I'm sorry, I don't even know if Okinawan is a word. Do you ever notice that the people of Okinawa seem to have everything figured out? They always come up in news stories about how to be healthy, the best foods to eat, how to be happy, etc. Well, turns out they're baby experts too.
I recently (well, all right a while ago, but life gets busy!) read an article called Baby Wearing & Bed Sharing: The Scandal of Attachment Parenting from the blog The Fashionable Housewife. I enjoyed it because it gave a level-headed, historical discussion of Attachment Parenting, rather than the weak, over-indulgent reputation Attachment Parenting can have. I was fascinated by the section discussing the way babies and children were cared for in World War II Okinawa, where there were virtually no mental health issues. "Affection was liberally given to all children of all ages" - where did the idea of spoiling a baby come from? The Puritans? I saw a quote once somewhere in teh Internets that you can spoil a baby with THINGS - you CANNOT spoil a baby with LOVE. No, you're not going to hold the baby too much. No, the baby is not going to cry more if you respond when it cries (in fact, he or she will cry less). No, it does not mean that your child will not learn rules, morals, independence, or confidence (AP children tend to show more independence and confidence, and have a greater sense of boundaries). I wouldn't ignore a loved one who was crying - why would I ignore my own child?
I still wear my baby even though he is getting rather big! I have a Babyhawk mei tai and an ergo. We both enjoy when I carry him, and it has in no way impacted his independence. He still loves to explore, venture away from me (I could hardly keep up with him at the local library), and is quite good at being mobile, from walking to "running" to kicking or throwing a ball. We just like being close occasionally, just like we might enjoy hugging our friends or holding our partners. Nurturing touch is just human nature.
Attachment parents often seem to be portrayed as weak, indulgent, spoiling their children, "hippies", whatever, but I think it actually takes a certain amount of strength to parent in a way that seems to go against today's "hard" society. Attachment Parenting is not about giving in - it's about treating your children with the respect and attention they deserve as individuals in order to grow and thrive. My natural instinct has always been to try to understand my child's needs through his eyes and understand his instinct for survival from the beginning - it makes it pretty obvious that children are not being difficult or manipulative the way some adults claim. Learning about the ways human offspring react and develop, as well as discovering Attachment Parenting, has confirmed to me that my instincts are normally spot on where my son is concerned. I don't follow every principle of AP to a T, but I do strive to treat my son with dignity and make sure he knows he can count on me to be there at all times. I see this as simply building a strong foundation of trust that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
I hope this all made sense. I've been working on this post for a while when I have moments here and there. I was using principles of Attachment Parenting before I even knew it had a name, so it was nice to find a whole theory that was along the same lines as my own thinking. It just seems to make sense to treat my child with the same (or more!) love and respect that I would treat an adult in my life and hope to receive in return.
Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Needs of Children
I need to update my blogroll a bit. One of the blogs I currently follow is PhD in Parenting. The author and I have quite a few beliefs in common, so I usually enjoy what she has to say.
The blog entry Child's Hierarchy of Needs was really interesting to me. I liked the hierarchy she came up with:
As she points out, our children are dependent on us to meet those needs. I have always felt that children are not as manipulative as some adults seem to think - that if you put yourself in their shoes and fully realize (or remember) how it feels to rely on someone else for everything, perhaps their actions would be a bit more understandable.
The blog entry Child's Hierarchy of Needs was really interesting to me. I liked the hierarchy she came up with:
As she points out, our children are dependent on us to meet those needs. I have always felt that children are not as manipulative as some adults seem to think - that if you put yourself in their shoes and fully realize (or remember) how it feels to rely on someone else for everything, perhaps their actions would be a bit more understandable.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Steven Wright's Baby Journal
Steven Wright recently did the opening opening monologue (that quick bit before the show starts) on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. My favorite bit was this line from what a baby's journal would say:
"Day 1: Still tired from the move."
Ahh...still makes me laugh.
"Day 1: Still tired from the move."
Ahh...still makes me laugh.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Because I don't want to disappear
I never meant to stop blogging just because I had a baby. I've skipped over numerous interesting NASA items, quotes, seasonal items, and other topics that made me think "I should blog about that"...and yet my blog sits silent. Good grief.
