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Well, I figured now was as good a time as any to make the big announcement and let you know that I am expecting my first baby 
. Needless to say my husband and I are very excited, although I think our mothers maybe even more excited than we are (this will be the first grandchild on both sides)!!
I found out about a month ago, but wanted to make sure everything was ok before I made a big announcement to my readers. I have had a bunch of blood work done and had an ultrasound. All the hormone levels are well within the range they should be at this point in the pregnancy, and the ultrasound showed a healthy little embryo.
I was 7 weeks along when I had the ultrasound so the little kiddo was about a centimeter long and we could see its little heart beating away at 160 beats per minute. It really was a fascinating experience. I went to one my mum’s ultrasounds when she was pregnant with my youngest brother, and I remember thinking it was pretty neat. This time I was just blown away. It was amazing to see that little thing growing inside of me. For the first time since I had found out I was pregnant it felt real and not like some abstract thing.
Throughout the last 9 weeks I have been experiencing all the early symptoms in full swing. I have morning sickness, which for me is actually all day sickness, yuck. Luckily I don’t have much vomiting, only a couple times so far. But I am nauseous all the time, it feels a lot like being motion sick. One of the more difficult things to deal with is being very exhausted. I can sleep for 9 or 10 hours at night and then a few hours after getting out of bed be in desperate need of a nap, I just can’t get enough sleep. A couple of other things I am experiencing is breast swelling and tenderness, acne, and a stuffy nose. The joys of the first trimester!!
I will try every couple of weeks or so to update you on the progress of my pregnancy, the symptoms I am experiencing, and all that fun stuff. I would love your helpful hints on getting through the various stages, we can learn from each other. All this research I have been doing for my website can now be put to good use in my own life.
I was looking through a baby name book the other day, The Complete Book of Baby Names, and came across a section showing the most popular names from countries around the world. I thought it was very interesting to see which names were common among the lists and which were unique for that country. It was very interesting to see that the top boy names were often different, however, the top name for girls was common among many countries.
Here are a few examples of the top names for boys in girls in the various countries listed. These lists were compiled based on the top name lists for 2005.
In Finland the top name for boys was Juhani and for girls it was Maria.
In Germany the top name for boys was Alexander and for girls it was Marie.
In Ireland the top name for boys was Sean and for girls it was Emma.
In New Zealand the top name for boys was Joshua and for girls it was Emma.
In Spain the top name for boys was Alejandro and for girls it was Lucia.
In Sweden the top name for boys was William and for girls it was Emma.
In Canada the top name for boys was Ethan and for girls it was Emma.
In Denmark the top name for boys was Mikkel and for girls it was Emma.
In Chile the top name for boys was Benjamin and for girls it was Catalina.
In Poland the top name for boys was Jan and for girls it was Anna.
In the US the top name for boys was Jacob and for girls it was Emily.
It sure does appear that Emma is a popular name around the world! You can find a full list for each country in The Complete Book of Baby Names.
Labor and delivery are divided into three stages. Each stage plays a very important role in the labor process. The first stage begins with the onset of your early contractions and runs through the full dilation of your cervix (it is then subdivided into 2 phases, early and active labor). The second stage begins when your cervix is fully dilated and ends with the birth of the baby. And finally the third stage begins after the birth of the baby and ends when the placenta is delivered. How long it takes you to get through the various stages and through the entire labor and delivery process will completely depend. Labor and delivery times vary by woman and by pregnancy, as with everything else in pregnancy no two are exactly alike.
First Stage: Labor
Phase one of the first stage is known as early labor. It begins with the onset of contractions that come at regular intervals. These regular contractions will begin to soften and dilate your cervix. As early labor progresses your contractions will grow longer and closer together. Some women may see a blood tinged mucus, often referred to as the plug during this stage of labor; your “water” may also break. Early labor lasts until you are 4 centimeters dilated.
You should call your doctor or midwife when your contractions are at regular intervals and are getting closer together so they can advise you on when to head to the hospital. You should also call if you experience a breaking of your “water” or any bleeding.
Phase two of the first stage is known as active labor. It begins when you reach 4 centimeters dilation and ends when you are fully (10 centimeters) dilated. Your contractions during this phase of labor will become much longer and much stronger. Towards the end of active labor you may begin to feel pressure as the baby descends further into the birth canal in preparation for delivery. The closer you get to 10 centimeters the stronger your contractions will be and the more often they will come.
