tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86529135620653114232024-02-19T12:19:06.430+02:00Growing PeanutNot expecting to be expecting after 5 years of trying and making other plans.Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-81358084544231754452016-01-20T16:27:00.000+02:002016-01-20T16:27:56.008+02:00My Little Baby Growing Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow, it has been a loooong time since I posted anything here. I wanted to use this blog as a journal to capture all those precious memories which fades so fast, but just as I wanted to complete the whole "My First Year" book, open an e-mail address and send notes and messages to my daughter, make hand- and footprints.. I just cannot seem to find the time to sit down and do those things. Being a mother is time consuming and hard work! And for me as a passive person, who is quite lazy and also takes such a long time to get things done I think it might be a bit harder. I had a lot of adjusting to do. So things like blogging, scrap-booking, reading, combing my hair and brushing my teeth everyday are on the back-burner for now!<br />
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And in the meantime my little baby is growing up and has now become an independent toddler. I look at her and stand amazed at how she developed and changed. I think my biggest fear was how I will be able to teach my daughter everything she must learn in life. How will I get her to sit, crawl, to stand, to WALK?? To eat, hold a cup, understand language and talk. But it all just comes naturally. One day she was still laying flat on her back and almost before I realised she could sit up all by herself. Then she started moving about and one day she crawled down the passageway. Next she started standing and then I got to see her take her first steps. And then she walked. She is still mastering the art but is moving around pretty fast and dandy. And so with everything else, slowly but surely she gets it right.<br />
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Then with each day my heart grows with love for this little person. She is all that I dreamed of and completely perfect for me. I just hope that I can hang on to all the memories and enjoy every moment with her to the fullest. Because time really waits for no one. <br />
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Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-88996222960414194832015-03-13T14:27:00.000+02:002015-03-13T14:27:03.228+02:006 Months in Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-38975268939803625932015-03-12T16:09:00.001+02:002015-03-12T16:09:55.848+02:00A Letter To My 6 Month OldDear Peanut,<br />
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It has been 6 months since you took your first breath - and took mine away. I loved you since before you were born, before you were even made. I longed for you for years, but those are now only a distant memory. I cannot clearly remember my life without you in it. I am in awe of you. A perfect little girl. Your father and I would stare at you sometimes and say: "We have made this ". We are aware and thankful that you have been given to us. That we are entrusted to love you, raise you, teach you and help you to become the greatest person that you are capable of.<br />
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There are so many things that I wish I could save little pieces of to always treasure. Everybody agreed that you had the most beautiful newborn cry. We did not hear it a lot but it melted our hearts. Now you have a big baby cry. How your fingers and toes were once all curled up and stiff, now you take things from me and hold them, your toes wriggles when daddy tickles you. How I was able to hold you sleeping in my one arm, now I need both and even that is an art. All the clothes and cute outfits that I needed to pack away because you grew out of them. How you went from laying to sitting, and soon will be crawling, walking and running.<br />
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You are such a cute little character. Smiling the biggest gummy smiles, squinting your eyes and peeking through your beautiful long lashes. "Talking" and entertaining us, blowing raspberries and being funny. Flapping your arms and legs up and down - making "snow angels" on the bed. Staring at pretty colours with your mouth wide open in amazement.<br />
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You are for the most part a happy, content little girl. You do get fussy after a long day and will cry while I walk and rock you until my back feels like breaking. But you will eventually fall asleep on my shoulder, your breath in my neck. I will not pass up the feeling of you sleeping in my arms for anything in the world.<br />
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I love the way you adore your dad and that you show me what a wonderful father he is. Your face lights up when you see him and you always responds to the sound of his voice. He makes you giggle without much effort and he is so proud of you. He also takes great care of you, feeding, changing nappies, bathing and dressing you. I love him even more for loving you so much.<br />
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I am so glad that I am your mother. That I can share your life and get to know the special little soul that you are. That I can see you grow and develop. That I get to love you a little more every day - if that is at all possible. I promise that I will always do the best I can and be the mother that you deserve.<br />
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Love you always <br />
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MommyJuanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-41459489282577767522015-01-27T14:35:00.000+02:002015-01-27T14:35:02.580+02:00Thoughtful Tuesday<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Motherhood has taught me that your heart can be very proud and break a little bit - all at the same time. </span></div>
