Dressing Up While Pregnant

For one thing, I am not into clothes. I seldom gush over anything you put on. Dressing up usually just means showing some skin, some cleavage or some curves for me.

And looking fab while pregnant isn't something I ever aspired to do. After all, with all the waddling and widening I'd be doing, why would I stress myself with actually dressing up?

But being a SAHM and being overweight already... and then getting nauseous and preggy, that's depressing. And I wanted to have proper nursing wear this time.

Enter Eden Maternity and Nursing Wear by Bianca Araneta Elizalde. I know I have started to sound like a broken record but I can't stop raving about their sake tank top (the comfiest thing I ever wore!) and all the possibilities their Infinitude offers.

This interview about Bianca's line also echoed my sentiments:

"Women have to realize the limitations of non-maternity wear on a growing belly. And it doesn’t matter how slim they try to stay throughout their pregnancy — their bellies will grow! And it will grow big by the time they’re ready to give birth.

When you stick to non-maternity clothes, you will do what’s called trimester dressing. You will keep buying clothes a size or two bigger throughout each trimester, and that is never a good idea. It’s smarter to invest in a few good maternity pieces that will see you through the nine months. This is something I kept in mind when I designed Eden. Everything had to fit and flatter a woman’s growing body throughout pregnancy and beyond.? (Bianca)

I can't wait to give birth, of course, because the discomforts of the last month are just really annoying already. And painful. But a part of me will always regret that Eden wasn't launched earlier so I could have enjoyed their outfits longer in my pregnancy. A part of me will miss strutting my stuff in the sake tank top with my belly round and proud.

But I do look forward to breastfeeding in public in style!

At 36 Weeks

At 36 weeks, my neck and armpits are already really dark.

I weigh 190 pounds (and counting!).

I waddle like a duck and wake up with mini cramps every three days or so.

I have trouble putting on my underwear.

And yes, I can't see my feet anymore, let alone my yah-know.

I snore half the time in my sleep. And I need to slide my way off chairs and beds to help me get up.

And my yah-know hurts (nay, throbs!) half the time that I sometimes wonder if I am already dilated.

And all the people I meet either wonder if am carrying twins or that I might pop right then and there.

But thanks to Eden, I look fab here! Unfortunately, I am so wide and big, my son looks emaciated beside me.

Babyproofing

How do you babyproof a house with a preschooler in it?

I am not even referring to safeguarding from pointy corners and electric outlets that are essential to child safety. I am talking about the preschoolers toys that he will either scatter about or offer to an infant. Toys that may be dirty, hard or can pose a choking hazard.

We never really installed stair gates before and we didn't even cover sockets. We did employ the use of a pen when my firstborn was just beginning to cruise and learn to walk. Technically, I think the same approach can still work with us especially if we're still living in the same house (where my father had the unaesthetic but quite effective idea of installing sockets and plugs in the middle of walls, far from the reach of young kids). And with someone always watching the kids, I feel security is covered pretty well.

But oh, how to train my child that his toys are not meant to be shared just yet with an infant and not kill his enthusiastic, generous spirit?

Essential Newborn Care Protocol

It takes time to download but everything one must know about essential newborn protocol care protocol/program (ENP) can be found here.

The Four Core Steps of Essential Newborn Care include:
* Immediate and thorough drying
* Early skin-to-skin contact
* Properly timed cord clamping
* Non-separation of the newborn and mother for early initiation of breastfeeding

Note to moms... drying a baby is essential since they easily get cold and cold is the enemy of newborns. Per my LATCH counselor friend (who is also a pedia), babies who get cold may have breathing problems. It is, however, not the same as wiping off the vernix (the waxy substance covering the baby which is a natural protection from infections). This is why part of the protocol is the delayed bathing of the baby (up to six hours).

The same procedure can be done for STABLE premature babies but for both unstable term and premature babies, resuscitation or other initial intervention is of course prioritized.