So while I turn into a suburban-mother-with-no-time-on-my-hands, I'll just go through some things that I'd like to do now that it's spring. Spring is like a new year anyway - it makes more sense to start new when the rest of the natural world is starting new, rather than in the middle of death, stagnation, and hibernation. :P
I suppose it doesn't help that I don't get on the computer much for anything other than work lately. And I used to live on that darn machine! But I'll exchange it for the little one anytime. I still manage to catch my favorite shows like Lost and Heroes, and I have plenty of opinions about them, so I could write about that too!
So I hope to get back to blogging from time to time. I need to stop putting it off when I see so many things about why I heart the internets or what I want to do in the yard or what I find so fascinating about motherhood. If I only had the time. :)
So while I turn into a suburban-mother-with-no-time-on-my-hands, I'll just go through some things that I'd like to do now that it's spring. Spring is like a new year anyway - it makes more sense to start new when the rest of the natural world is starting new, rather than in the middle of death, stagnation, and hibernation. :P
- I need to work on the yard. Now that I'm not feeling sick and/or carrying all that extra weight, maybe I can get something done and not pass it off to someone else. There's lots of cleanup to do, roses to prune (I missed Presidents Day :/), and planning for the garden.
- I should get back into yoga. I'm sure it would help the constant aching from carrying around a hefty baby, as well as give me some time to myself. I have a hard time taking time for myself because I seriously want to spend every moment taking care of the baby...or sleeping! But I'm sure that's not good for me and it's running my body down anyway.
- I have a few books to read. I got Confessions of a Shopaholic and The Audacity of Hope in the same shopping trip. Heh. There's another book I want to read upon recommendation of another new mother friend, Allie at Wardrobe Oxygen, but I have to go look it up again because my mommy brain does not remember what it was.
I suppose it doesn't help that I don't get on the computer much for anything other than work lately. And I used to live on that darn machine! But I'll exchange it for the little one anytime. I still manage to catch my favorite shows like Lost and Heroes, and I have plenty of opinions about them, so I could write about that too!
So I hope to get back to blogging from time to time. I need to stop putting it off when I see so many things about why I heart the internets or what I want to do in the yard or what I find so fascinating about motherhood. If I only had the time. :)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Dreaded Glucose Tolerance Test
Recently I had to do the glucose tolerance test to test for gestational diabetes. My blood sugar was too high for the 1 hour screening test, so unfortunately I had to do the 3 hour tolerance test. :( I thought I'd share my experience with the glucose tolerance test because when I was preparing for it, I was searching all over the net for personal experiences. I read all the generic descriptions of what it was and how "most women feel more queasy from the 3 hour test than the 1 hour test", but I wanted a little more than that.
Preparing for the Test
You're supposed to carb-load before the test; some people have to eat extra bread or pasta, I had to eat a king sized candy bar each day for three days prior to the test. King sized candy bars never sounded so unappetizing. I don't think I will ever eat a Milky Way again. After some searching, I finally found out that the theory behind carb-loading for the test is (I'm paraphrasing here) to get your insulin really working so when you DO go in for the test, your body is ready. A study showed that low-carb diets prior to the test led to a greater number of false positives because their bodies were slower to produce the insulin needed to metabolize the sugar. Or some junk. It finally made sense to me - until then I kept thinking it seemed counter-intuitive to load up on sugar before you get tested on your blood sugar level!
Then I had to fast overnight...something like 10 or 12 hours...I can't remember which. Now, whoever thought it would be a good idea to load up a preggo on sugar and then starve her has another thing coming. Good thing the test was early so I could just be half-asleep through the start of it. ;P The night before, I prepared my bag of something to eat right after, water, and stuff to do. My husband was kind enough to come with me and keep me company, so he loaded up the laptop so we could watch a movie in the waiting room.
Test Day
I hardly slept during the night because when I was awake, I was worried that I would do something wrong and have to test again, and when I was asleep, I was having nightmares about screwing up and having to take the test again. :/ Finally, it was time to get up, so we got up, got ready, and got going.
I was the first one in the lab, so she got me going right away. She took a fasting draw (a baseline I guess), then gave me the lemon-lime drink. It was 100 g of glucose rather than the 50 g for the hour test. I had the orange flavor for the hour test, which I actually enjoyed. The lemon-lime wasn't too bad, but I could tell it was much sweeter and left a weird taste in my mouth. I suppose that's what kept me from feeling too hungry for the first couple hours, but within 45 minutes I wasn't feeling too crash hot. She took a draw 1 hour after drinking the glucose drink, then after 2 hours, and finally after 3 hours. We watched Baby Mama to pass the time - I thought that would be a fitting movie under the circumstances!
