A 37-year old waitress from Germany went into the hospital with extreme stomach pains. She assumed the pain was from her appendix but at the hospital it turned out to be contractions. An hour later a healthy baby was born. They woman says she though she could not get pregnant and had not paid any attention to not getting her period anymore. Clearly not the smartest person and also how could you not notice??. Every now and then you hear a story like this and after asking female relative with kids about it, it’s just hardly possible to not notice. Maybe some psychological denial problems as well here.

Well done – you’re pregnant, mom! There’s no time more special than the one you’ve just entered and, as such, we’d like to make it even more special by sharing some of our secret facts as to why yoga for pregnant women is the new ’sliced bread’. So without further ado, let’s get started:

1.    No Fear – say it out loud! The truth is that yoga for pregnant women consists of an abundance of techniques that will help eliminate the usual pregnancy-related fear from your life. This will encourage greater piece of mind and reduced anxiety, which will be beneficial to you and your baby.

2.    Better than conventional exercise. Medical experts agree that conventional exercises during pregnancy can be detrimental to your health as well as baby’s health. Here’s why: your baby has no way of releasing the body heat you generate. During the first trimester this can affect the development of his or her central nervous system and brain.By choosing the correct yoga routines, exercises during pregnancy not only become fun, but actively target those muscles used during delivery whilst passively stimulating others to ensure that your pregnancy is as comfortable as can be.

3.    Prevention… is better than a cure. Say goodbye to stretch marks, weight gain, bad posture and the host of other pregnancy-related problems, before they even arrive! Yoga for pregnant women will ensure that you enjoy a peak physical state during pregnancy as well as after.

4.    Grow within yourself. As you’re probably well aware, this new stage of your life heralds a change in the way you see the world. Yoga for pregnant women is based on principles rife with wisdom and techniques that provide you with invaluable insight for all those difficult choices that lie ahead.

5.    Deep relaxation is what it’s all about. The changes that occur during pregnancy can become a strenuous experience. And to help the body recover, conventional wisdom states that sleep is the best solution. Yoga for pregnant women consists of deep relaxation techniques that encourage the nervous system to change from sympathetic to parasympathetic activity. In simple terms, this means you’ll be going from normal restorative rest to super restorative rest.

That being said, if that sounds like your cup of tea, here’s what to do next:Get in touch with someone who has an agreeable level of expertise when it comes to yoga for pregnant women. Having guidance to get a grip on the pregnancy and exercise will make the experience easier and more enjoyable.Take Care of yourself and your unborn child by choosing those routines that are easy to do and conducive to your pregnancy. These will more often than not consist of general or beginner positions and should be maintained for the duration of your pregnancy.

The key to success is daily practice. Having a routine and sticking to it will ensure that your body and mind adapts to the stimuli provided by yoga. You’ll be able to get into the mindset more quickly and resolve any emotional and physical discomforts with ease.

Young adult women will need to adjust their diet during pregnancy. The kind of diet woman has had all of her life will be reflected during pregnancy. Study after study shows that teen-age girls do not eat foods that contain nutrients necessary for health. Thus when during the time of pregnancy they have low stores of nutrients, especially calcium.
Milk is chief among calcium. Milk is extremely important during pregnancy which supply calcium for skeletal growth. Not only Milk, Meats, Fish, Poultry, Cheese, and Eggs also provide proteins. Proteins are in cereals and vegetables too.
During the first four months of pregnancy, the growth of fetus is so small. Many women eat in voracious manner because she is ‘eating for two’. The difficulty is that it results in overweight and lead to serious problems. If vomiting is serious your physician should be consulted immediately. Losing food over a period of time may lead to malnutrition. The next three months do not demand much additional increase in food. Attention should be paid to have sufficient protein of good quality, vitamins and minerals. The greatest growth of fetus occurs during last eight to ten weeks, food essentials must be increased accordingly. Food should be more of protein, vitamins, and minerals rather than calories, so that the growth of child will be well fortified with the materials it needs for development.
What you eat during pregnancy is of greatest importance. If you follow the guidance of doctor and adhere living habits, having a healthy baby can be a pleasant and satisfying experience.

Mrs Roza and family in my previous clinic

Nah ini saya kutip salah satu tulisan pasien saya yang sudah berhasil dalam baby program dan mendapatkan seorang baby boy yang lucu dan sehat setelah lebih dari 2 tahun menunggu.

