the shelter is an hour total there and back.  I was there for 3 hours.  When I got home my wonderful husband had thrown a pizza and fries in the oven for dinner.  I was so exhausted that I went to bed at 8:30 that night.  

I spoke with my husband about the volunteering and we both think I need to slow down.  Everything seems to be harder on me physically.  Also, if I am on my feet for more than a couple of hours they start to swell pretty bad.  After talking it over with him I think this will be my last time volunteering until after the baby comes.  We only meet once a month, so next couple of times I will be 8 and 9 months.  I just think it will be to hard on me.  In some ways I feel guilty and sad about it because I love doing it.  But, I have to think about my health and the babies health now. 

I just started my third trimester and I'm in the final stretch!  

Glucose Tolerance Test

Since I was suppose to go to the Cardiologist today I decided to go ahead and get my glucose tolerance test instead.  The Cardiologist is on call this week, so he is not taking any appointments.  I'm scheduled to see him next week.  I just hope and pray that everything is okay.  When I was in high school I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse.  It's a heart condition were the valve does not close properly and I can have blood reenter into the valve.  I have a very mild case, which does not require medication.  But, I have not seen a cardiologist since high school.  So it's been around 12 years and I think it's important to have it checked out.  

Since I had an opening today I decided to go and get my glucose test.  I didn't really know what to expect, but it wasn't bad at all.  The hardest part was fasting for 8-14 hours.  By the time I got into the lab I hadn't ate or drank anything for 10 hours.  Once I got in there they gave me around 12oz of glucose to drink.  I only had 5 minutes to drink it, but to me it tasted like an orange popsicle.  Since that has been one of my pregnancy cravings I had no problem drinking it.  After I finished it, it did have a weird aftertaste.  The baby started kicking and moving around, she was on a sugar high I think...lol.  I had to wait around for an hour before they could draw my blood.  I had to give three vials total.  Then after that I was able to go home.

When I got home the first thing I did was eat something.  After that I went to sleep.  I don't know if it was just the sugar rush and crashing from it, but I slept for 2 hours.  I still feel a little groggy, but overall it wasn't a bad experience at all. 

2nd Trimester - Signs/Symptoms

My second trimester has just come to an end.  I must say that I was feeling pretty good until the last week.  The tiredness has come back and all I want to do it sleep.  During the first part of the trimester I was having some round ligament pain.  But, I got a prenatal massage and that took care of that problem.  I have had some standard swelling in my hands and feet, but nothing to drastic.  Overall, I would say that this trimester hasn't been bad at all.  

We have decide on a name for our baby girl, Aubree Rae!  We love it and are so happy that we have finally made a decision.  It was a long and length process, but we finally came to a compromise.  What we did was picked a name and tried it out for a week.  If by the end of the week we didn't like it anymore we would move on.  Aubree has been going strong for over a month now.  We decide on the middle name Rae in honor of my husband father.  His middle name was Ray, so we have decide to use that name, only using the girl version.  

I am starting to get a little anxious about the baby coming.  Not so much about being a new mommy, but more about the labor.  I know that it will be fine and that women do it everyday.  But, that doesn't change the fact of it being scary.  I guess it's just not know what to expect.  

I did receive a phone call the other day and my cardiologist appointment was moved back a week.  So that makes a total of 10 weeks now that I have had to wait to get in! 

Doctor's Appointment 25 Weeks

This was my last doctor's visit for my 2nd trimester.  Everything looked good with our baby.  She is measuring around 14 inches and weighing around 2lbs.  It's so hard to believe that I'm starting on the downward slop of this pregnancy.  Everyone is right, once you find out the gender it goes by so quickly.  The only thing that was different about this doctor visit was that I have to schedule a glucose tolerance test.  I just need to have it done before I go back next month.  I still haven't scheduled it yet, but I will make sure to write about it.  I really don't know to much of what to expect.  I'm sure it won't be horrible.  Not to much to report about, but I'm sure the next few months are going to be interesting. 

3 Things You Should ALWAYS Discuss Before Marriage

Since my last post I thought I would share some wisdom to those who are not married.  I am by no means an expert on marriage.  But, I am a little older the big 3-0 and have some things I have learned over the years.  There are 3 things you should always discuss before you get married.  In order by importance:  Religion, Children, and Finances. 