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I look at every new little thing that our baby girl is accomplishing and while feeling so proud of her, my heart breaks at the fact that she past a stage and is growing up. Only four and a half months old and I've already "lost" my newborn baby. I can now only treasure and remember past moments as she develops and grows. I will make a mental note to never wish the time away and live consciously every day. <br />
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Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-37190698018661654682014-12-05T18:08:00.000+02:002014-12-05T18:08:00.103+02:0012 weeks oldOur precious little princess is 12 weeks old today. Still not getting any time to start blogging actively again, but at least I can let you have a peek at how beautiful she is :-)<br />
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-59722767553659142132014-11-17T15:41:00.000+02:002014-11-17T15:41:07.362+02:00Two Months Already!Wow, cannot believe that our baby girl turned 2 months old on the 12th already. Guess time flies when you are having fun, changing diapers and feeding the baby!<br />
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It has been a wonderful and challenging 2 months. Newborn babies are very new to us so we had (have) a lot to learn. Luckily my doula are always available to give advise and check up on us. On the other hand my husband has been and is the rock in my world. When discharged from hospital I was still very sore and stiff and he just took over everything. I basically just fed the baby. He looked after everything else, the house, animals, groceries, me and little Peanut.<br />
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And now 2 months down the line we are establishing a bit of a routine and are getting the hang of things. We love and adore this little girl of ours. She is what I would think an easy baby. Cries only when really necessary, sleeps well at night and lately gives the most beautiful smiles. She does however not sleep during the day. She will take little power-naps. This got so rough on me that I've asked a friend to play nanny and come and look after the baby for 3 hours in the morning in order for me to get a couple of things done.<br />
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Breastfeeding did not work out entirely as expected. The plan was to try and breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months. Peanut did however not gain nearly enough weight and by week 5 and trying every trick in the book we called it a day and started to supplement with formula. That turned our hungry little munchkin into a not so completely hungry one and she gained weight beautifully.<br />
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The grandmothers also got to visit as we baptised her on the 26th of October. She was such a good little girl and the grandmas are very in love with her.<br />
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I look at this little person sometimes and still cannot believe that she is real. She is so worth the wait. My heart just wants to explode with love.<br />
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I will try to post more updates, but at the moment I am having my hands full of beautylicious little baby bums!<br />
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Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-71997864476166167142014-09-29T17:46:00.001+02:002014-09-30T09:37:35.307+02:00The Birth That Did Not Go According To PlanIn my mind I planned a natural birth for out little Peanut. It would go like in the movies where my water would break in the middle of the night (of course we put on the mattress protector way in advance), we would get dressed in a flurry, hubby would struggle to find the car keys - which would be in the same place it is every night and we would rush to the hospital. Once there I would go through 2 or 3 hours of labour with hubby holding my hand, and while smiling, high on feeling-good hormones I would deliver our precious bundle into the world.<br />
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Yeah right, so this is not the movies. Things do not go according to plan and sometimes it just goes ridiculously wrong. <br />
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On Monday the 8th little Miss was still sitting pretty and showing no sign of vacating the premises. I went to the clinic and was ordered to come back and see the doctor as I was now past 40 weeks. So an hour later the doctor ordered me to the hospital to start induction as apparently in the Western Cape, once you reach 40 weeks the baby must get out. As the induction can take up to 3 days to work they wanted to start it as early as possible to avoid going over the due date too long. I was not pleased with this turn of events as I wanted our baby to come on her own time and not be forced. So, off we went to our private doctor for a second opinion. She advised that I must go for the induction.<br />
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I spoke to my doula and we both felt that it is too early as the doctor in Hermanus who did the sonars said that we will be able to wait up until the 15th and then come in for a scan to see what is going on. We tried to phone her to get her opinion but her practice said that she was away on holiday and will only return on the 15th.. So we contacted the hospital to ask the nurses for advise. They were very helpful and said that we must come in for a check-up and then they'll advise. Off we went to the hospital and after the check-up and the nurse speaking to the clinic doctor she explained why they felt it necessary to start the induction and that I must book in on Tuesday night.<br />
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In my heart I still did not really want to go, but by this time and after 3 professional opinions that it will be best to do the induction we decided to go with it. I was scared that if I did not go and something happens to the baby that I would forever regret not listening. So, Tuesday at 16:00 I booked in and Wednesday morning 5:00 I got the first dose. By Wednesday night nothing has happened yet, so they stopped the treatment and decided to carry on on Thursday. Thursday they completed the 1st cycle and Thursday 18:00 started the second cycle. Just before 19:00 my water broke. I was on the way to the loo which helped a lot! This was also not as in the movies but I will not go into the gory detail.<br />
