Posted on Jan 28th, 10 at
11:55 pm under Breastfeeding, EC (Elimination communication), My Life
28
Jan
Wow… I am in love…
Not only do I love my new little girl, but seeing her brothers love just makes my heart melt. The boys are completely amazed and enamored by her… they want to kiss her, hold her, touch her…
Xavier spent at least an hour holding her hand and looking at her while she slept the day she was born..
Colin had to come kiss her at least once every 15 min..
Khéna is just in awe and wants to stay close and always wants to hold her…
Khéna is also adapting to being a big brother amazingly well… I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about how he was going to take not being the baby of the family anymore… having to share mama with someone who needs her more, losing his coveted place in the family bed in front of mama… having to share his “Maju”… but he showing me that I was wrong to be nervous… he is taking it better than I would have hoped for, he is so proud to be a big brother!
My mom came by today to bring me a chicken she cooked this morning so we can make some sandwiches with and she left with Colin and Xavier and brought them to where she is saying near the cabin for two nights… the boys wer excited to go and honestly having the house be a bit more quiet will be nice… Khéna would have wanted to go also but it isn’t the best time, so instead he is doing special things with Daddy alone which he thinks is a great alternative…
As for life with baby… she is amazing… her first night was a bit rough until she had a big poop at around 2am and then finally she relaxed and slept… nursing about every 3 hours or so until morning and then throughout the day… she reminds me so much of Colin as a baby.. she looks like him also, the resemblance is quite amazing..
It was because of Colin that I tried EC for the first time.. he hated being wet, even for a second and would get worked up inconsolably… so letting him potty somewhere else than a diaper was exactly what he wanted and needed…
With Khéna we started when he was 4 days old…when the meconium poos were finished… this time I was hesitating on doing the same, but after seeing her reaction to having a BM and being in it for a few minutes, it reminded me so much of Colin that I decided to try right away… and she has been dry all day… she gives a clear signal that she needs to go and the within a few seconds of putting her over the potty bowl she eliminates… she does cry for a few seconds before going but once she lets go, she stops crying immediately and is quiet and content again… though I have seen it before, it is amazing to see how natural it comes…
I have also fell in love with the prefold belt that I bought… and I am going to be sewing up some of my own very soon… it is such a simple concept but makes things so much easier and it looks so much more comfortable than any newborn diaper cover or diaper that I have tried on my babies…
Wilhelmina is also an amazing nurser… her latch was perfect from the start and she is efficient and just so easy to nurse… my milk is coming in also and it amazing to hear her gulp and drink and be content…
As for me, I lost a little more blood than I would have liked yesterday but I am feeling better today… still a little weak, but better… I am also in pain all over my body… my SPD is better but labour was rough and my body is definately feeling the consequences of that… All I can tell myself is that everything will be better soon…
And Simon… well he is still tired from the night I laboured and is doing so much for everyone and is being an amazing husband and father… I think he is feeling a bit overwhelmed and stretched out but he is taking it in stride… I think that having the older boys with my mom for the two nights will make things easier for him also.. he is also happy to be starting his paternity leave which gives him until August before returning to work…
So, yes, we are all in love and enjoying life with a newborn… It is amazing… she is amazing…
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Posted on Jan 27th, 10 at
7:52 pm under Pregnancy and Birth, UP/UC
27
Jan
Our fourth child… first daughter…
Born this morning, unassisted in the water weighing in at 8lbs, 8oz
Just born…
First Nurse…
4 hours old…
Discovering the world…
10 hours old…
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Posted on Jan 27th, 10 at
10:49 am under Pregnancy and Birth, UP/UC
27
Jan
and I am not pregnant anymore…
This morning, Jan 27th at 5:08am, I gave birth to a beautiful little girl…I can’t believe it! a Girl!!!
