Miss V... the drama queen.

LET’S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT….

♫ Let's give them something to talk about
A little mystery to figure out
Let's give them something to talk about
How about love, love, love, love ♫





I’m not quite sure what Bonnie Raitt has to do with this, but the sentiment is appropriate ☺


So world… I’m a “MOM”. Yup that’s right. I officially got the job as “PARENT” at 5:17pm on April 29th. The #1-most important-yet-they-give-you-no-life-training-for-it job in the world… and I possess it. Jealous yet? You should be! You would think that given the seriousness of a job of this size, there would be a more intricate interview process, but after much research it seems that almost any one of us out there with the right ‘equipment’ are eligible for the position. Who knew ;p

It was quite the lead up to my little baby Veronica’s birth! If you’ve read any of my other blogs you’ll know I had been whining to friends and family and begging the ‘powers that be’ for an early delivery because I was kinda 'done' with that whole ‘pregnancy’ thing… and boy did someone listen! Now, I don’t know if it was my mom working some after-life magic for me, or whether I just married into the right family for it (my brother-in-law & his wife had their beautiful baby girl in December, and our labors pretty much mimicked each other), but whatever it was.... someone out there listened to my pleas and gave me my little girl over 2 weeks early!

You may see from my last blog posting that I was officially full term / 37 weeks on Sunday, April 25th, but not technically ‘due’ for my 40 week delivery on May 15th. (On a side note, I don’t know if you know this but they don’t start inducing labor until 10 days after your due date?? Ya.. Sucks.) Soooo, I was looking down the barrel at delivering somewhere between “any day now” and "a month from now”.

I posted some belly pix on Facebook on Monday the 26th showing off my ‘larger-than-a-bump’ baby bump, and on Tues had a doctors appointment and yet another ultrasound to double check baby’s positioning and my placenta. (This was ultrasound #5 if you count my two 3-D ultrasounds!) But better safe than sorry… if my placenta was in the way of baby’s head then that would mean automatic C-Section, but everything looked good… Baby V’s head was down and ready to go whenever she thought she could!

And it seemed she thought she ‘could’ the next morning, Wed April 27th around 6am. At least, that’s when my water broke. Now, only 7-10% of pregnancies start with a woman’s water breaking, so I wasn’t 100% sure that that was exactly what had happened… initially I had convinced myself that maybe I had lost control of my bladder (which also happens to a certain degree in pregnancies)… but by 9am when I tried to take the dogs out and had already changed my pants 4 times I was pretty sure that no one could have to pee that much in one morning. So I woke up Brad with the news. He was scheduled to work on set that day, so we carried on and I sent him off to work saying I’d fill him in as soon as I knew for sure. By noon, I had been to the doctor, picked Brad up from set and some mild cramping had started… my doctor confirmed that my water broke alright... and holy crap! I was going to be in full fledged labor within 24 hours!!

“But what about the application deadline you were on?” You might ask. “What about finishing the nursery?”… both good questions my detail oriented friends! ;p Well, I started mild labor early afternoon, finished the work for the application (which went out the door via FedEx on Friday finally, yay!) and the nursery is a work in progress... still! ☺

It's kinda funny the way that labour goes down. You think you have these 'plans' and you think that you've prepared yourself enough because you've taken these 'classes' and read 'the books', but you really don't know anything until you're IN it.

As I said, my water broke 6am on Wed, so my doctor scheduled me to be admitted into the hospital at 7am the next morning (April 29th) to induce me in case I didn't go into labour on my own. BUT, by Wed afternoon I was experiencing mild contractions, I went to my dad's in North Van to watch a movie with Brad, by 1am the contractions were manageable (but pretty damn bad by my standards), and by 3am I was on the phone with the hospital saying that 'I really needed to come in now for drugs'. Contractions were 8 mins apart and although they suggest you don't show up until they are between 3-5 mins apart, I was so uncomfortable & restless & overall scared at home that we went to the hospital.