Hubby and I sat in the waiting room for the entire test; I could have gone in a back room to lie down if I wasn't feeling well. I much preferred stepping outside into the cold morning air and taking some deep cleansing breaths. The first time I went outside, I told myself throwing up was NOT an option, no matter how bad I felt, because I was not doing this again. Luckily, I didn't feel too close to vomiting at all - mostly I felt hot, like my heart was beating a little too fast, and a bit queasy. I think it would have been a bit easier to handle if the waiting room was cooler. She told me I could drink as much water as I wanted, too, so I think that helped.
By about 2 hours, I was feeling more normal, and by 2.5 hours, I was getting hungry. My poor husband was starving (he fasted with me). When she did the final draw, I asked what she recommended I eat to break my fast, and she said protein. We decided to stop at a breakfast place, where I had a cup of tea and loaded up on eggs, sausage, and bacon (my apologies to any vegetarian readers ;) ). I felt much better! I did not spend the rest of the day feeling sick or groggy, though I've seen other say they did. I think any fatigue I felt was due to my lack of sleep the night before.
The Results
I passed with flying colors! I called the doctor's office within a week to get my results because I couldn't wait to find out. I was truly more worried about the baby than myself because sweets are NOT what I'm craving and I would have no problem working on diet/exercise/whatever to control my sugar. I just didn't want to be doing anything that could affect the baby either in the womb or later on in life. I've read that there's a very small percentage of women who actually have GD, so I had statistics on my side.
So...I survived. I crossed another bridge in this pregnancy. I'm ok with it because this is the best I've felt during my pregnancy! I get lots of back pain, swollen and aching feet, leg pain, etc., but for me, that's all a piece of cake compared to the emotional side effects I've experienced. Don't get me wrong - I can still cry at the drop of a hat over the most benign things - but at least now I can see the humor in it, even while I'm crying. ;)
Preparing for the Test
You're supposed to carb-load before the test; some people have to eat extra bread or pasta, I had to eat a king sized candy bar each day for three days prior to the test. King sized candy bars never sounded so unappetizing. I don't think I will ever eat a Milky Way again. After some searching, I finally found out that the theory behind carb-loading for the test is (I'm paraphrasing here) to get your insulin really working so when you DO go in for the test, your body is ready. A study showed that low-carb diets prior to the test led to a greater number of false positives because their bodies were slower to produce the insulin needed to metabolize the sugar. Or some junk. It finally made sense to me - until then I kept thinking it seemed counter-intuitive to load up on sugar before you get tested on your blood sugar level!
Then I had to fast overnight...something like 10 or 12 hours...I can't remember which. Now, whoever thought it would be a good idea to load up a preggo on sugar and then starve her has another thing coming. Good thing the test was early so I could just be half-asleep through the start of it. ;P The night before, I prepared my bag of something to eat right after, water, and stuff to do. My husband was kind enough to come with me and keep me company, so he loaded up the laptop so we could watch a movie in the waiting room.
Test Day
I hardly slept during the night because when I was awake, I was worried that I would do something wrong and have to test again, and when I was asleep, I was having nightmares about screwing up and having to take the test again. :/ Finally, it was time to get up, so we got up, got ready, and got going.
I was the first one in the lab, so she got me going right away. She took a fasting draw (a baseline I guess), then gave me the lemon-lime drink. It was 100 g of glucose rather than the 50 g for the hour test. I had the orange flavor for the hour test, which I actually enjoyed. The lemon-lime wasn't too bad, but I could tell it was much sweeter and left a weird taste in my mouth. I suppose that's what kept me from feeling too hungry for the first couple hours, but within 45 minutes I wasn't feeling too crash hot. She took a draw 1 hour after drinking the glucose drink, then after 2 hours, and finally after 3 hours. We watched Baby Mama to pass the time - I thought that would be a fitting movie under the circumstances!
