Hmmm, here's a post I failed to publish - better late than never! :)
I have less than two weeks left at the office before I start my maternity leave. I am taking two weeks off before my "due date", hoping that if the JuneBug comes a little early, I'll have still gotten in some relaxation time. And if the JuneBug is a little late, well, we'll just be that much closer to the end of the school year, and will save some poor substitute teacher from trying to control Steve's class during the last few days of school. (Because as if those days aren't chaotic enough, without changing up the routine!)
People keep asking me if I'm going to miss being at work. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on right now, with our food waste pilot coming up. Since I started in Waste Management almost two years ago, I've been working towards this pilot. We got final approval from Council in January, and starting in October, we will begin collecting food waste and other organics at the curb from 5,000 pilot households. This project is kind of my "baby" at the moment. I'm very excited to see how things turn out. But since I won't be here, I'll just have to check in every once in a while. Of course, that's not to say that there won't be exciting stuff happening when I come back after a year either! That's when we make the decision to roll out Region-wide or not, and then the BIG plans start! So there will be more than enough to keep me busy. So, looking ahead to just the stuff I'm
going to miss at the office while I'm gone, sure I have some regrets about not being involved with my very own pilot right from the start. But look at what I'll get to be doing instead! The JuneBug will actually be here! So I'm sure that I really won't miss work at all.
And I plan to visit everyone too, and get the scoop on how things are going. Everyone I work with is so great - they held an office shower for me a few weeks ago, and it was just fantastic! Everyone I work with is so wonderful. It had a Dr. Seuss theme, and it was amazing the creative stuff they came up with! They decorated the room with red and blue balloons, and kites that look like the ones Thing 1 and Thing 2 play with in "The Cat in the Hat". There were all kinds of great nibblies, including Green (deviled) Eggs and Ham, Goldfish crackers (for the fish from Cat in the Hat), and a crazy, topsy-turvy Seussified cake! One of the girls had even found a Dr. Seuss video to play on the TV! Oh, and another had prepared a special beverage for me - apple juice with pieces of chocolate bar floating in it - served in a potty! Let me tell you, that "punch" just got better
and better looking as the afternoon went on!
We got many wonderful gifts (including a beautiful hand-knitted sweater from my friend Diann that I cannot wait to see on the JuneBug!) and a VERY generous gift card. So while I might not miss work over the next year, I can definitely see myself missing my wonderful co-workers. Cheers!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
St. Jacob's Midwives
I haven't said much about my midwives yet, so let's do that. I am not seeing an OB for this pregnancy, instead, I'm in the care of the St. Jacob's Midwives, and I couldn't be happier. Midwives view pregnancy and birth as normal, healthy events in a woman's life, which is my philosophy as well. I am not sick, therefore, I don't need to see a doctor. For anyone unfamiliar with midwifery care, I strongly urge you to visit their website to learn more - I was leaning towards midwifery long before Steve and I were even trying for a baby, and hearing the stories of a few girlfriends who were with this practice sealed the deal for me.
Midwifery is covered by OHIP, so there aren't any extra out-of-pocket expenses. And I would say that the standard of care I get is even better than what I might receive through an OB's office. I spend maybe 5-10 minutes in the waiting room, and then 45 minutes to an hour with the midwife at each appointment. Many women have told me it's the opposite when they're seeing an OB. My primary care midwife is Sky, and my secondary midwife is Joan. All patients are assigned to two midwives. We mostly (yes, Steve comes to as many appointments as he can) see Sky, but we've also seen Joan a few times. We really like them both. And I just found out that Sky has a student midwife working with her now. Her name is Tracy, and that means we will actually have three midwives present at our birth. (Steve is very excited about this, because now there will be one midwife for me, one for the baby, and one for him!)
Sky (or another midwife) is also "on call" for me, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All I
have to do is page, and I get a phone call right back. Early in the pregnancy, when I knew Sky was going to be my midwife, but before I had even had my first appointment with her, I had some spotting, and even though I wasn't "officially" her patient yet, she spoke with me on the phone for half an hour, explaining my options, what could be causing the spotting, what I could do about it, and just generally helping to calm me down. I knew then and there I had definitely made the right decision!
