Don't nurse your baby to sleep or she will always want to be nursed to sleep...
Make sure you put your baby down awake so they teach themselves to fall asleep on their own...
Make sure not to introduce any sleep associations, like soft music, or they will always want that to go to sleep...
Always get your baby to nap in their crib...
Try the cry it out method and sleep train your baby...
The list goes on and on...
Sleep is something that perplexes a lot of new parents, myself included! We are still learning about Julia's sleep habits, but then again, she's still making them! But the above is something that I've worried about a lot. There's so much advice out there on how to 'ensure' your baby is a good sleeper. And all of it has scared me. I've read every one of the above on various websites and have been petrified. What vision does this give me? Putting my baby in her crib awake every single time with nothing to soothe her and I need to let her cry it out.
I don't think so.
I've thought a lot about this over the last few days and decided that I'm going to stick to what I have been doing Julia's whole life...feeding her before sleep and letting her sleep wherever. Julia doesn't always fall asleep feeding; Sometimes she's had enough but is still drowsy, so she stops eating and goes to sleep. Sometimes she just wants a cuddle and goes to sleep without a feeding. Sometimes she falls asleep during tummy time on the floor. This works for us. Julia is a well-rest, happy baby who is good at telling me what she needs, when she needs it. Surely a matter of baby sleep is being able to read your baby's sleepy cues and determine what they need?
We've introduced a sleep association (lullaby music) for Julia's bedtime. This is to comfort her if she wakes up shortly after falling asleep. If that music is still playing and she's starting to fuss, then we see to her because it's evident that there is something she needs from us. Last night she woke shortly after falling asleep, kicked her legs around a bit and fell back asleep!
The whole point of this post is to say do what's best for your baby. You don't have to buy in to any 'sleep training' practices, because you and your baby will figure it out.
Saturday 29 November 2014
Saturday 22 November 2014
Schedule Vs Routine...
Today seems like a good day to blog. It seems that we are coming to a big hurdle on our journey in parenthood. Since Julia's birth, we've just been doing things as they come and, lucky for us, Julia is a pretty predictable baby. Since her birth she has always gotten up around 7am or 8am and gone back down for a nap around 9.30am/10am. Her afternoons have always been here or there, with no predictability in when she will want to nap. This is probably because we do more in the afternoon (go out, go for walks, etc) and Julia is a very curious baby. There is no way you can put her in her buggy and take her for a walk in hopes that she will fall asleep because she is far too busy looking around to care about sleeping.
Lately, I've been starting to wonder about if I should put Julia on a schedule. There is a difference between schedule and routine. A schedule is time-restrictive...set times for certain activities. A routine is more flexible in time, but follows a good pattern of predictability. There are many people out there that swear by a schedule for their babies and that's cool, but I am definitely going more towards routine. I don't think Julia would like a schedule and besides, you can't make a baby do anything at any given time.
Here's our routine so far:
Julia is a good night sleeper. She goes down by about 9.30 every night and gets up every 3 hours for a feed. She wakes up ready for the day around 7am or 8am.
Julia is a morning person. She's so giggly and all smiles in the morning. She usually lasts about an hour and a half to two hours before showing signs that she is getting sleepy. She tends to stare out into space and won't interact with you much. At this point, I rock her to sleep and put her down in her crib. She sleeps anywhere from 40 mins to 2 hours. (Although, today she fell asleep during tummy time and I left her there)
Her afternoons are a mix of playing and sleeping. She usually plays for about an hour and then has an hour nap. This happens all the way until 6 or 7 when we bath her and give her a full feed before sleep. I nurse her to sleep. Lately, she has been sleeping for an hour and waking again where Daddy usually picks her up and cuddles her to sleep.
So that's our current 'routine'. We are very flexible on her timings, because Julia is really good at setting them herself. We'll see if this is the case when we go to Canada in February and there is a 5 hour time difference! Do I sense some sleepless Canadian nights? Who knows!
What has this taught me? Babies don't need to be scheduled. This was a difficult pill to swallow, so to speak as my whole world is a world of schedules. Being a teacher, I work by a rigid schedule. Living overseas, I always have a schedule on when I will return to Canada for a visit. My husband works odd hours at times, so I always know his schedule. I (lived) in a world of schedules. But not anymore. Now I live in a world of Julia...and I am loving every minute of it!
