Tag Archives: Pregnancy with a Toddler

Placenta Encapsulation

32 Weeks 2 Days

Yeah, I plan on ingesting my placenta.

It’s funny the reaction that this simple idea gets. When I said it in our Bradley class, even the teacher kind of cringed. For some reason the placenta has become something disgusting in our society. Even in the realm of people who realize the benefits of giving the baby it’s own cord blood (by letting the cord stay attached until it is done pulsating), they often do not recognize the benefits to the mother to get the nutrients herself.

We are one of the only mammals that do not eat our placentas after birth. I find this particularly ironic considering that we are the only mammals that have developed the skills to be able to cook it rather than eat it raw. Eating the placenta has amazing benefits too. It can help with postpartum depression, milk supply, and healing postpartum. I even had a friend of mine tell me that she started taking two pills a day (rather than one) when her in-laws got into town, which gave her the strength to deal with them. :-P

So what am I talking about with this “pills” nonsense? You encapsulate them! There are societies that eat their placentas raw or cooked, but it is the norm (for people who actually do it) in industrialized nations to cook, powder, and stick ours into pills. What’s amazing is that it’s not difficult to do yourself or you can even pay someone else to do it! Personally, one of my midwife’s assistants does it for $85. Certainly not bad for some natural “happy pills” that will get me through my rough postpartum days.

I am now 32 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I am feeling super irritable (especially with Peanut, which makes me sad) and heartburn is driving me nuts again. Last night after waking up at 2am and not being able to get back to sleep for the burning, I tried 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a half cup of warm water and that helped a lot. I’m supposed to do that sparingly though because the high sodium content. I don’t know if that’s based on the notion that pregnant women aren’t supposed have salt though (which is wrong according to the Brewer diet), so I don’t know if it matters much. I do feel a bit swollen in my hands this morning, but I’m not sure if that is because of the sodium or the fact my house was way too hot this morning.

Back to the irritability. I would really love some ideas on that. I usually try to be really understanding and I know that she’s a toddler so she will do certain things that toddlers do. Lately though I feel like I’m screaming at her all the time and she’s not doing anything different. I know that part of it is just me getting my emotions under check and I’ve been trying to do that before I react, but any more advice on how to not be mean mama would be great.

Newsletter-October 2011

Hello Lactating Girl Family,

It’s been a busy and happy month for us. Of course, school is in full swing at the moment, which makes our days pretty full within themselves. We’ve taken more than a few days (where Mama doesn’t have class) off from preschool to hang out at home though. I need to remember to keep myself motivated for the last month of the semester. I’m just so excited to be home with the two of you next semester (and beyond), so it’s hard to keep myself in the school-mindset.

Peanut, I am amazed at how you are developing. Your memory is astounding! When I ask if you want to go to the library, you tell me that you do want to go to the one with the blocks, but not the one with the bear. Obviously, you’re not too hot on bears. This particular library has a big bear that’s sitting in a rocking chair right by the front door. It’s the main library so we’ve gone there a couple of times to get a wider selection or to pick up a book we didn’t want to wait to be transferred to our library. Even with those couple of times of being there, you remember that you don’t want to go back because of the bear.

You’re also speaking in full sentences all of the time now. Honestly, you have been for a while, but I guess I just forgot to mention it in the newsletters. Just in the time I’ve typed this, you’ve said “I see my dog down there. Hi!” and “You want some of my cookie?” Of course, you don’t always have perfect grammar, but it’s still amazing how well your language is developing.

Twig, you are just growing right along! You’ll be born in 10 weeks give-or-take and you have a strong kick! You’re already taking my breath away when you get my ribs just right. The midwife says you’re posterior, just like big sis, which isn’t a big deal at this point, but I will do everything in my power to make you flip around.

You’re incredibly active now. Sometimes so much so that I can’t sleep. As I typed the last sentence, you kicked me twice. It seems like me laying on my side is a good enough reason for you to kick me simultaneously on both sides. It’s pretty amusing. You must be doing the splits or something.

Peanut is pretty excited about you coming. We talk about all of the things that are going to happen before you come (e.g. Thanksgiving, school ending) much like we do a list of errands to run. She always feels my belly and tells me she feels you moving, but I don’t think she actually does most of the time. It’s still cute though. She also loves whispering secrets to you.

Here’s a photo of the 3 4 of us dressed up for Halloween. My blog readers will have already seen it, but I still want to post it here because it’s kind of like our first family photo of all of us.

Love you both,

Mama

Feeling Beautiful in Pregnancy

26 Weeks 0 Days

I spent a lot of my first pregnancy hating the way that I looked.

Feeling fat even though I knew I should be celebrating the fact that I was growing life inside me. Feeling un-sexy regardless of knowing my husband still found me desirable. Feeling disgusting rather than relishing in the changes my body was making. It saddens me that I look back at that wonderful time and remember it through my old eyes as a stressful and shameful time.

I know it’s not that way for every pregnant woman. I have a long history of hating my body and weight, which made it that much more difficult to deal with the changes I was going through. I do think that most pregnant women feel this way at least a little though, which is sad. It’s sad that society has pressured us all so much to be skinny and perfect that we can’t enjoy such a short and wonderful time in life when we take on different curves that are the tell-tale sign of a new life.

So this time around, I vowed to celebrate my new curves. I vowed to love this body and everything that is happening to it. The acne, the sometimes greasy hair, the linea nigra, the stretch marks, and of course, the big belly. Part of this, of course, is taking my pregnancy photos–something I started doing immediately after I found out I was pregnant even though I knew it was just bloated tummy I was taking a picture of (and even earlier than that, my belly that people had mistaken as pregnant in the past when I was not). Part of what I love about my weekly photos is the variety. At first, I thought I needed to “get pretty” before each photo. Then one day I needed to take my photo, but I didn’t want to put on make-up and do my hair, so I just took it as I was. I love that picture just as much as the rest. The same goes for today’s picture in which I’m lounging around the house with my family. I love that my weekly photos can show not only the growing belly, but also the workings of my day-to-day life during my pregnancy.

I’m also working on my daily attitude. Loving not only the baby inside, but the belly too. This belly represents a type of bond that I only get to experience once in this child’s lifetime. This belly is large, round, and beautiful. This belly is not an excuse to eat whatever I want because I’m fat anyway. I am not fat. I am pregnant.

I also plan on getting professional maternity photos done, which will include at least some photos with a naked belly. Even if don’t like showing skin and I don’t post those photos on the blog or display them in my house, I’ll still love them 20 years from now when my babies are no longer babies. Who knows, maybe I’ll love them so much you’ll all get to see.

I am 26 weeks 0 days pregnant. I’m finally starting to get some cravings. Last week I really wanted a specific sandwich from a specific restaurant I went to a few weeks earlier, regardless of the fact that I had already eaten lunch. I happily ate my whole second lunch. I’ve also really been loving pickles. No, not with ice cream. Just pickles all by themselves. Mmm…

Peanut is really loving my belly lately. Before I would ask her if she wanted to kiss my belly or tell the baby she loves him/her and she would happily oblige. Now she just randomly decides she wanted to give the baby an eskimo kiss or tell him/her about her day at preschool. She also told me that, while she says it’s a brother, his name will be Sister.