The Poop Chronicles

If you follow my twitter/facebook status updates, you'll have noticed a few about Adventures in Babyshitting. This is one of those things new parents can't avoid or procrastinate on. When it comes out, it has to be dealt with. Especially if it's exploding out of their nappy and fast soaking through onto your white pants.
Everyone Poops...I think Jessicsa Simpson made that book famous back in her Newlyweds days. So everyone knows that everyone else is doing it, but I'm not sure if they are aware of the variety of poop out there. You just have to read The Story of the Little mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business to see the variety of animal poops but which book will tell you about the variety of baby poops? I've not found a fun pictoral version.
So, here's the story on what comes out of a baby for the first few months...
Meconium - baby's first bowel movements. A thick, sticky, tarlike dark bowel movement. Totally normal and totally gross looking. If you want a picture, go to the Wikipedia page on Meconium.
Breastmilk poop - watery, yellow, sometimes has a seedy appearance. After the meconium passes, breastfed babies will often poop after each feed. It's not very pleasant to deal with poop 10 times a day, but it's better than when they start saving up their poops for a day or two and then exploding through the nappies. This has been my recent experience with our 3 week old who has had to be bathed or showered and have her clothes soaked in stain treatment overnight after each bowel movement.
Formula poop - strained peas...that's what I hear. A bit thicker than breastmilk poop, and may have a more green or brownish tint. Usually formula fed babies poop a bit less often than breastfed babies because the formula takes longer to be digested. Formula poop is usually smellier than breastmilk poop too.
Solid-food poop - well, around 4-6 months when the baby starts on solids nappy changes get even grosser. Sugars in the fruits and vegetables change the flora and fauna of the digestive tract and the poop coming out tends to be browner, firmer, and way stinkier - everyone in a 5 mile radius will know a poop has taken place. Sometimes the poop is the color of the carrots baby ate or there are bits of undigested food in it; don't worry, that's totally normal.
So, there you have it. Simple, no frills, no illustration explanation of baby poop.

Oh, and I think I know why yellow is the preferred unisex colour now...why oh why do we have so much white in baby Wren's wardrobe?

Coping Mechanisms

Only 5 days left until my due date. It's one of those assignments you can't ask for an extension on, either...and if you're told to hand it in early, you'd better be ready.
How am I dealing with this? In the usual way I handle stress and fear, with detachment and apathy. Things will be fine in the end. I did a bit of preparation a while ago and am mostly well-informed about what will happen so why worry?
Why worry? Because this time it's not a grade, or a class that needs to be passed, it's a human life that I will have to foster and protect. Knowing this doesn't seem to make much of a difference, however.
The babies things are not finished being set up in our room. I open my eyes each morning to an unorganized menagerie of furniture that seems like it can't fit in the space we have. I go shopping, hubs and Miss 3 in tow for storage solutions and can't manage to choose anything from the available options. We possibly need additional baby clothing but I've not the determination to go through everything we do have and check.
What I do have the passion for is sourcing cute nursing lingerie...hopefully the breastfeeding thing works out or else I'll be looking for ways to unload some high-end knickers and drop down bras...

TMI?

There are days when questions regarding my pregnancy are met with annoyance and a curt response, especially when those questions come from strangers. There are other days, however, when I can’t stop burbling. Makes me wonder, how much information is too much? What do people actually want to know and what am I forcing upon them when I’m in my “receptive” mood?
Today has been a day of burbles. I’m in a familiar environment with a familiar group of clients and I seem to be talking an awful lot about myself. And my bump. I think the type of information I give is relatively innocuous and certainly not TMI in the sense that I’m not talking bowel movements or discharge. But really, is the type of information I’m disseminating interesting? Due date, gender, agreement that my feet are a bit swollen and I’ve broken out my jandals on non-working days, minor complaints about the physical aspect of my job, the fact that my maternity leave starts on Friday… Blah, blah, blah.
I was looking at yesterday’s newspaper today while eating lunch and I saw in the “Sideswipe” column, a reader submitted blurb about parents over-indulging their desires to talk about their offspring. Apparently this man had been stuck on a long international flight beside a new mother and heard all sorts of interesting tid-bits about whether baby slept the night, how many diapers they went through in a day, how much the bub was eating, when the first smile was, etc, etc. I thought to myself, “Poor man, nowhere to escape on an airplane” and then began wondering if I’ve started to morph into the woman sitting next to him.
If you end up sharing space with me before or after I give birth and I can’t find a more interesting topic than the impending arrival of my child or what it’s been like since she’s arrived, go ahead and tell me if you’re bored with it. I won’t be offended…I promise. Well, I’ll try not to be offended. It would be good if you managed to let me know how interesting other things I may have to talk about are though…

Personal Space? What's That?