What did/do you do with your baby? Let me know your thoughts!
Lately, I've been starting to wonder about if I should put Julia on a schedule. There is a difference between schedule and routine. A schedule is time-restrictive...set times for certain activities. A routine is more flexible in time, but follows a good pattern of predictability. There are many people out there that swear by a schedule for their babies and that's cool, but I am definitely going more towards routine. I don't think Julia would like a schedule and besides, you can't make a baby do anything at any given time.
Here's our routine so far:
Julia is a good night sleeper. She goes down by about 9.30 every night and gets up every 3 hours for a feed. She wakes up ready for the day around 7am or 8am.
Julia is a morning person. She's so giggly and all smiles in the morning. She usually lasts about an hour and a half to two hours before showing signs that she is getting sleepy. She tends to stare out into space and won't interact with you much. At this point, I rock her to sleep and put her down in her crib. She sleeps anywhere from 40 mins to 2 hours. (Although, today she fell asleep during tummy time and I left her there)
Her afternoons are a mix of playing and sleeping. She usually plays for about an hour and then has an hour nap. This happens all the way until 6 or 7 when we bath her and give her a full feed before sleep. I nurse her to sleep. Lately, she has been sleeping for an hour and waking again where Daddy usually picks her up and cuddles her to sleep.
So that's our current 'routine'. We are very flexible on her timings, because Julia is really good at setting them herself. We'll see if this is the case when we go to Canada in February and there is a 5 hour time difference! Do I sense some sleepless Canadian nights? Who knows!
What has this taught me? Babies don't need to be scheduled. This was a difficult pill to swallow, so to speak as my whole world is a world of schedules. Being a teacher, I work by a rigid schedule. Living overseas, I always have a schedule on when I will return to Canada for a visit. My husband works odd hours at times, so I always know his schedule. I (lived) in a world of schedules. But not anymore. Now I live in a world of Julia...and I am loving every minute of it!
What did/do you do with your baby? Let me know your thoughts!
Friday 14 November 2014
Learning Curve for Baby and Momma
Before Julia was born, I had already decided that I was going to exclusively breastfeed. I had read all the advice, talked to friends and family who had been through it, and decided that it was best for me and my baby. But I had been given some misinformation before and after Julia's birth.
When Julia was born, she fed successfully straight away, but the two days after her birth were hit or miss on her feedings. In retrospect, I realise that Julia was not very hungry because: A) Newborns are born with a full tummy, so may not be overly hungry in the days following birth and B) Julia was on antibiotics for the first two days following her birth because my water broke before contractions and she was born more than 24 hours after the breakage. (Prolonged labour after your water breaks can increase the chance of infection, so they give baby and momma antibiotics just in case) When a baby is on antibiotics, they can be sleepy and not want to feed as well.
In the hospital, the midwife kept trying to help Julia feed, but she was just not interested. I was worried sick. I was going to have to formula feed [I thought]. Once Julia was cleared to go home, I was ecstatic as I knew I would feel more comfortable at home and feeding might be more successful. As I was packing up to go home, the midwife suggested I stay as I was having trouble breastfeeding. i understood her concern, but at the same time, I wanted to go home as I didn't feel that the midwife was very helpful in learning to breastfeed as every time Julia refused to eat, she suggested that I express instead. I didn't want to dance around the problem by always expressing. I was determined to make it work.
The biggest misconception that is advised to new moms is that breastfeeding should not hurt. Initially, it does. I feel a lot of new moms might give up breastfeeding too soon as they think it shouldn't hurt.
Ladies, for about the first 2 weeks, breastfeeding hurts. Your body is changing and adapting. Pain is a way for your body to naturally adjust to what's happening. I'm so glad I stuck with it because my body did adapt and adjust. Now, feeding Julia is a breeze!
Another misconception is that if your nipples crack and/or bleed, sometime is wrong. Again, your body is adapting and adjusting to what is happening. Julia always latched on beautifully, but my body still had to go through this change. Just because you are having some unpleasant things happen to a very sensitive part of your body doesn't mean that your baby isn't feeding properly. Get yourself some Lasinoh Nipple Cream and use it like it's your job! That stuff made the transition a lot easer.