At each appointment, I weigh myself, and I test my own urine to determine glucose and protein levels. (Women-centred care is the cornerstone of midwifery - I am not a "patient", I am an active participant in my own care.) Every appointment, we chat about something different - nutrition, pre-natal testing, our birth plan, etc. We get to hear the baby's heartbeat at every appointment too, and since I hit the second trimester, my belly gets measured every time to ensure the proper rate of growth is happening. Steve and I feel like we're being consulted on everything that is happening, and that we really have been in charge of our own pregnancy, and everything that will happen at the delivery. It's a great feeling to know that everything that happens is being done because of a decision we
made, and isn't something just being done "to" us or the baby.
Although it is perfectly safe to give birth at home with a midwife (remember, you can only be seen by a midwife if you are having an "uncomplicated" or "low-risk" pregnancy - if anything develops that places your pregnancy into a high risk category, the midwives would then transfer your care to an OB) Steve and I have chosen to birth at Grand River Hospital. Contrary to how most women feel, I think I'll be less inhibited in the hospital setting - able to make as much noise as I like, and walk the halls, and do whatever I feel like. They have gorgeous big rooms for labour and delivery, and that is also where you stay after having your baby. Each room has a bed with squatting bar (something I'm planning on using), a lazy-boy style chair or a bench/bed for your partner to sleep on, and a big, private bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. I'm looking forward to labouring in the jacuzzi tub too - ours at home is just a soaker. :)
When the JuneBug is ready to be born, we'll weather the early stages of labour at home. Sky (and now Tracy) will come to the house (my last appointment with Sky was actually at our house, so she knew how to get there ahead of time). When it looks like we're getting close, we'll transfer to the hospital. (Steve is very relieved that Sky will be making
that call, and he doesn't have to try and help me figure out if it's "time to go" or not.) When we're on our way to the hospital, Sky will call Joan to meet us there. We don't have to check in or anything, since the midwives have full hospital priviledges. We will go through the "secret back entrance" and right up to Labour and Delivery. Joan will assist Sky, helping her with anything she needs, and when the baby is born, Sky will continue to look after me, and Joan is there to look after the baby. If everything goes well, the baby will never be out of my arms once born. I'll get to try and breastfeed right away (the midwives are also lactation consultants, and fully prepared to help us get off to a great breastfeeding relationship) and any measuring and post-natal care will take place with
the baby in bed with me. With any luck, we'll be home and in our own beds before 24 hours have passed. (Depending on how I feel, they can get you home as soon as 6 hours after the birth. I'm looking forward to this too, because as much as I want to deliver in the hospital, I have absolutely NO desire to STAY in the hospital. Get me out of there!!)
Sky will come home from the hospital with us, and will stay with us until we are settled. For the first week or two after the baby is born, our post-natal appointments are at home, and Sky will come to see us, making sure breastfeeding is going well, and that the JuneBug is gaining weight, and that we're both recovering and healthy. We stay under her care until the JuneBug is 6 weeks old, at which time, she transfers our care back to our family doctor. (I'm actually getting a little sad thinking about that!)
Steve was not entirely sure how he felt about midwifery at the beginning of our pregnancy. All of his friends' wives were under the care of an OB for their pregnancies, and he didn't know anything different. And actually, the births he was most familiar with at the time, Jack's, Ella's, and Nathan's, ended up as c-sections, or required forceps ntervention, so that's a good thing that they had OBs! (If I do end up requiring a
c-section for any reason, Sky will transfer my care to an OB, but will stay with us as the baby's primary care person still. Same thing if I need an epidural for any reason.) The girls I knew who had been with the St. Jacob's midwives I knew from work, so he hadn't heard from anyone what it was like. I think he started to get less nervous when our family doctor said how happy he was to hear that we were going with midwifery care. (Steve and his mom both seemed to think that our family doctor delivers babies, but the first thing his assistant asked me when I called in for an appointment for them to confirm my pregnancy was whether I had thought about who I would "go with" for my pregnancy care. Um, to me, that makes me think he probably doesn't anymore!)
