PregnantOnceAgain

Now that I have my own family, Thanksgiving  is an exciting event. It’s a whole day dedicated to feeding my boys.

Since I was young, my Mother always chose to work the holidays for her own personal reason. So a holiday such as Thanksgiving usually starts off at a long line in Boston Market.

So this year I have a lot to be thankful for. But first I would like to take a moment and testify about the marvelous works of God. I can’t help but feel blessed this year for God has answered my prayers.

In the past few years when I would find myself alone on the Holidays, I would pray to God to send me a husband with a large family. For this man family will become my family, therefore I will never spend a holiday alone.

Evidently God  gave me something better…A godly husband and a beautiful son who enjoys my cooking .

So I am mostly thankful for my Husband, because without him none of this would be possible.

I am also thankful for my son. I feel so blessed to have him apart of our lives. He mas makes our sunny days sunnier and makes our rainy days better. Since he is a big eater, he ate everything on his plate but some macaroni & cheese and turkey strips.

I have a healthy son and husband, a healthy growing baby inside of me, and a family to share my culinary skills with. What more can a girl ask for?

Amazingly I was able to muster up the strength and put together a fabulous dinner for my family.

Especially with a second pregnancy, I sometimes can’t help but feel tired and overwhelmed all the time.

But yesterday made it all worth it. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family and for those of you who have no one to share it with, keep your faith in God for he makes all things better when you least expect it.

My Baby Has A Cold

Guess what!  No sleep for three days… My 10 month old caught a cold and is crankier than ever. I feel so bad : ( I can’t tell if it’s pregnancy emotions or because I am still a first time Mommy, but I can’t help to feel this is my fault.  All I know is that I am doing my best to give him the attention and care he needs. I don’t want him crying for any reason until he gets better. His doctor recommended humidifier, vicks, saline water drops and Tylenol in case of a fever.

Today is day four and he is not getting better. He is having trouble breathing, he is very irritable, takes a longer naps during the day and isn’t drinking formula. Before his Doctor visit I went to the pharmacy searching for cold medicine for infants. How about they are non-existent. I had no idea!

So as the Doctor listened into his chest for signs of pneumonia, there was some wheezing so she prescribed him a nebulizer. He also developed an ear infection over the weekend. The good news is that the  nebulizer will help him breathe better and the antibiotics for his ears will decrease the irritation. So we should be seeing good progress in the next few days.

So I’ve been doing the following:

1. Warm Bath Every Morning My son wakes up every morning congested. So I always start his day with a warm bath so all that backed up mucus from the night before drains out.

2. Plenty of Fluid It’s normal for babies to refuse milk when they are not feeling well. So make sure they get plenty of other fluids. Remember only a minimum of four wet diapers a day.

3. Saline Water Now that my son is a bit older, he gets too fussy when it comes to nose suctioning. So what I do is I fill both nostrils with saline water and all the mucus just naturally drains out.

4. Snacks Substitute formula with other calcium substances such as yogurt. My baby is a big eater, although he refuses to drink milk, I give him plenty of yogurt and jello for a snack.

5. No Cough Medicine Since there is no cough medicine for infants. Always keep Tylenol or ibuprofen on standby in case of fever or signs of pain. Secondly, make sure to rub vapor rub on his/her chest and back.

6. TLC My son just wants me all day. Then again don’t we all want our Mommy when were sick.

# 1  Do not get impatient or get talked in to a inducement

Surely you want to avoid an unnecessary c-section… Well avoiding induction is one way of lowering your chances of a cesarean surgery. Since the quality of your cervix reflects how ready it is to give birth, induction of labor increases the chances of a cesarean surgery being performed, especially on first time mom’s. So do your research and talk to your practicioner about different types of induction that works best for  you.

# 2 Labor at home until you’re approximately 3 centimeters dilated

The first stage of labor begin when your cervix start to open (dilate) from 0 to 3 centimeters. This part of labor is known to last up to 20 hours- –a very long time. Try to experience this part of labor at home. However, if things begin to get really uncomfortable always try to change positions (try getting on your hands and knees), soak in a tub with warm water or take a hot shower, and continue to practice your breathing and relaxation techniques.

# 3 Avoid A C-Section by choosing your hospital, and your practitioner, carefully

This is one the biggest mistake I made in my first  pregnancy. (Read my story on “Having A C-Section”). This is definitely one way to avoid a cesarean section that isn’t necessary. When interviewing your Doctor, be sure to ask him/her what is their practice primary cesarean rate. The response you will receive should help you make an informed decision.

# 4  In the delivery room, ask questions if your practitioner says you need a C-section

Depending on the amount of medication and intervention you use during labor, you may be limiting your ability to make decisions for yourself. If so, make sure the people around you are well informed of your birth plan and decision. Always remain in charge of your birth, ASK QUESTIONS!

# 5 Avoid A C-Section by bringing support with you like a Doula

Nothing against Doula’s, but I am sure you can find great support from your family & friends without cost. Although cesarean surgery rate for the clients of doulas is lowered down by 50%. Train yourself and your labor support coach whether it is your husband, mother or  friend about different support techniques that can make your labor as comfortable as possible.

Two boys—well 3 including my Husband. God has answered my prayers. I am completely shocked. I recall praying over and over again for all these qualities in one man. But never in my life have I imagined being surrounded by three handsome, funny, intelligent men. As the scriptures promise us, God will bless us all beyond measure.

BABY BOY # 2 ULTRASOUND PICTURE

1 John 3:21-23

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.

The United States has hit a record level 31.8% for cesarean section procedures since 2007(reported by the United States Public Health).

So what doctors say is “medically necessary” is now costing medical insurance an average of $20,000 per c-section versus $9,000 for a normal vaginal delivery.

I can see why one and every three mothers are now receiving such major abdominal surgeries from doctors without a choice.

I pretty much wasn’t given a choice 5 months into my first pregnancy. I was right away pressured by my doctor and given an ultimatum to either agree with his recommendation of a c-section or find another doctor.

I was smart about it and I chose to fight it.

So I wrote this helpful post for those of you struggling with the pre-or-post Reality of C-Sections.