Every website that I've read about breastfeeding say that breastfeeding shouldn't hurt. I agree with that statement to a certain extent. If the pain does not lesson and persists for a very prolonged period (example, your baby is no longer a newborn), then maybe something isn't right. But, if you have a newborn and you are learning how to breastfeed then at first there will be some pain.
Stick with it. For me, the pain subsided after 2 weeks.
Were you told some of the above information? Did it affect your take on breastfeeding? What was your experience?
When Julia was born, she fed successfully straight away, but the two days after her birth were hit or miss on her feedings. In retrospect, I realise that Julia was not very hungry because: A) Newborns are born with a full tummy, so may not be overly hungry in the days following birth and B) Julia was on antibiotics for the first two days following her birth because my water broke before contractions and she was born more than 24 hours after the breakage. (Prolonged labour after your water breaks can increase the chance of infection, so they give baby and momma antibiotics just in case) When a baby is on antibiotics, they can be sleepy and not want to feed as well.
In the hospital, the midwife kept trying to help Julia feed, but she was just not interested. I was worried sick. I was going to have to formula feed [I thought]. Once Julia was cleared to go home, I was ecstatic as I knew I would feel more comfortable at home and feeding might be more successful. As I was packing up to go home, the midwife suggested I stay as I was having trouble breastfeeding. i understood her concern, but at the same time, I wanted to go home as I didn't feel that the midwife was very helpful in learning to breastfeed as every time Julia refused to eat, she suggested that I express instead. I didn't want to dance around the problem by always expressing. I was determined to make it work.
The biggest misconception that is advised to new moms is that breastfeeding should not hurt. Initially, it does. I feel a lot of new moms might give up breastfeeding too soon as they think it shouldn't hurt.
Ladies, for about the first 2 weeks, breastfeeding hurts. Your body is changing and adapting. Pain is a way for your body to naturally adjust to what's happening. I'm so glad I stuck with it because my body did adapt and adjust. Now, feeding Julia is a breeze!
Another misconception is that if your nipples crack and/or bleed, sometime is wrong. Again, your body is adapting and adjusting to what is happening. Julia always latched on beautifully, but my body still had to go through this change. Just because you are having some unpleasant things happen to a very sensitive part of your body doesn't mean that your baby isn't feeding properly. Get yourself some Lasinoh Nipple Cream and use it like it's your job! That stuff made the transition a lot easer.
Every website that I've read about breastfeeding say that breastfeeding shouldn't hurt. I agree with that statement to a certain extent. If the pain does not lesson and persists for a very prolonged period (example, your baby is no longer a newborn), then maybe something isn't right. But, if you have a newborn and you are learning how to breastfeed then at first there will be some pain.
Stick with it. For me, the pain subsided after 2 weeks.
Were you told some of the above information? Did it affect your take on breastfeeding? What was your experience?
Wednesday 12 November 2014
A needle in a haystack
When my sweet Julia was first born, I had A LOT of questions. Luckily, my mom is only a quick FaceTime call away. I got a lot of advice from people on multiple issues, but sometimes it left me feeling confused. Different people have different opinions on how you should care for your child. It left me wondering which way was 'right'. Various internet searches turned up much the same thing. Different websites and specialists had different opinions on every matter imaginable. Finding the answer I was looking for was like finding a needle in a haystack. It took a few weeks for me to realise that the 'right' answer is whatever I felt (instinctively) was right for Julia and myself. It doesn't matter how much advice you get from others or how many websites you cruise, what you choose must feel right for you and baby!
Now we are getting to what this blog is really about. I encourage you to go against the advice of others, don't listen to every internet advice, but try anything that feels right for you and baby! Here's my first 'instinctive parenting' story...
Question: Is it wrong to have Julia sleep in my bed?
You heard me. Julia sleeps in our bed. There, I said it. Queue the gasps, the comments that she'll be in my bed till she's 35, etc.
Julia sleeping in our bed started off 'by accident'. As a nursing mother, I found it a lot easier to get up for her night feedings with her close by. Yes, I had a bassinette beside the bed but sometimes she wouldn't settle, or sometimes I found it easier to just put her down beside me and drift back to sleep. Now, Julia sleeps in her crib for half the night and in our bed for the other half. I find the night feedings a lot easier when she is right next to me.
Does she refuse to sleep anywhere but next to me, in our bed? Of course not! She sleeps anywhere! Bassinette, crib, car seat, couch; heck, she even sleeps on her play mat.