Although Steve is relieved we're delivering in the hospital (for different reasons than I am), he has definitely come around to midwifery care. He really likes Sky, and has enjoyed all of our appointments - his favourite part (and mine too!) is when we get to hear the JuneBug's heartbeat. I'm not sure how my parents feel about us being under a midwife's care instead of an OB, but I know Steve's mom is not comfortable with it. (Because she's asked me about four times during this pregnancy whether I "get" to see an OB at all even though I'm with a midwife.) The last time she asked, Steve totally jumped in and started explaining all the stuff that I've already told her again: no, we won't see an OB, we're having a low-risk pregnancy, if anything happens that requires intervention, we'll be transferred to an OB, but nothing's going to happen. We have access to all the same testing and everything through the midwives, and we actually probably spend more time with them than we would with an OB. Not to mention, an OB just comes in at the end to catch your baby - you labour with the hospital nurses, who, although I'm told they are fabulous, you've likely never met before that day. Plus they change when they go off shift. We'll have Sky, Joan and Tracy with us from start to finish. To me, that sounds like Steve is 100% on board now. :)
And I'm not knocking OBs. Most of my girlfriends have gone with OBs, and they've all be very happy with their experiences, and are looking forward to going back to them for their next baby. I certainly don't think that my decisions are "better" than theirs, because I've chosen to go with a midwife. I just feel that it's a better decision for me. I feel that for myself and the birth experience I am hoping to have, I have the very best chance of a low-to-no intervention birth being under a midwife's care. I'm looking forward to the birth, and seeing my body handle this new challenge that it was designed to do. There's something just very primal and natural about giving birth surrounded by caring women who will be taking their cues from me and what I want, instead of a team of "specialists" telling me what to do. It's the way millions of healthy babies have been making their way
into the world for centuries. And in just 4 more weeks, hopefully the JuneBug will too! Cheers!
Midwifery is covered by OHIP, so there aren't any extra out-of-pocket expenses. And I would say that the standard of care I get is even better than what I might receive through an OB's office. I spend maybe 5-10 minutes in the waiting room, and then 45 minutes to an hour with the midwife at each appointment. Many women have told me it's the opposite when they're seeing an OB. My primary care midwife is Sky, and my secondary midwife is Joan. All patients are assigned to two midwives. We mostly (yes, Steve comes to as many appointments as he can) see Sky, but we've also seen Joan a few times. We really like them both. And I just found out that Sky has a student midwife working with her now. Her name is Tracy, and that means we will actually have three midwives present at our birth. (Steve is very excited about this, because now there will be one midwife for me, one for the baby, and one for him!)
Sky (or another midwife) is also "on call" for me, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All I
have to do is page, and I get a phone call right back. Early in the pregnancy, when I knew Sky was going to be my midwife, but before I had even had my first appointment with her, I had some spotting, and even though I wasn't "officially" her patient yet, she spoke with me on the phone for half an hour, explaining my options, what could be causing the spotting, what I could do about it, and just generally helping to calm me down. I knew then and there I had definitely made the right decision!
At each appointment, I weigh myself, and I test my own urine to determine glucose and protein levels. (Women-centred care is the cornerstone of midwifery - I am not a "patient", I am an active participant in my own care.) Every appointment, we chat about something different - nutrition, pre-natal testing, our birth plan, etc. We get to hear the baby's heartbeat at every appointment too, and since I hit the second trimester, my belly gets measured every time to ensure the proper rate of growth is happening. Steve and I feel like we're being consulted on everything that is happening, and that we really have been in charge of our own pregnancy, and everything that will happen at the delivery. It's a great feeling to know that everything that happens is being done because of a decision we
made, and isn't something just being done "to" us or the baby.