I am resting now but I will of course be adding more details and pics very soon…
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Posted on Jan 21st, 10 at
9:52 am under Pregnancy and Birth, UP/UC
21
Jan
Seriously, this is what life feels like at the moment… everything is standing still awaiting the arrival of the new babe…
I am 40 weeks now, and 2 weeks ago I was having tons of contractions, going for hours on end and then stopping, the baby was placed pretty well and I seriously thought things would starts sooner rather than later… silly, delusional me…
Everything stopped, the baby started flipping from side to side with the head leaning on my right hip. My pelvis has been out of alignment for a long time, the knee problems that I had as a child can attest to that. When I started going to the Chiro about 4-5 years ago I saw quite difference… I also have a tilted Uterus that is always to the right, even when it is fully extended with a full term baby. My first two babies were posterior, stuck on that right hip and I had long and hard labours with them… but after visiting the Chiro last pregnancy and realizing what the problem was, I had a normal and beautiful birth (of course having a UC also made it a lot less stressful, which was a great help also)… anyway, now I am quite aware on position and I am quite obsessed at getting baby in the right position to make things easier for both of us… So for the last week or so, I have been trying to get baby back into the right place but it wasn’t working…
On Monday I decided to go for my first ever acupuncture appt. I was a bit sceptical but I was quite impressed… though it didn’t help anything along (maybe it would have if baby was in the right position though) she also worked on my lower back pain and that night I slept like I hadn’t slept in weeks and the pain has been reduced by at least half… Yesterday morning the baby was still on that right hip and still flipping, so I did a bit of inversion, on my knees with my butt in the air for a while and then when I felt the back slip towards my front I laid down on my left side until gravity brought the back that way… then I got up and tried to bring the baby down… walking, on the birth ball , sitting straight up and leaning forward etc… and all day the feet were right were they were supposed to be and when I went to the Chiro last night she confirmed that the baby is now back to a great position and the head is pretty much engaged (I can’t palpitate my lower abdomen anymore… so it was good to hear from someone else)… I also started having contractions again, which is annoying but it at least it means that something is happening again…
So, yes… Limbo… besides being obsessed with the babe’s position, things have been just in waiting… it feels like life is just at a standstill… Simon is going to work but doesn’t have much work to do anymore, or is rushing to get what he has to do done so that he can leave at anytime… I haven’t brought the boys out in longer than I wish to think of… they play outside in the yard but I just don’t have the energy to go somewhere with them especially because that would mean driving the car for a while and the last times I have done that have been quite painful for me and it has taken a few days to recover… so we are all going a bit stir crazy here…
Everything is ready for baby, so maintaining housework is all that is left to do… I would like to sew but I have no inspiration at the moment of what to make…
The boys are waiting also… “soon” seems to no longer be specific enough… they want to know when the baby is coming (and Colin instists it will be a girl and tears come to his eyes when we mention that it might be another boy)
We are all just waiting… waiting for labour, waiting for birth, waiting for the unknown, waiting for Simon to be on Parental leave and home with us… just waiting… as I heard someone say… the last few weeks of pregnancy should be considered as a trimester all to itself…
So to keep us all waiting… do you have any predicitions?
When this baby will come? What will it be? weight? height? please entertain me a bit 
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Posted on Jan 15th, 10 at
10:32 am under Pregnancy and Birth, UP/UC
15
Jan
I haven’t been writing much, honestly I haven’t been doing much…
I am now at more than 39 weeks and in pain.. I had a great massage and chiro appt last week that helped me a lot for a few days, but the weekend with grocery shopping and the blessingway tired me out completely… Nights have also been rough and I seem to have a waking period at about 3am and then I can’t get back to sleep…
So my daily pattern has been being a boring mom that does just the minimum during the day while Simon is at work, making supper, eating and then heading to bed to relax (with the laptop, my mp3 player or my Nintendo DS etc…)… I don’t fall asleep any sooner than usual but at least I can be more comfortable than if I am upstairs… then sleep until I wake up for a few hours in the night and then luckily I seem to be able to fall asleep again around the time Simon gets up and I sleep for another hour or two…
Though I do enjoy many aspects of being pregnant, chances are that this is my last pregnancy and especially because of the SPD, I am feeling OK with that… I love feeling the baby move, I love the anticipation of meeting our new child, I actually love giving birth… but, I don’t want to experience this pain again…
It is amazing how the end of pregnancy seems to take over life, Simon is a bit on edge and getting everything ready to leave work at any time, every twinge has me wondering if it will lead to another, prodromal labour for hours at times messes with your brain and every day is a waiting game…the baby isn’t engaged yet but is mostly hanging out in a good position.. I would like to do more on the exercise/birthing ball but the SPD won’t allow it… I feel OK while on the ball but it is after that is the problem…