Do I struggle to get her to sleep in her crib? Nope. She sleeps in her crib for most of her naps and goes down beautifully at 8 pm every night. And she sleeps for hours on end!
Is she 'clingy'? Uh, duh. She's a two month old baby! Julia is a snuggler. She likes hugs and kisses. She likes to cuddle when she's sleepy. But when she's awake, watch out! She enjoys playing on her play mat by herself and has taken to having conversations with her stuffed toys. Our girl is blossoming into a beautiful, talkative, strong willed baby.
Long story short, when Julia first started sleeping in our bed (Day 2 of being at home), I was worried. "But everyone says I shouldn't have her in my bed because she will like it too much!" It took a lot of self talk, conversations with my husband and talks with other cosleeping mamas for me to realise that Julia sleeping in our bed is natural. It's instinctive. It's what every parent did before the invention of cribs and bassinettes.
You see, it doesn't matter that there are 100s of websites out there that advise against sleeping with your child. It doesn't matter that the health visitors (and government health board) call cosleeping a big no-no. What matters is if it feels right for you. So go on, if you have been fighting cosleeping for fear of what every one else says, ignore them. In a world where people foster following your heart, there sure are a lot of opinions!
I love cosleeping with Julia. Our bond is stronger and we are both happier (and well rested)!
Do you cosleep? What benefits have you seen?
Now we are getting to what this blog is really about. I encourage you to go against the advice of others, don't listen to every internet advice, but try anything that feels right for you and baby! Here's my first 'instinctive parenting' story...
Question: Is it wrong to have Julia sleep in my bed?
You heard me. Julia sleeps in our bed. There, I said it. Queue the gasps, the comments that she'll be in my bed till she's 35, etc.
Julia sleeping in our bed started off 'by accident'. As a nursing mother, I found it a lot easier to get up for her night feedings with her close by. Yes, I had a bassinette beside the bed but sometimes she wouldn't settle, or sometimes I found it easier to just put her down beside me and drift back to sleep. Now, Julia sleeps in her crib for half the night and in our bed for the other half. I find the night feedings a lot easier when she is right next to me.
Does she refuse to sleep anywhere but next to me, in our bed? Of course not! She sleeps anywhere! Bassinette, crib, car seat, couch; heck, she even sleeps on her play mat.
Do I struggle to get her to sleep in her crib? Nope. She sleeps in her crib for most of her naps and goes down beautifully at 8 pm every night. And she sleeps for hours on end!
Is she 'clingy'? Uh, duh. She's a two month old baby! Julia is a snuggler. She likes hugs and kisses. She likes to cuddle when she's sleepy. But when she's awake, watch out! She enjoys playing on her play mat by herself and has taken to having conversations with her stuffed toys. Our girl is blossoming into a beautiful, talkative, strong willed baby.
Long story short, when Julia first started sleeping in our bed (Day 2 of being at home), I was worried. "But everyone says I shouldn't have her in my bed because she will like it too much!" It took a lot of self talk, conversations with my husband and talks with other cosleeping mamas for me to realise that Julia sleeping in our bed is natural. It's instinctive. It's what every parent did before the invention of cribs and bassinettes.
You see, it doesn't matter that there are 100s of websites out there that advise against sleeping with your child. It doesn't matter that the health visitors (and government health board) call cosleeping a big no-no. What matters is if it feels right for you. So go on, if you have been fighting cosleeping for fear of what every one else says, ignore them. In a world where people foster following your heart, there sure are a lot of opinions!
I love cosleeping with Julia. Our bond is stronger and we are both happier (and well rested)!
Do you cosleep? What benefits have you seen?
Saturday 8 November 2014
Know Yourself, Know Your Body
Last time I left you, I had just finished describing my first experience meeting the Diabetic Medical Team. This was one of the first times in my life that I had gone against medical advice.
I'm sitting in this tiny room and allthis information these orders are being thrown at me. Before I knew it, they were trying to schedule me to see a dietitian. I declined. Why would I need to see a dietitian if my daily diet follows a no-sugar policy anyways?
You know the funny part? I felt like no one listened to me. Every time I explained to a midwife or diabetic consultant that I don't have a high sugar diet, they always ended with saying 'Make sure you stay away from those cakes and cookies!'