So, yesterday I made a foray to the mall to collect party goodies for the upcoming 3 year old madness that will be happening this Sunday and to shop for the perfect present for said 3 year old. All was good, the shopping was fruitful and hubs agrees that I've chosen a suitably brightly coloured and exciting present befitting a 3 year old.
While my focus was on a 3 year old, everyone else's focus was on someone who has still about 30 days before making her debut.
The first shop I went into, an elderly lady said hello and began asking me questions such as "how much longer have you got to go?" and "do you know what you're having?" I just thought she was a lonely elderly lady. I was wrong. In each shop I visited, someone managed to comment on my belly. "When are you due?" or "How much longer?" were the most common questions and I think my answer of 4+ weeks to go surprised many. The other comments tended to be "Wow, you're big!" or "I bet you'll be happy when it's over." One lady shared with me how a week ago she'd delivered a little boy 7 weeks early and was just out doing some shopping to finish the nursery before they let him out of the hospital.
People have also begun to imagine it's appropriate to rub my stomach. I am not a Buddha and I will not bring you good luck. Up until very recently, the only people who had been brave enough to touch or rub my stomach are my husband, my husband's daughter, my MIL (although hers have been quite tentative little touches) and one of my friends before she went back to Canada and the belly was barely a bump. One of the ladies who questioned my due date yesterday, reached out and gave my stomach a bit of a stroke which shocked me - she was a complete stranger. And I was left feeling somewhat akward when a very nice lady who runs one of the venues where I teach first aid classes put one hand on either side of my bump and rubbed up and down while cooing something to the baby (at least she was not a stranger). I'm not quite sure of how to respond to these things...if I wasn't pregnant, there's no way you'd be so familiar and rub my stomach, so what's changed? Do pregnant women, once they reach a certain stage, lose their right to privacy and personal space?

Nipple Piercings and Breast Feeding

A good number of years ago, I got both nipples pierced on a bit of a whim. A friend of mine had one of hers done and was going back for the second and I went along as a support person. By the time we left the shop, we both had bilateral nipple piercings.
Another friend of mine, who has a single nipple pierced , asked me a little while ago what I was going to do about breastfeeding. I replied that as far as I know, my nipples work fine and I will go ahead and breastfeed normally if it all works out. She was surprised at this as the piercer who did her nipple had told her there was a high chance of breastfeeding problems related to scar tissue with pierced nipples.
Today I was reading this article about a woman who chose, for medical reasons, to formula feed her baby and the feelings of guilt she had associated with that decision...there are just so many people who will judge you based on your parenting decisions without knowing your whole story. That article got me back to thinking about my own options with breastfeeding.
I visited the La Leche League NZ website for more information. Through a bit of clicking, I came to an article entitled Nipple Piercing: Is It Compatible with Breastfeeding? According to this, there is no evidence that nipple piercing should compromise a woman's ability to breastfeed. There are many reasons not to get pierced anywhere while you are pregnant and the article does mention those quite a lot but I am not in that situation as my piercings are pre-existing. Of course, it also mentions that when you are breastfeeding, piercing jewelry should be removed due to the danger of infant choking and damage to the gums, tongue and soft palate of your baby. Mothers who do not remove jewelry while breastfeeding may experience poor latch, babies frequently coming on and off the breast, slurping, gagging and milk leaking from the baby's mouth but once the nipple jewelry is removed the problems stop.
So, this settles it for me. Onwards and upwards with my original plan to try breastfeeding normally and hope everything works out for the best. I will remove the jewelry while feeding, replacing it at intervals so the holes don't close over, and replace the rings for good once I'm finished with breastfeeding.

