Some Kind of a Wonderful Wedding Anniversary

Good afternoon Maia. Today Mommy and Daddy is celebrating their first wedding anniversary...and guess what? They received the greatest gift any married couple can ever have. They now have you!

Initially Mommy wanted a celebration. After all, the first year is a milestone. But then, thinking of the financial challenges up ahead, she opted not to press the issue anymore with Daddy. She thought they can always celebrate after she delivered you already. She bets, the celebration would be a lot more fun since you are there to share it with them already.

The only thing that Mommy was praying was for you to arrive early so she can enjoy more time with you. Guess what, God is really good. She heard Mommy's prayers and 2 days before their wedding anniversary -- YOU came! Wonderful, isn't it?

Baby Shower at ON

Today is Mommy’s last day at work. After this, it’s waiting time. A loooong waiting time. Yesterday the OB-Gyn at the clinic in Mommy’s company commented that Mommy’s a candidate for Caesarean birth due to the size of her tummy. It kind of irked Mommy since she was not soliciting for any advices. And besides she was not Mommy’s doctor.

Good thing, Mommy's office friends threw her a surprise (literally) baby shower. That took away the irritation. They had cake, pansit and ice cream. What made Mommy even happier was they allowed Mommy to have ice cream (just two teaspoonfuls, Mommy swears).

It was a great way for them to express their goodluck wishes to Mommy. Fact is, Mommy was very touched she almost cried when she saw gifts and food set up for her. She's really happy to have found friends like Tita Yette, Tita Madz, Tita Ty, Tita Mie, Tita Mhay and Tita Kat.

Breastfeeding is best for babies :)

 

Even before we got pregnant, I already am bent on breastfeeding our baby if ever we are gifted of one.

 

My sister has been doing it for my nephew till now at 21 months. I had a friend who did it for more than 3 years. Their babies babies rarely got sick...if not never. The stories they shared to me were very inspiring.

 

I was a breastfed baby myself. All 5 of us are. Had my Mom not done it, asthma would have consumed me by now.

 

As one of the ad campaigns in a local tv station would go, every mother wants the best for her baby...the best diaper, the best toiletries, the best milk...what else, but one that is tailor-made for her baby - her own breastmilk.

 

I was going through the last pages of one my favorite pregnancy reference books (Baby love by Marivi Blanco and Ipat Luna) this weekend and I thought of sharing the reasons why a Mom to be should chooose to breasfeed (p.s. these are mostly direct quotes from the book):

 

• Breastmilk is Designer milk. Imagine a personal/chef who determines from day to day what you need to eat to stay healthy and then cooks it up fresh at each meal. As oppose to formulas based on cow’s milk which are based on one unchanging recipe. Eventually, they could lead to nutritional deficiencies in your infant. Just like any food, fresh is always the best.
• Breastmilk is alive. Every third of a teaspoon of human breastmilk contains one million living cells. They function like a microscopic SWAT team sent by Mama to protect and defend her infant.
• Breastmilk is more stable than cow’s milk or formula.
• It is more digestible than cow’s milk. This is because lactalbumin, the type of protein easier for babies to absorb than caseinogen, the protein component in cow’s milk.
• Breastmilk prevents constipation and diarrhea. Additional perk: because of human milk’s easy digestibility, the poop of babies who are exclusively breastfed smells sweeter and is less likely to cause diaper rash.
• It has low sodium consisting of only 30% as much mineral salts compared to cow’s milk.
• It supports a higher calcium level in your baby’s blood.
• It keeps your baby fit, not fat.
• It lowers the incidence of middle ear infections, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, and cancers of the immune system. It also protects your baby from developing asthma, allergies or eczema. It is also found to lower incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
• Breastfeeding encourages mother-baby bonding.
• Breastfeeding may save you future orthodontist bills.
• It discourages babies from being picky eaters.
• Breastfed babies are smarter than formula-fed babies. Numerous studies have found that children who were breastfed as babies are up to 8 IQ points smarter than their formula-fed peers.
• Lastly, it is totally natural and ecologically friendly.

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With that, I just hope I do get to breastfeed Maia. I've heard just as much discouraging stories about how some mothers have exhausted all possible efforts to do it only to have their babies refuse their milk.

 

But with the proper support, I think I can do it. Hehe.

Ready, Set, Go??!!!!!

There was a little commotion at home in Iloilo today. One of my sisters was a bit frantic. Seeing a missed call from my Mom at around 5 am this morning, she texted Mommy back asking how things are. Turns out the immediate thought that came to her mind was that I already went into labor and that my Mom was calling to tell them the good news.

But no sister dear. My last trip to the OB did not yield any signs that I am delivering Maia soon. So for one week now, I have been doing a lot of walking, stretches, massages and indoor exercises with the hubby as my assistant. We look funny doing the stretches and the massages but its all for the best. My OB wanted me to be prepared as much as possible for the hardwork that is soon approaching. After the good news from the diabetologist last Friday, we are again pursuing our initial goal of going for a normal delivery.

Emotionally, I am ready. The tension however seemed to have shifted to the hubby. Now it’s him who assumed the overly anxious, worried expecting parent role. With his current emotional state, you can just imagine how relieved I am now to have my Mom around while we anticipate Maia’s arrival.

Now that we are on our 37^th week (and a lot of people kept telling me it seemed like I’ve been pregnant forever already) we’re definitely all set to go. Our hospital bag is all packed. We’ve considered and rehearsed some of the possible routes to the hospital.  Only thing left for us to complete/finish would be the renovations at home before our little angel’s arrival. Both the hubby’s and my family’s been very expressive of their excitement lately. It’s funny because the uncontainable exciting mood seems to penetrate through my swollen tummy. The baby seemed pretty active lately. It’s as if she’s telling us how enthusiastic she is to join us out here.

Hang in there sweetie, Mommy and Daddy and the rest of the family eagerly awaits your arrival. …For the meantime, please help Mommy and Daddy pray for your safe delivery.

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Update on Maia's progress:

YOUR BABY THIS WEEK ...Week 37

Your due date is so close that you could easily deliver at any time! Chances are very good that delivering from this week on, your baby will be healthy. Take a deep breath…labor, delivery and motherhood will all be amazing and wonderful experiences!

Your Baby: Baby's weight continues to increase, reaching around 6.5 pounds (3.2 kg) now. While baby is about 21 inches (53 cm) long, his limbs and tummy are all growing rounder and chubbier every day. His skin is less wrinkly now and most of the redness has turned to a hue that reflects your baby’s ethnic heritage. By this time, most babies descend down into your pelvis, head first, getting ready for birth. In about 3% of pregnancies, babies turn in the other direction, a situation known as a breech presentation. If this is the case for your baby, don't worry as this often changes—sometimes just hours before labor!