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We were all relieved for progress! As contractions are supposed to start a while after, my doula decided to quickly go home, grab a bite to eat and get ready for the night. She just about left as my contractions started, and was not at all as expected. We were advised to rest in between contractions to build up strength for the next one. From the beginning my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, lasting about half a minute. Hubby let the doula know this and she rushed back, anticipating a speedy delivery.<br />
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This turned into a 14 hour labour which by the end only left me at 7cm dilated and with a swollen cervix. By morning I started getting a very bad urge to push (and did push on occasion) and it felt like my intestines would explode out of my bum, so I knew something was wrong. At 8:30 the doctor came in and decided to give it another hour before ordering the c-section. None of us appreciated this and that last hour must have been the worst time of my life. I struggled against the overwhelming urge to push as I knew that it might harm the baby. We were tired to the bone. At 9:15 the nurse called the theater people and they prepped me and wheeled me in. Because I was still getting contractions like non stop the doctor (luckily a different one from the one who called for another hour), had a hard time getting the spinal done, but once it took effect and my body lost feeling I felt as if I went to heaven.<br />
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So, they did their thing and our little girl was born at 11:11. She was in the posterior position and weighed a whooping 3.940kg, which explained why she did not want to come out the natural way. I got only a glimpse of her before they took her away, but hubby stayed with her and got to do some skin to skin. She sucked on his chest hair which was very cute. When they took me to the ward I got to immediately hold our precious bundle and she latched within the first 5 minutes.<br />
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I can honestly say that giving birth to our precious little soul has been the worst and the best day of my life.<br />
<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-10219618379058469292014-09-25T16:49:00.000+02:002014-09-25T16:49:59.168+02:00She Did Arrive!Dear Peeps, I have been trying to update my blog and let you know that our precious little Peanut arrived on the 12th of September but I just cannot seem to find the time to sit down. It is a bit hectic being a new mom, but I am loving every moment. The birth did not go according to plan, but I will tell you about that still. Just want to let you know that she is healthy and adorable.<br />
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Here is a pic of her first snooze out in the real world xxx<br />
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-67607207631646864312014-09-20T14:12:00.003+02:002014-09-20T14:12:44.304+02:00The Bump - Week 40<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-30743310278500005952014-09-05T17:38:00.000+02:002014-09-05T17:38:15.689+02:00And So We WaitWe have reached the end. It has been a wonderful, magical, scary and roller-coaster experience to be pregnant. I have dreamed about it for years and now looking back I can say that it has been an awesome experience and I will forever be grateful that I were blessed to carry this little baby inside of me.<br />
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It feels like a lifetime has gone by since that day we found out but on the other hand it seems like only a blink of an eye. There were a couple of really bad days along the way, but the majority was good, even great. And I felt happy which was odd, but very freeing. I only truly realise now how very frustrating and sad it is to try for a baby month after month after month, only to have to try another month. How much it emptied my soul and influenced my life.<br />
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So our little Miss is due by Monday. Everybody is holding their breaths and waiting in anticipation. Some people were sure that she will show up early but this little Peanut is sticking it out until the end. I do hope that she will not keep us waiting much longer. It is getting a bit crowded in there and we cannot wait to hold her in our arms.<br />
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-15796232426657090592014-08-29T14:01:00.000+02:002014-08-29T14:01:23.506+02:00The Bump - Week 38<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-9308213390093950042014-08-28T13:13:00.000+02:002014-08-28T13:13:02.706+02:00Nursery - Done for NowThe last couple of days I have been really fussing over the nursery. Finishing up the last things and moving them around until I was satisfied. The cupboards are stocked and sorted, the monitor connected and tested and everything cleaned. I am happy with it. It is very plain but functional (I hope!). Once she outgrows the crip I would like to put in a bookcase and decorate the room some more. But for now I think it makes a nice little nest for our little one.<br />
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I took some photo's, but it does not at all do justice as the room is just too small to maneuver and take decent pictures. The top one is a panorama when sitting in the chair by the window.<br />
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So all that lacks is a little baby, which would most probably be resolved within the next 2 weeks. We are all waiting in anticipation for the first sign that our girl is ready to meet the world. Very exciting! </div>
<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-26662618461232838782014-08-22T16:40:00.001+02:002014-08-22T16:40:19.518+02:00Feeling Puffy with 3 Weeks to GoI must admit that this last week was not a great one. Last Friday my feet suddenly puffed up to a point where I had to put away my shoes and revert to wearing sandals - in the winter! Monday upon waking my hands were puffy and there were nasty blue bags under my eyes. I thought well maybe it is because of a lack of sleep - going to the loo 6 times per night does not leave one with a great night's rest. But by mid-day I was still looking puffy so hubby asked the nurse to come check my blood pressure and take a urine sample in case it is something serious like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-eclampsia" target="_blank">preeclampsia</a>. She did find trace amount of protein in my urine, but my blood pressure were fine so we decided to just keep an eye.<br />