I view religion as the most important topic you should talk about before you get married.  I have seen couples that never brought this up.  For instance, a couple were one is Atheist  and the other Christian.  I honestly don't see how this type of relationship could work.  Especially, if you plan to some day have children.  Which I will discuss next.  I recently heard of a couple that hadn't talked about this before marriage.  Now, 5 months later they talk about children.  Then discover one is Atheist and the other Christian.  So the Christian, the wife, realizes she doesn't want to have children with her husband.  Why would you not talk about this before hand?  It's not fair to either party and should have been discussed before. Now they are getting divorced.

Secondly, I think you should always talk about children.  Many people today don't want to have kids, or if they do it's more when they are mid-thirties.  We are so involved with our careers today that many women try to hold off on having a family.  Not only should you talk about whether you want children, but how many is important too.  Some want a huge family and others only one or two.  

Lastly, finances are very important to discuss before saying "I do".  I'm so surprised about how so many people forget about this one.  But, if you think about it most divorces are because of this reason alone.  If you have a significant other that is a big spender and the other is very conservative with their money, it's asking for trouble.  You need to find someone that is compatible with you in this since.  It will make your life so much easier in the long run.

You can take my advice if you wish, or not.  This is not only from my experiences, but also from others that have given it to me over the years. 

Divorcing Over Video Games!

I understand that video games are really popular with the younger generations, but should you divorce over them?!  It was recently brought to my attention of a young military couple with this situation.  The wife didn't approve of how many hours her husband was playing everyday.  It had gotten to the point of interfering with their relationship.  The wife spoke with her husband about it, but of course he viewed it as nagging instead of listening to her.  They have only been married for 5 months, so you would think they would be in the honeymoon phase still.  Turns out the husband decided he didn't want to deal with this and now they are divorcing!  

This is so ridiculous!  What happen to people taking their wedding vows seriously!  People get married and then as soon as it becomes an inconvenience they get divorced.  Marriage is work and compromising on both parts.  It seems like our society doesn't care that they took a vow before God.  What happen to for better or worse?  To me this just blew my mind, divorcing over video games, really!?!

What are your thoughts?  Leave a comment below and tell me.  

Braxton Hick Contractions at 24 weeks

I woke up this morning after sleeping horribly.  I literally woke up every hour....oh well that's normal for me now.  My husband had just come home from morning PT and I was fixing us breakfast.  All of a sudden I had a horrible cramp, very similar to a menestral cramp.  I would say that it lasted around 20 seconds before it stopped.  I am wondering if this was a Braxton Hick's contraction? 

I know that it's very common to have these during pregnancy.  I looked up online just to make sure it wasn't anything to be concern about.  I read that as long as you don't have 4 or more within an hour or bleeding it's okay.  This was such a huge relief for me to know.  The day is halfway over and I haven't had another one.

So for any women out there that may experience this, it's okay and there is no need to worry.  I would recommend educating yourself on early signs of premature birth especially if you are high risk like myself.  In my case, it is a real possibility that I might deliver early.  I have already read up on many of the signs.  Education is the key.  :)

Problems Sleeping

Up to this point I hadn't had any problems sleeping.  Well I was in for a rude awakening!  It seem as soon as I hit 23 weeks, sleep was all down hill from here.  I can't get comfortable and it doesn't matter what position I try to lay in.  I have never been the type to sleep on my back.  But, I have been waking up in the middle of the night that way.  Usually it's from numbness or tickling in my legs and arms that will wake me up.  I have come to the theory that my stomach is making it hard for me to turn over completely, so I stop on my back.  This past week I have even notice I will wake up on my sides and still have numbness.  I wander if this is normal?  

I tried to read about it online and it suggest to lay on your left side.  But, as I said this isn't working either.  I'm always so tired and have resorted into taking morning naps after my husband leaves for work.  I have been trying to use a body pillow too.  It seems to help sometimes, but not every night.  

Oh and don't forget the multiple times of having to get up to go to the bathroom.  I really think that the baby gets a kick out of using my bladder as her own personal punching bag!  It seems like when I talk to anyone about it they just tell me that it's going to get worse, great!  I have to keep reminding myself that it's only for a short while and well worth it in the end. 

23 WEEKS AND COUNTING

Generosity Of Others

I can't begin to describe all the love that I have feel from family and friends.  We have had so many people helping us out with getting things ready for the baby.  The surprising part about all of it, some people I haven't seen in years or have never met at all.  I guess what it boils down to is that you have people that care and keep you in their thoughts, whether you realize it or not.  