The first time I met my diabetic consultant, I was by myself. Hubby had to work so I sat in this room and listened to this man tell me that no matter my daily diet, I was diabetic because of the Glucose Tolerance Test. Little to his knowledge, I had done my research prior to this and found that the Glucose Tolerance Test is actually under a lot of scrutiny by many in the medical profession because it does not give a true representation of an individual - DUH; Not only that, but your blood sugars vary due to a variety of issues, such as stress, fatigue, BEING PREGNANT, etc.
So here I was, listening to this doc tell me all about being pregnant and diabetic when, at the end of his speech, he decides to tell me that in all likelihood, I was diabetic before I got pregnant! When I asked why he thought that, his answer was 'Because your an unusual gestational diabetic' - By this, he means that I am not overweight, I don't have high blood pressure, my fasting blood sugar is normal, and my baby isn't growing too big. How he could come to this conclusion I will never know. Anyways, I left that appointment in tears. Luckily, I have an amazing cousin who was able to provide a lot of knowledge on the matter and made me feel a lot more confident about my decisions.
All in all, here is what I decided would happen. I would continue to monitor my blood glucose levels (more to prove that I did not have gestational diabetes), I would go to the bi-weekly growth scans (who doesn't love an excuse to see their baby every two weeks before it's born?), but I WOULD NOT go on insulin. Here's why: I watched this documentary about a woman with gestational diabetes. As soon as she found out she had GD, she told the doctors to put her on insulin straight away because she knew she wouldn't be able to change her diet. Fair Enough. One of the effects of having gestational diabetes is having an oversized baby. This woman was on insulin from 20 weeks pregnant until her baby was born. The baby's weight? Just over TEN POUNDS. If she was on insulin the entire pregnancy, shouldn't her baby have been a normal size? Apparently not! You see, the more insulin floating around in your precious baby's blood stream, the more glucose it is picking up and storing. The more glucose it is picking up and storing, the more weight your baby is going to gain.
Could it not be that it was the extra insulin in this woman's bloodstream that actually caused her baby to be a big baby? Something to think about...
The rest of my pregnancy was a breeze (after the diabetic team learned that I wasn't going to give in to their requests). Before I knew it, my sweet 5lb 11oz Julia was here, 3 weeks early. And the diabetic consultant was positive that I was going to have an overweight baby...
Trust your instincts, people!
I'm sitting in this tiny room and all
You know the funny part? I felt like no one listened to me. Every time I explained to a midwife or diabetic consultant that I don't have a high sugar diet, they always ended with saying 'Make sure you stay away from those cakes and cookies!'
The first time I met my diabetic consultant, I was by myself. Hubby had to work so I sat in this room and listened to this man tell me that no matter my daily diet, I was diabetic because of the Glucose Tolerance Test. Little to his knowledge, I had done my research prior to this and found that the Glucose Tolerance Test is actually under a lot of scrutiny by many in the medical profession because it does not give a true representation of an individual - DUH; Not only that, but your blood sugars vary due to a variety of issues, such as stress, fatigue, BEING PREGNANT, etc.
So here I was, listening to this doc tell me all about being pregnant and diabetic when, at the end of his speech, he decides to tell me that in all likelihood, I was diabetic before I got pregnant! When I asked why he thought that, his answer was 'Because your an unusual gestational diabetic' - By this, he means that I am not overweight, I don't have high blood pressure, my fasting blood sugar is normal, and my baby isn't growing too big. How he could come to this conclusion I will never know. Anyways, I left that appointment in tears. Luckily, I have an amazing cousin who was able to provide a lot of knowledge on the matter and made me feel a lot more confident about my decisions.
All in all, here is what I decided would happen. I would continue to monitor my blood glucose levels (more to prove that I did not have gestational diabetes), I would go to the bi-weekly growth scans (who doesn't love an excuse to see their baby every two weeks before it's born?), but I WOULD NOT go on insulin. Here's why: I watched this documentary about a woman with gestational diabetes. As soon as she found out she had GD, she told the doctors to put her on insulin straight away because she knew she wouldn't be able to change her diet. Fair Enough. One of the effects of having gestational diabetes is having an oversized baby. This woman was on insulin from 20 weeks pregnant until her baby was born. The baby's weight? Just over TEN POUNDS. If she was on insulin the entire pregnancy, shouldn't her baby have been a normal size? Apparently not! You see, the more insulin floating around in your precious baby's blood stream, the more glucose it is picking up and storing. The more glucose it is picking up and storing, the more weight your baby is going to gain.