Hubby and I sat in the waiting room for the entire test; I could have gone in a back room to lie down if I wasn't feeling well. I much preferred stepping outside into the cold morning air and taking some deep cleansing breaths. The first time I went outside, I told myself throwing up was NOT an option, no matter how bad I felt, because I was not doing this again. Luckily, I didn't feel too close to vomiting at all - mostly I felt hot, like my heart was beating a little too fast, and a bit queasy. I think it would have been a bit easier to handle if the waiting room was cooler. She told me I could drink as much water as I wanted, too, so I think that helped.
By about 2 hours, I was feeling more normal, and by 2.5 hours, I was getting hungry. My poor husband was starving (he fasted with me). When she did the final draw, I asked what she recommended I eat to break my fast, and she said protein. We decided to stop at a breakfast place, where I had a cup of tea and loaded up on eggs, sausage, and bacon (my apologies to any vegetarian readers ;) ). I felt much better! I did not spend the rest of the day feeling sick or groggy, though I've seen other say they did. I think any fatigue I felt was due to my lack of sleep the night before.
The Results
I passed with flying colors! I called the doctor's office within a week to get my results because I couldn't wait to find out. I was truly more worried about the baby than myself because sweets are NOT what I'm craving and I would have no problem working on diet/exercise/whatever to control my sugar. I just didn't want to be doing anything that could affect the baby either in the womb or later on in life. I've read that there's a very small percentage of women who actually have GD, so I had statistics on my side.
So...I survived. I crossed another bridge in this pregnancy. I'm ok with it because this is the best I've felt during my pregnancy! I get lots of back pain, swollen and aching feet, leg pain, etc., but for me, that's all a piece of cake compared to the emotional side effects I've experienced. Don't get me wrong - I can still cry at the drop of a hat over the most benign things - but at least now I can see the humor in it, even while I'm crying. ;)
Monday, September 29, 2008
My Beloved TV Is Back!
Apparently, the pregnancy depression I mentioned earlier can still rear its ugly head even when I think I've adjusted and been done with it. I suppose during pregnancy, any of these symptoms can pop back up at any time. I stopped posting, stopped attending yoga, and pretty much tried to just hide out and get through the days. I have since "recovered", I guess you could say, and have regained an interest in posting (and pretty much everything else). I have been doing more baking lately, which I may post about, but more importantly - new TV seasons are starting again!
Heroes
I thought the premiere was fantastic - probably better than the whole previous season. I love the gray (pardon the pun) area they're bringing up in this whole good vs. evil storyline. It's similar to one of the things I like about Lost - not knowing who's really supposed to be "good" or "bad" and deciding for myself.
Fringe
This is a pretty good new show - very X-Files and Lost, which makes sense knowing who's behind it. By the way, if the music reminds you a bit too much of Lost (which it does us), it's because it's the same music guy. Guess we can tell what he likes. ;P I love stories that go into both the paranormal and science, so I find this show really interesting. And Joshua Jackson has surprised me with a fairly interesting character - I was not a fan of Dawson's Creek and was afraid I wouldn't like this show because of him.
Criminal Minds
The season premiere was a little blah...mostly just resolving the end of the last season. I'm looking forward to new stuff. I love the show enough that I'll forgive them.
Bones
Bones has been so good this season! I think the addition of Dr. Sweets as part of the gang was a good one. I hope we don't spend the whole season trying to replace Zach, though. And as much as I liked Zach, I'm not sure I would be as friendly to him as the rest of the gang still is. ;P On a side note, I finally read a Temperance Brennan novel by Kathy Reichs, and I have to say, I much prefer Bones to the novel character. I don't think I'll bother reading anymore of them.
House
Same ol', same ol', but still entertaining to watch.
Law and Order SVU
Are they just going to be trying for Emmys each season? I want more crime, less personal drama with the cops themselves. But that's just me. The new ADA seems interesting.
Survivor
It's in HD now! That's pretty much why we're watching. Or at least why I am. No one grabs me as someone to cheer for, yet.
The Amazing Race
I love this show. If only they'd decide to go HD. The team of dating NYers is going to be funny/annoying - I loved the part in the preview for next week when he's complaining about another team's ethics and she pipes in "and they didn't even say hi!" hahaha
Dancing With the Stars
This would have been a big one for me, if I wasn't completely sick of the filler crap. I think 3 episodes in one week was major overkill and caused a burnout even in devoted dance lovers like myself. I didn't even bother watching - I saw a few bits here and there, looked up who was kicked off, and deleted the taped episodes.