Although it is perfectly safe to give birth at home with a midwife (remember, you can only be seen by a midwife if you are having an "uncomplicated" or "low-risk" pregnancy - if anything develops that places your pregnancy into a high risk category, the midwives would then transfer your care to an OB) Steve and I have chosen to birth at Grand River Hospital. Contrary to how most women feel, I think I'll be less inhibited in the hospital setting - able to make as much noise as I like, and walk the halls, and do whatever I feel like. They have gorgeous big rooms for labour and delivery, and that is also where you stay after having your baby. Each room has a bed with squatting bar (something I'm planning on using), a lazy-boy style chair or a bench/bed for your partner to sleep on, and a big, private bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. I'm looking forward to labouring in the jacuzzi tub too - ours at home is just a soaker. :)
When the JuneBug is ready to be born, we'll weather the early stages of labour at home. Sky (and now Tracy) will come to the house (my last appointment with Sky was actually at our house, so she knew how to get there ahead of time). When it looks like we're getting close, we'll transfer to the hospital. (Steve is very relieved that Sky will be making
that call, and he doesn't have to try and help me figure out if it's "time to go" or not.) When we're on our way to the hospital, Sky will call Joan to meet us there. We don't have to check in or anything, since the midwives have full hospital priviledges. We will go through the "secret back entrance" and right up to Labour and Delivery. Joan will assist Sky, helping her with anything she needs, and when the baby is born, Sky will continue to look after me, and Joan is there to look after the baby. If everything goes well, the baby will never be out of my arms once born. I'll get to try and breastfeed right away (the midwives are also lactation consultants, and fully prepared to help us get off to a great breastfeeding relationship) and any measuring and post-natal care will take place with
the baby in bed with me. With any luck, we'll be home and in our own beds before 24 hours have passed. (Depending on how I feel, they can get you home as soon as 6 hours after the birth. I'm looking forward to this too, because as much as I want to deliver in the hospital, I have absolutely NO desire to STAY in the hospital. Get me out of there!!)
Sky will come home from the hospital with us, and will stay with us until we are settled. For the first week or two after the baby is born, our post-natal appointments are at home, and Sky will come to see us, making sure breastfeeding is going well, and that the JuneBug is gaining weight, and that we're both recovering and healthy. We stay under her care until the JuneBug is 6 weeks old, at which time, she transfers our care back to our family doctor. (I'm actually getting a little sad thinking about that!)
Steve was not entirely sure how he felt about midwifery at the beginning of our pregnancy. All of his friends' wives were under the care of an OB for their pregnancies, and he didn't know anything different. And actually, the births he was most familiar with at the time, Jack's, Ella's, and Nathan's, ended up as c-sections, or required forceps ntervention, so that's a good thing that they had OBs! (If I do end up requiring a
c-section for any reason, Sky will transfer my care to an OB, but will stay with us as the baby's primary care person still. Same thing if I need an epidural for any reason.) The girls I knew who had been with the St. Jacob's midwives I knew from work, so he hadn't heard from anyone what it was like. I think he started to get less nervous when our family doctor said how happy he was to hear that we were going with midwifery care. (Steve and his mom both seemed to think that our family doctor delivers babies, but the first thing his assistant asked me when I called in for an appointment for them to confirm my pregnancy was whether I had thought about who I would "go with" for my pregnancy care. Um, to me, that makes me think he probably doesn't anymore!)
Although Steve is relieved we're delivering in the hospital (for different reasons than I am), he has definitely come around to midwifery care. He really likes Sky, and has enjoyed all of our appointments - his favourite part (and mine too!) is when we get to hear the JuneBug's heartbeat. I'm not sure how my parents feel about us being under a midwife's care instead of an OB, but I know Steve's mom is not comfortable with it. (Because she's asked me about four times during this pregnancy whether I "get" to see an OB at all even though I'm with a midwife.) The last time she asked, Steve totally jumped in and started explaining all the stuff that I've already told her again: no, we won't see an OB, we're having a low-risk pregnancy, if anything happens that requires intervention, we'll be transferred to an OB, but nothing's going to happen. We have access to all the same testing and everything through the midwives, and we actually probably spend more time with them than we would with an OB. Not to mention, an OB just comes in at the end to catch your baby - you labour with the hospital nurses, who, although I'm told they are fabulous, you've likely never met before that day. Plus they change when they go off shift. We'll have Sky, Joan and Tracy with us from start to finish. To me, that sounds like Steve is 100% on board now. :)
And I'm not knocking OBs. Most of my girlfriends have gone with OBs, and they've all be very happy with their experiences, and are looking forward to going back to them for their next baby. I certainly don't think that my decisions are "better" than theirs, because I've chosen to go with a midwife. I just feel that it's a better decision for me. I feel that for myself and the birth experience I am hoping to have, I have the very best chance of a low-to-no intervention birth being under a midwife's care. I'm looking forward to the birth, and seeing my body handle this new challenge that it was designed to do. There's something just very primal and natural about giving birth surrounded by caring women who will be taking their cues from me and what I want, instead of a team of "specialists" telling me what to do. It's the way millions of healthy babies have been making their way
into the world for centuries. And in just 4 more weeks, hopefully the JuneBug will too! Cheers!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Continuing the Adventure...