Being a military family we are away from our loved ones.  So we are not able to have a baby shower, there is 1,000 miles traveling distance between us.  It makes things hard and sometimes you can feel like you are missing out.  But, it is what it is.  There is no reason to dwell on it, you just have to try and make the best of what you have. 

My husband came home one evening from work.  He came in carrying boxes of toys, clothes, a bouncer, bottles, etc.  I was so overwhelmed with joy.  I had no idea what was going on, but was just so excited to see baby stuff.  It turned out that a lady he had met once or twice at work was PCSing.  She went through all her baby stuff and decided to give it to us.  I feel so blessed and that God is really looking over us.  It really is true, good things happen to good people.  

Another resource I was told about was the Airman's Attic.  I'm sure that it's called something different depending on what branch you are in.  But, it's a program for military families, under E-6, that offered free clothing (baby/adult), toys, books, etc.  It's a great free program and I have went there to get some things for the baby as well.  I can only go once a month, but it's just another wonderful thing brought on by people and their spirit of giving.  

It's been a worry that we wouldn't have the nursery done in time.  We wanted to be prepared in case I did go into labor early.  But, with the help and generosity of others it's going to be a piece of cake!  

Feeling kicks at 20 weeks!

I had been experiencing flutters for a few weeks now.  But, still hadn't had that big kick everyone had told me about.  I wanted so bad to see the baby kick on the outside.  I wanted my husband to be able to feel the baby, the same way that I was able too.

I had been reading about how important it is to let your baby listen to music.  By this point in the pregnancy the baby is actually able hear.  So one night I grabbed my husband's cellphone and set it on my stomach.  I think I did it more out of curiosity than anything else.  All of a sudden I felt a hard kick that actually made my stomach move!  I was so excited that I told my husband to come here quick!  We set there and watched my stomach, within a few minutes she kicked again.  It was just a small kick, but it was there.  My husband placed his hand there and we waited, she kicked again.  This went on for around 5 minutes and it was over.  I was so happy to be able to experience that with my husband.  It was so magical that I can't describe in words what it really meant to the both of us. 

20 weeks

Tricare: Running in Circles

Here I am at my next doctor's appointment.  She tells me that I need to see a cardiologist.  I have a history of Mitral Valve Prolapse.  She is concerned that the increased blood flow may be hard on my heart.  So she tells me that I need to get a referral from my insurance and PCM (primary care manager).  I never imagined I would have to see so many doctors during a pregnancy!

So my first step is to contact my PCM to see if I can get a referral over the phone.  This was something I had always been able to do if it was to see a specialist.  When I called the appointment line on base the lady was beyond rude.  She said I had to come in and see the doctor before I could get a referral.  I tried to explain to her that it wasn't necessary, but she wouldn't listen.  So I got my appointment setup, now I had to wait 5 weeks before they could get me in.

Finally my appointment is here to see my PCM.  Once I get into the office the nurse wants to hear the babies heartbeat to make sure everything is okay.  She runs down to the pediatrics unit to get a fetal heart monitor.  When she comes back and begins to listen the machine doesn't work.  So, here I am all lubed up and she has to leave me there to go find another one.  A few minutes pass and she comes back.  She places the monitor on my stomach and nothing!  This machine doesn't work either!  For this to be a military base, you would think that would have working equipment.  The doctor comes in and does a basic assessment.  After all this hassle he tells me that for the future I could always call in and he would give me a referral!  I thought my head was going to explode.  My PCM referral to Tricare would take approximately a week.

One week later I got a letter in the mail with the doctor I would be seeing.  Now all I need to do was to setup an appointment with them, easy right?  Wrong.  I proceed to call the doctors office.  After talking with the receptionist she tells me that it's basically stupid to see them since it was in another part of the city.  She told me to call my insurance company and try to see someone else. 

Since I have been through this before I knew to get on Tricare's website and find a doctor myself.  I found one in the same area that was covered.  I then called the insurance company and told them what had happened and the new doctor I wanted to see.  They said it wouldn't be a problem and I would get my referral in 7-10 business days.  

I finally got the referral for the doctor.  I called the office to setup an appointment with them, will it be easy?  No.  I speak to this receptionist and she not only needs a referral from Tricare, but also my OBGYN.  So, I call my OBGYN and get them to fax over my information.  Is that good enough? No.  They make the doctor's office call for my referral, a fax is not enough.  Needless to say I have my appointment with the cardiologist in 2 weeks.  It only took 9 weeks total!!