Roza Marthalisa
well..dr suryo adalah dr kami yg ke3. dua dokter sebelumnya selalu bilang gak ada masalh apa2,(hanya usg luar) dan saya terus diberi obat yg jadinya bikin endut. ketika km memutuskan untk berhenti berusaha, (memasuki thn ke2 perkawinan) seorang teman telp saya dan cerita klo dia habis dr RS, dan dilayani ama seorang dr yg menurut dia worth… See More for me to try. katanya: “sepertinya dia bagus lis,enak konsult ma dia”, (jgn GR dok..)well awalnya aku fikir, yea..yea..trus sore harinya, another friend call, dia bilng”kemarin aku ke RS, dr yg cewe lg cuti, aku dilayani ma dr cowo, namanya dr suryo, bagus deh lis, aku suka, coba deh ke dia..” nah itu baru bikin penasaran,,,dihari yg sama 2 teman menyarankan dr.suryo..jd penasaran jg. ak blg ke suami, yg tadinya kami udah agak capek,(udh pijit sana kmari, minum apalah yg orang bilang) jadi semangt lg. ya udah, kt konsultasi, dr suryo langsung periksa dalem…(malunya luar biasaaaaa……) en blg ada infeksi di leher rahim ku.
August 2 at 12:17am

hal yang sering terjadi adalah berhenti untuk usaha, dan tentu saja menyianyiakan waktu yang tersisa…..
(baca tulisan saya sebelumnya:`Ayoo anak-anak, selesai tidak selesai dikumpulkan…!`)
yuk kita lanjutkan tulisan berikutnya….

Roza Marthalisa
trus diobatin, bulan dpn dinyatakn sembuh, dan kita mulai program. ak mulai program bln oktbr, minum obat ampe desmbr, positifnya bln april. awalnya gak percaya, gak tau knapa, pagisubuh it aku iseng aja test pake test pack,ketika hslnya+, aku nangis, ampe pegangan ama meja dapur biar gak jatuh, antara bahagia, takut dan ga percaya…well..yg aku … suka dr dr suryo beliau dlm membimbing kami yg bodo-bodo ini detail bgt,kita enak ngobrolnya, babys program gak jd sesulit yg dibayangin krn beliau selalu optimistic.. pertama kl konsult malah suami ku yg kepincut duluan, di blg, “udh de, doktr kita beliau aja, ” yo wis…cocok….hehe..thank you ya doktr…makasi atas semuanya.see you soon on our 2nd program..otreh…
August 2 at 1:00am ·

memang saya selalu optimis dalam semua hal, hanya sikap optimis yang dikombinasi dengan usaha maksimal dan sikap pasrah. Bagi saya kombinasi ketiganya sangat diperlukan.
1. Optimis
Dengan adanya sikap ini maka kita akan selalu positif memandang sesuatu, selalu semangat dan secara langsung maupun tidak langsung akan meningkatkan keberhasilan kita meraih keinginan kita.
2. Usaha maksimal
Bila kita mempunyai suatu keinginan, dan kita hanya duduk-duduk tiada usaha maka tentu keinginan kita tersebut tidak terwujud. Untuk usaha baby program bagaimana usahanya?? Tentu berkonsultasilah dengan dokter kandungan yang concern tentang baby program dan anda merasa nyaman dengan sang dokter. Ikuti semua detil tugas-tugas anda dalam program yang dijalankan.
3. Pasrah
Sikap pasrah merupakan sikap yang juga sangat penting dalam keberhasilan baby program. Dari pengalaman saya, rata-rata pasien yang berhasil memang sudah dalam kepasrahan yang sangat tinggi. Bagaimana tidak pasrah bila sudah berusaha bertahun-tahun malah ada yang lebih dari 10 tahun dan belum berhasil.
Jadi tunggu apa lagi?? Gunakan dan maksimalkan waktu anda untuk berusaha…jangan sia-siakan waktu anda berlalu percuma…Baby program tidak sesulit yang dibayangkan kok….

O, ya…sikap optimis yang dijaga terus, ternyata juga bermanfaat lho saat proses persalinan…ga percaya?? Coba baca nih…

Roza Marthalisa
hehe dokter narsis nih…^_^ peace dok…emang doktr masih ingat ya..iya aku kan ngelahirinnya ga pake ngejan, begitu dibaringkan di ruang bersalin, doktrnya masih preparation, eh,alhamd langsung keluar deh si athar..alhmd gak kaya yg di tipi2 itu..:)mungkn krn doktr suryo tuh ketat banget soal berat badan, (tapi skrang aku endut dok, nah lo…) …selama hamil aku cuma naik 6 kg..hebat kan…hehehe..(habis pernah naik 2 kg dlm 2 mgg dimarahin doktr..:(..trus apapun yg diresepin doktr aku habisin, rajin deh pokoke,..oya
August 11 at 12:09am ·

Many abundant women about-face to a accustomed blubber antidote to amusement their cellulite. It is archetypal for hormonal changes to action during pregnancy appropriately authoritative the anatomy added affected to cellulite. The acceptable account is there are several options available which are safe as able-bodied as effective.