23 Weeks

At 23 weeks, I have dull hair, carpal tunnel syndrome along with swelling in my hands and feet, occasional bleeding noses, and the attention span of a fruit fly. Overall, I feel fine and can't complain too much; I did sign up for this after all.
The other day, I was reading a synopsis of what is happening when you're 23 weeks here. Yes, I am starting to feel better about my body - looking pregnant is preferable to looking fat. No, I'm not having back pain or sciatica. Good news! Apparently, baby is about a foot long (30cm) and weighs about 1 lb (just 440g) which gets me wondering how I've gained so much but that's another train of thought all together. Over the next few weeks, baby is working on developing her lungs, practicing breathing (sucking in amniotic fluid), and gaining fat. The article recommends cherishing your sleep ins - I'm so there - and looking for options for baby's sleeping arrangements (done and dusted).
So here I am continuing to plod along. I've managed to pick up some more day to day clothing and find some things in my wardrobe I'd forgotten about. I even purchased a new wool jacket for the winter - a wonderful fit in the shoulders and arms and plenty of room to grow in it (it's a swing style jacket from the label Bahaus which is sold in Jet stores in New Zealand). I might start using some sort of shine enhancing product in my hair and go see the physio for wrist braces to wear at night to help with the carpal tunnel. Next midwife appointment at the end of the month to ensure things are going as well as they seem and hopefully a couple dates with hubby over the next few weeks also.

It's a Girl

So we were lucky enough to have baby in a good position for our ultrasound on Tuesday and to find out that baby definitely looks like a girl. Grand-daughter #8 for the Lockie's!

Although a boy would have been a welcome change, we are very excited for another girl. Shopping for baby thing is so much better when you know the gender of the baby. I've already been and bought several pink things I'd been eying but putting off until we knew the sex of the baby.

What if baby wasn't in a good position for the ultrasound? Well, there's all those old wives tales I mentioned in the last post but unfortunately they are not very accurate (about 80% of those were saying we were having a boy). Just today I found an interesting product called IntelliGender which uses a urine sample to predict the sex of your baby.
I thought it was pretty cool and looked at the website http://www.boyorgirl.com.au/ to find out more. According to the website, this test is 90% accurate and works by testing levels of certain hormones produced when mum depending on if babe is a boy or girl. Sounds pretty good so far. Unfortunately, the price tag seemed a bit silly to me $95 Australian dollars plus shipping (or I could purchase it locally for $139 NZD). Perhaps my thinking about the price would be different if I was one of the 25% of of people whose baby was not in a good position to see the gender on the 20 week scan...

Gender Bender

So, what'll it be? Boy or Girl? Girl or Boy?
Some parents wait until their due date to find out but I am that kind of really curious person who would peek at Christmas presents if I thought I wouldn't get caught!
Today is the day of our 20 week scan. Both my husband and I are hoping to find out the sex of our baby. Not that it matters mind you... I suppose we're hoping for a boy but only because of all the girls born in the family already (7 girls and no boys in the youngest generation so far).
There are a number of less scientific methods of predicting the sex of your baby. Are you hairy? It's a boy! Is the bump low? It's a boy! Is the bump high and visible from the back? It's a girl! Does your wedding ring swing like a pendulum over your stomach when suspended from a strand of your hair? It's a boy. Does your wedding ring move in a circle over your stomach when suspended from a strand of your hair? It's a girl. Is the fetal heart rate over 140? It's a girl. Do you crave cheese and meat? Boy. Do you crave sweets? Girl. Is your right breast bigger than your left? Boy! There are also various online quizzes which will tell you - mine have said boy. And last but not least if the year you conceived in and the age which you conceived at are both odd numbers then it's a girl.
It's all very confusing really so I'm really looking forward to something scientific today! Is it a boy? We'll see but we won't be disappointed either way.

Would you eat one?

I recently came across a picture of a minature baby claiming the baby was made from marzipan. Marzipan sculptures are meant to be edible but eating a realistic looking baby didn't seem very palatable to me. Would you eat one?

After some more searching, I found out the sculputres are not made from marzipan at all, but from polymer clay and mohair. Thanks Snopes.

What would you do if...YOUR BABY CHOKES??

