Diet Patrol

This post could look exactly like the previous one. More snow drama, another cancelled school day (the third this week for Mom, second for Dad), some more snowy photos (taken this morning at sunrise - yes, there was sun), and more hiccups. After the 56 cm that fell on us over the weekend, more came Monday, some Tuesday morning, and another 25-30 cm came yesterday. How is it we can break a monthly total rainfall record and montly total snowfall record all in the same month? Hopefully Bif will get to enjoy this kind of decadal event at some point in childhood (the snowfall, specifically). The neighbourhood playground has become a rather popular toboggan run.

Here's where this post differentiates itself from the last one, and in not a good way: Mom went into the lab yesterday to have her 1-hour glucose-tolerance and iron tested. The midwife called today to inform Mom that she failed both tests, which might explain why she's feeling exceptionally tired (e.g., yesterday's 3-hr afternoon nap) and rather flighty/nauseated sometimes. The iron is easy to fix, involving consumption of more eggs, cream of wheat with molasses for breakfast, etc. and a double-dose of iron pills daily. The glucose problem is less easy/pleasant to fix. It could indicate GD, which leads to big babies (hmmm, see photo two blog entries ago) and therefore a higher probability of a C-section. However, before Mom gets too concerned about that, she'll skip work tomorrow and undertake the three-hour glucose tolerance test , where, after fasting for 10 hours, Mom gives blood, again drinks syrup disguised as orange pop (why can't they make these things non-carbonated?), and then gives more blood three hours later. Apparently a lot of women fail the one-hour test and pass the 3-hr. Here's hoping...

Snow... 'Hiccup' ....Day

The snow in the photo from yesterday looks so measley in comparison to what is out there today (UPDATE: photo showing buried weather station taken today at 3:30pm). School has been cancelled for both Dad and Mom today, based on the ~35 cm of snow that has fallen since Saturday evening (UPDATE: in fact, Environment Canada recorded 56 cm of snow from Saturday to Sunday evening). Dad is taking the opportunity to sleep. Mom is taking the opportunity to blog while we still have electricity.

It's been almost exactly 10 weeks since Mom saw Bif hiccupping during the ultrasound appointment. Now she believes she is feeling the hiccups on occassion. They are quite faint, quite rhythmic (every 2 seconds), and quite on Mom's bladder! Further proof, beyond those kicks to the ribs, that Bif is lying upside down.

Snowfall Warning

Well, it's not sunshine, but it sure makes for a good silhouette of Bif at 27.5 weeks. And it provides some added "arctic outflow" drama for meteorologist Grandpa. Photo taken on the back porch Sunday Nov 26th.

Back to School - Part 3 of 6

Yesterday's prenatal class took place at the hospital where Bif will be born. Mom was worried that this trip might surface some of the neatly tucked away anxieties of childbirth, but it actually was good psychological preparation, especially for Dad! For the first 1.5 hrs of class we learned about signs of labour, when to go to the hospital (though our midwife will be there to help us determine that), and the 3 stages of labour. Then we watched The Video - obviously a much more "honest" look at childbirth than TLC's A Baby Story. It's safe to say that most of the Dads in the room (and some Moms too) were particularly reactive (for lack of a better word) to the third stage of labour. We also learned a bit about some of the paperwork required for pre-admission to the hospital. For postpartum accommodation, we can choose between a private room ($130/day, includes cable TV, a phone, and a 2-piece bathroom), a semi-private room (2 beds, $100/day including TV without cable), or a ward room (3 beds, free). Mom will be checking with her benefits plan to see if a private room is covered. It all depends on what is available at the time anyway...

Following this classroom session, the whole group went up to the Maternity Ward for a very valuable tour. (This big-bellied parade prompted Dad to develop a new entry for Webster's Dictionary: "so, if we call it a 'pod' of whales, a 'school' of fish; what are we then? an 'expectation' of parents.") It was a rather quiet night at the Ward, so we were able to see the labouring room, a labour & delivery room, a delivery room with all the machines, the C-section room, a ward postpartum room (rather spacious - our second choice), a semi-private postpartum room (small; seemingly less private than a ward room!), a private postpartum room (nice and spacious - our first choice), a kitchenette, and the shower room. We also got a brief glimpse through glass of the special care nursery for preemies, with a little tiny tiny baby in the arms of our other midwife (she also works as a nurse in the Ward - we haven't actually met her yet).

Unlike days gone by, where babies were kept all together in a fishbowl nursery only to visit their Moms for feedings, now its the "family care" philosphy where Dad and Baby stay with Mom in her postpartum room. Dad gets a cot and Baby gets a little bassinet complete with all the clothing, blanket, and diaper fixings, oh and the paperwork (i.e. birth certificate application, etc.)

All in all, a very valuable class to have attended. Next week comes another important one: "Relaxation and Breathing."

Another Drum Roll Please

Third trimester is here, though Mom has been feeling some of the symptoms here and there for the last few weeks, namely sciatica, heartburn, lower backpain, breathlessness, fatigue and the general astonishment of 'still-3-months-to-go!?' simultaneously with the 'can't-believe-childbirth-is-only-13-weeks-away!' anxiety. The fun part still is feeling and watching Bif's movement - it's no longer only little jabs here and there but now there's "windshield-wiper" moves as well. In other words, you can actually see bumps go from one side of the abdomen to the other. This is especially the case when Mom (who can no longer lie on her back due to the weight) is resting and lying on her side. Too bad it doesn't happen while being active, because it would be fun to freak out students during lecture with spontaneous abdominal movements. Maybe next semester....