This week, I'm looking forward to the premieres of Chuck and Numb3rs. Oh, and the Vice Presidential Debate. :)
What are YOU watching?
Heroes
I thought the premiere was fantastic - probably better than the whole previous season. I love the gray (pardon the pun) area they're bringing up in this whole good vs. evil storyline. It's similar to one of the things I like about Lost - not knowing who's really supposed to be "good" or "bad" and deciding for myself.
Fringe
This is a pretty good new show - very X-Files and Lost, which makes sense knowing who's behind it. By the way, if the music reminds you a bit too much of Lost (which it does us), it's because it's the same music guy. Guess we can tell what he likes. ;P I love stories that go into both the paranormal and science, so I find this show really interesting. And Joshua Jackson has surprised me with a fairly interesting character - I was not a fan of Dawson's Creek and was afraid I wouldn't like this show because of him.
Criminal Minds
The season premiere was a little blah...mostly just resolving the end of the last season. I'm looking forward to new stuff. I love the show enough that I'll forgive them.
Bones
Bones has been so good this season! I think the addition of Dr. Sweets as part of the gang was a good one. I hope we don't spend the whole season trying to replace Zach, though. And as much as I liked Zach, I'm not sure I would be as friendly to him as the rest of the gang still is. ;P On a side note, I finally read a Temperance Brennan novel by Kathy Reichs, and I have to say, I much prefer Bones to the novel character. I don't think I'll bother reading anymore of them.
House
Same ol', same ol', but still entertaining to watch.
Law and Order SVU
Are they just going to be trying for Emmys each season? I want more crime, less personal drama with the cops themselves. But that's just me. The new ADA seems interesting.
Survivor
It's in HD now! That's pretty much why we're watching. Or at least why I am. No one grabs me as someone to cheer for, yet.
The Amazing Race
I love this show. If only they'd decide to go HD. The team of dating NYers is going to be funny/annoying - I loved the part in the preview for next week when he's complaining about another team's ethics and she pipes in "and they didn't even say hi!" hahaha
Dancing With the Stars
This would have been a big one for me, if I wasn't completely sick of the filler crap. I think 3 episodes in one week was major overkill and caused a burnout even in devoted dance lovers like myself. I didn't even bother watching - I saw a few bits here and there, looked up who was kicked off, and deleted the taped episodes.
This week, I'm looking forward to the premieres of Chuck and Numb3rs. Oh, and the Vice Presidential Debate. :)
What are YOU watching?
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sure, I'd love a vacation!
I did not intend to make this a pregnancy blog, but when that's what you think about 95% of the time, what can you do?
I signed up for a few of those pregnancy e-newsletters that tell you everything about your body and the baby at X weeks. Well, they're a bit frustrating right now because they all seem to be saying that now's the time to have a getaway with your partner because you're still somewhat mobile and you won't have as much time for trips once the baby's born.
Fun little getaways, however, require 2 things: time off from work and money.
What are we trying to save up? Time off from work and money.
I'd like to take as much time off as I can after the birth yet still get paid, so I'm saving up all my available time to go towards that (same with hubby). Also, between all the money spent on preparing for the birth and buying supplies for the new baby, it's not like we have a lot of cash sitting around saying 'spend me!'
So yes, I'd love to take a vacation. Thanks for reminding me. :/
I signed up for a few of those pregnancy e-newsletters that tell you everything about your body and the baby at X weeks. Well, they're a bit frustrating right now because they all seem to be saying that now's the time to have a getaway with your partner because you're still somewhat mobile and you won't have as much time for trips once the baby's born.
Fun little getaways, however, require 2 things: time off from work and money.
What are we trying to save up? Time off from work and money.
I'd like to take as much time off as I can after the birth yet still get paid, so I'm saving up all my available time to go towards that (same with hubby). Also, between all the money spent on preparing for the birth and buying supplies for the new baby, it's not like we have a lot of cash sitting around saying 'spend me!'
So yes, I'd love to take a vacation. Thanks for reminding me. :/
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Having a baby? Let me tell you how!
I have discovered another facet of human nature that I find fascinating. It seems as though once people find out you (or your partner) is pregnant, the flood gates open and they feel the need to bestow upon you all of their pregnancy and child-rearing intelligence.