Well, things have been fairly quiet here in Howieland, which is by no means how things have been in our real lives. We've been very busy, seeing family for Easter, celebrating Steve's birthday (with a successful surprise party!) and generally trying to get ready for baby. So here's the latest update in a nutshell, complete with photos.
My family completely spoiled the JuneBug when Steve and I went to Barrie for Easter. There was a surprise family shower for us. All I can say is, it's a good thing we had completely emptied the Jeep before we drove down in order to bring my dad his tires, because otherwise, we never would have been able to bring everything home with us! My loving and generous Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents got together and got us this lovely high chair:
and a Pack 'n' Play:
which will double as the JuneBug's portable bed when we travel this summer. (And of course, as I think I mentioned in everyone's thank you cards, Steve could NOT wait to get them put together, so again, good thing there was lots of room in the Jeep!)
Geoff, Kris, and "hunkie Unkie Ryan" got the JuneBug's library off to a fabulous start with every Dr. Seuss book containing a character we've painted on the nursery walls, as well as a snuggly blanky that I just can't wait to wrap the baby in for
some cuddles. And my parents (doting grandparents to be!) not only had clothes, a snowsuit, little shoes, toys, a warm, hooded bath towel and a CD of lullabies for the baby, but also little gifts for Steve and I. Not to mention my parents' neighbour, who gave us a gift certificate for Toys R Us, and my sister's best friend Amie (who came by with her adorable little girl, Abbie) who gave us a basket full of "mom-tested" goodies, like baby lotion with baby massage instructions, gripe water, receiving blankets, and various other lotions and potions (including a can of beer, which she insisted was NOT for Steve, but for me, to help my milk come in.)
We felt very loved. Yes mom, I did send written thank you cards to everyone, but for anyone who is reading this here also: thank you again! You are all so wonderful to us, and we're so grateful to have such a loving family.
Steve's family has also been working to spoil the JuneBug. The grandparents-to-be on that side have gone together and gotten us our stroller:
We talked about it, and decided it would be silly to get multiple strollers - I really wanted a jogging stroller, and Steve really had no preference. Rather than get a typical "travel system" (stroller that comes with car-seat bucket attachment) AND a jogging stroller, we opted for just a really good jogging stroller. It doesn't come with the car-seat bucket, but one can be attached to it still, just
like a travel system, so we don't lose out on that benefit. And it handles really smoothly, and folds up quite easily, so I'm looking forward to being able to use it.
And here is the bucket car seat that fits on (kind of a blurry pic, but I'm not getting out the camera and uploading pictures again tonight!) More thank you cards need to be purchased and written out! :)
Painting in the nursery continues, we're nearly done. Now that the weather has finally gotten nice, we've started parking the car in the driveway. As soon as one of his buddies comes over and helps him carry it down to the garage, Steve will sand and paint our dresser/change table. And while he was on his "putting things together" kick, he put our crib together as well (no pics of that yet, I want to show the whole nursery when it's done.) But take my word for it, it's beautiful. All it needs now is the lovely crib bedding, which is another gift from my wonderful parents. Then we just have to get the blinds up in the windows, arrange everything in its place, and we'll be all set!
In the meantime, we're going to be celebrated and spoiled again, first by the folks in my office, and then by my other girlfriends (hosted by the lovely Auntie Erica) at the end of the month. (Note to family members who "showered" us at Easter: you were all sent invitations because we would really like to see you if there's any chance you could make it, and because they are just so cute:
but by no means are you expected to re-shower us in any way. You have all been so generous already, we just wanted to include you in the invites so you could have a keepsake.) And my good friend Rachelle, who will unfortunately be out of town at the end of the month, got the JuneBug some lovely gifts (also from her hubby Steve,
and little Ella) at the little tea party we had at Jill's house a few weekends ago.
