Priceless

Being pregnant: divine

Having a stranger approach me on the street to congratulate me: wonderful

The expression on their face when I ask, “what the hell are you talking about?”: priceless

Does having a baby = divorce?

My dear friend (who is happily married with two kids) sent me this sage advice:

---
To: Me
Subject: MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE

Do NOT file for divorce during the baby's first year, even if you want to badly. It will pass. I'm actually serious about this.

---

And shortly after that email I received this from another friend:

Eek! Should I schedule my appearance now for Ricki Lake's "Becoming a baby mamma ruined my marriage!"?

 

The secret to a fast and easy labor

I was told not once, not twice, but three times to drink raspberry leaf tea while pregnant. Since pregnant women aren't meant to drink most teas I assumed this was only suggested as an alternative.

No sir! I found out drinking raspberry leaf tea strengthens and tones my uterus (work it girl!) for a fast and easy labor. What??? Say it again... a fast and easy labor.

Since I will be going au naturale during childbirth, I'll take whatever I can to make it speedy! And since I can't OD on the stuff (I checked) I'm sucking it down like the fat kid gulped down the chocolate river in Willy Wonka.

Cheers!

 

Will I keep my single friends?

"Girl, keep that man,
get knocked up, and become
a supermom like me!"
Um...I don't think so.

The article below spoke volumes to the OMFG! fears I am facing by becoming a mom. I am gripping tightly to my old life, terrified to let go but knowing I will have no choice. Life has already changed drastically- my old sexiness has made a run for the door, my belly has become a separate entity from the rest of me, no more late night parties (well, perhaps one or two but I just end up face down on a couch... from sheer exhaustion), and other not-so-pretty changes.

And I do worry. I worry what will happen to my single gal pals, especially since I am one of the first to venture down the mommy road and most of my friends are nowhere near taking the leap. I want to be "pregnant in heels" and strut my stuff, and lunch with the girls, and be a hip mom who can do-it-all, but I have to face it. That ain't gonna happen.

--
How to Be a (Childless) Friend to a New Mom 
by Stacia L. Brown
Reposted from CluthMagOnline

One of the most significant shifts in the dynamics of a close female friendship can be one party’s decision to marry or have a child while the other remains single. Gone are the days when you can just call your girl and paint the town red on a moment’s notice. Gone are the 2am phone calls, the showing up unannounced with a half-gallon of ice cream to mark the end of a bad relationship, and the weekend getaways or the seven-day cruises. As the good friend of a new wife or mother, it can be difficult not to feel like a third wheel or an odd woman out, when the girl you’re used to seeing rock four-inch Manolos with a cocktail in her hand is now languishing in a suburb wearing milk-soiled sweats and tube socks.
 
Even when she seems unrecognizable, the woman you knew better than anyone else is still in there, somewhere. Her life may be changing in ways to which you can’t readily relate, but it doesn’t mean she’s kicking you to the curb in favor of her drooling, smushy little person. What’s more likely is that she’s struggling just as much as you are to recalibrate her life so that it once again resembles–however slightly–the one you both remember.
 
Here are a few ways to keep your friendship intact, even as your priorities start to diverge:
 
1. Don’t be quick to back off.
There’s something about the announcement of an engagement or pregnancy that makes a single friend a bit too quick to the draw. Some of us immediately start bracing ourselves for the loss of a friend and subsequently allow communication to fall off before even exploring the possibility of preserving closeness. In Erica Kennedy’s Feminista, her protagonist, Sydney, was described as having lost enough friends to family-starting that she trained herself to see marriage as terminal illness and pregnancy as death. Once her friends started families, she never bothered trying to talk to them again; it was easier to pretend they were no longer among the living. A drastic measure, to be sure. But many women see things similarly.
 
Since every friendship, every family, and every marriage is different, it’s impossible to know for sure that you’re losing a friend, rather than gaining extended family. Don’t back off before the kid’s even born. Just wait it out. Maybe your girlfriend will take to motherhood so quickly, she’ll be back in the girls night rotation before you know it.
 