I'm not talking things like "Make sure you get a Boppy! They're great!" or "Prenatal yoga sure helped me" - I'm talking about the comments like "You're crazy if you think you're having anything but pizza deliveries for dinner for the first year" once you've told them about your meal preparation plans or "I give it 2 weeks" when you mention plans for a cloth diaper service. The comments are usually accompanied by a sneer, eye roll, or some other charming and attractive facial expression. Everything from judgement calls about what sort of provider you choose for your birth to how you want to give birth to how you manage your day afterwards. We have choices in these matters for a reason.
Granted, not everybody does this, and I have yet to personally receive these comments (my husband and various friends have been the lucky ones). I just find it interesting and peculiar how free people feel to dictate to expectant parents exactly how their pregnancies and lives are going to turn out. Just because one person couldn't manage meals without delivery doesn't mean we can't. And if we find something we can't manage without shortcuts or choose a different option for, it wouldn't make me turn around and assume that the next expectant parent I know should or would do the exact same thing I did (or didn't do).
So what is it that makes people so openly opinionated when it comes to babies? These aren't comments that are made out of concern for health or safety. They're comments that are made out of a I-know-better-than-you, scoffing mentality. You don't normally hear this kind of stuff regarding marriage, job choices, housing choices, etc., so what makes babies fair game?
I don't mean to sound too negative - just honestly curious. I've just never experienced such free-flowing commentary about a subject when people should really just be saying "good for you!" most of the time, unless you're actually asking for advice. People are interesting.
I'm not talking things like "Make sure you get a Boppy! They're great!" or "Prenatal yoga sure helped me" - I'm talking about the comments like "You're crazy if you think you're having anything but pizza deliveries for dinner for the first year" once you've told them about your meal preparation plans or "I give it 2 weeks" when you mention plans for a cloth diaper service. The comments are usually accompanied by a sneer, eye roll, or some other charming and attractive facial expression. Everything from judgement calls about what sort of provider you choose for your birth to how you want to give birth to how you manage your day afterwards. We have choices in these matters for a reason.
Granted, not everybody does this, and I have yet to personally receive these comments (my husband and various friends have been the lucky ones). I just find it interesting and peculiar how free people feel to dictate to expectant parents exactly how their pregnancies and lives are going to turn out. Just because one person couldn't manage meals without delivery doesn't mean we can't. And if we find something we can't manage without shortcuts or choose a different option for, it wouldn't make me turn around and assume that the next expectant parent I know should or would do the exact same thing I did (or didn't do).
So what is it that makes people so openly opinionated when it comes to babies? These aren't comments that are made out of concern for health or safety. They're comments that are made out of a I-know-better-than-you, scoffing mentality. You don't normally hear this kind of stuff regarding marriage, job choices, housing choices, etc., so what makes babies fair game?
I don't mean to sound too negative - just honestly curious. I've just never experienced such free-flowing commentary about a subject when people should really just be saying "good for you!" most of the time, unless you're actually asking for advice. People are interesting.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Take a Deep Cleansing Breath
One of my favorite phrases lately is "deep cleansing breath". It's funny how the phrase itself can almost be as calming as the action it describes. I was speaking to my friend Persephone's Gate about the subject recently, and we had an interesting discussion about easy it is to NOT breathe deeply. She pointed out that many of us probably breathe very shallow through most of the day. Just think of how much better we'd all feel if we breathed more fully each day.
Taking deep cleansing breaths has also been an important part of my yoga practice, especially since becoming pregnant. As my yoga instructor says, deep breaths are going to be an important factor throughout pregnancy, birth, and being a parent. Focused breathing is helpful in becoming more relaxed, and I'm hoping that by starting my practice now, it will be second nature to me to focus on deep breathing when labor comes.
In everyday life, taking a few moments to breathe deeply can do wonders for your attitude. It's relaxing, yet it also recharges your brain and blood with fresh oxygen, making you more alert. Taking deep cleansing breaths is an easy way to bring a little calm into your life.
Taking deep cleansing breaths has also been an important part of my yoga practice, especially since becoming pregnant. As my yoga instructor says, deep breaths are going to be an important factor throughout pregnancy, birth, and being a parent. Focused breathing is helpful in becoming more relaxed, and I'm hoping that by starting my practice now, it will be second nature to me to focus on deep breathing when labor comes.