Having massages accept been continued accepted to amusement cellulite. While it is generally not brash to accept massages pregnancy remedy during pregnancy it is alright to accept massages area active will not be stimulated. You may accept massages every now and again on assertive anatomy genitalia such as the accoutrements and thighs.

If you’re pregnant you apperceive cravings will appear added generally than they go. However this doesn’t beggarly you should accord in to blubbery and bathetic foods that are not Pregnancy Cures acceptable for you at all. A absolutely safe and able accustomed blubber antidote is artlessly to eat right. Don’t accomplish abundance cravings as an excuse because bistro adapted is actual accessible and simple to do if you aloof put your apperception to it. To annihilate craving try to eat added frequently during the day but with abate portions. As you go along gradually annihilate blubbery foods and sweets and alpha introducing added fruits pregnancy remedy and vegetables in your diet.

Finally exercise is a accustomed blubber remedy which you don’t accept to pay for Abundant women are usually brash by doctors to do adapted contest to advice affluence the affliction that may be accomplished during labor. Exercise helps get rid of balance fat and encourages acceptable claret circulation. Remember to argue your doctor aboriginal apropos your conditioning routine.

Makayla Sitton, 6 and the killer Paul Michael Merhige, 35

ALERT-Miami police are in search of a man who shot dead four of his family members including a child, and injured another relative during a murderous rampage on Thanksgiving Day.

Paul Michael Merhige, 35, is considered armed and dangerous, police in the small Palm Beach town of Jupiter said.
The  incident took place around 10 p.m. Thursday in Jupiter, a small coastal town about 90 miles north of Miami, where a family of 17 was celebrating the occasion.

The AFB is reporting that…among those killed was six-year-old Makayla Sitton, the daughter of Jim Sitton, a photojournalist at the television station who said the girl was in bed when she was shot.

The other victims were all women — Raymonde Joseph, 76, and the suspected shooter’s twin sisters: Carla and Lisa Merhige, 33. A fifth person injured in the shooting, Patrick McKnight, was being treated at a hospital and his condition was unknown, WPTV said, citing officials.

One of the sisters, Lisa Knight, 33, was pregnant, said Jupiter Police spokeswoman Sally Collins-Ortiz. She did not say how far along the woman was in her pregnancy.

Sgt Scott Pascarella said police had received emergency calls after 2200 local time.

“What led to this incident, we’re not quite sure,” said Sgt Pascarella. “It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting.”

Mr Merhige, who has no criminal record, is the cousin of six-year-old Makayla Sitton, AP said quoting police officials.

Police said the girl’s father, Jim Sitton, owned the home in Jupiter, some 150km (90 miles) north of Miami. Sitton told local media that his daughter was supposed to perform Friday in a holiday production of “The Nutcracker.”

“God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body,” Mr Sitton said. “She’s just our life. I don’t know how we are ever going to recover.”

One Patrick McKnight narrowly escaped death and was hospitalized due to injuries. No information about his condition has been released.

The relationship between Sitton and Paul Merhige was unclear, police said.

Phone calls to a number listed for Paul Merhige were not answered. A phone call to Sitton also was not returned. At a house in southwest Miami-Dade where family members had gathered late Friday morning, relatives declined to comment.

Neighbors in the Palm Beach County community were shocked.

Needless to say…the nation is in shock as well, as this comes in the wake of a lot of mass shootings in our nation recently.

In November we had a mass shooting at the army base Ft. Hood where 13 people died, and the office shooting in Orlando, Florida.

Police across South Florida and the U.S. Marshals Service were searching for Merhige. Pascarella said Merhige is believed to be driving a blue 2007 4-door Toyota Camry with Florida license plate W42 7JT.

Follow story developments here and at these trusted sites…

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1353760.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5in1yL0Gbc_cnDRUsJ5Xh7J645_OAD9C80GE00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8383180.stm

3 more weeks and Margots world will never be the same.I never did photos with a pregnant woman before but found it a great thing to do especially cause there is a lot more intimacy then with normal portraits and there is no discussing about the sujet cause the belly is the sujet itself.I found that analog images with very simple background and just a little bit of light, work out best.
By the way if anybody needs a decent Shiatsu treatment ,Margot will be available again if she can find a babysitter for Amelie :www.margotkowatsch.at

Okay last night I had a bit of a fitful sleep drifting in and out a bit.

During the evening we had had a friend over and ended up in an in depth discussion about the paranormal, ghosts, spirits and such. I, being a non-believer in it all, had joked that the closest I get is when the bedroom tv randomly switches itself off and then back on. This happens to me from time to time, yet never to my partner.