Of course, they hook me up to all these crazy machines for 10 minutes, I don't have a single contraction the whole time, and now I just look like a big faker! Eventually I get my 'laughing gas' (which I puke everywhere and discover I HATE.) and a shot of morphine (which I also discover I hate..), and then FINALLY the God of all Gods comes in at 9am... the anesthesiologist!! My doctor checks me and I'm almost 4cm dilated...Ahhhh!!! it's time for my epidural :)

After the epidural, life is so SO grand :) I went from convulsing and crying and moaning all while hanging on to Brad's neck saying "I really don't think I can do this... I really don't think I can do this..." to giggling with my friends and family watching my monitor saying "Wow, that was a contraction??!!" By noon I was getting my girlfriend Christina to put some makeup on me so that I wouldn't look so haggard during my delivery!

Shortly after, the fun began. I started to show signs of 'pushing' around 12:30pm on Thurs. I was 8cm dilated (you're ready to go at 10cm) and baby V's head was dropped. They slowed me off of my drugs so that I could start to 'feel' where I was to be pushing, and it was heavy on my bladder and everything else below (but for the record, not nearly the same pain it was without the epidural!!) Still, "ugh". But then I started pushing and my doctors & nurses were like "hmmm.... can you stop pushing now?" And then they muttered a lot to each other and checked me some more and put me back on my drugs. (What?!) And then an hour later they checked everything again and were like "Ok, can you try pushing now?" and so I tried, then they were like "OK, ya don't."............... ?!?!?!? By this time I was getting pretty miserable because I had been up and doing this for over 30 hours. The next time they all came in they also called in the OBGYN surgeon on call, which is never a good thing. Within seconds after examining me, she said... "You're not going to like what I have to say...." and the whole room's energy dropped...

Gulp. "C-Section".

Apparently I was now only 9.5cm and should have been 10 by now. I was extremely swollen from all the pushing, but the baby's health was the major concern. Her head was pretty stuck in my pelvis because it was so swollen, (we found out later she was facing sideways & couldn't find her way down poor thing..) and her heart rate was beginning to stress, and that = emergency C-Section. They would have her out in 1/2 an hour.

So, Brad scrubbed in, my family got kicked out, they upped my drugs and got me all numb, and I got to hold my beautiful baby Veronica shortly after 5:17pm that day... April 29th!

IN SUMMARY!! (This is the Cole's Notes version of what happened...) I went into labor 3 days after I was 37 weeks (full term)— I was in labour for 35 hours and then after all of that, had to have an emergency C-Section due to complications with the positioning of the baby. I could have just scheduled that damn surgery and skipped that whole awful labour thing altogether!! **Sigh**

Anywhoooo.... the rest is a blur! Recovery for C-Section is 6 weeks, but I'm up and attem' and feeling really good actually. My baby is amazing, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mom. There is very little else I've experienced in life that is better than this... (the closest I can compare is raising my puppies ;p) But life is so fun and so much better with little V here, and having my little girl OUTSIDE my belly instead of INSIDE is WAY better!!

For those of you walking the "should we / shouldn't we" decision line, I STRONGLY suggest you SHOULD have a baby. They are far too cute to not have in your life, and if you know me, you know I haven't been this way until now!! I seriously cry tears of happiness almost every time I look at her. I am so in love with my little girl.

xoxo N

My new favorite quote that I got for mommy's day...

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

Before I was a mom....

Well, this is my very first Mother's Day. My baby V decided to come early to celebrate the day with me... and I couldn't be happier.

This was an email forward from my Ontario family (thanks Terry / Mom Maraldo!) for Mother's Day and I loved it so much I wanted to share it here.








BEFORE I WAS A MOM


Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment,
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

The countdown begins...

Well today is Sunday, April 25, and according to my doctor and all things preggo-calendar related, I am officially FULL TERM! That's 37 weeks for those of you who are familiar with week counting, or 9+ months for all you non-pregnant people. I still have another 3 weeks until my due date of May 15 (for a long-ass total of 40 weeks or 10 months preggo) but baby "V" is a fully developed little human now and is all ready to face the world and breathe on her own!

