On Absent-mindedness

You sure feel tons of symptoms from day 1 of pregnancy, but it's the "absent-mindedness" I never worry about... until I dropped my cellphone, a couple of Corelle plates and pretty much almost everything today! I'm very organized in every way and even though people say you can be forgetful after a general anesthesia, I'm simply not that (which by the way my husband hates about me sometimes)! So maybe having this "absent-mindedness syndrome" is really natural.  I feel overwhelmed and a lot more excited about this big change in my life. Plus the fact that I can't sleep anymore too. I seriously wake up every hour to pee, I find it harder and harder to find a comfortable position to sleep and it's worse than working in a call center! But yeah, huge change... 10 days from now we'll be parents! Another adventure is about to unfold!

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Source

Crib death; SIDS

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected, sudden death of a child under age 1 in which an autopsy does not show an explainable cause of death.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The cause of SIDS is unknown. Many doctors and researchers now believe that SIDS is caused by several different factors, including:

• Problems with the baby's ability to wake up (sleep arousal)
• Inability for the baby's body to detect a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood

SIDS rates have dropped dramatically since 1992, when parents were first told to put babies to sleep on their backs or sides to reduce the likelihood of SIDS. Unfortunately, SIDS remains a significant cause of death in infants under one year old. Thousands of babies die of SIDS in the United States each year. SIDS is most likely to occur between 2 and 4 months of age. SIDS affects boys more often than girls. Most SIDS deaths occur in the winter.

The following have been linked to a baby's increased risk of SIDS:

• Sleeping on the stomach
• Being around cigarette smoke while in the womb or after being born
• Sleeping in the same bed as their parents (co-sleeping)
• Soft bedding in the crib
• Multiple birth babies (being a twin, triplet, etc.)
• Premature birth
• Having a brother or sister who had SIDS
• Mothers who smoke or use illegal drugs
• Being born to a teen mother
• Short time period between pregnancies
• Late or no prenatal care
• Living in poverty situations

While studies show that babies with the above risk factors are more likely to be affected, the impact or importance of each factor is not well-defined or understood.

Symptoms

Almost all SIDS deaths occur without any warning or symptoms when the infant is thought to be sleeping.

Signs and tests

Autopsy results are not able to confirm a cause of death, but may help add to the existing knowledge about SIDS. Autopsies may be required by state law in the event of unexplainable death.

Prevention

Revised American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) guidelines, released in October 2005, recommend the following:

Always put a baby to sleep on its back. (This includes naps.) DO NOT put a baby to sleep on its stomach. Side sleeping is unstable and should also be avoided. Allowing the baby to roll around on its tummy while awake can prevent a flat spot (due to sleeping in one position) from forming on the back of the head.

Only put babies to sleep in a crib. NEVER allow the baby to sleep in bed with other children or adults, and do NOT put them to sleep on surfaces other than cribs, like a sofa.

Let babies sleep in the same room (NOT the same bed) as parents. If possible, babies cribs should be placed in the parents' bedroom to allow for night-time feeding.

Avoid soft bedding materials. Babies should be placed on a firm, tight-fitting crib mattress with no comforter. Use a light sheet to cover the baby. Do not use pillows, comforters, or quilts.

Make sure the room temperature is not too hot. The room temperature should be comfortable for a lightly-clothed adult. A baby should not be hot to the touch.

Offer the baby a pacifier when going to sleep. Pacifiers at naptime and bedtime can reduce the risk of SIDS. Doctors think that a pacifier might allow the airway to open more, or prevent the baby from falling into a deep sleep. A baby that wakes up more easily may automatically move out of a dangerous position. If the baby is breastfeeding, it is best to wait until 1 month before offering a pacifier, so that it doesn’t interfere with breastfeeding. Do not force a baby to use a pacifier.

Do not use breathing monitors or products marketed as ways to reduce SIDS. In the past, home apnea (breathing) monitors were recommended for families with a history of the condition. But research found that they had no effect, and the use of home monitors has largely stopped.

Other recommendations from SIDS experts:

• Keep your baby in a smoke-free environment.
• Breastfeed your baby, if possible. Breastfeeding reduces some upper respiratory infections that may influence the development of SIDS.
• NEVER give honey to a child less than 1 year old. Honey in very young children may cause infant botulism, which may be associated with SIDS.

On Stuffy Stuffy Nose!