When we got into bed my partner fell asleep before me and suddenly the TV started switching off and back on more furiously then ever before… needless to say I was freaked out. So think it may have affected my sleep a little!

Anyway back to the dreams.

I remember three distinct dreams, but only parts of each, not too much info on them all (this often happens if I dream and wake up and then fall asleep and dream something else).

Dream 1: Life info which affects this – My youngest sister is currently 8 months pregnant

My sister had her baby, it was an easy labour and she had a healthy little girl. The whole family was there, and everyone was happy, then I was left to look after the baby. I managed to ‘misplace’ the baby and was freaking out. I hadn’t gone anywhere so no idea where the baby had gone. I tried to cover up the fact I had lost the baby by ‘making’ a new one out of lifelike dolls. Yet, I couldn’t remember what the baby looked like! Needless to say there was much panic.

I cannot remember anything after that! The dream dictionary says:

Having A Baby – To dream that you or someone is having a baby, suggests that you are giving birth to a new idea or project. It also represents new beginnings or some upcoming event. A more direct interpretation of this dream, may represent your desires/ anxieties of giving birth or the anticipation for such an event to occur.

Lose - To dream that you lose something may mean that you really have misplaced something that you had not realized yet. It may also be a signal for you to clean out and reorganize your life. You have become overwhelmed and distracted with the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. On a symbolic note, losing things in your dream may signify lost opportunities, past relationships or forgotten aspects of yourself. Your personal associations to the thing you lose will clue you into the emotional meaning and interpretation of your dream.

Dream 2:

I was on a TV chat show as an extra (no idea why they’d have an extra but still) and kept saying cheeky, funny things when I shouldn’t be! The show hosts were getting really annoyed with me, but the audience and producers were finding it hilarious… I kept going until the end of the show, where Graham Norton came up to me and asked me to be a regular guest on his show. I was bowled over as I’d always wanted to meet him, but even more surprised when he started kissing me (bearing in mind he is gay).

Again short but random dream, I have never wanted to be famous so definitely have no aspirations to be on TV. Dream dictionary says:

Kiss - To dream of a kiss, denotes love, affection, tranquility, harmony, and contentment

TV – To dream that you are on TV, suggests that there is something that you want to broadcast to the whole world. You have the desire to express yourself. Alternatively, you are trying to take a more objective view on your life issues.

Dream 3: The longest of my remembered dreams, bearing in mind I’ve been playing final fantasy in the past few days.

The dream starts with me under water, trying to open a gate… I know if I go above the surface this giant turtle beast will get me. I also know if the gate doesn’t open soon I will drown. Eventually I get the gate open and myself, and the others with me (strangers) get through. In the next room we are standing looking down on another room.

There are piles and piles of what looks like patio slabs of all different heights, and I am told some will disappear when stood on. There are stacks which will decrease only slightly, some which will disappear instantly (bringing certain death) and some which will not move. I take a deep breath and run as fast as I can across them. I do make it to the other side, just. When there I find a ring that I know is extremely precious to somebody and know I have to try and keep it safe.

Upon entering the next room, I proceed to have to battle with different men and creatures, yet am surprisingly relaxed during it. Until someone kicks me and I turn into an esper (thats definitely out of final fantasy) and start killing everyone.

And thats where I woke up! So all in all a random nights sleep.

Dream dictionary about the last one:

Monster – To dream that you are chased or followed by a monster, represents aspects of yourself that you find repulsive and ugly. You may possess some fears or some repressed emotions. Try to confront the monster in your dream and figure out who or what aspect of yourself the monster represents.

To dream that you kill a monster, signifies that you will successfully deal with your rivals and advance to a higher and better position.

Ring - To see a ring in your dream, symbolizes emotional wholeness, continuity and commitments. If the ring is on your finger, then it signifies your commitment to a relationship or a successful new endeavor. It also indicates your loyalty to your ideals, responsibilities, or beliefs.

Danger – To dream that you escape from danger, signifies that you will rise to a place of high position and honor in your business and social circle.

Well November is nearly past and it is time for another reflection on what was going on a year ago.  I think this will be the last of these “a year ago reflections.”  After this there were not too many events of note.  Just the long and slow grieving process which is still continuing of course…

…In the months following Abigail’s death we were pretty much in a daze to be honest.  A week after the funeral and I was back to work in a very public way heading the annual conference for the charity I work for.  The work was easy enough.  But having frequent head tilt “how are you” conversations with people was challenging.  Some people really wanted to know and could cope with the truth but others just wanted to go through the motions and hear that you were getting there (wherever there is) and that you could quote some vague religious platitude.