Last weekend was Bif's first concerts with the Chamber Orchestra. With 5 rehearsals/performances in 6 days last week, we're confident s/he will be born singing the 5th and 6th Brandenburgs.

Mom and Dad had another midwife appointment yesterday. Again, the usual tests; everything's normal. Mom was given the choice of taking a gestational diabetes test, where they give you syrup, make you sit for an hour, then take some blood. If that test fails, then there's the 3 hour test. Given Mom's apparent risk factors (over age 25, diabetes in the family), we think it's a good idea. The problem is finding time to do this (the labs close too early for our schedules). Our next midwife appointment comes the day prior to Dad's graduation, meaning Grandma Jane will be here to join in the fun.

Still waiting for some sunshine for another photo opp (206 mm since Nov 11th, and counting)!

Back to School - Part 2 of 6

All's well in wet 'n wild BC. Mom was sipping on tap water at work yesterday when she read the email warning everyone of the Boil Water Advisory. The rain saga continues. Since Nov 11th, our backyard weather station has recorded 153 mm of rain. We're anxiously awaiting a sunny day to be able to take a photo for the blog.

Yesterday Dad and Mom attended Prenatal Class, this time on "Breastfeeding." Mom has had lots of newborn experience as a foster sister, but obviously none in this area! She is quite worried about succeeding at this important aspect of the early days so we listened with great interest. While we feel more educated now, we also feel a little bit more pressure. So many facts on the benefits of breastfeeding were thrown at us that if it turns out we can't, wow are we ever going to feel guilty! One example: it takes six weeks of breastfeeding for all the "tiny painter guys to paint a protective wall in the babies stomach," referring to the antibodies that are received by baby from breast milk. It takes only one formula feeding to break that wall down. What was nice to hear was about all the available support we can "latch onto", should the baby not. Public health nurses, lactation consultants, our midwife, La Leche League, and BC Nurse Line for middle of the night issues. Apparently 96% of newborns in Nanaimo breastfeed, so the support resources must be effective.

Back to School - Part 1 of 6

Mom and Dad started prenatal classes last night (though Dad is on the other side of the country at the moment so Mom went alone). The topic was "Infant Brain Development." After having the worst work day of her semester so far (long story...), Mom came into class a little crusty and with a touch of know-it-all attitude (given her past experience with ~26 foster babies); however, learning about baby psychology in the company of like-minded couples was just what Mom needed and it turned out she learned a lot, particularly the latest psychology research and some safety things too. For example,

• If baby spends his/her first hour of life on Mom's upper abdomen, s/he can actually self-navigate to the breast through leg and head movement.
• In the first 3 months of life, baby makes one thousand trillion (how many zeros is that?) synapses as a result of stimulation of the senses.
• No child under 2 should be introduced even once to TV because the infant brain can simply not process the speed with which images go across the screen and it is therefore not good developmentally. Wonder if Baby Einstein marketers know (or care) about this research.
• It isn't until the fourth month that babies are "smart" enough to manipulate through crying, i.e., picking your baby up within one minute of crying does not spoil them and apparently better prepares them for handling stressful situations later on in life (would like to see the journal article reference for this one!)
• Buy nylon and polyester clothing (as opposed to cotton) for baby, as they are less likely to catch fire as quickly (yikes!)
• Infant car seats expire after 6 years.

Five more classes to go (with Dad this time), including "Breastfeeding," "Hospital Tour," and "Relaxation and Breathing."

New Due Date

All the experts seem to calculate pregnancy milestones differently. This was particularly noticeable with the boundary between first and second trimester. Mom went with the Canadian Obstectrical Society who said 12 weeks marks the boundary, hoping it would mean an immediate (earlier) end to morning sickness, rather than the 14 weeks that many of the books seemed to suggest. Seems the boundary between 2nd and 3rd trimesters is also disputed to be either 26, 27, or 28 weeks. Anyhow, of considerable importance, though only 5% of babies actually listen to this milestone, is the EDD (internet-chatroom shortform for Estimated Due Date).

Mom had been concerned about her too-large, too-soon appearance. So when the midwife pronounced that the doctor's EDD of Feb 22nd was too late, Mom's "size concerns" were eased....for a brief fleeting moment. Seems that Bif is now due to introduce him/herself on February 21st. Human Resources thinks Maternity Leave commences on Feb 25th (beginning of Reading Week). We'll see about that.

Honourable Mozart

Some new firsts for Bif this past Sunday. 1. His/her first church service - Mom and Dad were hired to play parts of an Anglican service to recognize Mozart's 250th anniversary. 2. Her/his first time in the room with a Federal Minister - Stockwell (Doris) Day (without his wetsuite) graced us with his presence at this church service. Not sure why he was in Nanaimo, but had he not taken off half-way through the service, it would have been great to approach him at the reception to casually start a conversation about the $1200/year child care bonus, or perhaps the Clean Air Act....

Bif is sure getting a good dose of music. S/he is not quite big enough to be using the cello as a percussion instrument, but s/he certainly has started responding to music. Gymnastics start every morning at 6am when the clock radio alarm goes off. They are also quite prevalent when Mom is teaching cello two days per week. Not sure how much longer cello-playing can continue - it is getting rather difficult, backache-wise, to sit through a 2-hr rehearsal.