Not to mention, we have been working hard on Jamie and Elaine's Stag and Doe for June 3, and Elaine's wedding shower is the day after my baby shower. Before you know it, June 9 will be here: my last day of work! Although my Director thinks I'll only last another week or so, (and my poor manager hyperventilates every time he hears it!) I plan to work up to the 9th, and then have two blissful weeks off (at least!) before the baby comes.
That's not all, but that's all for now. :) Cheers!
My family completely spoiled the JuneBug when Steve and I went to Barrie for Easter. There was a surprise family shower for us. All I can say is, it's a good thing we had completely emptied the Jeep before we drove down in order to bring my dad his tires, because otherwise, we never would have been able to bring everything home with us! My loving and generous Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents got together and got us this lovely high chair:
and a Pack 'n' Play:
which will double as the JuneBug's portable bed when we travel this summer. (And of course, as I think I mentioned in everyone's thank you cards, Steve could NOT wait to get them put together, so again, good thing there was lots of room in the Jeep!)
Geoff, Kris, and "hunkie Unkie Ryan" got the JuneBug's library off to a fabulous start with every Dr. Seuss book containing a character we've painted on the nursery walls, as well as a snuggly blanky that I just can't wait to wrap the baby in for
some cuddles. And my parents (doting grandparents to be!) not only had clothes, a snowsuit, little shoes, toys, a warm, hooded bath towel and a CD of lullabies for the baby, but also little gifts for Steve and I. Not to mention my parents' neighbour, who gave us a gift certificate for Toys R Us, and my sister's best friend Amie (who came by with her adorable little girl, Abbie) who gave us a basket full of "mom-tested" goodies, like baby lotion with baby massage instructions, gripe water, receiving blankets, and various other lotions and potions (including a can of beer, which she insisted was NOT for Steve, but for me, to help my milk come in.)
We felt very loved. Yes mom, I did send written thank you cards to everyone, but for anyone who is reading this here also: thank you again! You are all so wonderful to us, and we're so grateful to have such a loving family.
Steve's family has also been working to spoil the JuneBug. The grandparents-to-be on that side have gone together and gotten us our stroller:
We talked about it, and decided it would be silly to get multiple strollers - I really wanted a jogging stroller, and Steve really had no preference. Rather than get a typical "travel system" (stroller that comes with car-seat bucket attachment) AND a jogging stroller, we opted for just a really good jogging stroller. It doesn't come with the car-seat bucket, but one can be attached to it still, just
like a travel system, so we don't lose out on that benefit. And it handles really smoothly, and folds up quite easily, so I'm looking forward to being able to use it.
And here is the bucket car seat that fits on (kind of a blurry pic, but I'm not getting out the camera and uploading pictures again tonight!) More thank you cards need to be purchased and written out! :)
Painting in the nursery continues, we're nearly done. Now that the weather has finally gotten nice, we've started parking the car in the driveway. As soon as one of his buddies comes over and helps him carry it down to the garage, Steve will sand and paint our dresser/change table. And while he was on his "putting things together" kick, he put our crib together as well (no pics of that yet, I want to show the whole nursery when it's done.) But take my word for it, it's beautiful. All it needs now is the lovely crib bedding, which is another gift from my wonderful parents. Then we just have to get the blinds up in the windows, arrange everything in its place, and we'll be all set!
In the meantime, we're going to be celebrated and spoiled again, first by the folks in my office, and then by my other girlfriends (hosted by the lovely Auntie Erica) at the end of the month. (Note to family members who "showered" us at Easter: you were all sent invitations because we would really like to see you if there's any chance you could make it, and because they are just so cute:
but by no means are you expected to re-shower us in any way. You have all been so generous already, we just wanted to include you in the invites so you could have a keepsake.) And my good friend Rachelle, who will unfortunately be out of town at the end of the month, got the JuneBug some lovely gifts (also from her hubby Steve,
and little Ella) at the little tea party we had at Jill's house a few weekends ago.
Not to mention, we have been working hard on Jamie and Elaine's Stag and Doe for June 3, and Elaine's wedding shower is the day after my baby shower. Before you know it, June 9 will be here: my last day of work! Although my Director thinks I'll only last another week or so, (and my poor manager hyperventilates every time he hears it!) I plan to work up to the 9th, and then have two blissful weeks off (at least!) before the baby comes.
That's not all, but that's all for now. :) Cheers!
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