It wasn’t long before I found myself referred for more infertility tests picking up from where we had pulled out when we found out we were pregnant with Abigail.  Both my wife and I wanted to get as much of this behind us before we cared again.  We had had two and a half years of disappointment leading up to Abigail being conceived and we were not looking forward to the monthly rollercoaster of trying to conceive again.  So yes in the months that followed I had numerous opportunities to have intimate relations with a cup, go for physical examinations, blood tests, an ultrasound (on me this time!) and the rest.  I remember the first time I went to see the urologist consultant, I had to walk through the maternity unit and see lots of pregnant women waiting for their ultrasounds.  It was so unfair that here I was going to see if anything could be done to see if we could get pregnant when here were all these women who were already there.  If only we could reset and reboot – go back to when we were pregnant and play it again and see if we got a different outcome.

In the weeks following the funeral we knew that the first week of December was going to be especially jarring.  We had Abigail’s post-mortem results on 1 December and her due date was 6 December.  I booked the week off work and before long, these dates were upon us.

My wife and I discussed the PM results before the day and we both felt that anything less than a 1 in 4 chance of recurrence would not be enough to stop us trying for another baby.  1 in 4 might be enough.  We had a strong suspicion that Abigail had died from a genetic condition.  Some of her fingers and toes had been fused together and that seemed a strong indicator of a chromosomal cause.  Even as I write this now, I hate the idea that some readers might think “ah well in that case she was left than perfect/not normal so perhaps her dying was probably for the best.”  Someone said basically that in a card to us once!  Let me be as clear as I can.  Abigail may not have been perfect – nor are any of us! – but we loved her as if she was.  If she had lived we would have loved her with all our hearts no matter what challenges she would have faced.

The day of the post-mortem results came and we dropped our son off with friends and walked in to the hospital.  We had done this so many times for scans and now we repeated that well-known routine.  We parked the car and had five minutes to spare so we walked along the street outside.  We then went into the waiting area and this was the one time I felt the hospital let us down.  We were in a maternity waiting area surrounded by posters of babies, mothers with babies, mother’s breastfeeding their babies to “give them the best start in life”.  This was also the room where we had had anti-natal classes when we were pregnant with our son.

There was one mother-to-be and grandmother-to-be waiting.  They were very chirpy and talking excitedly about their pregnancy.  We were not chirpy but very sober.  At one point the grandmother-to-be even made a comment about how we seemed very serious.  I nearly told them we were there for our daughter’s PM results but restrained myself.  Altogether we waited about 25 minutes past our appointment time and that was hard in that room.

Finally we were taken into the consultant’s office.  Our doctor, Paul had been great during the pregnancy but by now we were quite on edge.  He had a student doctor with him.  A girl who seemed about 17 (probably 23).  I doubt she had done one of these before.  Paul came straight to the point and said that he was sorry for the delay but the formal PM report had not come back to him so he had been getting the results over the phone.  Abigail had had triploidy.  This was a condition that resulted in a lot of miscarriages but not many babies made it as far as birth.  All in all it accounted for about 1 in 50,000 live births.  It occurred when a baby had 69 instead of 46 chromosomes.  It was always fatal and no baby had lived beyond 10 months with triploidy.

The good news (!) was that it was a fairly random event and was not likely to recur for us.  Say 1 in 100.  There was no reason we couldn’t try for another baby – other than ongoing infertility problems that is.  Ironically the majority of triploidy cases occurred when 2 sperm fertilised one egg.  Madness – none of my sperm were good enough to get to the egg but when one finally did a second one did too!  Stupid sperm.  Grrrrrr.

Here is a final email I sent to all our friends and family who had been receiving updates during Abigail’s short life.

There are two ways to tell you about the PM, the first is medical – what we know and think.  We now know that Abigail had a genetic condition called triploidy.  This results in quite a lot of early miscarriages but it is very rare to last as long as we did.  It only affects about 1 in 50,000 births.  It is lethal with most triploidy babies being still born or with an average life expectancy of 10 hours after birth.  It is not hereditary – as the doctor puts it we were struck by lightning.  This is a relief as otherwise there would have been a chance that [our son] could have faced similar problems in his future.  That said we do face an increased risk of this or similar happening to us again of about 1 in 100.  This is a lot lot lot better than 1 in 4, but not as good as nothing!  Stating the obvious there.  So overall not as bad as we feared but not as good as we could have hoped.