It's a common problem of mine. Ever since time immemorial I've been suffering from allergies and rhinitis. I couldn't believe that it can still get worse! But yes, it's worse when you're pregnant. I had this problem during my first trimester, my OB recommended me to see a Pulmonologist because we have to make sure the baby is getting enough oxygen. To my nightmare, I was diagnosed with asthma. After 29 years of existence, I now have asthma!? They say it can be pregnancy-related asthma, so I'm hoping that it'll be gone after giving birth. So anyway, during my first trimester I was prescribed with a lot of inhalers to prevent the coughing and even antihistamines. All the symptoms surely went away. I had the best second trimester! 

Now, two weeks before my scheduled C-Section, the horror is back. It started with my usual nasal allergies but it's true that it tends to worsen later in pregnancy. It became like a viral infection or a common cold. The explanation is that higher amounts of estrogen during pregnancy can contribute to swelling in the mucous membranes lining the nose and even cause you to make more mucus.

Here's what I did to survive my ordeal: 

1. Took warm showers.

2. Changed and vacuumed all linens, curtains, carpets, rags at home. 

3. Used  saline nasal spray and Avamys (as prescribed my doctor). 

4. Drank a lot of hot water with calamansi (lime) and honey. This really helped ease my painful throat too.

5. Took 1 Claritin a day, Vitamin C 3x a day and Neozep 3x a day (all prescribed my doctor).

6. Ate a lot of fruits like guavas, oranges, watermelon etc.

7. Drank a loooot of water and fresh juices (Jamba Juice Coldbuster with extra boosts helped a lot.)

8. Rested for 2 days at home. 

On the third day, I'm up and about again! 

On Itchy Tummy

At first I was concerned about getting... or not getting stretchmarks. Even when I was not planning on getting pregnant yet, I had a solid plan to prevent it - lots and lots of lotion! Well sad to say it didn't work for me. I believe that some women inherit good skin from their parents and I'm not one of them. My stretchmarks appeared only on my last weeks of pregnancy. I'm not sure if I have to blame myself for eating too much. I actually have a BIG tummy now that you might think I may be carrying twins! Seriously. Anyway, I've come to accept the fact that I can't wear a two-piece bathing suit anymore or the likes, in fact I'm opting for a "classic cut" C-Section. I  think it will make my healing process much faster, but Nash said that I should do a "bikini-cut". He's still in denial I think, He he he... 


Now, my real concern is my overly itchy tummy! Last night I was awaken by the uncomfortable itchiness (aside from my urges to pee every hour)! I can't take it anymore! I had to put coco butter twice in the middle of the night! Good thing the coco butter temporarily curb the itching but are there any other ways? I sometimes put Argan Oil aside from coco butter. I know it's inevitable because my skin is still stretching but it's way too annoying! I never had this problem before. Oh I can't wait for this to be all over. Just saying. 

Braxton Hicks contractions - going stronger!

They usually call it a dress rehearsal! I think my uterus is now preparing me for the big day. I've been noticing that my contractions are getting more frequent and intense! I'm feeling the tightening of my uterus at least 4 times a day now! I find it hard sometimes because aside from the Braxton Hicks, I also get these lower back to nape spasms  right after each contractions. 

Oh my, I hope our baby waits for 3 more weeks! I'm now scheduled to be confined by Feb. 9 and then C-Section on Feb. 10 at 7:30AM! I'm so nervous and excited at the same time! We pray that everything goes well, that the baby will want come out on time and may he be healthy and normal! 

On Pregnancy-Related Superstitious Beliefs

Pregnant mommies, what do you feel when you receive unsolicited superstitious beliefs during pregnancy? Don’t get me wrong, I admit I’m not an expert on this pregnancy thing and I really appreciate other people giving me ideas on how things are going to be but sometimes you get tips or comments that are just senseless! Like what you eat in your first trimester will affect how your baby will look like, so you have to avoid eating dark fruits if you don’t want your baby to have dark skin. My yaya even told me that because I eat a lot of pineapples, my baby’s gonna cry a lot!

Here are more examples:

Eat limes so your baby will have smoother and rosy cheeks.

Don’t drink ice water or the baby will grow bigger.

Don’t take pictures to avoid radiation.

Always carry a garlic to avoid  bad spirits.

Always wear red. (I forgot why.)

Always watch feel-good movies and never watch stressful ones.

Talk to your baby so you’ll have an easy labor.

Don’t drive or you’ll have cord-knots!

If your tummy is pointed you’ll have a boy, if it’s round it’ll be a girl.

No sex for 6 months after a C-Section. – definitely/must-be a superstitious belief and this we’ll find out soon! Ha ha ha!

