Hi! I’ve moved!

To all you beautiful, regular blog followers, I am writing to tell you I have moved this blog onto its own domain. You can now find the new improved site at mamanaturale.ca.

I’d love to hear feedback!

<3 Jenn

The journey that begins on the bookshelf

A Rainbow Of Books by Dawn Endico

I’ve always collected books, but rarely read them all the way through. I also subscribe to four different magazines that tend to just pile up on my tables and desks around the house.

I am amassing a good stock of pregnancy and parenting books, and this is only the beginning. The first book I was given was by the province of Quebec (mentioned in my post Feelin’ real.) It’s quite a thick book that covers pregnancy to the first couple years and I have found myself reading and rereading the same pages. I cannot make it into the labour section just yet. Makes me squeamish!

A friend of mine recently came to visit me and my mom sent with her a book called Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn, which she picked up at a book sale the other day. It looks a little ’80s, but I will give it a fair shot.

Not so long ago I passed by a used bookstore that was literally giving books away. For some I paid $1, others I donated money because just taking them didn’t seem right. Aside from a couple fantasy novels, like MJ Trow’s Boudicca, And feminist literature like Alice Walker’s Warrior Marks, I also picked up a handful of parenting/pregnancy books. Cause I knew the day would one day come. My boyfriend, who I had known for maybe five months at the time looked at me a little funny. Neither of us imagined we’d be pregnant half a year later.

I am happy to have randomly selected:

The Doula Advantage
Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?: My confused, guilt-ridden and stressful struggle to raise a green family
Facts, Not Fear: Teaching Children About the Environment
The Happy Family: Restoring the 11 Essential Elements that Make Families Work
Nurturing Resilience in Our Children

As if that wasn’t enough to get started on, tonight I ordered a few more online. Two for me and two for the bf.

The Guy’s Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the First Year of Fatherhood
A Holistic Guide To Embracing Pregnancy, Childbirth, And Motherhood
Your Pregnancy for the Father-to-Be: Everything Dads Need to Know about Pregnancy, Childbirth and Getting Ready for a New Baby
The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart

I feel a little bad, the books out there written for men seem either sexist or really cheesy. I’m sure I will be reading along with him to makes sure they aren’t too stupid. The “Guy’s Guide” worries me a little. My partner isn’t a typical man’s man, and I don’t imagine he will respond well to jokes about beer and hockey. He also isn’t  “grano,” as he might call me. So I don’t know how into my two new books he will be.

Oh this will be a journey alright.

The the very sweet people who follow this blog: Do you have any book suggestions?

Tags: A Holistic Guide To Embracing Pregnancy, And Motherhood, and the First Year of Fatherhood, Childbirth, Childbirth and Getting Ready for a New Baby, Facts, Mom, Not Fear: Teaching Children About the Environment, Nurturing Resilience in Our Children, Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn, The Doula Advantage, The Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, The Happy Family, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?, Your Pregnancy for the Father-to-Be: Everything Dads Need to Know about Pregnancy

It’s a Girl! Psychic Experience at Les Girls Salon

Photo by PinkSherbert

I was so lucky to have a friend pop in from out of town for the last couple of days. We decided to pamper ourselves and get pedicures.

Luckily, I know of a great salon in Montreal called Les Girls Du Plateau which uses all-natural scrubs, oils, and chemical-free nail polish. Perfect for a woman “in my condition.” Having my feet pampered was amazing. I missed my yesterday nap and nearly fell asleep in the chair while my nails were being filed.

They brought me and my friend herbal tea and strawberries.

Once it was all done, bublegum pink nails in disposable slippers, I made my way to the bathroom. To my absolute shock, one of the women there blurted out, “Are you having a baby?”

My face turned as pink as my new toenails. “Yes, actually, I am.”

“You’re having a girl,” she told me.

Tags: green salon montreal, Les Girls Du Plateau', natural nail care

Craving vs Aversion in Pregnancy a Buddhist Teaching?

Photo by Abbamouse

I once went on a 10 day silent meditation retreat called Vipasanna. Mostly I learned not only to avoid aversions, but to avoid cravings as well. This leaves us with something called equanimity. In not recognizing cravings or aversions to, for example pain or pleasant sensations while meditating for hours straight, this eventually comes out in our day to day life. We become more even-minded about everything.

After the 10 days of silent retreat, and for a couple weeks following it, I was more balanced than I have been since. I tried continuing with the meditation two hours a day, but life or something got in the way. I regret letting it go, but know I could and should pick it up soon.

I am not sure though, that the teachings of the Buddha can help me control my cravings and aversions to food during this pregnancy. I think it must be chemical, not all in my mind.

I have been awaiting the crazy cravings. But as someone who typically eats BBQ sauce on my bagels in the morning, and sometimes eats raw onions with peanut butter toast, I think I am more likely to start craving “normal” combinations of food. What has been happening to me more often is aversions to food.

Salad, for example. I do not want anything to do with lettuce or raw red peppers. Gross.

The other day I was looking for a smoothy (OK, maybe that was a little craving) I NEEDED a real fruit smoothy. I asked at Second Cup if their smoothies were made with real fruit, because I was dreading the sugary fake taste that I have come to expect from chains. I happily took my “real fruit:” smoothy from the woman, took about three sips and threw it out.

I surprised myself and my boyfriend. “I’ve never seen you throw anything out,” he  said. He was right. In the past I would just suck it up because I do not like to waste things. I paid for it and I would drink it until I was left slurping the bottom. Not this time. The strawberry smoothy I purchased was the most disgusting thing ever concocted.