2. With kids, fake it till you make it.
It’s a common stereotype that childless women don’t “like kids” and some genuinely don’t. Before I had one of my own, I never had much occasion to be around children and never knew quite how to behave with them. Even so, when friends and relatives to whom I was close decided to have babies, I knew that if I cared about and wanted to remain close to those people, I had to get in there and pick up, twirl around, and play pretend with their kids, regardless of how awkward I felt. Investing in your friends’ kids is a way to show your support for their decisions and a way to remain close to them (which is not to say that you should use the kid to stay close to the mom. Rather, genuine connection to and investment in someone’s child should result in a healthy and inclusive connection to the parent).
 
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
If at any point, you feel like you’re losing your best friend, tell her. Don’t hold it in and then wonder why she doesn’t notice that you aren’t calling as much or inviting her out. Even if before the birth of her child, your friend seemed to have ESP and could anticipate your every discomfort or need without it being spoken, things are a bit different now. She’s otherwise occupied. For new moms, it’s important to be very clear about how your hopes and expectations for getting together or talking on the phone or retaining your closeness. She probably wants the same things, but has less and less time to devote to making it happen. If you let her know that you’re willing to pick up some of the slack in planning, finding a sitter, or otherwise helping to alleviate some of her stress or distraction, it’s likely she’ll reciprocate by being more attentive and allaying your worries about falling out of touch.
 
4. Give and take cues.
Sometimes, new families really do need space. If you’re coming on too strong or she’s actively screening your calls, take note. While it’s probably just temporary, it’s important to pay attention to the signs on both sides. When your friend is rushing off the phone or loudly yelling at her toddler or having some cyclical conversation with her first grader while you’re trying to tell her about the coworker who’s scheming on stealing your promotion, there’s a hint being dropped and it’s best to take it. When she calls back, be sure to tell her that you were disappointed with her inattentiveness to what was going on in your life. She’ll want to know that and it’s probable she’ll recognize and correct herself when she’s doing the same in the future.
 
5. Be willing to let go.
Everyone wants to believe their once-inseparable friendship will never end. But on occasion, these endings can’t be prevented, no matter how patience and space-giving and communicative you are. Maybe your friend has decided that she only wants mom friends or married friends with whom she can have long, engrossing discussions about Bjorns and potty training and keeping the spice in the relationship. It may seem unfair and unacceptable, but the quicker you process that loss, the quicker you can move on to mingling with people whose interests and values still reflect your own. The split can even be amicable or temporary, but it’s best to recognize and accept its necessity as soon as possible. Trying to hang out to a dying friendship is always more painful than a clean, clear break.
 
6. Venture parenting advice carefully.
Understand that the boundaries of your friendship may change when a kid comes into play. Where you used to be able to voice any opinion without concern for misunderstanding, you might now find yourself on shaky ground, once you’ve made too many “You’re doing it wrong” assertions about your friend’s mothering. A good rule of thumb is: only speak up when you feel like something your friend is doing may harm her child. Otherwise, give her the time and space to find her footing without a running commentary.
 
Would you add or amend any of these suggestions? Have you ever lost a friend or adjusted your expectations of a friendship after your friend became a mom?
 
by Stacia L. Brown from CluthMagOnline

It's a...

GIRL!

We are thrilled (happy dance!) but finding out that news was not as easy as I'd thought it would be. geez... can't a girl get a break.

When we went to find out the sex, it was still a little early (only 16 weeks) but our doctor, Dr. B, was confident he would be able to tell.

These days I get to lay on the table fully dressed as the doc uses the external ultrasound to see the baby but our little girl wasn't cooperating so after pressing down on my belly from every angle, Dr. B decided it was time to use the vaginal ultrasound, which is basically a long stick (see picture).

He suspected it was a girl but there were two problems that made confirming the sex a challenge: One, she had her legs crossed and wouldn't move them (she's not the type of gal who spreads her legs for just any man even if he has a big stick) and two, the umbilical cord was between the baby's legs.