In everyday life, taking a few moments to breathe deeply can do wonders for your attitude. It's relaxing, yet it also recharges your brain and blood with fresh oxygen, making you more alert. Taking deep cleansing breaths is an easy way to bring a little calm into your life.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
This Pregnancy Roller Coaster
Being pregnant has certainly been an wild experience. It's nothing like I thought. I know of a few other women in my circle who are pregnant right now, and I find it fascinating how different our pregnancies are. They weren't kidding when they said every pregnancy is different.
The especially trying part of mine has been the emotional or depression side of it. I've heard about all the "I hate you for doing this to me!" type emotions, but that's not what I've been experiencing. For me, it has been the struggle against the "glowing pregnancy" stigma, or the idea that if you don't love being pregnant, you must not be a good mother or want your child or whatever else bad thought that comes to mind. :/
I have been taking the Vitamin B6 and Unisom combination for morning sickness. The odd thing is when I try to stop taking the Unisom, these emotions really flare up, along with a feeling that I thought was indigestion but am now wondering if it's more like a panic attack or stress. I'm back to taking the Unisom; the theory is the better sleep I get, the better I can manage my physical and emotional issues. I've always had sleep issues, so maybe it's just aggravated by the pregnancy.
I hope other women out there who have the same issues with emotions and depression make an effort to get help, or that people who know women in this situation try to help them. It is such a miserable feeling, and I know I had trouble coming to terms with it because I didn't want to admit having negative feelings about being pregnant. That was part of me reaching a solution, however. I had to admit what I was feeling and decide that I didn't want to feel that way anymore.
One of the things that helped me was what I call "giving in to my hormones" - I've realized (with help) that hormones affect us in different ways, whether it's terrible morning sickness or depression, and this just happened to be the way my hormones really affected me. Every time I felt down, the rational (and optimistic) side of me knew deep DEEP down that if I had a choice, I would NOT dislike the pregnancy, the situation, or anything else, but I kind of don't have a choice at the moment. My hormones are affecting everything from my stomach to my memory to my emotions - it's normal and OK. Just because I don't want to be pregnant every once in a while doesn't make me a jerk.
Another thing that has helped is that my husband takes it seriously. He doesn't think I'm just being emotional or whiny or silly, and he doesn't discard how I'm feeling. I hope other partners out there have the patience and understanding to deal with all the fluctuating emotions because, trust me on this, she's not enjoying it any more than you are. ;P In fact, it's likely there's a part of her inside that's whispering "I don't want to feel like this!" while the outside of her is turning into a crying or angry mess.
It's not all bad, though! We've had another appointment where we got to listen to the heartbeat again. Getting those little moments of real feedback - that there REALLY IS a baby in there - are nice and too infrequent at this point. I would probably be much happier if I could listen to the heartbeat all day. Or maybe that would annoy me after a while with these emotions. ;) But I keep being told that I may feel better once I start feeling movement. It may give me the reward I need to know that I ain't feeling like crap for nothing!
The especially trying part of mine has been the emotional or depression side of it. I've heard about all the "I hate you for doing this to me!" type emotions, but that's not what I've been experiencing. For me, it has been the struggle against the "glowing pregnancy" stigma, or the idea that if you don't love being pregnant, you must not be a good mother or want your child or whatever else bad thought that comes to mind. :/
I have been taking the Vitamin B6 and Unisom combination for morning sickness. The odd thing is when I try to stop taking the Unisom, these emotions really flare up, along with a feeling that I thought was indigestion but am now wondering if it's more like a panic attack or stress. I'm back to taking the Unisom; the theory is the better sleep I get, the better I can manage my physical and emotional issues. I've always had sleep issues, so maybe it's just aggravated by the pregnancy.
I hope other women out there who have the same issues with emotions and depression make an effort to get help, or that people who know women in this situation try to help them. It is such a miserable feeling, and I know I had trouble coming to terms with it because I didn't want to admit having negative feelings about being pregnant. That was part of me reaching a solution, however. I had to admit what I was feeling and decide that I didn't want to feel that way anymore.
One of the things that helped me was what I call "giving in to my hormones" - I've realized (with help) that hormones affect us in different ways, whether it's terrible morning sickness or depression, and this just happened to be the way my hormones really affected me. Every time I felt down, the rational (and optimistic) side of me knew deep DEEP down that if I had a choice, I would NOT dislike the pregnancy, the situation, or anything else, but I kind of don't have a choice at the moment. My hormones are affecting everything from my stomach to my memory to my emotions - it's normal and OK. Just because I don't want to be pregnant every once in a while doesn't make me a jerk.
