Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Breastesses and Naming

I just bought a Medela Swing breast pump used. I know, I know. I've read all the stuff on used pumps and sanitation and blah-blah-blah. But there is this other side of me, the side that grew up in southern Africa and watched babies being birthed and raised in all sorts of hygienically questionable conditions, including my own baby sister, that scoffs at the dangers lurking in our western world. What. Ever.

Plus, this is a model that was clearly barely used. Lots of women buy these expensive contraptions only to find out that their milk won't come in. It happened to this woman, a nurse, and I was willing to use her bad fortune to my advantage. Plus, she met my offer. I'm unemployed, people.

The funny part was conducting the transaction in the entrance of the Northgate Safeway. I can just imagine what the security cameras caught. Strange looking apparatus in box handed over, examined closely, buttons pressed. Money exchanging hands. The second funny part was getting it home and reading the instruction pamphlet. Why do the 'how to' images have the women applying the pump over their clothes??? I'm going to be a lactating woman. I think I can handle seeing a little breast. And, yes, I damn well want to know how to apply this thing properly, nipple 'n all.

In other baby news, no, we have not really thought about names. We've gone through the motions - internet lists, books - a couple of times but I find it extremely tedious. It's not that I'm not excited for the baby. And we do plan to give it a name. I just really, really despise shopping. Accordingly, this baby will get the first name that fits and sounds reasonable. I buy clothes the same way.

After all, it's just a name. It's up to the kid to make it mean something, right?

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

On Belly Photos

It seems to be the trend, but I’m going to forgo the whole belly documentation thing. You know, photos, plaster casts. I honestly don’t really get it. It’s not out of self-loathing; I love to take good long looks in the mirror. I’m fascinated with how round I am. I like making my abs move because they’re so ‘on the outside’, now. I’m intrigued by how the weight is carried so low, how so much more towards the front of my pelvis it is than I expected. I am thrilled to feel the baby move, wondering what it’s doing, trying to guess where it’s positioned, what it sees, hears, feels. Completely fascinating.

What I’ve never really been is sentimental. I have never once regretted that I don’t have more pictures of myself. I don’t think I ever felt the urge to see a picture of my mother when she was carrying me. Trevor is more sentimental about history, but I just can’t seem to muster it up. So I’m going to take the chance and not get professional shots or belly casts. I know me; they would rot in the basement for decades.

Course, this baby is half Trevor and could have his sentimentality. Just my luck it’ll hate me forever for not documenting this more. My first failure as a parent! Now I am feeling sentimental.

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Friday, February 20, 2009

Baby Update

So I did end up going for the 20-week ultrasound. If I knew what I know now, I would have tried to skip the first two, but not the 20-week one, which seems to be the most medically crucial.

Of course, there were signs we losing the baby in early days. “So what?” I challenged the doctor, “it’s not like you could have prevented a miscarriage at that stage.”

That’s not the point, the doctor explained (read: yelled). Had the baby actually died, it would have put my life at risk if it had gone unnoticed. So, yeah, I guess there’s that.

Then there are these:

www.newscientist.com: "Ultrasound scans may disrupt fetal brain development"

www.askquestions.org: "Conflicts of Interest: Understanding the Safety Issues Around Prenatal 3D Ultrasound"

Bottom line, the ultrasound debate is really difficult. And I was nervous today, not sure until the last minute that I was going to go through with it. When I did, I asked the ultrasound technician to do only what was medically necessary. No photos, no looking for gender, no extra looking around for the parents’ benefit. Get in, get out.

And she was really good about that. Plus, the kid turned at exactly the right times giving her great views for checking organs and blood flow as quickly as possible.

“You two made for an easy ultrasound,” she said as I wiped the goop off my belly. She further explained that if there’s too much fat, hard to see. Too much muscle, also hard to see.

So bottom line, I’m fit. Just not that fit.

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Thursday, February 12, 2009

File Under Grace in Small Things

Things are much, much improved this week. Last week was crisis after crisis, confrontation after confrontation. This week, the much welcome calm after the storm.

Also the following:

  • Trev and I are finally feeling the urge to pick up paintbrushes and commit to our home by giving it a little make over. We might even unpack more boxes! Put up pictures! Invite people over! Stay tuned.
  • We are both jobless in the near future (today is Trev's first day 'of leisure'), but we're actually feeling hopeful. This, too, shall pass.
  • In the last couple of days, I've started to feel the baby. I mean, really feel it. Actual kicks. It's kind of exciting.
  • Charlie took off after a rabbit last night. She ran her ass off and didn't even come close (if Charlie's fast, the jack rabbits around here are warp speed). But you have to understand that after five months of forcing her to be virtually home bound, to see her run like the dog she is was absolutely soul-lifting.

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Monday, January 26, 2009

Shower Gifts # 1

Is it rude to specify shower gifts? At four months? Well, these popped into my head and since I can't say how long thoughts will stick around these days, I better get 'em down. Preggo-brain is real and I am afflicted.

THINGS I WANT... FOR THE BABY....*

1. Frasier on DVD
2. A six-month membership to Audible.com
3. A case of Graber olives from California
4. Six months of membership to Crossfit
5. And... it's on the tip of my brain... dammit, it's gone. See?!?
6. Something for the baby.

*Yes, I realize these are awfully big ticket items. Perhaps this list is actually more for Trev, and maybe it's my birthday wish list... and Christmas list...for the next five years.

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