Could it not be that it was the extra insulin in this woman's bloodstream that actually caused her baby to be a big baby? Something to think about...
The rest of my pregnancy was a breeze (after the diabetic team learned that I wasn't going to give in to their requests). Before I knew it, my sweet 5lb 11oz Julia was here, 3 weeks early. And the diabetic consultant was positive that I was going to have an overweight baby...
Trust your instincts, people!
Thursday 6 November 2014
They were wrong.
Hey Everyone,
There's already so much that I want to write about. Everyday I encounter a new topic that I could post endless questions and solutions to - but I think it's best to get you up to speed, starting with my pregnancy since that's where I began to go against advice in the best interests of Julia.
They always say that a woman becomes a mother the minute she finds out that she is pregnant. That couldn't be more true.
Not a lot of people know this, but I was told by doctors (about 3 years ago) that I would never get pregnant without medical intervention (ie, drugs). I won't go into too much detail, but after this advice from the doctor, I decided to try every avenue I could to get pregnant naturally. Enter the wonderful powers of whole, natural foods. After much research, I decided the best thing to try was going Paleo. I had read that processed foods and simple carbohydrates reek havoc on your body since most are full of sugar and/or turn to sugar in your body. The sugar in your body affects everything...digestion, immune function and hormonal function. I promptly eliminated all processed foods, including bread, pasta and rice.
The first few days were rough. Not because I had a hard time avoiding these foods, but because I felt physically sick. This was the sugar withdrawal. My body was so used to having sugar in some form (bread, rice, pasta) that when I stopped eating it, my body went nuts. Luckily I stuck at it and after the first week, I started to feel so much better - better than before I went Paleo. I had more energy, felt less tired, and had more tolerance for annoying work issues. I stuck with Paleo for a few months and lo and behold, my hormones began to sort themselves out - I had no more sudden blood sugar drops ('the shakes'), my migraines were virtually non-existant (and if they were required no medication as they were minimal and resolved quickly) and my 'lady issues' began to regulate.
I was hooked. I felt fantastic. I had never felt so good - both physically and mentally. Exactly 2 months after starting Paleo, I found out I was pregnant.
Enter Exhibit A of not necessarily having to follow medical advice. I was told I would need medical drugs and intensive monitoring to get pregnant and here I was, pregnant and overjoyed!
I stuck with Paleo even after I found out I was pregnant. If I felt this great, I wanted my baby to develop feeling this great too. I increased my intakes of fats, such as avocado, nuts, etc and proteins to ensure that I could keep my energy levels up and provide the best for my baby.
At one of my prenatal appointments, I had mentioned that I had PCOS and the midwife promptly referred me for a Glucose Tolerance Test - a test that screens pregnant women for gestational diabetes. Apparently PCOS women have a higher chance of developing gestational diabetes. I wish I had refused the test. I had a bad feeling about doing the screening, seeing as how the test requires you to drink a very sugary drink and sitting still for 2 hours. Neither activities that I partake in.
The day of the test came and I went to the hospital. They had me drink Lucozade - an energy fizzy drink that had almost 100g of sugar! Now, picture this. I do not eat artificial sugar - no fizzy drinks, no sweets, not even orange juice! Do you think my body is going to know what to do with this junk? Not a chance!
I'm sure you can guess the result of the test. I got a phone call from a diabetes nurse, telling me that I had gestational diabetes as a result of this test. I actually laughed when she told me. Prior to this phone call, I had been researching the test and false positives due to a person already having a low carbohydrate diet. You would be amazed at the amount of times this happens.
I went in for my first appointment where they gave me a portable blood glucose monitor. They also advised me on avoiding sugary foods like cakes, sweets, fizzy drinks. - DUH
Before I knew what I was saying, the words were flying out of my mouth. In no way was I going to modify my diet, NO I WILL NOT TAKE INSULIN INJECTIONS, and yes I already exercise daily.
I could tell from that first meeting that the diabetic team were going to find me difficult because I was sticking to my guns - sticking to my guns in the best interest of my sweet Julia.
