Back pain & Belly support

I've been wearing a belly support belt for about three weeks now. Unfortunately, it also irritates my skin because it attaches to itself with velcro, and it doesn't line up perfectly. So I have a couple of open sores on my belly now. I know, totally gross. So for the last two days I've been skipping the belt to give my poor skin a chance to heal. Now my back is killing me. So I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. And I'll also probably put the support belt back on because the sores don't hurt very much, but my back does. Oh, the things nobody warns you about when you get pregnant! However, since my back pain is caused because I carry 99% in my belly (ie: you cannot tell from behind that I'm pregnant), I cannot complain about that. Only about seven weeks to go. I can deal.

Yet another article advocating for midwifery care!

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/06/28/the_high_cost_of_caesareans/

You would think hospitals/ACOG might pay attention (don't hold your breath!!).

A clear sign to switch from an ob's practice

http://birthingbeautifulideas.com/?p=1922

This is a blog post about an ob practice in Ohio that has banned doulas and individual birth plans. The scariest part about it is not that the practice is requiring patients to sign off on their rules, but that many other practices feel the same way, but are not as upfront about it. I didn't get far enough along in my last pregnancy to discuss a birth plan with the ob practice I started with, but due to everything that lead to my leaving them, I have a feeling that they might have been just as unbending, just not as open about it.

While I would highly recommend any woman with a healthy pregnancy to seek out midwifery care instead of a doctor, I also understand that even for the most ardent natural birth supporters this isn't always possible (at the very least, insurance issues can make this a no-go right from the start). If you must be with an ob, I would then suggest speaking from very early on plans for a natural birth. There are some telling signs if the ob is less than supportive of this. Things such as their c-section rate, epidural rate, and how long they're willing to let you go past your due date (ACOG recommends induction at 43 weeks, not the 41 currently practiced the majority of the time). And remember, it is never too late to switch to a health care provider that you feel more comfortable with!

Self Magazine & natural birth

http://www.self.com/health/2010/07/birthing-plan-controversies

Braxton-Hicks

While I am thrilled to bet getting them, and have for the past few weeks, something I was not told prior to this pregnancy is that they are more painful and start earlier the second time around (or can be). So it kind of freaked me out the first few times. I had them for the last two months of my first pregnancy and it was really neat to have proof that my body was getting ready. This time, if I have a couple in a row, I start getting a little freaked out, too. But, I'm trying to consciously choose instead to concentrate on relaxing and breathing through them: they're practice contractions, so I'm practicing my method of dealing with the real deal. It's all about staying in the moment.

End note: so a little part of me is also freaked out that if the Braxton-Hicks are more uncomfortable this time, will I know for certain when the real deal starts? I had another dream of a super-fast labor, 23 minutes, but this one didn't go as well as my previous pregnancy dreams. Just that the midwives were really blasse about coming and then I had major breastfeeding issues.

A random blogpost about home births

http://blog.emerson.edu/ploughshares/2010/05/they-used-to-burn-us.html

Has a lovely home birth story and more about New York State's problems with midwives.

Rebuttle to ACOG

http://www.babble.com/winning-homebirth-debate/

Fantastic article showing the skewed point of view of physicians & ACOG and some bits on why homebirth is such a controversial issue in this country.

Stupid ACOG

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/nyregion/18midwives.html?th&emc=th

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is doing it's darnedest to prevent women from using midwives in New York state. This infuriates me beyond belief. Anyway, have a read and get annoyed, too :).

The Farm

http://babylievmendoza.blogspot.com/2010/05/liev-michael-mendozas-natural-birth-at.html

Ina May Gaskin is the Godmother of Natural, out of hospital births. I really, really should know more about her, but I'm always hearing raves about her books. The Farm is where she lives and practices. The above link is from someone who gave birth on the Farm recently and explains everything much better than I can. So please, read the blog post above, and I promise to do more research :)

Make-up review: Tarte

Yeah, I'm grasping at straws a bit this week, I'm still sick, so please forgive me. Anyway, a while back I got a bunch of Tarte samples from Sephora and since they're a relatively eco-friendly company, I thought I'd write the reviews.

Lip gloss: not too bad. The colors are really sheer (I received 15 glosses for Christmas, plus one more in my sample kit) and don't last a super long time, but they are gloss, after all. I do like the scent and texture; not too sticky and I'm not constantly pulling my hair out of my lips.

Eyeliner: EmphasEYES in black. I really like the liner. It's not super black, but it smudges so nicely and stays put all day. It's also a twist-up, so I don't have to worry about sharpening it and it always has a decent point.

Mascara: Lights, Camera, Lashes! also in black. I'm loving the mascara. I have long, full lashes to begin with, but they're stick straight and not super dark, so this does the job of emphasizing my lashes beautifully and also hasn't clumped, smudged or flaked. And it washes off easily!

Shadow primer: Lifted Natural Eye Primer. My skin is light enough that this works as an under-eye concealer for me, too. It's okay. Actually, it does a really good job of keeping my eyeshadow on (not that I have a huge problem with this), but it does so good of a job that it becomes more difficult to wash off. So if you need a primer, this is great, but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Primer: Ugh, it smells funny. Not in a "it's gone bad" sort of way, just in a chemically way. Which is probably because it doesn't have any really bad stuff in it to mask smells, but I don't like the smell. However, it does do a good job and my skin feels really smooth.