The second way to talk about these results is not what we think or know, but how we feel.  Abigail was conceived into a fallen broken world as we all were.  But, we do not love her one tiny bit less for this.  We do not think of her as imperfect in any way more than everyone else alive today including you and me.  We certainly don’t want people telling us it was a mercy she died when she did, or that we have been saved from more heartache.  If we had had 10 hours with her we would have treasured those 10 hours.  We do treasure the limited time and limited contact we had with Abigail – we always will, it has tremendous value to us as her parents.  Even though we know now that she was never going to survive we still grieve the life and the potential that she had in our hearts and dreams.  We will remember the milestones that never occur even if they could never have been.  I share this side of it with you because as our friends and family we want you to understand and be comfortable with the simple fact that at this simple level Abigail remains part of our lives and part of our family.  We hope you can be part of this too and feel comfortable talking about this side of things with us.  We do not expect or want this to be a morbid thing but a way of valuing the person Abigail was and is.

One final thing, this verse has been helpful to us from Lamentations 3 v32-33

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,

so great is his unfailing love.

^For he does not willingly bring affliction

or grief to the children of men.

We do not expect to understand why this happened to us, but we will accept it.  And we know that God is good and faithful.

We had ended up arranging to visit friends for the weekend of Abigail’s due date.  This was probably a mistake.  We were struggling to function and it was all fairly chaotic at our friend’s house.  They had other people staying and four children so the house was quite crowded and we didn’t really have an opportunity to talk meaningfully.  In the middle of bedtime routines the Dad of the home said something to the effect that it felt like he had 18 children to put to bed.  I came close to saying “lucky you” but again restrained myself.  These people were (and are) good friends but we were not in a good place.

At one level Abigail’s due date didn’t have the meaning it might have had.  If Abigail had lived she would have been delivered by C-section much earlier than this date.  But looking back further to finding out we were pregnant, this was the date we had been told was her due date.  Over the entire length of Abigail’s pregnancy this was the date we had expected to be filled with joy.  Instead we were just getting stuck into the grieving process and wondering whether we would ever get pregnant again.  Not a very acceptable exchange really!

In the run up to Christmas we felt increasingly lonely in our grief.  The support that had been so tangible in the first few weeks now faded into normality for others and raging grief for us.  People moved on but we did not.  There was nothing new for people to say to show their support and we increasingly found it unsatisfying being around people.

We had a few days away with some friends in a holiday park and I remember getting into an argument about gender specific appropriate activities.  It got quite heated until I eventually explained that I was arguing from the point of view that Abigail had been a girl and therefore I wanted to imagine her in pink and doing ballet dancing not football lessons.  Stupid really.

We then stayed for a weekend with some friends who had driven an 800 mile roundtrip for the Abigail’s funeral and given a massive donation to Abigail’s fund.  We had hoped to catch up with them and share where we were at with Abigail.  But basically they couldn’t hack any conversation about Abigail at all.  Whenever she was mentioned they would immediately change the subject.  We hated that weekend more than anything.

But that was compensated by the fact that we then spent an evening with some friends who had suffered three miscarriages and ongoing infertility problems.  They were so understanding and happy to talk about Abigail.  This has been a valuable lesson to people – how comfortable people are with suffering seems directly related to how much they have themselves sufferred.

For Christmas we have always had a tradition of buying a new decoration for the tree each year.  This year we bought a bauble with Abigail’s name on it.  This was on the tree this first year and will continue to be part of our Christmas tree for years to come.  It was good to be able to recognise her in our family Christmas.

Back in August, I probably will not be able to imagine sitting here with a rounded belly. How time flies! And I am grateful for every single blessed day

I can still get away with hiding belly under over-sized T-shirts but I do not have many pieces of in-between sized clothing so I am starting to wear maternity tops now, which are much more comfortable actually. So it is no longer a secret that I am preggers wherever I go. I kind of enjoy it actually… new outfits… loosely fitting and I don’t have to feel self-conscious of my slightly bulging belly. It’s brilliant, actually!

Baby is also starting to squirm lately. Well, I am sure she’s been squirming for a while now, it’s just that I am just starting to feel her now. At first I was not so sure, but the very faint nudges have become quite noticeable now… that I am ALMOST sure it is coming from this lifeform within me

We cannot wait for the next check-up in a week’s time. Why? Because I will be twenty weeks along and we might find out if baby is a boy or a girlie! Excited !

09/24/09

My darling little one. 

Tonight is another quiet night. The crickets seem lazy and I can see the moon from where I’m sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. 

I want to start writing to you, in the hopes that you will seem more real. Even at 9 months pregnant, you still seem so far away, like you’re still just an idea all cozy in my uterus. There’s no doubt you’re really there, oh no, I can feel you push up into my ribs or down against my bladder and even though your movements are sometimes uncomfortable, I have never experienced anything cooler than your stretches, acrobatics, and even your tiny hiccups. 