Second Stage: Pushing
When your cervix is fully dilated and the baby has descended into the birth canal it is time to start pushing. Doctors will often have to you do a few trial pushes once you are fully dilated to see if you are ready to push “for real”. If you are the doctor will have you push during your contractions. The contractions are your body’s natural way of getting the baby out, while the pushing you do helps the process along. Your doctor, or midwife, will guide you in the pushing to ensure you are pushing at the right times to have the most impact. Towards the end as the baby begins to descend quickly they will likely have you ease up on the pushing so that the baby is not delivered too quickly and to prevent any unnecessary tearing.
Once the baby is delivered the doctor or midwife will suction his/her nose and mouth, wipe him/her down and hand the baby to you. This will be a very awesome, emotional, and exciting time for you.
Third Stage: Delivering the Placenta
This stage occurs within minutes of the delivery of the baby. The uterus will contract a few times to separate the placenta from the uterine wall, once the doctor sees that the separation has occurred they will likely ask you to give a few light pushes to deliver the placenta. Your doctor will examine the placenta to ensure everything looks ok and if there were any tears and or incisions made to your perineum during the delivery they will stitched up at this time.
It is a good idea to discuss the various stages of your labor and delivery with your doctor or midwife during your pregnancy so you can ensure you are on the same page. Let them know about things you would like done or not done during each of the stages. If you have questions or concerns about any of the things you will experience during your labor and delivery it is best to discuss those ahead of time so you are more comfortable during the process itself.
Here are a few helpful websites.
The dictionary defines a doula as “a woman who assists another woman during labor and provides support to her, the infant, and the family after childbirth.” But what do they do exactly?
DONA International, an organization dedicated to educating families about what doulas do and how they can benefit a woman during labor, and also to helping families locate a doula in their area, says that a doula is present during labor and delivery to “mother the mother”.
A doula is present during labor to help the mother with her emotional needs. She is usually a mother herself, having gone through labor and delivery at least once on her own; she is familiar with what a woman goes through at the various stages of labor and delivery. The doula’s job is to make sure the mother is ok during the delivery and her needs are being met. Another role of the doula is to give suggestions to the partner of things they can do to make their spouse more comfortable and other coaching techniques.
Doulas not only provide support during labor and delivery, they are also available to assist the family once they bring their newborn home. They are available to teach parents how to care for their newborn, and give advice on how to survive the first few weeks of being a new parent.
Doulas do receive training and often attend certification programs in order to learn more about the birthing process and what their role should be. Organizations like DONA International provide families with information on how they can find a certified doula in their area.
The question of whether a woman should hire a doula is a personal one. Whether a doula fits into your plan for your child’s birth and what it is you are looking for out of your delivery is only something you can answer. A good idea if you are considering having a doula present during your birth is to educate yourself on what a doula does, what role they will play in the labor, delivery, and the days after the birth, what your spouse’s thoughts and feelings are about having a doula. It also wouldn’t hurt to talk to other women who have utilized a doula to get their opinions.
Here are a few websites that can provide you with more information regarding doulas.
I thought I would share a quick shower idea with you that I found to be a lot of fun. It is something I did for a couple of co-workers of mine and it was a huge success.
I call this shower idea “Scattered Showers”. Instead of having one big shower we spread out the shower over several months by giving scattered shower gifts every few days throughout the later part of the pregnancy. We gave everything from sleepers and blankets to rattles and bottles.
I made a big sign to hang by the expectant mom’s desk that said “Scattered Showers” and was decorated with little baby things like rattles and pacifiers. I attached a gift bag to the sign where the scattered shower gifts would be placed. Anyone who was interested in participating would give me either small baby items to place in the gift bag or money with which to purchase a few things myself. I would store all the accumulated gifts at my desk and every couple of days or so I would leave a scattered shower gift in the bag for the expectant mom.
It was a fun twist on the typical baby shower and everyone really seemed to enjoy it. We were able to surprise the expectant mom over and over again. It was always fun to see her face when she came in that day to find a surprise baby gift in her bag.
Do you have any interesting and different shower ideas?