Mini review

In searching for a petroleum and other evil-stuff free cosmetics I was re-introduced to Origins. I'm not sure whether this is new or they've always been free, but it was a pleasant discovery. So I'm now using (as of Saturday) their new Zero Oil cleanser, A Perfect World for Eyes, and Starting Over moisturizer. It's only been three days, but I'm really loving them. The cleanser is cleaning my combination skin without stripping and the moisturizer isn't making my oily at all. And the textures are good, too! My skin is looking pretty good even if I'm sick and miserable. I think I'll be trying more Origins in the future.

Sick

Ugh, my sniffley toddler has given me his cold. It probably didn't help that I didn't stop getting his slobbery kisses or eating off of his plate, but I'm usually still immune. It's just a sore throat and a little stuffy nose, but I'm miserable. And limited for relief. I'm drinking copious amounts of tea with honey, but that's about it. Hopefully this will only be for a couple of days. I just wish it had started on Friday, instead of Sunday, so my husband could help a bit more. Ah, c'est la vie.

How the Health Bill Helps Pregnant Women

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/07/AR2010060703188.html

Bonus post :)

Swollen ankles

Ugh, they're back (imagine in little girl's voice from Poltergeist). I have not been good about putting my feet up the last few days and I am now paying the price for it. My feet and ankles are one mass of swollen flesh, it looks like I just have stumps at the end of my legs, from really old trees. This is a lovely reminder to me to STAY OFF OF MY FEET! Or at least rest for a reasonable amount of time every day. Part of the problem is that I use a laptop, and I am loath to have the computer actually on my lap, close to my baby. Well, I don't have a choice right now, if I want to be on-line at all. (although, I must interject: I went six days without my computer while we were on vacation and didn't really miss it. But if it's plugged in, I feel like I must be checking things!!) So back to the basics: rest, fluids, and listening to my body. Maybe a bath with some salts in the water.

No legal home births in NYC now

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/14/home-births-new-york-midwives

Short-sighted gov't interference. Sigh.

I'm back!

Okay, we got back Wednesday night, but I'm still recovering. So a few quick notes on traveling with a toddler. I'd say that this was our most successful trip in terms of #1 sleeping fantastically well and staying on schedule. It helps that there wasn't any type of agenda on our trip, previous ones have been all about seeing people/going to events so I had less schedule control than this time. We also drove, and drove leaving at naptime to and from, which is always better than cross-country flights (even though the last two flights were at night and sleeping was accomplished during most of them). I arranged activities based entirely on what would be of interest to my son: lots of playgrounds, a science museum and an aquarium. So I didn't get to do any of my stuff; there will be plenty of years for that in the future. And another key part: we only did stuff in the morning. I tried to keep the overstimulation to a minimum so activities before lunch, relaxing in the afternoons. This was also for me, but since my naps were routinely interrupted and the mattress was too firm to be comfortable for me, this didn't help much. It also helped that we were upgraded at the hotel to a two-bedroom suite so #1 had his own room, but that's not something I can count on all of the time (it does make me want to splurge for extra rooms whenever possible, though!!). Oh, and my baby slept in a bed the whole time and did quite well in it. He's growing up! sniff, sniff!

More news story

Part 2 from yesterday: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/95233234.html?page=1&c=y&elr=KArksUUUycaEacyU

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but good stuff about midwives :)

Vacation!!

My husband has a work trip in Vancouver, BC, so my darling son and I will be going with him! Hurray for a vacation. I'm also excited for #1 to travel internationally (okay, not that he'll remember, but I will). I love traveling, especially with my baby and this will be the first time my husband will actually be with us, even if he'll be working most of the time. Anyway, so I'll probably be taking a blog break until next Thursday. I'll have my laptop with me, but no guarantees.

Relaxin

Fun, fun, fun. Your pregnant body comes up with all sorts of hormones to keep you on your toes. My latest development is that I've noticed my joints are looser. Relaxin is the hormone released by your body to help it stretch: your cervix, your pelvis, your hips. Too bad it can't just target those areas. As you go later in your pregnancy, heavy exercise is usually discouraged, and this is why. You don't want to be running heavily (unless you already do regularly), or any other jarring activity (tennis, for example) when your joints are a bit wobbly. The last two mornings I've woken up feeling like a rag doll, as though my limbs are a bit looser. Then I remembered.

Today I also broke out my belly support. It's almost like a weight-lifting belt, but to support your stomach instead of your back. I carry ALL in my belly, so this was essential last time. My husband has been asking me about it for a few weeks now, but it's annoying to put on, so I was resisting. I figure it's time now. Overall, my body is still doing better at this point than it was with #1. Who says girls are more difficult??

Another article about births

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/95188129.html?elr=KArksUUUycaEacyU

Just throwing it out there. It's a Part 1, so hopefully I'll remember to look up the next part :)

The things we take for granted . . .

The other day I was taking something out of the oven when I realized that I didn't have to bend over for it. Since I can barely bend anymore, and I can only squat so much in one day, this is a huge deal. My kitchen was designed by me and I have a double oven. Which means that the top one is just at the right height for me to reach in without having to bend at all. And my countertops are high enough that everything is at a perfect level (I'm not super tall, but I am 5'9" and regular countertops are a little low for me). I might be standing away from my sink, but it's still at a good level. Even the banister on our stairs is two inches higher than normal, which makes it at a better height for me. All of these little things add up to less back strain for poor pregnant me. I had realized that although my lower back is starting to get a little achey on me, this is a good three or four months later than back pain started with #1. It might help that I'm not sitting at a desk all day, or that I've already done physical therapy for back problems once this pregnancy (plus last pregnancy), or that I'm much more aware and careful, but whatever it is, I'm grateful for it! So here's to the little things in life that make pregnancy less miserable!

VBAC comic

http://atlanta.ican-online.org/?page_id=82

This is absolutely hilarious, and unfortunately much too true.