From this point on, her job is just to gain weight... so I'm PRAYING that she decides to come soon. The difference between delivering a 7lb baby vs. an 8lb. baby (let alone a 10lb. baby!) is HUGE. Literally. My girlfriend had a 6lb. something oz baby for BOTH of her pregnancies, and both labors were only a whopping 4 hours long. She delivered early with both of her babies too... lucky bitch. ;p I hope hope HOPE I will get to tell a similar story in a few short weeks, BUT, if little V is anything like her mother, she'll hang out in there for as long as possible -- avoiding this massive 'change' to the cold outside world. I don't blame her really.

She hasn't "dropped" yet... which means she's still sitting right under my ribcage & making sitting/eating/sleeping/pretty much everything uncomfortable... but I guess that's better than sitting even heavier on my bladder (?!) It's all varying degrees of discomfort I guess. They say that if it's your first, the baby drops 2 weeks before you give birth. BUT, they also say that sometimes it's the next day. Or if it's your second child, you may not 'drop' at all... so, pretty much it's that typical pregnancy prediction... she could be born tomorrow, she could be born 10 days after her due date. You know, that whole 'exact science that is pregnancy' thing.

Luckily Brad & I have been keeping busy with a TV project we're developing together, and are on an application deadline of this Thursday... then after that, we get to finish the nursery so I'll get the fun task of cleaning & organizing closets & putting away all the clothes & stuff we've been storing in that room for months... (The keg that was in the nursery has finally made it's way back to the hotel..! Thanks Blake!) So there are projects to distract us from spending every second of every day counting down... but we are READY. And just so excited to MEET our little girl!!

Alright. I've spent the afternoon blogging and getting pampered by my lovely cousin, Michelle right here in my living room... (she comes over every couple of weeks and does my nails and waxes my legs) and now it's time to pay attention to my pups & my husband. Yes, likely in that order.

Ta ta! xo

32 1/2 weeks pregnant...

A very fun and unique addition to more traditional belly shots!







Pre-Natal Art by Kristal Yee
www.kristalyee.com/fpbt

Photography by Reinier deSmit
http://www.brillianteye.ca/

Holy contractions batman!

So, I don't know if any of you have ever heard of this evil, vicious man named John Braxton Hicks who left behind even more awefulness called "Braxton Hicks Contractions"?

Well, I guess I'm kidding. At least, I'm mostly kidding. What I mean is, he didn't leave them behind per se... but he did "first describe them" according to Wikipedia. My opinion is... as a Doctor, do you really want to associate yourself with something so irritating for all of eternity?!

WIKI says : "Braxton Hicks contractions, also known as false labor or practice contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that usually start around 6 weeks however are not usually felt until the second trimester or third trimester of pregnancy." Ultimately, that means... they suck. I went to my pre-natal class at 32 weeks with a girl who had started feeling them at 18 weeks, (ugh). I didn't know WHAT I was feeling until I was about 30 weeks and had one in front of my doctor. She was like "Oh wow dear... so have you been having lots of these Braxton Hicks?' And I was like... "Huh?" Then suddenly I was like... "Ohhhhh..... right. Those things. Yeah, I was reading about those in my weekly pregnancy calendar... man, is THAT what this is??"

See, it feels just like a Charley-Horse... in your belly. Over & over & over again. Sometimes it's just enough to make you stop and scrunch up your nose and maybe catch your breath... sometimes it can double you over completely in discomfort, but almost all of the time it's aggravating enough to make you hobble to the bathroom in a panic to pee. I just assumed that it was the baby pushing really hard against my belly in a few random spots, but as soon as I knew what it was that I was experiencing, I was able to diagnose them, and even anticipate them starting.

WIKI says: "They should be infrequent, irregular, and involve only mild cramping. Braxton Hicks contractions are a tightening of the uterine muscles for one to two hours and are thought to be an aid to the body in its preparation for birth. Not all expectant mothers have these contractions. They are thought to be part of the process of effacement of the cervix." Guess I'm part of the lucky few who get to have them. Whoo hoo. At least I know that my stomach muscles are getting some exercise over these 10 months since I can't do P90X.