Gender Reveal - Where having a what...

During the entire pregnancy I had been having dreams about what we were having.  I just knew that we were having a boy.  Every time I talk about the baby, it came out as "him".  It was natural and I knew that my body had to be telling me what we were having.  Every dream was about a boy, only once was there a girl.  My husband felt the same way as I did, we were going to be a having a boy.

We were so certain that we went out and bought a few boy outfits.  We tried to tell ourselves that they were unisex, but they were blue!  The ultrasound was schedule at 17 weeks.  I was so excited to find out for sure what we were having....even though deep down I already knew.

The morning of the doctors appointment I made sure to drink a glass of orange juice.  I wanted to make sure that they baby was active and not being bashful.  As I laid there anticipating the news, I was excited, but felt like I already knew and this was just a confirmation.   The ultrasound tech looks at us and ask if we wanted to know what we were having.  I told her, "it's a boy"!?  She looked at me and said, "No, it's a girl!"  My husband asked if she was sure.  She assured us that it was girl.  We were in complete shock.  The doctor came in to look over everything and make sure the baby looked healthy.  We ask him to tell us what he thought the baby was, he confirmed it was a girl. 

When the visit was over it hit me, I was having a baby girl!  

Housewife/Mommy/Community Involvement

I just wanted to share something with all the wives/mommies.  It's completely okay to be a stay at home wife/mom.  I get so tired of people making women feel bad if that's the life they choose.  It was something that we talked about in my marriage.  We decided that if we were hurting for money I would work of course.  But, we are lucky enough that I don't have to do that.  I hate when people try to down play being "only a house wife and mom".  It's a very respectful thing to do and who else is better to raise your children than you!  I get up every morning with my husband and fix him breakfast before work.  I make sure that our house is clean everyday, laundry done and supper is always ready when my husband comes home from work.  I don't want my husband to have to come home and do any of this.  His job is to provide and mine is to take care of the home.  This might not work for everyone, but it works for us! 

Since I don't have children just yet, I like to try and find something to do outside the home.  But, I also think it's important to make sure it doesn't take away from your family.  I have recently decided to get involved with a nonprofit here.  I have discovered that this Air Force base doesn't really offer a lot of things for the spouses.  So I went outside of that box and joined a group called Chicktime.  

We just officially had our first outing and went to a children's shelter that we will be working with.  It was such a wonderful experience.  We through the girls a tea party/princess party and they absolutely love it.  I feel like our society takes for granted the simple things that we can do that will make a huge difference.  I had such a wonderful time with this, I really hope that I can do it a few more times before the baby comes. 

Flutters!

My first trimester is officially over!  I can't believe the relief I feel knowing that the chances of miscarriage have dropped so drastically.  I can actually start to enjoy my pregnancy more too.  My symptoms have subsided and I am starting to get my energy back.  I actually feel normal again.  My doctors appointment went well and the baby is developing normally. 

I had been reading about feeling those first movements.  That it will occur sometime during the 2nd trimester.  But, with me just starting week 14, I just knew it would be a while before that would happen.  Plus, with this being my first pregnancy the chances of me knowing what those movements were was very slim.  

One evening I was laying on the couch watching T.V.  Then all of a sudden I felt something weird in my belly.  Could it be the baby?  A few minutes later I felt it again.  It was the most magical feeling in the world.  To me it felt like someone tickling me, but from the inside.  As the week goes by I only feel the baby every few days.  I began to worry about the lack of movement.  But, then I read that it was normal to feel the baby only a few times and then go days without feeling it again.  Every time I was able to feel the baby it was wonderful.  I can't wait for those first kicks!  

14 weeks

1st Trimester - Signs/Symptoms

Before I knew I was pregnant I had symptoms and didn't even know it.  One night I went to bed and began cramping.  I believed that I was getting ready to start my period since it had been days past when I should have started.  But, I never did.  The next night around the same time, cramping again, but still no period.  On the third night it was getting ridiculous and I took some ibuprofen.  After that I had no more cramping.  Later on I discovered that this was implantation.

My second sign was the increase sense of smell.  I was walking my dog around the neighborhood and all of sudden I got a scent of something that was awful.  I thought it was going to make me sick.  I had no idea where the smell was coming from, but it was out there.  I learned later that this sense is extremely heightened during pregnancy.

After we found out we were having a baby, around 7 weeks, the normal symptoms began to kick in.  My breast were so sore and enlarged.  I never had this problem with my periods, so I had no idea how bad it got until I became pregnant.  This lasted for around 3 months.