So, Dr. B began jamming the ultrasound stick into my uterus again and again and again (not a pleasant experience), so the baby would move but she was a very stubborn girl (which my hubby said made him sure it was a girl b/c she was being so difficult) but eventually Dr. B was able to find an angle where he could see three bright lines parallel to each other.

What are these lines? The doc explained that the outer two are the labia and the middle one is the clitoris. And so it was concluded that our baby is a girl.

My hubby said he was "quite impressed."  When asked why he answered, "because Dr. B found the clitoris at 16 weeks and he's been searching for mine for the past ten years."

Pregnancy: The truth and nothing but the truth (part 1)

We have been led to believe that pregnant women are magical beings who walk around in a state of euphoria from the joy of their impending motherhood. But the day-to-day experience is a much different story.

Here are just a few pros and the newly discovered cons from my first four months:

Pro- I get to eat more!

Con- That doesn't mean I get to eat double. That whole "eating for two" is a myth! Okay, my grade school science should have figured that out, seeing as I weigh 120 lbs. and my baby weighs (or will weigh) only a few pounds but all you ever hear about is how much you get to eat when you're preggers. But if I suddenly began eating for two ,literally, guess what... my baby only takes a small percentage of it, the rest is plain old fat that goes to my thighs and butt. What the...? I thought I was allowed to eat Crispy Creams and Papa Johns for dinner! The truth, you're only meant to eat 300-400 calories more a day (that's equivalent to a bowl of cereal... yawn). So unless I want to spend an extra six months in the gym, while trying to take care of an infant (I don't think so!), then I can only eat for 1.15. I guess I'll stick with my green smoothies and fish and veges (with an occasional side of ice cream).

  

Pro- I finally have boobs!

Con- They are eclipsed by my protruding belly.


Con (no pro to go with this one, sadly): GAS. Yep ladies, you're babies cooking with gas, lots of it. (It's caused by the hormone progesterone that we pregnant women produce lots of, which slows down food digestion, and creates gas.)
I've basically gotten to the point where I just don't care and slip-ups have begun to happen (especially at home). Either my husband's going deaf or he's politely ignoring these slip-ups and I'm not gonna ask him in case it's the former (or the latter!)

If this made you squimish, suck it up, because I'm the one living it! And it only gets better, er... or worse.

 

 

(more to come...)

Please don't take offense if I don't burst with excitement

I had three months to get used to the idea of being pregnant before I made the big announcement, and during that time, I shed tears of joy many times. But now I am blissfully settled into my pregnancy.

I forget that there are a lot of people who have been rooting for my hubby and me during our trials and tribulations through IVF (thank you thank you thank you!) and so when I announce to someone that we are pregnant a lot of people become overjoyed and jump up and down and cry. And cry and cry. And suddenly I feel like I am letting them down if I don't jump up and down and cry, cry, cry (the first time someone reacted like this, Inner B was all, OMG!  They're crying, like, really hard. I have to cry too.  Come on tears. Come on! PLEASE! CRY!!!). But I've done my leaping and crying and at this point I'm just too tired to have that kind of enthusiasm. I mean, it's there, it's just not so raw any more.

So I ask that you do not take offense or over-analyze me, if you feel my reaction to your reaction of my pregnancy is less then ecstatic. I want to be there with you! I was there, it just happened three months ago. And two months ago. And a month ago.

Now I'm settled into a peaceful place and trying to meander through the other part of being pregnant. You know, the part where my body is taken over by an alien being (but a damn cute alien!) and suddenly everything is flipped upside down.

But I am happy. So very happy.

Is that a baby in your belly, or are you just fat?

No I did not just eat a large plate
of spaghetti. I'm pregnant!

Most the time when I slip into workout clothes (or any form-fitting outfit) my natural reflex is to suck my tummy in and make it as flat as possible, but when I went to my first prenatal yoga class at five weeks I felt subconscious because my belly was so flat. It was the first time in my life I stuck my belly out! I was surrounded by big bellied women and I was jealous! I felt like I was in that old Twilight Zone episode where all the normal people have pig faces, and the average looking humans are the freaks.

Now I'm at 13 weeks and still all it looks like is I had one too many cream puffs. But I know I must suck it up (or out!) and embrace this body, right?