That said, I find that these f@#*ers occur whenever I cause my stomach muscles to flex. (And do you have ANY idea how often you inadvertently flex your stomach muscles in a day?!?!) You laugh. **flex** You're caught off guard. **flex** You sit up from lying down. **flex** You bend over to pick up dog poo. **flex** You have to take your own poo... you guessed it! **flex** (classy shit this whole pregnancy thing huh? ;p) So, I get them a few times an hour. That seems extreme to me, but nobody else seems to bat an eyelash.

Anyhow, now that I'm 36 weeks preggo in a matter of hours, I'm going to stop questioning things out loud. Especially after experiencing some weird tummy cramps today that I would have sworn were the start of labor if it weren't for my pre-natal classes and the internet-- it seems that anything I wonder about or google about simply states that my body is "preparing" for the "real thing". I swear I could be in actual labor and sources would say "well ladies, that's just your body prepping itself for motherhood." No shit.

Soo, I count down the weeks, the days. And if I make it to May 15 & am still blogging about f'n Braxton Hicks contractions instead of having the real thing, I will be hitting some serious inducement strategies.

Shower Etiquette...

When I told my husband that I was going to have a bunch of girls over for a shower, he thought this whole pregnancy thing had finally taken a turn for the better! "NIIIICE.... what night?!" BUT, when I then explained what kind of a shower I meant, he simply shrugged and turned back to his computer.

A guy can have his fantasies I guess... ;p

Baby Showers.

Who do you invite? Just women? Just women and maybe a few select couples? Just family? Just friends? Just close family? Just close friends? What about work friends? Do co-workers count as friends?

Well, for the sake of simplicity, let's just say we choose to go the "all girl" route. Do you invite every female you know / are related to / are associated with in life and risk looking greedy? Risk looking like you're running some popularity contest or are just inviting as many people as possible so that you'll be 'showered' with gifts? OR, do you go the opposite route. Maybe you're more selective about who you invite, thinking that you're doing everyone else a favor, and then you face the inevitable ego-bruising?

See, as the pregnant woman you think: "Maybe I don't know them well enough..." or "They wouldn't be interested in coming anyway..." or "They live so far away..." or "I just don't want to impose on anybody!" and as the uninvited guest, they're like: "It's not like I haven't known her for 2 years or anything..." or "I guess she just doesn't care that I'm interested in her baby's future..." or "It's not like I don't drive to Vancouver all the time..." or "I guess she just doesn't want me to be there."

Maybe all of the above are extremes, and there is some happy balance that I'm missing and other woman find? But I would imagine that 'to-get-or-not-to-get' an invitation will undoubtedly ruffle feathers no matter what the choice.


BUT, I've come to this... and I think it covers all bases:

* You are all welcome to come to my baby shower.
* You are all also welcome NOT to come to my baby shower.
* You are not obligated to bring 'gifts'. It would just be really cool to spend the afternoon catching up and introducing my worlds to each other.
* Gifts, however, will not be frowned upon as we are trying to spend as little / save as much money as we can.
* We would really prefer to get your hand-me-downs as gifts... collections from your friends' friends... purchases from Craigslist... items on a year or two loan etc. Let's take the environment and economy into consideration shall we? Second hand clothes and toys function just as well, are already doing their damage to the earth and are 1/2 the price to buy!
* For those of you who insist on buying all things *new* however, we are going to be registering a few of the bigger/ more specific & personal things at Babies 'R' Us and Walmart. (Maybe if they're pricey you can team up with a few other party-goers for these items?)
* AND, if you're at a complete loss, insist on the 'gift-thing' but don't want to risk doubling up on a purchase, cash or gift cards of any denomination ($5, $10, $20) will help us buy diapers and supplies later in the year. Costco / Walmart / Babies 'R' Us would be our first three choices for store gift cards.

(PS: If you are male and want to come to the shower, please let me know... I am not opposed to male attendees, but I think that Brad will be hosting a hockey-watching-beer-drinking-shower at the same time, so you may want to go to his instead!)

And that's that.

I hope to see you all / not see you all soon :) I don't have solidified dates of the two showers yet (both on the North Shore in April) but will keep you posted.

xo N