Finding something I am not adverse to is hardest in the mornings. This morning we made pancakse with homemade raspberry and rhubarb sauce, and that was alright.

I have only been sick in the morning twice. The first time a few days ago we went for breakfast. I had stuffed a plum in my mouth to tide me over until we got down the street. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, a wave of six thousand different smells hit me. I ran to the bathroom and puked up the plum!

Then yesterday, I had trouble getting my buttered bagel down (I seem to have developed an aversion to my once beloved BBQ sauce). A bite sat in my cheek chewed. Something happened and I started crying. Then my boyfriend hugged me and I ran to the bathroom to puke. I’m not sure how that made him feel.

I have been feeling panicky as I enter my ninth week of pregnancy (I am eight weeks pregnant, this is how it is counted) I am starting to feel very nervous about losing this kidney bean sized embryo. I phoned an old friend, who is a mother of two and gave her my good news. Then I told her I didn’t have any pregnancy symptoms.

She reminded me I do, of course, still have lots of symptoms. Boobs hurting less is okay. Not feeling as sleepy is normal too. She said to me something very truthful and very valuable. Instead of the “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” speech I have had from my parents and babyless friends, Cheryl said to me, “Of course you are going to worry about misscarrying. There’s nothing that will ease your mind, so just stay calm.”

I am grateful that she recognized this fear. I can only hope my baby comes out as healthy and beautiful as her two precious kids!

Tags: aversion during pregnancy, buddhist meditation, craving during pregnancy, embryo size of a kidney bean, equanimity, morning sickness, ninth week of pregnancy, Vipasanna, vomiting

Ouch! My Pregnant Boobs!

I am a was a perfect, perky B cup.

Belly of Love.com

I’ve never before been pregnant and often do not did not wear a bra. I cannot get away with that these days. I woke up last night in excruciating pain. My boobs are sooo sore. My bra is getting tight. I always thought it might be nice to have bigger breasts, but I didn’t think it would be this painful.

They get bigger, sorer and heavier by the day. My nipples have goose-bump-like bumps on them. They are called Montgomery glands or areolar skin glands. No one seems to know exactly why the bumps appear on the nipples of pregnant women, but maybe to  lubricate the nipple area. I was pretty happy to read that breast feeding can go more smoothly for women who have these bumps.

Tags: areolar skin glands, breast feeding, heavy breasts, Montgomery glands, sore breasts

When is the right time to announce a pregnancy?

Café y Bebé by Daquella Manera

Who doesn’t like the news of a brand new baby? I sure like sharing this news. It’s addictive. Since I have no vices at the moment–having removed even coffee from my daily routine, perhaps I am addicted to sharing the news of my pregnancy.

But I haven’t been, because I am not supposed to.

It seems that waiting to share the news of a pregnancy is a new thing. Every parent we told (all six of them) was surprised to hear we wanted to keep it a secret. Was there no such thing as a miscarriage back in the day? Am I being too cautious?

I want to tell the world that I am pregnant. But there is something nagging at me to wait. Just in case. I am finding conflicting information on the subject everywhere. There is no way to really know what will happen, and I guess a miscarriage is the body’s way of ensuring you don’t have an unhealthy baby.

I saw a Facebook status update from a girl I went to high school with, proclaiming the due date for her second child is January 4th 2011. That’s a month before I am due. Is she really confident or am I just really paranoid?

I am obsessed by the scary thought of losing this pea-sized embryo I am already very attached to. I find it difficult to remain positive, thinking still that this is all too good to be true. Do I deserve to have such an awesome life. (My life was awesome before this news. Baby is icing on the cake.)

I want to fast-forward to August 5 and hear that heartbeat for some kind of assurance.

When did you share the news about your pregnancy?

Tags: announcing a pregnancy, coffee and pregnancy, miscarriage, miscarriage rates

Breaking the news to my three dads

I really wanted to wait to tell the world I was pregnant. And I have been pretty good at keeping this HUGE SECRET.

But today is Father’s Day and we had three soon-to-be grandfathers to spread the news to. I am happy to report that all went very very well.

Photo by chefranden

To my Stepdad over the phone:

- Happy Father’s Day. Guess what? I’m pregnant.

- You’re kidding

-Nope

-Are you happy?

-Oh yeah

-Well me too. Congratulations to both of you.

One down, two to go.

To my Dad over the phone:

Dad says, I’ve been working 16 hour days

-Are you feeling old?

-Yes

-Old enough to be a Grandpa?

-What? Are you serious?

-Yes

(There was a bit of confusion here, happiness, fumbling and passing over the phone to my Italian stepmom, who exclaimed, “Mama Mia! You’reagonna be a mama!”)

-Well, I’m really happy. Congratulations.

Then, after all the happiness was out of the way

- Now, this is just a question, don’t get mad at me just for asking, but are you guys going to be married?

-DAD! One thing at a time. Let’s do this baby thing first

-Okay. Well give him a smack in the head for me.

-How about a handshake?

-Okay.

And the in-person news delivery:

We presented to my boyfriend’s family, the news in a Father’s Day card. It read:

Happy Father’s Day. It looks like you’re going to be a grandfather twice this year. (my boyfriend’s sister is due in October). There’s another baby on the way in February.

(Very surprised look as he passes the card to his wife and says “Read it and weep.”) She read it and I think she shrieked.

There were tears in everyones’ eyes as we hugged. I am an emotional wreck anyways, but this was a very special moment. The great grandma to be was there too, and she calmly said, “I knew it. I knew this was coming.”

Well, Grandmaman, you coulda told me!

Tags: breaking the news