I have never thrown up.  But, I did have nausea everyday for a month straight.  I believe a lot of the reason for this was my increased smell.  I would go to the grocery and it was torture!  All the different foods mixed with the odor of different people.  My husband also made some homemade salsa with fresh cilantro. It still makes me cringe thinking about it. 

I did have my bouts of being emotional I'm sure, but I don't believe it was to bad.  My husband may differ on that, but in my opinion I wasn't horrible.  Overall, my first trimester has been a pretty easy one compared to others.  My total weight gain was 4lbs.

Traveling While Pregnant/Husband Graduates

Even though my husband just a few days prior had his fainting episode, he still wanted to travel back to see family.  He also had recently learned that he was going to be graduating with his Bachelors degree.   So, it was really important for him to walk across that stage.  Graduating from college is such an honor and it would have been horrible for him to miss this experience.  So we set off on our 1,000 mile trip.

At the time I was in my third month.  I didn't really know how I would hold up traveling for that distance.  But, it had to be done and I would just have to rough it out.  I made sure to bring plenty of snacks, since I was still having some trouble with nausea.  I also took a pillow and blanket in case I could sleep some, but usually that never happens.  All together this trip would take us 15 hours to drive.  When we reached around 10 hours into the trip I started to become pretty uncomfortable.  Between the backache and swollen feet, I wasn't a happy camper.  In a normal circumstance I wouldn't recommend traveling this long of a distance for someone who is pregnant.

We arrived at a my brother's house later that night and I was never so happy to get out of the car.  That following Saturday was my husbands graduation.  I can say one thing, even though I was miserable during most of the drive, it was well worth it to see the smile on my husbands face.  We got to see family for two weeks before we had to head back.  Unfortunately, we only had 2 weeks leave saved up and that used up all our vacation.  But, we wouldn't be able to see family again until the next year, so it was worth it.  All together in those two weeks between driving back and forth, we drove 2,500 miles.  I really don't think I would have been able to do it if I would have been further along in the pregnancy.

Health Concerns For My Husband

After everything we had been through together it was all looking up from here.  Our first trimester was almost over, the risk of miscarrying was going to drop drastically when we reached this milestone.  We had just decided to announce to the world, aka Facebook, that we were having baby!  We had planned a trip to go back to Kentucky/Ohio to visit family.

It was a Sunday afternoon and we were laying on the couch.  My husband had been having dizzy spells for almost a year now, daily.  But, after a while you get us to it and don't pay much mind to it anymore.  My husband got up to get something to drink.  When he stood up I seen out of the corner of my eye him bracing himself against the wall.  I knew he was dizzy and it would pass in a few seconds.  The split second I looked away I heard him hit the floor.

I jumped up running to him.  When I reached him he convulsed so hard, hitting his head and arm against our french doors.  I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed him holding him for dear life.  I didn't wanting him hurting himself anymore than what he already had.  After fighting me for a minute he began to calm down and come to again.  He had no idea what had happened, completely blacked out.  What do you do when you see someone you love in this situation?  Panic!

I began running around, not knowing what to do.  So I called the one person I knew that would know, my mom.  She got me to calm down and take breath.  It wasn't good for me to be panicked, Eric needed me to be strong.  Plus, it wasn't good for the baby.  I took him to the ER and after running test we didn't get any real answers, only bruises and a pump knot on his head.  They told him that he might have hypostatic hypertension.  Which basically means his blood pressure drops suddenly if he gets up to fast.  He was told to eat healthy and no more alcohol. 

Needless to say, I worry about him even now. 

Seeing the High Risk Doctor

It was time to go see the high risk doctor.  We had been waiting two weeks and it was finally time.  We were hoping that everything looked okay, but we wouldn't know until they did another ultrasound to see how my cervix was looking.  I really don't know if we could take any more bad news.  We first met with the ultrasound tech and she took some pictures for the doctor to look at.  It was so amazing to see how much the baby had developed in such a short amount of time.  We were only 10 weeks and the baby had changed dramatically.  It's so amazing to see how a life develops in the womb.  

When the doctor came in he began to explain to us that we were seeing him only for a precautionary reason.  According to him everything looked perfect.  My cervix was a good size and there was no concern for thinning at that moment.  It was such a relief that we finally went to the doctor with nothing to worry about.  He wanted to see me monthly just to keep an eye on everything, but for once no bad news!