Today while driving in Hamilton, I saw some advertising outside of the Red Cross for their first aid courses. The first line said "What would you do if..." and the second line said in all capital letters "your baby chokes??" Now, it's true that if your baby chokes, you should have an idea of what to do however I disagree with this type of advertising. This type of advertising is basically fear-mongering. Playing on people's emotions to try and get them to sign up for a first aid class is the wrong thing to do. Sure, they will learn techniques that can help them in situations such as if their baby were to choke, but unfortunately there will still be times when even a first aid trained individual, and indeed ambulance drivers, nurses and doctors will not be able to save someone.
As a provider of first aid education, I do know how important and effective the manouvers for basic life support you learn on first aid courses can be. Unfortunately, not everyone has the means or inclination to attend an 8-16 hour course. Lucky for all of us with an internet connection, YOUTUBE is full of valuable resources such as this video which shows basic techniques you can use to help an infant under 1 year old who is choking.

Baby Booty

I must be nesting. I spend my time online looking for next little thing we might need for the baby. At 17 weeks, these issues are hardly pressing but I'm a woman obsessed. Lucky for me, my husband's family have been very forthcoming with gently used items for the baby. Our sister in law has furnished us with a giant bag of soft toys and rattles, a wooden changing table, a brand new baby backpack thing (for hubs), and a gorgeous simple bassinet.
Today I'm trawling trademe for baby bargains on shoes and "nature baby" branded items.
Looks like I've scored these sweet checkerboard baby slippers for just $1 plus shipping:
I'm also on the look out for maternity wear. I've got a belly on me already and it's making dressing, especially for work, hard. I ordered a pair of maternity jeans on 19 April but they've not yet arrived. The lady I ordered them from said she would track them late last week but I've not heard back from her yet.
Ordering clothing has never been something I've been very comfortable or happy with but the styles offered online seem much preferable to those offered in the selection of stores I've been to. Out of desperation, I bought a pair of straight leg Pumpkin Patch pants with a stretchy band attached that goes up behind the waistband and although they are comfortable and don't look too bad, the waistband that is meant to make the pants look "normal" is a bit too big and folds down at times...yes, I should wear a belt but I don't have any that fit me at the moment that will go through the beltloops. I generally love shopping and trying clothes on in stores but have quickly got over that lately with the dissatisfaction I've felt with the maternity things I've tried on lately. I could use some advice on where to shop and even an extra set of eyes to help me spot things that will look good and last me through to October.

Finally, a Midwife...I hope.

I am now 16 weeks pregnant and a bit anxious about maternity care. I have been to the GP twice and have had my first ultrasound, but I don't have a lead maternity carer (LMC). In New Zealand, midwives are the most common LMCs as they are free and if you want to be followed for the duration of your pregancy by an obstetrician, it will cost several thousand dollars. I suppose one of the reasons I've been anxious about this is because a coworker who is also pregnant shared her frustrations about all the midwives in her area being "booked up" or "full" early on.
Today I finally managed to get a real person on the phone and chat about meeting for a first appointment, which is actually tomorrow. Working full time hours has made it hard for me to call when there might be someone in their office to speak to and I've not got any replies to voice messages I've left. The hours I work also makes it difficult to find a time that will work, so I was lucky to set up a meeting tomorrow so I can get it out of the way.
At the first appointment, it's about getting to know the LMC and asking any questions you may have about their style, beliefs, back up person, etc. I've not thought too much about this, but managed to find an excellent list of possible questions that the GP gave me which is put out by the Ministry of Health here in NZ. Some of the questions I may ask are:
-How long have you been attending births?
-How many other patients of yours are due about the same time as me?
-Will you provide all of my care or will others be involved?
-Who will provide back up care if you're not able to be there and will I be able to meet them?
-What birthing options do you offer?
-Which hospitals do you have access to?
-How many antenatal visits can I expect to have?
-What happens if I need specialist care during my pregnancy or labour?
-What will your role be if specialist care (including caesarean section) is needed?
-How many post natal visits can I expect?
-Will post natal visits be in the hospital or at home?
-What is the best way to contact you if I have any questions or concerns at any time?

Hopefully with the help of those questions, I will be able to decide if this midwife is right for me. This is someone who I will be seeing relatively often for the next several months and who will be taking a big role in my health at a very important time in my life. Fingers crossed that this one is nice and I won't have to go around making heaps of visits before I find someone I like.