Will you just grow baby?! Grow, so mommy doesn't look like a fat arse. Thanks.

Yes sir, that's my baby... no sir, I don't mean maybe

Drumroll please...
After three grueling months of holding in the news, I am very pleased to say we ARE preggers with one little baby!

Wait, did I say three months?  Yep. I delayed posting my dealings in IVF until the end of the cycle, because I knew if the doctor called with the good news we would wait a couple months before announcing. After everything we went through we were not gonna jinx it!

These three months have been a stressful, joyful, and whimsical time. For starters, when the doctor called to tell me I was pregnant, it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows. In one breath, she told me I was pregnant and then came the nasty three letter word, but...

Hearing that horrible little word, Inner B started screaming, BUT?? What is this but. Did she just say BUT?? And the doctor continued,  "...you're hCG levels are low, so you need to come back in a few days to do another test." And then we scheduled the appointment and that was it. That was how I got my news. I got to revel in it for five seconds before the worrying began (my doctor knowingly told me that the worrying never stops. Not when I hit three months, not when I have the baby, never. It is a mother's perogative to worry about her child. True dat.).

Okay, so now what? I got this amazing news but my stomach's on the ground, freaking out (and I better pick it back up b/c there's a baby in there!). I'm a little bit pregnant? wtf? I wasn't told about this part. I thought it was, you're pregnant!- And that was it. Then I'd wait the obligatory three months and then announce it and everyone hugs me and my belly becomes the most fascinating part of me for the next six months.

But that is not how it goes for IVF patients. I was in and out of the fertility clinic about twice a week for the first two months, making sure I was "still pregnant". I did every meditation, ate every health food, did everything Dr. Oz told me to do. I was not gonna let this kid go!

Luckily, for the next two weeks, the hCG blood tests were very good, until... we got to four and a half weeks.  At five weeks you can see the heartbeat, and once the heart starts beating your chances of miscarriage goes way down. But the week before we went in to see the heartbeat, we got the news that my hCG levels were not increasing at the same speed as before and we'd have to come in after the weekend to see if there was a heartbeat. But the problem was, it was Memorial Day weekend! So we had to wait a whole extra, grueling day to find out what the hell was going on. It was not happiness in the household that weekend.

I did a lot of meditating, relaxation excercises, and nude moon dancing on the beach, praying that the little embryo would stay in the warm home it was making inside me. And when I finally slid into those stir-ups and the doctor put that ultrasound inside me, I was on the verge of a breakdown but as soon as we saw the heartbeat, all fear went away and we were just in awe of the fact that there was really something growing inside me and it wasn't an alien, it was a baby.

And it still IS a baby. A healthy, 12 week old fetus.

But the story doesn't end there...

"A Baby Story" obsession

I have rediscovered TLC's A Baby Story. I was first introduced to this show back in my college days (no I have not been pining for a baby since then, I just have a morbid curiosity with women in labor). When I tune in, I only half-watch until they get into the labor room and then I am riveted. I can not look away. Those screaming, sweaty women are my Desperate Housewives.



From this...

If any of them end up going in for a C-section (which a lot seem to do and the stats in the US are actually quite shocking, but, I digress), I fast-forward. There's nothing magical about a doped up woman seeing her bloody baby for the first time. She barely realizes what's happened and the baby is whisked away. Actually that seems to happen in all of them (except the home births).

...to this.

But the best moments are the women who have gone through a grueling labor and suddenly this baby pops out (well, not quite "pops", more like shoved, pushed, and man-handled out) and the woman is so relieved. Watching that rush of joy is addictive. Wait! I just had an ah-ha moment (be proud Oprah)! This is the moment I'm addicted to! When the mother holds her baby for the first time, her look of euphoria is mesmerizing. But it takes the struggle of labor to make it worth it.

At least, that's what I saw now, as I sit on my comfy couch and watch these women scream and curse at their husbands before the miracle. I have a feeling it will be a very different experience when I'm the one strapped down to the table shoving the kid out!

But I can't wait.