Jeepers it's been a while since I've been on here!
The last few weeks have been a real struggle for me.
I think the whole scare a few weeks ago was what kicked it off. Being in a position where I was frightened for my unborn baby's life was an incredibly scary thing, and the two weeks of ensuing bedrest, boredom, weight gain, and discomfort just worsened the situation. Add to that a myriad of money problems (why can't some kind philanthropist just leave a million dollars on my doorstep?), insurance problems, and "other family" problems, and some days have just been a bit too much to deal with.
I thought things would pick up after seeing my midwives at the clinic in Australia a couple of weeks ago, and it did a bit, but it has taken me some time to get moving, interested, and focussed on things again.
It was actually Christie's comment that popped up the other day in my inbox which spurred me into action. Whodda thunk that a little checking in message from someone that you've not actually ever met could incite such action and inspiration?! Thank you my friend!
Feeling much better this week after having a friend from Oz visit, and picking up a bit more work, which means more money for Our Monster!
Realised today that I have to fly back to Oz to meet my 36 week cut off date (the airlines won't fly me after 36 weeks) in only 7 weeks! Cue panic organising accomodation and logistics and leave for The Man from work!
Only 7 weeks and I'll be cooling my heels in Melbourne waiting for this sprog to drop!! Exciting!!
About Me
- Yaeli
- Currently growing one head, two hands, and two feet inside me, I am a Mummy In Progress. I am a registered nurse and run my own (very un-busy) business providing health education and consultancy at a community and corporate level. This blog aims to chronicle the trials and triumphs of my journey as a MIP, and help me connect with other MIP's and mothers out there!
Our Monster is coming...
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Tuesday 28 February 2012
The breast debacle...
On Sunday this article about breastfeeding was published in the Sunday Telegraph and on Monday it was published online, here at the Mamamia website.
On Facebook and on chat forums it has been both applauded and ridiculed. Some view it as an uninformed and misguided opinion while others praise the author for targeting perceived bullying and judgement by "lactavists".
One particular person who felt the need to correct some misconceptions that they felt Mia Freedman's article generated and perpetuated was author Tara Moss. She is an ambassador for the Australian Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI).
After reading Mia's Article in the Sunday Telegraph Tara felt it necessary to forward this response to Mia via e-mail, as well as post it on her blog.
On Facebook and on chat forums Tara's response was praised for coming from a place of information and education rather than from pure opinion. Many have also praised Tara's tact and eloquence in her response.
It got me thinking about the wholedebacle debate, and I decided to post my two cents worth on here:
While I respect every mother's right to make an informed decision about what is best for her baby, I think people living in developed countries lose sight of the issues that Tara raises about formula and bottle use having the potential to increase infection and disease.
I live in a country where infants, children and adults contract illness, and can die, due to poor water quality. And where parents will spend hard earned money on formula only to mix it incorrectly and with substandard water to give to their babies because they honestly believe that a store bought "white man" product is best for their child.
I have seen sick, malnourished infants, and poor formula practices this with my own eyes, and it's enough to break your heart.
People in Australia and other developed countries mustn't lose sight of the fact that the BFHI is a GLOBAL education initiative, and not simply one facility or organisation being paternalistic. It is not about opinions. It is about evidenced based education.
The World Health Organisation has a global hand hygiene education initiative. It is an evidence based initiative which stems from research and proven theories that hand hygiene reduces the transmission of disease and rates of infection and illness. This initiative has been adopted by institutions and governments world wide, and is viewed to be the basis of good hygiene and disease prevention not just in medical settings but also in the home. Many of us wouldn't dream of not washing our hands after using the toilet, or before eating, because we have been educated as to the risks associated with poor hand hygiene. We don't view this as paternalistic, so why should a global initiative to educate about the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks that may be associated with the use of formula and / or bottles as being such?
Step 6 of the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, as promoted by the BFHI, states "Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, unless medically indicated".
"unless medically indicated" - Voila! There is the key phrase that people are overlooking in this whole "breast politics" debacle. If a mother is unable to produce enough milk, if cracked and painful nipples are inhibiting ones ability to feed, if a baby is not gaining weight as they should be... All of these are medical indications that complemantary feeds with formula, or exclusive feeding with formula would be appropriate interventions! It is up to medical professionals to get behind the BFHI initiative and identify when there are medical indications that may necessitate something other than breastfeeding.
It is not about creating a one rule for all scenario. It is about giving people the right information to allow them to make an informed decision about what is right for them.
What people chose to do with that information is then up to the individual, and that informed choice should be respected, even if it is not the choice that you personally would make.
Well done Tara for bringing some evidence and information to the table to help balance Mia's (less informed) opinions.
Mia printed an apology following Tara's contact, somewhere in the comments section of the Mamamia post. I do think a more identifiable correction might be in order in a more acessible place on the site!
On Facebook and on chat forums it has been both applauded and ridiculed. Some view it as an uninformed and misguided opinion while others praise the author for targeting perceived bullying and judgement by "lactavists".
One particular person who felt the need to correct some misconceptions that they felt Mia Freedman's article generated and perpetuated was author Tara Moss. She is an ambassador for the Australian Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI).
After reading Mia's Article in the Sunday Telegraph Tara felt it necessary to forward this response to Mia via e-mail, as well as post it on her blog.
On Facebook and on chat forums Tara's response was praised for coming from a place of information and education rather than from pure opinion. Many have also praised Tara's tact and eloquence in her response.
It got me thinking about the whole
While I respect every mother's right to make an informed decision about what is best for her baby, I think people living in developed countries lose sight of the issues that Tara raises about formula and bottle use having the potential to increase infection and disease.
I live in a country where infants, children and adults contract illness, and can die, due to poor water quality. And where parents will spend hard earned money on formula only to mix it incorrectly and with substandard water to give to their babies because they honestly believe that a store bought "white man" product is best for their child.
I have seen sick, malnourished infants, and poor formula practices this with my own eyes, and it's enough to break your heart.
People in Australia and other developed countries mustn't lose sight of the fact that the BFHI is a GLOBAL education initiative, and not simply one facility or organisation being paternalistic. It is not about opinions. It is about evidenced based education.
The World Health Organisation has a global hand hygiene education initiative. It is an evidence based initiative which stems from research and proven theories that hand hygiene reduces the transmission of disease and rates of infection and illness. This initiative has been adopted by institutions and governments world wide, and is viewed to be the basis of good hygiene and disease prevention not just in medical settings but also in the home. Many of us wouldn't dream of not washing our hands after using the toilet, or before eating, because we have been educated as to the risks associated with poor hand hygiene. We don't view this as paternalistic, so why should a global initiative to educate about the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks that may be associated with the use of formula and / or bottles as being such?
Step 6 of the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, as promoted by the BFHI, states "Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, unless medically indicated".
"unless medically indicated" - Voila! There is the key phrase that people are overlooking in this whole "breast politics" debacle. If a mother is unable to produce enough milk, if cracked and painful nipples are inhibiting ones ability to feed, if a baby is not gaining weight as they should be... All of these are medical indications that complemantary feeds with formula, or exclusive feeding with formula would be appropriate interventions! It is up to medical professionals to get behind the BFHI initiative and identify when there are medical indications that may necessitate something other than breastfeeding.
It is not about creating a one rule for all scenario. It is about giving people the right information to allow them to make an informed decision about what is right for them.
What people chose to do with that information is then up to the individual, and that informed choice should be respected, even if it is not the choice that you personally would make.
Well done Tara for bringing some evidence and information to the table to help balance Mia's (less informed) opinions.
Mia printed an apology following Tara's contact, somewhere in the comments section of the Mamamia post. I do think a more identifiable correction might be in order in a more acessible place on the site!
Monday 27 February 2012
Summary Sunday on a Monday
I totally missed a summary Sunday last week what with the flying back from Oz and the whole scare with the baby on Monday and all.
One might be forgiven for thinking that given all the bed rest I've been doing, I might've got my shit together and prepared for this weeks Summary Sunday. HELL NO!
I give up trying to be organised... I do better flying by the seat of my pants. My ability to procratinate is far too ingrained to be over ridden by the simple purchase of a diary, or the introduction of a to do list.
This whole bed rest bizzo has messed with me too. I've been really flat and down all week and just can't get motivated to do anything, even the manual revisions that I should've completed for a client by now. I just can't get my motor running. :o(
I snuck out of the house this morning to go and teach my language class. I figure after no problems in a week an hour out of the house sitting on my arse wasn't going to hurt me! It felt good to do something kind of productive.
Anywho, here's a summary of the last fortnight of mad gestation.
But before I sign off, I thought you all may or may not be amused to hear that The Man has bestowed a name upon last Monday and it's madness. He swears he's going to tell the baby the story of "the day mummy's vag fell out" as a bed time story... God help us!
One might be forgiven for thinking that given all the bed rest I've been doing, I might've got my shit together and prepared for this weeks Summary Sunday. HELL NO!
I give up trying to be organised... I do better flying by the seat of my pants. My ability to procratinate is far too ingrained to be over ridden by the simple purchase of a diary, or the introduction of a to do list.
This whole bed rest bizzo has messed with me too. I've been really flat and down all week and just can't get motivated to do anything, even the manual revisions that I should've completed for a client by now. I just can't get my motor running. :o(
I snuck out of the house this morning to go and teach my language class. I figure after no problems in a week an hour out of the house sitting on my arse wasn't going to hurt me! It felt good to do something kind of productive.
Anywho, here's a summary of the last fortnight of mad gestation.
- How far along?: 25 weeks 2 days
- How big is bub?: Our monster is apparently the size of a large sweet potato or an eggplant, measuring in at about 23 cms and weighing in at about 900 grams. A scan last Monday to check on things after the scare showed bubs weighing in at the 900 gram mark already, so we're growing like a weed!
- Weight gain?: I got on the scales this morning and hit the 90kg mark. That's 3 kgs over my prepregnancy weight and nearly 1 kg of that is baby, so I don't think I'm doing too badly. I seem to be gaining a bit less than a kilo a fortnight. Dear baby, please don't make me a total porker!
- Stretch marks?: No new ones. Cocoa butter is being used like it's going out of fashion in our house though!
- Maternity clothes?: A friend of mine has loaned me a big bag of maternity clothes that she bought when she was pregnant. Many of them are too small for me already given I was a size 14 - 16 before falling pregnant (damn you boobs!) and she was a 12 - 14, but some of them will be fabulous for kicking back in! My mum also bought me some comfy clothes the othe week when I was visiting her and they've been really good for kicking back on the couch during "bed arrest". Although it's hard to get the motivation to get dressed when you can't leave the house. :o(
- Sleep?: I am so sick of waking up at 2 or 3 am!!! It's not even because I have to pee or anything! I just wake up and can't go back to sleep. It makes me sad.
- Best moment last week?: There weren't really many good moments last week. But getting to see Our Monster on the ultrasound again was cool.
- Food cravings?: None.
- Symptoms?: Bleeding gums and mouth ulcers. Zits and sore boobs again. :o(
- Exercise?: Bed rest. Poo :o(
- Gender?: Dunno.
- Movement?: Heaps. Despite the panic, bubs has been rocking and rolling away like mad. And those little feet have spent some time hanging out under my ribs which has felt odd and uncomfortable.
- Belly button?: Shallow
- What I miss?: Alcohol.
- Labour signs?: None
- What I'm looking forward to: Heading to Melbourne next week for a check up with the clinic and my GTT and visiting my 95 year old grandma.
But before I sign off, I thought you all may or may not be amused to hear that The Man has bestowed a name upon last Monday and it's madness. He swears he's going to tell the baby the story of "the day mummy's vag fell out" as a bed time story... God help us!
Friday 24 February 2012
Bed rest day 5 - Photographic Phriday
I'm totes over this bed rest bizzo, but am doing what I have to in order to make sure Our Monster is ok!
My arse hurts from sitting on the couch!
Today's Photographic Phriday showcases my bed rest photographic project that I have set for myself this week.
As usual all the pics have been taken with the Instagram App on my iPhone.
5 days, 5 photos, all of the things I can see while on "bed arrest"!
My arse hurts from sitting on the couch!
Today's Photographic Phriday showcases my bed rest photographic project that I have set for myself this week.
As usual all the pics have been taken with the Instagram App on my iPhone.
5 days, 5 photos, all of the things I can see while on "bed arrest"!
 |
| Day 1 - Inkwell Filter |
 |
| Day 2 - XProII filter |
 |
| Day 3 - Earlybird filter |
 |
| Day 4 - Toaster filter |
 |
| Day 5 - 1977 filter |
Thursday 23 February 2012
Bed rest day 4 - Thankful Thursday
Today my three things be thankful for are:
- My body is healing well - I had another scan this morning which showed that the little abruption in my placenta is healing which is excellent news! Our Monster is kicking away like a trooper! Definitely more active this week since our little scare!
- My man is totally freaking awesome - The Man is always awesome, but he was especially amazing yesterday, putting up with my crap and tears and tantrums. I am the most freaking lucky human being in the whole wide world! I hope my baby is as beautiful a soul as it's daddy.
- My cats are beside me all day long - I can't imagine how lonely I'd be without my sweet kitkats! Given I'm sitting on my arse pretty much all day long in front of the telly, it's nice to have some furry friends to snuggle throughout the day. P.S. I have managed to see the funny side of the cat hanging from the tree while doing wees... I just wish I'd taken a picture!
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Bed rest day 3 - Happy Birthday to me!
To whom it may concern,
I opened my birthday this morning only to find a rather rank smell emanating from the packaging. I was very disappointed to find that it was rotten.
Today is a dud for the following reasons:
I will happily accept any date available.
Please advise as to how you'd like me to dispose of the stinking mess that is today.
Sincerely,
Yaeli
I opened my birthday this morning only to find a rather rank smell emanating from the packaging. I was very disappointed to find that it was rotten.
Today is a dud for the following reasons:
- This whole bed rest situation is for the birds... I can't go out for lunch or dinner, and of course alcohol is out of the question!
- The weather is gorgeous outside, yet I'm not suposed to leave the bed / couch, let alone the house!
- The power company had a scheduled 4 hour power outage this morning from 8:30 - 12:30... bed rest + no TV, internet, air con, or fan???!!! Are you kidding me?
- The pool is sparkling and cool and refreshing, a lovely escape from this heat... But I'm not allowed to even sit in that either!
- My mother rang and had a 6 minute conversation with me about how today is the one year anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake and then she hung up. An hour later she rang back because she remembered that she'd forgotton to wish me "Happy Birthday".
- It's now 4:30pm, and no word from my father.
- A bird flew into the house and shit every where.
- The house girl rang 20 minutes after she should've started to say she wasn't coming in today because she has a "sore knee".
- Therefore, there is no one to clean up afore mentioned bird shit that is decorating my living room floor, and given the previously mentioned bed rest situation I'm not allowed to pull out the mop and clean it myself.
- The cat decided to climb a tree and piss (from a great height) all over my verandah... while hanging from the tree.
I will happily accept any date available.
Please advise as to how you'd like me to dispose of the stinking mess that is today.
Sincerely,
Yaeli
Monday 20 February 2012
A panicked day...
So after flying back to Oz last week for a few days because my mum had been sick in hospital (all is ok now hopefully), I got back in one piece yesterday afternoon.
On our way home from the airport The Man and I stopped in at a public meeting about a chicken farm being built in a water catchment area (great for the health of the town... NOT!), and then we decided we were too lazy to cook so we got some take away and came home, had a feed, a dip in the pool and then went to bed.