I guess this is a love letter, because already I’m head-over-heels in love with you. You began as just a little blob of cells, changed into a sea monkey, and now you are a real little human being wiggling inside me. Even though you are going to turn my world upside down, I can’t wait for you to be in my arms! I know you are going to teach me so much, just as I am going to do my very best to teach you everything I know, as we explore the world together. 

Love, 

Mom.

D and I woke up around 5:00am last Thursday morning.  We’d both been tossing and turning, having dreams about pregnancy tests.  We decided to go ahead and get this over with…  we were crammed in our tiny bathroom, I peed in a cup, D dipped the stick, and we stared at the test for what seemed like hours…

We could hardly believe it!  We stood there in awe and crying, and realized we were both shaking from nervous excitement.  It finally worked!

I had my first beta that morning and got the results Friday, they were 42.  My follow up beta on Saturday was 98, and I didn’t get those until Tuesday afternoon, which was a long, nerve-wracking wait!  I’ve seen this nifty chart on other people’s blogs before and now I got to use one!

I’m officially 5 weeks and 2 days along.  I’ve not gotten used to saying the P word yet, but I’m definitely easing into the idea that we’ve finally gotten pregnant!  I have my first OB appointment next Friday (12/4) and my first ultrasound with the RE the following Monday (12/7).  I’ve not had any spotting(!), my boobs are tender and swollen and I’ve become quite burpy and queasy in the last couple days.  I’m still taking progesterone and will continue to do so through 10 weeks.  I’m still taking folic acid (gotta help this little one’s brain!), baby aspirin and vitamin D.  Today’s my last day of my V8 and Gatorade binge… Dr. B thinks I’m not at risk any more for getting OHSS… I can’t wait until I can drink water again!

We are trying to tell people in person so we can see their faces when they hear our news.  We have shared the news with some family (lots of screams, jumping up and down, hugs and tears!) and a couple friends, and will tell the rest of our family as we see them.  We’re seeing my mom tomorrow and are very excited to share the news with her.  We know we aren’t out of the woods yet, and we will share this information as we feel comfortable… If we know you in real life, we’d appreciate you keeping our news quiet for now.

We are so very excited this year for having a new little something to be thankful for.  Thanks for your supportive comments through this whole thing, especially the last four months…  We are so very grateful for this opportunity!

I hope that you’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  I’m full after TWO family dinners and am ready to call it a night.

Daddy-to-be finally made it into some maternity self portraits…

I’m sure that anyone who has struggled with infertility can understand exactly how I’m feeling at Thanksgiving this year. Instead of going into a bunch of mushy sentiment that is probably pretty obvious, I will instead leave you with what I’m superficially thankful for this year:

Bra extenders

Thank you to whoever came up with this fantastic invention. My ribs and back are deeply appreciative. So is my pocketbook.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving.

What is it with new parents and their offspring? Why do they think everyone else cares about their new pride and joy? Ok, so they’ve had a baby, good for them, but excuse me if I don’t get too excited. It is afterall only a new born baby, of which there are millions born everyday. It’s not a miracle, it’s nature, we all know how it works.

Not all of us want kids and not all of us get excited about these “little bundles of joy”. Not all of us think they’re “cute” or “bonnie” (Even though people say that about EVERY baby, for once it’d be great if someone would say “Jesus, what happened to that? What an ugly little thing”). Not all of us find their vomiting, pissing, shitting and screaming cute – some of us actually find it incredibly annoying.

So please don’t make me feel like a bad person when you try and insist I hold your baby. If I decline your offer please just respect that I’m not interested and stop forcing the little bastard on to me. If I asked you to hold my new iPhone you might not be interested but I wouldn’t insist you held it, so why should it be any different with your kid? To me it’s just a baby, a little package full of blood and organs, I’m really not arsed about holding it. I don’t want to talk to it in a silly voice, I don’t want to pretend to be some daft character and I don’t want to play with its toys or sing along to the latest politically correct nursery rhyme.

Most parents feel the same about other people’s kids. You might be the most naturally maternal person in the world, but you’ll still come close to exploding with rage when someone else’s child is running around being a nuisance. If its your own, then it could shit in your face and you’d laugh about how cute it was. So I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but your kids really aren’t that special, to you they might be, that’s fine but don’t expect the rest of the world to join in.

T-Shirt Reviews

You do my head in. If you’ve got kids and they make you happy and you love being a parent, then that’s great, but keep it to yourself and respect that fact that some people just don’t give a shit about you. And the whole world doesn’t change just because you’re up the duff. If you board a busy train and there are no spare seats, do not even dare suggest to me that I should give up my seat for you. If you’re that bothered about being sat down you should have reserved a seat. Harsh? Tough, life’s harsh.