Another thing that has helped is that my husband takes it seriously. He doesn't think I'm just being emotional or whiny or silly, and he doesn't discard how I'm feeling. I hope other partners out there have the patience and understanding to deal with all the fluctuating emotions because, trust me on this, she's not enjoying it any more than you are. ;P In fact, it's likely there's a part of her inside that's whispering "I don't want to feel like this!" while the outside of her is turning into a crying or angry mess.
It's not all bad, though! We've had another appointment where we got to listen to the heartbeat again. Getting those little moments of real feedback - that there REALLY IS a baby in there - are nice and too infrequent at this point. I would probably be much happier if I could listen to the heartbeat all day. Or maybe that would annoy me after a while with these emotions. ;) But I keep being told that I may feel better once I start feeling movement. It may give me the reward I need to know that I ain't feeling like crap for nothing!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Where I've Been
Since I'm starting to feel a bit better, perhaps now is a good time to explain my absence and hope that anyone who was reading my blog will continue to do so! I have lots of hits from people searching for MacGruber lyrics (to whom I apologize - I, too, have searched for lyrics and have never found any!), so I'm hoping I also have regular readers mixed up in there and haven't lost you due to my lack of posting.
Anyway! I'll give you a hint:
Yes, the stork will be visiting our house. The past few months have been filled with all the ups and downs - mostly downs - of early pregnancy. I say mostly downs because on top of the normal pregnancy symptoms you hear about, I also had one of the lesser-known symptoms (at least lesser-known to me!) - depression. I wasn't depressed to the point of needing medication or anything like that, but 'the blues' that I had were just enough to exacerbate every other symptom I had and make the whole experience less than 'glowing'.
Twice before I thought I was coming out of the fog, only to dip right back into it again a few days later, so I hesitate to say I'm done with it now. I'm feeling better though, and coming to the end of that time statistically, so here's hoping! I'm also starting prenatal yoga, so I'm hoping to get both physical and emotional benefits from that.
And can I just complain that I'm sick of my pants not fitting? :/
I haven't been wearing much makeup lately, even though the Bourjois goodies couldn't have come at a better time to cheer me up, so I hope to get back on that horse and get some reviews out to you soon.
I've also been taking lots of photos of the roses in my garden, so I hope to post some of those as well! I really need to take care of them, but I've been feeling too yucky and exhausted to do much lately. Bummer.
So there you have it. My somewhat valid excuse for not being around. Feel free to share your experiences if you like; I know mothers like to do that. ;) I probably won't discuss my own too much except for things that I discover that might help others (like asking your doctor about taking Vitamin B6 and Unisom for morning sickness or how papaya helps with digestion).
I hope we all have a good day today!
Anyway! I'll give you a hint:
Yes, the stork will be visiting our house. The past few months have been filled with all the ups and downs - mostly downs - of early pregnancy. I say mostly downs because on top of the normal pregnancy symptoms you hear about, I also had one of the lesser-known symptoms (at least lesser-known to me!) - depression. I wasn't depressed to the point of needing medication or anything like that, but 'the blues' that I had were just enough to exacerbate every other symptom I had and make the whole experience less than 'glowing'.
Twice before I thought I was coming out of the fog, only to dip right back into it again a few days later, so I hesitate to say I'm done with it now. I'm feeling better though, and coming to the end of that time statistically, so here's hoping! I'm also starting prenatal yoga, so I'm hoping to get both physical and emotional benefits from that.
And can I just complain that I'm sick of my pants not fitting? :/
I haven't been wearing much makeup lately, even though the Bourjois goodies couldn't have come at a better time to cheer me up, so I hope to get back on that horse and get some reviews out to you soon.
I've also been taking lots of photos of the roses in my garden, so I hope to post some of those as well! I really need to take care of them, but I've been feeling too yucky and exhausted to do much lately. Bummer.
So there you have it. My somewhat valid excuse for not being around. Feel free to share your experiences if you like; I know mothers like to do that. ;) I probably won't discuss my own too much except for things that I discover that might help others (like asking your doctor about taking Vitamin B6 and Unisom for morning sickness or how papaya helps with digestion).
I hope we all have a good day today!
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