I don't believe in superstitious beliefs but yes, I did try to follow some of them. I’ve been very hopeful about getting pregnant so when others told me things that might help or avoid the risks of losing it, I obeyed-  but to a certain point of time only. Like when some people said that I should not announce my pregnancy to everyone yet (Facebook or something) during the first trimester, I tried to keep it for a while but then I was so eager to share my very good news to my friends that I announced it after my first gender ultrasound! Some people already knew about it but the things is, it felt really good to have so many people praying for your safe pregnancy. After all, we could use a lot of prayers and well wishes from our friends and relatives! I call them GOOD VIBES! I also thought that if things didn’t work-out in this pregnancy, why would I be ashamed of telling people about it, it’s not gonna be my fault, right? Thank God I’m still pregnant now!

The most important thing for me is to trust in the Lord. I was pessimistic about my pregnancy before, mainly because I don’t want to expect a lot and be disappointed after. When you experience miscarriage, you feel scared the second time around. There were things I thought I would or wouldn’t do. I was just hopeful, taking everything one day at a time. So I prayed a lot… really prayed my heart out every single day. I announced my pregnancy in FB, took a lot of pictures, ate everything I want, went to different places, watched all the movies I want, drive everyday and etc., because for me – “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”. Nash would always reassure me that God gave us a chance to be a wonderful parents, and no amount of superstitious beliefs can take that gift away from us. All we can do is to pray for the best.

I think it only takes 1 experience of delivering a baby to be considered an “expert” in pregnancy. There’s just too much to learn on your first. You ask a lot of people, you read books, you research on almost everything because the whole thing is new to you. Then on your second baby, you know almost everything especially on what to expect! I think that’s also the reason why mothers give their unsolicited advises. Maybe next time it’ll be my turn to share tips or whatnot! The first on my list would be: "Don't be stressed out about all the superstitious beliefs you hear, just ask your doctor and enjoy your pregnancy!"

On My Nesting Stage

I've been physically tired lately. I know I can't walk too much anymore, but since it was the holiday season - I was driving a lot, visiting families and friends, strolling malls and doing my final shopping for hours and hours! One time, I even borrowed my grandmother's wheelchair just to be able to shop non-stop! But even though I’ve been worn-out physically, my mind won’t rest at all. All I want to do now is to prepare for THE BIG DAY! Since I already know that my delivery will be on February 8, I want to be fully ready with everything. Especially when baby decides to come out earlier than expected. My mind is never exhausted thinking if there are other things I must prepare by now and I just knew yesterday (from my Aunt) that it's called the "Nesting Phase" of pregnancy! Wow! I'm amazed how every experience is labeled in pregnancy! I thought I was just having my normal OCD attacks!

We had a first run of baby shopping at Baby Company - Power Plant Mall a few months ago. With the help of their baby checklist we were able to identify the things we need the most, the things we can buy a little later after the baby is born and the things most people will give as gifts. Then I waited for all my baby shower, birthday and Christmas parties, to be over so I can open all the gifts and cross out some of the remaining items from our baby checklist. Wise! We were able to avoid buying too much items. Then, since we have a gift registry at SM Makati, we were entitled for a 10% discount on all regular priced stuff at SM! That’s a good deal we wanted to take advantage with, so we had our final baby shopping completed at SM Department Store before the expiration of our gift registry. Check out the “Checklist” tab for my personal Baby Shopping Checklist!

Baby Shopping = Done.

Next important thing I did was to gather all documents I will be needing during and after the delivery especially for my Maternity Benefit Claim: PhilHealth, SSS, Medicard and Company requirements. I have all the forms and IDs now and I also filed a Maternity Leave at work on the dates of my absence to avoid  inconvenience with my pay and any other deliverables at work. Check out the “Checklist” tab for my personal Documents Checklist!

Documents = Done.

I already packed my hospital bag including the necessary baby stuff! They are now inside the car! Check out the “Checklist” tab for my personal Hospital Bag Checklist!

Hospital Bag = Done.

Then I found myself finally fixing the nursery room! Yey! Thanks to my loving brother for buying us a crib. It’s a Cuddle Bug wooden crib convertible to a toddler bed for kids up to 5 years of age. I also bought RoomMates Decal in amazon.com to have some designs on the walls. They actually have them in Rustan’s for around P4,000 -P5,000 and they are reusable! Brother-in-law also bought the crib bedding set! I have organized the baby’s clothes, linens, toys, books, toiletries, diapers, accessories, etc. etc. Everything is now on its place!

Nursery Room = Almost Done.

I find my “Nesting Phase” very very therapeutic. I love organizing stuff and I loved it even more because I’m preparing for our first born son! I’ll post a final picture of the nursery room when we are “almost there”!