May 11, 2008
On May 09, 2008, Baby E was born. At 24 weeks and 1 day, the prospect is bleak for him. However, he continues to beat the odds. He was born weighing 450 grams and will need to stay in the hospital for 16 more weeks. I am still in shock and it is hard to keep from crying when I see him in NICU. I am so grateful to all of the staff at at UMC in So. Arizona. Thanks to all you.
Everyday is a blessing that Baby E is in my life.
May 9, 2008
The following list was compiled from an online survey in 2007. Parents and teachers will find it useful in selecting quality literature for children.
Found on http://www.nea.org
May 5, 2008
After 7 weeks of pregnancy, I was rushed to the hospital for bleeding. Same thing happened again at 9 weeks. As you can imagine, the first trimester of pregnancy was not a great time for me. I was on bed rest for the entire trimester and later allowed to ease back into my routine.
For many women however, bed rest is mandated for the entire pregnancy. An organization that was recommended to me was http://www.sidelines.org/ I have never actually checked it out myself as I was allowed to get off of bed rest, but if you are in a high risk pregnancy, you may want to check it out. Just knowing that you are not alone and that there are other people to talk to, may be its biggest benefit.
May 2, 2008
On April 15, 2008, the National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, issued draft findings stating “There is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children at current human exposures.” The findings expressed concern about exposure in these populations, “based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females.”
The FDA is being asked to reconsider its findings on the potential hazardous long term effects of bisphenol-A.
So what is bisphenol-A? It was originally created in the 1930’s as synthetic estrogen. Later it became used to make a clear plastic and epoxy resin for the food industry. It has been under the spotlight for about a decade now as more and more studies show links to health care issues.
BPA is in polycarbonate bottles, usually with a 7 recycle number on the bottom. It is also used as an epoxy lining in metal food and beverage containers. It is thought that it leaches out into the food and mimics estrogen in the body. The reason for only banning it in baby products, is because it is thought to cause the most problems in newborns and young infants. BPA has been thought to cause long-term problems, such as early puberty in girls, reproductive problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, insulin resistance, and certain cancers later in life.
Canada has banned BPA (bisphenol-A) from baby bottles and is the first country to do so. While the U.S. hasn’t followed in Canada’s footsteps, stores like Wal-Mart, and Toys/Babies “R” Us, are pulling them from their shelves.
BPA has been found in the urine of many people and in concentrated amounts in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women. Bisphenol-A can also be found in breast milk. More research is needed to determine what is safe and what isn’t. However, right now during pregnancy, it is better to be safe than sorry.
How to reduce your exposure to you and your fetus:
May 1, 2008
see more crazy cat pics
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
May 1, 2008
Finally! A cute and private way to breastfeed. I know there are woman out there who are not at all shy about lifting their shirt and whipping out a boob, but alas, I am not one of them. There is also the fact that I am a silly dork and just love the name Hooter Hiders. Hee.
I also love the many different fabrics that Bebe Au Lait/Hooter Hiders come in. I hope Baby E, a boy, isn’t too traumatized if I pick the pink one. 
The one shown here is the eyelet cover in white that retails for $38.
April 30, 2008
The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out with the 2008 guide on Car Safety Seats. It is very comprehensive and explains everything that you need to know.
April 30, 2008
If you are like me, this is your first baby and you are overwhelmed with all of the choices and decisions that you need to make. I think for me, breastfeeding is a rather scary concept. I keep reading all of these horror stories about women who chose to breastfeed, but either couldn’t or ended up quitting because it was too painful or not enough milk.
Today, I took some positive steps in educating myself. I signed up to be a regular member of La Leche League International. For $40, you get an a one-year membership to New Beginnings and a discount at their store. Since I am already planning on buying their books, I can get their Womanly Art of Breasfeeding for $11.50 instead of $14.95, etc. There are also meetings in my area that I can attend to learn more.
I’ve also checked out breast pumps and bottles just in case. It is great to have a backup plan. Hope for the best and plan for the worst is my motto. DH is supports me and we have talked about what to do when/if I become frustrated and want to quit. He is to try and calm me down or kick me in the butt as needed. We both know that this is what we want to and it is what is best for our child.
April 29, 2008
Oddly enough, the one thing that everyone seems to criticize, is that DH and I will be using cloth diapers when Baby E is born. Just about everyone believes that we will want to have disposables around, cloth diapers will be too hard to use, they will make us miserable, etc.
I really don’t understand the whole, “omigawd, what are you thinking? You neeeeed disposables!” Um, no, we really don’t, and how is this your business again? Thanks for your support. The best part, is that these people are either childless, or have children and remember the cloth diapers from twenty years ago. DH and I have both seen the new cloth diapers in use. They are just as easy as disposables to use. The only hardship is the cleaning since you don’t throw them out. There are ways around it and good ways to store the used diapers until you get a chance to clean them.
So if you are like me and are being besieged by naysayers, just remember plenty of people use cloth diapers and are very happy with them. A great site to figure out which ones are for you is the Diaper Pin. Many parents recommend getting a couple different types. Each child is different and you will find that some diapers will work best in different situations. Personally, I am going to get the BumGenius 3.0s and some prefolds with covers. We will also be getting a diaper service for the first month to help ease the workload of caring for a newborn.
April 29, 2008
So what do countries that don’t have immediate access to cloth and disposable diapers do? The parents attune themselves to when the baby needs to eliminate. The baby learns to tell the parent when they need to go and the parent takes them to an appropriate toliet area. You can read the rest of the article here.
