Thanks.

As for my visit  with the in laws, it could have been much worse. I think they were trying to be super nice so we would visit more often. I must say, however, that ten days was way too long. I definitely have some stories but they will have to wait. I am off to Vermont for two weeks for a real vacation. I guess my blog will have to be put on hold for the time being…

I don’t know how often I will be able to update my blog but if I get the chance, I will try. I’m sure I will have a lot to tell. If I can’t then I guess I will fill you all in in 2 weeks.

A bientot!

I can’t believe there was yet another shooting. I have to admit it sometimes scares me that I have brought a small child onto this planet which seems to get more dangerous and frightening each year. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased guard and doctor.

I was munching on some leftover appetizers from his birthday party the other day and he started to show some interest so I let him try and he loved the olive tapenade. I’m sure some of you out there are horrified that I’m feeding my one year old a dip but  I can’t get him to try much else. I feel a little strange about letting him eat olive dip when he’s not really eating much else but since he likes it… I started to sneak some broccoli in the spread as well and it worked! I have to feed it with on Melba toasts or he doesn’t eat it. If I try to serve it on some veggies he’s not fooled.

Maybe there is some hope that he will eat after all!

The weather has been gorgeous here in Montreal. What a wonderful change to be able to play outside with my baby instead of being cooped up indoors the whole day. It’s so much fun watching him explore.

The day before I went into labor I noticed I had some cramping while my husband and I were at the movies.  We had gone to see the latest Indiana Jones flick (I know, pretty cheesy but what can I say?).  The next morning my water broke.  I called my doula. I went for a walk, tried to relax so my contractions would come. Originally I had hoped for a natural birth and wanted to deliver at a birthing center but the waitlist was long in Montreal and I didn’t get in. Unfortunately, even with my doula’s help my contractions did not come, probably in large part due to nerves, and we had to go ahead and go to the hospital.

At around 3pm the hospital started the hormone to soften cervix and prepare for induction. I was still having no real contractions since the hormone applicator kept falling out. I could tell my doula was getting nervous and thought I would wind up with a c–section. It took about 3 different applications throughout the day and night for any results at all.

Throughout the night I started to have some real contractions but not at regular intervals. Every time they administered the antibiotic for Strep b, I had to be strapped to bed, which was fairly uncomfortable.

By 7:00 am the next morning, however, I was 3-4 cm dilated. Yay!!! They started the pitocin and strapped me to the bed to monitor the baby. I cannot describe how incredibly painful this was. My doula had left for the night and had not yet arrived. I tried to deal with the pain but was unable. I was about to call the nurse to administer the epidural when lo and behold my doula arrived to save the day. She helped convince the nurse to let me off the bed and assisted in monitoring the baby while I stood and dealt with the contractions without the drugs. Although the labor was quite painful, it progressed pretty steadily because of the induction. I remember pretty late in the labor my doula asking me if I wanted the epidural and I responded, “F**k, I’ve made it this far. Why take it now?”

I have to say, I managed, even through transition up until I was about 9-10 cm dilated and I started to have the contractions where you want to push at the end. It didn’t take long until I could tell that something wasn’t right. It felt like I was pushing against a wall. After awhile they checked me and could tell the baby’s head was in a bad position. They told me to not push when I had the urge to push or otherwise I would damage my cervix, which would lead to c-section for sure. This was a whole new level of pain. It was a good thing that I wasn’t able to take the epidural at this point since it would have been really hard to refuse. Periodically an intern would try to adjust his head with no luck. After about two hours of this my doctor finally showed up. Her first words were, “You didn’t take the epidural? Are you crazy?” She had me lay down, adjusted his head right away, and had me push for real. Pushing was by far the best part of the whole experience. Pretty much, up until the end I felt as if I were at risk for having a c-section. After going through that whole ordeal, I was determined not to let that happen. They told me to push as hard as I could and I did, then I pushed even harder. I pushed for about 10 minutes and he was born. Unfortunately they used the vacuum extractor and she gave me a small episiotomy. Afterwards my doctor made some joke that they did everything opposite of what I requested in my birth plan. I felt both procedures were unnecessary but at that point I was just happy to see my baby. He was such a little critter and I could hardly believe he came from inside of me. After getting hardly any sleep for 48 hours, I felt so awake and elated. Although it was a tough labor, I was glad I didn’t take the epidural. It wasn’t at all the natural birth I had hoped for but I was proud of myself for how my baby and I handled the less than ideal situation. He nursed right away. When I was going through the whole pain of labor, I almost forgot there was a result at the end. It was all so unbelievable and surreal

He also is fascinated with strollers, mostly the wheels but with the whole stroller itself. He gets really upset with me if I try to take him away from it. I have to try creative distraction techniques to divert his attention. It can be really tricky when I’ve carried him in the Baby Trekker to the park and some stranger’s stroller mesmerizes him….

1) Our Babies Ourselves by Meredith Small (written by an Anthropologist and compares     parenting in different cultures)
2) The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears (A great comprehensive resource for     new parents)
3) Baby Matters- What your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby
by Linda Palmer
4) The Discipline Book by William Sears (some of what he writes is fairly obvious but     he has some helpful tips that you might not have thought of)
5) Diaper Free by Ingrid Bauer (for the truly adventurous who want to try Elimination     Communication or Infant potty training)
6) The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears

Some pregnancy books that I enjoyed:

1) Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
2) The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer