Friday, February 26, 2010
Dont know who created this but its funny....
"Dear Non-Pregnant Person,
I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.
1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an a$$.
2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".
3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.
4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.
5) Likewise, no women wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. EVER!!!!! A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!". (P.S. I also do not want to hear that I'm showing more with this one or have gained more or less weight.)
6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.
7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.
Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents' home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.
9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.
10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.
Sincerely,
Pregnant woman."
I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.
1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an a$$.
2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".
3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.
4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.
5) Likewise, no women wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. EVER!!!!! A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!". (P.S. I also do not want to hear that I'm showing more with this one or have gained more or less weight.)
6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.
7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.
Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents' home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.
9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.
10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.
Sincerely,
Pregnant woman."
Monday, February 22, 2010
week 24
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.Friday, February 19, 2010
Baby's First Story
Mark just read our baby her first or many many stories. I saw this book at the library and had to check it out. Its the cutest story and a precious moment between father and daughter.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Week 23
How your baby's growing:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Week 22 Musings
Dear world,
I fell in love with my little girl when I saw her on during the ultrasound; even more today when we saw her moving around like a jumping jelly bean during our ultrasound this week.
And as I continue to watch A Baby Story or Deliver Me Home on TLC and Discovery channel I realized something about myself as a woman and as a future mother....something profound. I don't want any of you touching my baby! I don't want you holding her, breathing on her, talking to her, ANYTHING. No one other than Mark. And its not because I think you will hurt her. That's hardly a possibility.... Its because she's MY baby. I carried her, I will deliver her, I will breastfeed her, I will lose sleep over her, and so I will have the joy of holding her. Most of you have had your own babies anyway so let me have my first. Let me have those precious first moments to bond with my daughter and fully realize the magnitude of becoming a mother without regard for your feelings of exclusion. Let me hold her and sing to her without burden of an impending duty of relinquishing her to satisfy obligations incurred from the months of help we received from everyone throughout her gestation. Allow me in my own time to permit you into our little world during our first days together as a family unit, and to interrupt the intimacy that we value whenever experiencing life as a family.
I guess what I am trying to say is trust that at some point in time we will allow our extended family to become a part of our daughters first days. There is no device that can measure the significance of family in a child's life. However, these moments are some that we can never have again. So please, wait for our cue patiently and very very quietly....
Baby's Momma
I fell in love with my little girl when I saw her on during the ultrasound; even more today when we saw her moving around like a jumping jelly bean during our ultrasound this week.
And as I continue to watch A Baby Story or Deliver Me Home on TLC and Discovery channel I realized something about myself as a woman and as a future mother....something profound. I don't want any of you touching my baby! I don't want you holding her, breathing on her, talking to her, ANYTHING. No one other than Mark. And its not because I think you will hurt her. That's hardly a possibility.... Its because she's MY baby. I carried her, I will deliver her, I will breastfeed her, I will lose sleep over her, and so I will have the joy of holding her. Most of you have had your own babies anyway so let me have my first. Let me have those precious first moments to bond with my daughter and fully realize the magnitude of becoming a mother without regard for your feelings of exclusion. Let me hold her and sing to her without burden of an impending duty of relinquishing her to satisfy obligations incurred from the months of help we received from everyone throughout her gestation. Allow me in my own time to permit you into our little world during our first days together as a family unit, and to interrupt the intimacy that we value whenever experiencing life as a family.
I guess what I am trying to say is trust that at some point in time we will allow our extended family to become a part of our daughters first days. There is no device that can measure the significance of family in a child's life. However, these moments are some that we can never have again. So please, wait for our cue patiently and very very quietly....
Baby's Momma
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Week 22 Baby Music
So it turns out that our baby has a love for the Ranchera style music. We were at a restaurant in New York and the baby kept kicking and then stopping and we realized that everytime the music played the baby kicked. Not quite sure what to think about that but I guess whatever makes her happy.
So here is some classic ranchero music by Vicente Fernandes to get your baby going.
So here is some classic ranchero music by Vicente Fernandes to get your baby going.
Week 22
How your baby's growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Week 21 GENDER!!!
Finally after 5 long months of biting our nails and wondering what our baby will be, we got some amazing ultrasound photos that let us know the gender of our baby:) Pappa Mark was so happy and Momma Sharon is glowing. Click play on the video to find out if we are having a boy or a girl :)
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