That's long enough for now, I will summarise the rest of my pregnancy in my next post.
A Life Lesson: Don't always take what the medical profession says is 100% true. You know your body better than they do, so if you think they are wrong, get a second (third, fourth, fifth, your own) opinion.
There's already so much that I want to write about. Everyday I encounter a new topic that I could post endless questions and solutions to - but I think it's best to get you up to speed, starting with my pregnancy since that's where I began to go against advice in the best interests of Julia.
They always say that a woman becomes a mother the minute she finds out that she is pregnant. That couldn't be more true.
Not a lot of people know this, but I was told by doctors (about 3 years ago) that I would never get pregnant without medical intervention (ie, drugs). I won't go into too much detail, but after this advice from the doctor, I decided to try every avenue I could to get pregnant naturally. Enter the wonderful powers of whole, natural foods. After much research, I decided the best thing to try was going Paleo. I had read that processed foods and simple carbohydrates reek havoc on your body since most are full of sugar and/or turn to sugar in your body. The sugar in your body affects everything...digestion, immune function and hormonal function. I promptly eliminated all processed foods, including bread, pasta and rice.
The first few days were rough. Not because I had a hard time avoiding these foods, but because I felt physically sick. This was the sugar withdrawal. My body was so used to having sugar in some form (bread, rice, pasta) that when I stopped eating it, my body went nuts. Luckily I stuck at it and after the first week, I started to feel so much better - better than before I went Paleo. I had more energy, felt less tired, and had more tolerance for annoying work issues. I stuck with Paleo for a few months and lo and behold, my hormones began to sort themselves out - I had no more sudden blood sugar drops ('the shakes'), my migraines were virtually non-existant (and if they were required no medication as they were minimal and resolved quickly) and my 'lady issues' began to regulate.
I was hooked. I felt fantastic. I had never felt so good - both physically and mentally. Exactly 2 months after starting Paleo, I found out I was pregnant.
Enter Exhibit A of not necessarily having to follow medical advice. I was told I would need medical drugs and intensive monitoring to get pregnant and here I was, pregnant and overjoyed!
I stuck with Paleo even after I found out I was pregnant. If I felt this great, I wanted my baby to develop feeling this great too. I increased my intakes of fats, such as avocado, nuts, etc and proteins to ensure that I could keep my energy levels up and provide the best for my baby.
At one of my prenatal appointments, I had mentioned that I had PCOS and the midwife promptly referred me for a Glucose Tolerance Test - a test that screens pregnant women for gestational diabetes. Apparently PCOS women have a higher chance of developing gestational diabetes. I wish I had refused the test. I had a bad feeling about doing the screening, seeing as how the test requires you to drink a very sugary drink and sitting still for 2 hours. Neither activities that I partake in.
The day of the test came and I went to the hospital. They had me drink Lucozade - an energy fizzy drink that had almost 100g of sugar! Now, picture this. I do not eat artificial sugar - no fizzy drinks, no sweets, not even orange juice! Do you think my body is going to know what to do with this junk? Not a chance!
I'm sure you can guess the result of the test. I got a phone call from a diabetes nurse, telling me that I had gestational diabetes as a result of this test. I actually laughed when she told me. Prior to this phone call, I had been researching the test and false positives due to a person already having a low carbohydrate diet. You would be amazed at the amount of times this happens.
I went in for my first appointment where they gave me a portable blood glucose monitor. They also advised me on avoiding sugary foods like cakes, sweets, fizzy drinks. - DUH
Before I knew what I was saying, the words were flying out of my mouth. In no way was I going to modify my diet, NO I WILL NOT TAKE INSULIN INJECTIONS, and yes I already exercise daily.
I could tell from that first meeting that the diabetic team were going to find me difficult because I was sticking to my guns - sticking to my guns in the best interest of my sweet Julia.
That's long enough for now, I will summarise the rest of my pregnancy in my next post.
A Life Lesson: Don't always take what the medical profession says is 100% true. You know your body better than they do, so if you think they are wrong, get a second (third, fourth, fifth, your own) opinion.