The ultimate goal of ENP is non-separation with their mothers, not just for breastfeeding but also for the colonization with the mother's bacteria (which the mother can provide protection from) and skin-to-skin contact (warming).

And yes, even moms who just had a CS operation can enjoy the breast crawl. In fact, it becomes all the more essential as the baby missed the good bacteria it usually gets from normal deliveries that is very essential in jumpstarting a baby's immune system.

And this is the beautiful Unang Yakap video again:



And this is the official World Health Organization flyer on ENP.

*~*

My nurse friend in the US shared that "mothers are best for their babies" is the cornerstone of what is referred in the US as NIDCAP (Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program) which I believe is the counterpart of our ENP.

It is really sad that a mother's natural capacities to carry, deliver, nourish and care for a child has been undermined by the modern way of life. Now, groups like ours even have to convince and empower women that the best they can give their children are nowhere outside them... that they are the experts and the authorities on their child.

Soyami with Yummy Mommies

I attended the Soyami Soya Chips mini launch at Active Fun last Friday with my friend Laya. So while our kiddos bonded (Oona and Yakee could be siblings, honestly!) at the playground that is Active Fun, we got to meet other moms and hear about the Soyami product.




the cutest girl ever, little Olly




Laya in a video shoot for Soyami (naks)


loved meeting Chats finally here (the lovely lady beside me)

Apple Morales, who owns the Active Fun branch in SM North and who thought of Soyami soya chips as a healthier food snack to offer their patrons, was a former UNICEF breastfeeding advocate. And I absolutely loved her and her tales about her son. I really hope they'd be blessed again soon!

Anyway, don't be surprised if you see a video of me in their site recommending their product. I do believe that it is a great alternative to the usual potato chip. And from the freebies we got, I can say that it's really made from soya since we've observed certain digestive/excretory benefits (to think we share a 50 gm. pack).

Soya supposedly helps in losing weight so dieters might want to consider Soyami for when they are craving for crunch. That surely beats having to determine diet pills that work, right? And soya is rich in protein and calcium.

I won't ever say to make Soyami a habit BUT if you are buying chips anyway, Soyami soya chips surely beats most junk food out there. The sodium content alone in the common brands are a killer, what more the msg.

Have I said that Soyami soya chips are certified Halal? Apples said that they import their soya beans which are certified GMO (organic). Soyami will start being sold in groceries this November and will cost P37/50 gram bag. Yes, it's a lot more expensive compared to other chips but you basically pay for healthier snacking.

Come on, save your colons and kidneys. Try Soyami chips!

Things to Look Forward to

A great big part of me is stressed, worried and anxious about the new baby and how it will affect everything, like our budget (diaper costs!), our dynamics (Yakee is a happy baby but he's bound to be jealous), our roles (Pappie and I really need to be involved more as there'd be two of them requiring our love and attention) and the logistics of just being.

I guess you don't really fret over the expected pluses, anyway.

But I do have the following to look forward to:

1) Yakee mirroring our caring and nurturing.

2) Being more resourceful and creative, not just with time and money, but also with activities and tasks.

3) Learning to be more practical. We just really might embrace blog contests and online coupons and everything that will allow us to hit two birds with one stone.

4) Getting to know another person and watching him unfold.

5) The love that's bound to overflow in our families over the new baby (already, everybody can't wait to be sniffing a newborn again).

6) Building new dreams and hopes with hubby over our brood... as well as making new plans.

7) Personally, having another guy grow up worshipping the ground I walk on. Hehe.

Less Stressed Now

It's really great to have a loving hubby and friends to comfor you when you're stressed.

Turned out, I was so stressed yesterday that I couldn't sleep anymore, which made me miss a lunch with college friends and any opportunity to go to Rockwell to check out Eden's collection in new colors. I did get to catch some sleep around lunch time and at least feel normal again.

But we did get to go to a birthday party in the afternoon where I bonded again with N@W/Plurk friends. And it's great to be told I was blooming, haha, even though my neck and armpits are all dark and am waddling like a duck and bumping kids with my preggy bump.