If you bring your child into a pub, don’t expect me to stop swearing just so that your child’s ears can be spared. Bring a child into an adult environment and you’ve got to expect adult behaviour. I doubt if my niece took me to a Wacky Warehouse my complaints about the noise would go down too well (Just as well then that I’d actually rather eat my own toes than go near one of those places). It’s also worth noting that letting your kid run around a shopping centre might just piss a few people off so don’t act all surprised and disgusted if people ask you to keep it under control.

And to those mothers who have 2, 3, 4 or maybe even more children, do not even dare to mention how painful it is. You know it’s going to hurt so just get on with it rather than telling the world about all the stitches you had to have to repair your clunge. And if the pain was so bad the first time, then why have more? What’s that you say, because the babies make you happy? Well then, the pain is worth it isn’t it? And you can stop complaining about how expensive kids are as well. Did you think it’d pop out with a bag of money or something? If you can’t afford to bring a baby into the world then don’t. If you can’t afford a nice holiday or a new care because little Tarquin and Angelica need new clothes then that’s your own bloody problem so stop bleating on about it!

Society has just gone child crazy, they are over protected and smothered so much these days and every child is someone’s “precious little princess” or whatever. Everything is about what the kids want, they are absolutely spoiled rotten and they are growing up into monsters. The level gets worse with each new generation too. Don’t get me wrong, I like kids (Actually, no I don’t) but the whole modern parenting culture really grinds my gears. Just tone it down, please. They’re like little accessories. Some like Jimmy Choo and all that bollocks, others like having a designer baby. Keep it away from me, I’m not interested.

The usual stock response to my gripes is something like “Oh but you were a kid once”. Yes, and I was probably a right little shit, I still am, afterall. But that’s not my problem, I didn’t have any choice, that’s just how kids are: runny nosed, smelly, noisy, irritating little shits. So please, get your brat away from me.

Wie dacht dat R. Kelly de ultieme player is, heeft het mis. De zanger laat zich in Pregnant van zijn meest romantische kant zien:

Girl you make me wanna get you pregnant
Knock You Up

Now usually I leave the club with a girl who has a man
and take her to a hotel for just a one night stand
See I’m a player so I aint trying to take her on no dates
but much like my patrol-man I’m just trying to take it straight

Until I met this girl in the club with an unbelievable booty
The sweetest girl in the world to me and on top of that she’s a cutie
I ain’t seen nothing like her around here in a while
And if I had a girl she’d be the one to bear my child

Telling myself I’m a player so I keep trying to shake it off
But I keep seeing this big old house with a picked fence and a dog
Never felt nothing like this, she is more than a mistress
bout to handle my business and put that girl in my kitchen

Girl you make me wanna get you pregnant
Knock You Up

If you smoke while pregnant, you’re exposing the baby to a host of dangerous chemicals, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says. And the nicotine in tobacco causes less oxygen and nutrients to reach the baby.

The ACOG says these problems are more likely to affect pregnant women who smoke:
-Ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilized egg begins to develop outside the uterus.
-Vaginal bleeding.
-Abnormalities in how the placenta attaches to the uterus.
-A stillbirth.
-A low-birthweight infant, born weighing less than 5.5 pounds.

A Maricopa County Sheriff (Ariz.) racially profiled Alma Chacon and stopped her on her way to cash a check.     Although she had outstanding unpaid tickets and a misdemeanor shoplifting charge, she was not detained for these reasons.   The detaining officer believed she was an undocumented immigrant.

Wow…

This girl was 9 months pregnant and thrown in jail.    During her second night in jail, she began to bleed.    She was transported to a hospital with her hands and feet shackled.      The officer present refused to remove the shackles, even when the paramedic who arrived indicated they were not necessary.

At the hospital, this mofo again insisted that she remain shackled.    A nurse requested that Chacon be freed to get a urine sample, but the officer again refused,  and said the bed should be dragged to the bathroom!   

What an asshole!!

Chacon delivered the baby with her hands and feet shackled to the bed.    Deputy Chief Jack MacIntyre said that “inmates must be shackled for security reasons”, and indicated that someone could be faking labor in order to escape from jail.  (what the h3ll did he put in his coffee this morning!? )   He added that Chacon ‘could have escaped and assaulted the hospital staff’.  Yeah, right.  She a wide load at 9 months pregnant, and I sure dont think she ’s lookin’ for a fight about now…  Chacon was transported back to county jail,  denied a breast pump &  pain medication, and was not even allowed to see her child.

This girl had no violent criminal history.   There was really no reason to suspect that she had faked labor and would leap out of the hospital bed and start assaulting hospital staff…

Somebody should kick his ass.

And I’d sure see me a man about a lawsuit…