Monday 3 November 2014
Instructions Not Included
Hello! I've started this blog as a way to get my own thoughts on parenting written down. I never really feel like I am figuring something out until a write it down and I thought that a blog might be a neat way to document my journey through mommyhood - you know, the place where you question everything you say and do regarding your child? As I journeyed my first few weeks of mommyhood, I had A LOT of questions, and like many new moms, I took to the internet and family/friends for advice and answers to my questions. I soon learned that what the internet says isn't always the way to do something and family/friends (although advice greatly appreciated) don't always have methods that work for me and my little girl. I'm not saying everything that I write on here will work for anyone else, but I want to document what I am trying and what is/not working for my girl.
A little about me...
A Canadian (currently) living in Scotland, married to my best friend. Why Scotland? Apparently cupid thought it funny to match me with a British man, so necessitates a transatlantic move for one of us. I've been here for almost 5 years, working as a teacher. My experience here has been a blast, but I think it's time to head home. You see, we just had our beautiful daughter in September 2014. She arrived three weeks early to an ecstatic daddy and a smitten momma. Having her has pointed me in the direction of home, to be closer to my family and so that she could grow up knowing both her British and Canadian roots. She's one lucky girl to have been born a citizen of Britain and Canada!
What have I learned so far?
I thought I had my parenting ideals all ironed out. WRONG. I quickly learned that your parenting strategies change as you get to know your sweet bundle, because your strategies might not work for your little one. I've scoured the internet for answers, asked everyone I know for advice but ultimately, what works for my girl is for me to figure it out. Try EVERYTHING! Don't stick to just one method that some whosigigs has written a book on and is 'THE WAY'. Your baby might not like that way (and you might not like it either!).
Everyone has advice for you and (some) disagree with your parenting choices. It's up to me as her momma to continue to do what I think is best for her and not avoid something just because someone tells me to.
What am I doing with this blog?
I'm documenting my journey through mommyhood - a place that I have found exhilarating, mysterious, thrilling, emotional, (the list goes on).
I'm going figure it all out along the way - maybe dispel some theories and strategies out there and give my account of what happened when I tried some of them.
Straight to the point - I know every mom out there has questioned something that she has done. Some moms have avoided doing what they felt was right for fear of others' opinions. I want you to feel empowered by your parenting decisions so here I am, laying it all out on the line. Follow me, judge me, join me. Whatever your way, I'm still doing what I feel is best for my girl, Julia.
Some further reading, hilighting my point: http://www.today.com/parents/exhausted-new-moms-hilarious-take-expert-sleep-advice-goes-viral-6C9559908
A little about me...
A Canadian (currently) living in Scotland, married to my best friend. Why Scotland? Apparently cupid thought it funny to match me with a British man, so necessitates a transatlantic move for one of us. I've been here for almost 5 years, working as a teacher. My experience here has been a blast, but I think it's time to head home. You see, we just had our beautiful daughter in September 2014. She arrived three weeks early to an ecstatic daddy and a smitten momma. Having her has pointed me in the direction of home, to be closer to my family and so that she could grow up knowing both her British and Canadian roots. She's one lucky girl to have been born a citizen of Britain and Canada!
What have I learned so far?
I thought I had my parenting ideals all ironed out. WRONG. I quickly learned that your parenting strategies change as you get to know your sweet bundle, because your strategies might not work for your little one. I've scoured the internet for answers, asked everyone I know for advice but ultimately, what works for my girl is for me to figure it out. Try EVERYTHING! Don't stick to just one method that some whosigigs has written a book on and is 'THE WAY'. Your baby might not like that way (and you might not like it either!).
Everyone has advice for you and (some) disagree with your parenting choices. It's up to me as her momma to continue to do what I think is best for her and not avoid something just because someone tells me to.
What am I doing with this blog?
I'm documenting my journey through mommyhood - a place that I have found exhilarating, mysterious, thrilling, emotional, (the list goes on).
I'm going figure it all out along the way - maybe dispel some theories and strategies out there and give my account of what happened when I tried some of them.
Straight to the point - I know every mom out there has questioned something that she has done. Some moms have avoided doing what they felt was right for fear of others' opinions. I want you to feel empowered by your parenting decisions so here I am, laying it all out on the line. Follow me, judge me, join me. Whatever your way, I'm still doing what I feel is best for my girl, Julia.
Some further reading, hilighting my point: http://www.today.com/parents/exhausted-new-moms-hilarious-take-expert-sleep-advice-goes-viral-6C9559908
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