Early this morning we were having some lovely "mummy daddy time" when all of a sudden we noticed that there was blood everywhere! Cue panicked wrangling of emotions!
Of course this had to happen when my usual doctor is overseas for 6 weeks and so we had to quickly come up with a Plan B that would mean the best possible care for our baby!
Plan B was implemented and another local clinic where I used to work was called. I haven't used this clinic during my pregnancy as the owners are good friends with The Man's ex-wife and I have concerns about confidentiality, and they were pretty nasty to me in the time after The Man and I got together, before I quit working for them.
The doctor at the clinic wasn't a doctor who was there when I worked there, but she was very kind, thorough and gentle and she did an ultrasound which showed that bubs wasn't in any distress and everything seemed ok. Our Monster's heart rate was thumping away at 148 beats per minute and s/he was wriggling around and having a grand old time.
I was sent home on bedrest and called to check in with the doc about the bleeding at lunchtime. Thankfully it had almost stopped.
Another, more detailed ultrasound this afternoon has shown a little placental abruption, where the placenta has come away from the uterine wall, hence the bleeding. Scary shizzle, I tell ya!!
Anyway, after checking in with the doc again this afternoon we now have a firm plan in place for medical evacuation to Australia with Careflight should the bleeding resume, and I've been prescribed a hefty dose of bedrest, which I have also interpreted as couch rest (as there's no way in hell I'm sitting in my bedroom all day with no telly to watch)! No getting up for anything other than going to the loo are my instructions!
This is my view from my perch on our two futons pushed together...
On the plus side according to today's ultrasounds bubs is weighing in at 937 grams and , despite the fact that based on LMP i'm 24 w 2 d, is measuring in on the ultrasound at 25 w 6 d! My EDD based on ultrasound is the 29th of May, although the last time we were in Oz the scan said that we were right on target for a June 9 delivery... this could get interesting!
On our way home from the airport The Man and I stopped in at a public meeting about a chicken farm being built in a water catchment area (great for the health of the town... NOT!), and then we decided we were too lazy to cook so we got some take away and came home, had a feed, a dip in the pool and then went to bed.
Early this morning we were having some lovely "mummy daddy time" when all of a sudden we noticed that there was blood everywhere! Cue panicked wrangling of emotions!
Of course this had to happen when my usual doctor is overseas for 6 weeks and so we had to quickly come up with a Plan B that would mean the best possible care for our baby!
Plan B was implemented and another local clinic where I used to work was called. I haven't used this clinic during my pregnancy as the owners are good friends with The Man's ex-wife and I have concerns about confidentiality, and they were pretty nasty to me in the time after The Man and I got together, before I quit working for them.
The doctor at the clinic wasn't a doctor who was there when I worked there, but she was very kind, thorough and gentle and she did an ultrasound which showed that bubs wasn't in any distress and everything seemed ok. Our Monster's heart rate was thumping away at 148 beats per minute and s/he was wriggling around and having a grand old time.
I was sent home on bedrest and called to check in with the doc about the bleeding at lunchtime. Thankfully it had almost stopped.
Another, more detailed ultrasound this afternoon has shown a little placental abruption, where the placenta has come away from the uterine wall, hence the bleeding. Scary shizzle, I tell ya!!
Anyway, after checking in with the doc again this afternoon we now have a firm plan in place for medical evacuation to Australia with Careflight should the bleeding resume, and I've been prescribed a hefty dose of bedrest, which I have also interpreted as couch rest (as there's no way in hell I'm sitting in my bedroom all day with no telly to watch)! No getting up for anything other than going to the loo are my instructions!
This is my view from my perch on our two futons pushed together...
On the plus side according to today's ultrasounds bubs is weighing in at 937 grams and , despite the fact that based on LMP i'm 24 w 2 d, is measuring in on the ultrasound at 25 w 6 d! My EDD based on ultrasound is the 29th of May, although the last time we were in Oz the scan said that we were right on target for a June 9 delivery... this could get interesting!
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