I would also love to go for a walk but I don’t feel stable enough in the snow and Ice… (especially since I fell a few weeks ago in front of the grocery store) and I know that though it would feel good, I would be in more pain while walking and especially after…
The boys are also ready for the birth, we had an amazing talk the other other day about the uterus, the cervix and how it all works… though Khéna’s understanding is limited to understanding that there is actually a baby in there and that it will come out and have “maju”, the older boys, especially Xavier really seem to understand what will be happening physically during labour… It makes me realize that there is a quite an age difference between the oldest and what will soon be the youngest…
So, yes, tired of being pregnant, tired of the pain… but within 3 weeks it will be over, within 3 weeks it will all be forgotten, within three weeks we will be meeting be a family falling in love with the new little member… I hope it is sooner than later…
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Posted on Jan 11th, 10 at
9:11 pm under Pregnancy and Birth, UP/UC
11
Jan
What a beautiful day I had yesterday… my friend Gen threw me a blessingway, a very quiet and quaint gathering with some of my favourite women…
Gen hosted it at her house, being the mama of 11 1/2 month twins it was easier for everyone that way, and I got a ride with a local friend so I didn’t have to drive to Montreal, something I am no longer very comfortable doing at the moment.
Two other friends met us there making us five total… a perfect number of people to all share and talk together. Gen’s partner left with the kids so they could nap in the car and left us women alone for a few hours in the afternoon..
Everyone brought a little treat…
and we talked, and shared, and I got so pampered with a foot bath and massage and hair brushing… it was really awkward being the centre of attention, but it was also so relaxing and I allowed myself to soak it up…
(knitted babylegs)
One of the things I loved the most was that though 3 of the friends know each other, Gen, who was hosting didn’t know them and because they are all so important to me and we all share the same values, it was such a great feeling to bring both parts of my life together..
At the end, we all wrapped a piece of wool around our wrists all linked together and each of us said a small blessing for the baby and birth and then we cut the pieces and tied them on our wrists to keep until the baby is born…
It was just an amazing afternoon and because most likely this is our last baby, I will remember and cherish it always…
Thank you ladies
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Posted on Jan 7th, 10 at
2:35 pm under Food
7
Jan
I love green onions and they would often make their way onto my grocery list because I use them so often… then I read a great tip and thought I would share it…
When you use your green onions, you usually use just the green and then most people throw away the rest…. instead of throwing away the whites, put them in a bit of water and watch them grow back… Within a few days you will have considerable growth and will be able to use them again… just clip off what you need…
I used these last week and just had the whites left, so I put them in some water (left the ring on so that they would stay upright) and not even a week later they are even taller then the original ones… I can’t believe I hadn’t tried this before!
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Posted on Jan 4th, 10 at
11:02 am under Pregnancy and Birth, UP/UC
4
Jan
After a lot of thought I have decided to invite a friend to the birth if I feel the need…
Though I need to be alone in labour, I also need someone there to do certain things for me, bring water, bring tinctures,make tea and help clean up afterwards and of course, be around for the kids. Though Simon is an amazing help, depending on the time of the birth and the kids needs I don’t want to expect that he can do everything. Of course if things happen in the night and there is no need to be a parent then things will most likely go smoothly but if not, I think it would good thing to have someone else here.
Furthermore, though Simon’s usual route to work takes about an hour and half (we live almost 100km away) if I were to call him in the daytime when there are no express buses, the route would take about 3 hours. Depending on how labour is progressing, I am not too sure about my feelings of being a mom of three for three hours while having contractions.
The friend that I have invited is a fellow UCer, a UCer that knows exactly why I feel the need to birth alone, because she has the same reasons. I know that she will not panic, that she will not be invasive, that she will be what I need her to be. Either to take care of the kids, or be around when Simon is doing so, just be another pair of hands to help. She also lives on the route that Simon would take to get back home, so if something were to happen in the daytime, she could leave her kids with family, in the time that it takes for Simon to get to the Metro and she could pick him up and do the rest of the route together. Shaving at least an hour, if not more, off of the travel time.
It was hard decision to make, to have someone in “my space” while giving birth, but I feel a relief that if I need someone, she will be there and she will be exactly what I need. She is pretty excited too
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