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Tuesday we left for the City as I had to go and hand over my work before going on maternity leave at the end of the month. As we left town we first had the nurse check everything again. With no change we decided to push through. Hubby had to attend a seminar in the City that night so we got to the guest house quite late. Wednesday and Thursday I went to the office and by Thursday afternoon we left for home. I was (is) pooped!<br />
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I think the fact that I felt mostly great throughout made me think that I am a bit invincible. I would however advise not to leave anything until the last month to do. Little Miss is descending so it is getting increasingly difficult to walk like a person and not a duck. Sitting, laying and standing is uncomfortable and sleep is apparently for the birds! Hubby is looking increasingly nervous and staring at my tummy which has now reached astonishing proportions. He reminds me of a rugby player ready to be passed the ball - like he is expecting to make a quick catch for in case the baby pops out!<br />
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So yes, our bags are packed and we are ready to welcome our little girl into the world.<br />
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<i>(While we were in the City we were spoiled for a quick photo-shoot by an awesome <a href="http://mommyhoodwithlove.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">friend</a>. Above is my favourite pic.)</i> </div>
<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-58820038092631078062014-08-12T16:58:00.000+02:002014-08-12T16:58:32.245+02:00The Cat the Chair and the WardrobeLife is weird and wonderful. There is a lot of things that I've wished for or wanted throughout my life that I never got. But that was all part of growing up. We were not well-off, so we learned to except that some things we will just have to do without.<br />
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Then there is the other side of the coin. Sometimes I would wish or ask for something, or would just mention that I would really like to have a certain thing and I would get it. Usually not immediately and sometimes not exactly what I had in mind and nothing mind-blowing like winning the lottery, but small everyday things that makes life easier. I have therefor come to believe that if you put something out there in the universe, it gets heard, and sometimes you get the answer you want.<br />
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So, taking you back to a <a href="http://growingourpeanut.blogspot.com/2014/04/nursery-2nd-package-arrived.html" target="_blank">post</a> I wrote in April, and I quote: <i>"It has a small cloth closet which I would like to replace with a wooden one and I need to start looking for a nice chair and then it is done!"</i> So with everything that still needed to be done, and recently the extra expenses we had with my step-dad and hubby's mum there was just not enough left over to go and look for a chair or wardrobe to buy. I thought that we just had to make do with the small cloth closet and maybe ask whether I can borrow a chair somewhere.<br />
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And then the universe answered. A resident of the Home where hubby works recently passed away and when his family came to gather all his belongings they left a chair. Needles to say, it is perfect. Not fancy and new, but very comfy and perfect for the nursery. The cat tested it out and she thinks that it is great as well.<br />
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And then of coarse the wardrobe. A couple of months ago - even before the discovery of the Peanut - our closet collapsed and we were urgently looking to replace it. One Saturday we went to the auction and there was the most beautiful old wardrobe. It was a 3 piece with 2 hanging sides and in the middle 2 shelves and drawers. My grandma use to own a similar wardrobe and I had my sights set on it. But seeing that it was an "antique" the price went up way beyond our budget and we lost out on it. The lady that eventually bought it was from our town, she just bought a house and this was to fit into the new house. We then bought 2 nice closets from a factory shop that was very affordable and fit perfectly into our room. </div>
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About 3 weeks ago we popped into the supermarket and the lady who bought the wardrobe was there. She wanted to know whether we had come right as she had in the mean time sold her house, bough another house and the wardrobe is not fitting in anywhere. She thought that if we still wanted it, she had to give the wardrobe to us... We were speechless. We obviously know what she paid for it and now she just wanted us to have it! Of coarse we said yes, as we needed it for the nursery and wanted it very much. So last night hubby went to fetch it, I cleaned it and packed it and it is absolutely perfect. The right hand side are used for our jackets and coats which were hanging all over the nursery door. The rest are filled with all the lovely goodies we received for our little daughter. </div>
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I am happy. Need to make a couple of adjustments to the room still and hang some things then we are ready for little Miss. Seeing that there is less that a month left we have to get to it sooner rather than later :-) </div>
<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-78819250818613545312014-08-12T15:32:00.000+02:002014-08-12T15:32:12.580+02:00The Bump - Week 36<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-10479455533229263082014-08-04T17:57:00.000+02:002014-08-04T17:57:32.085+02:00Antenatal Class 4 and Hospital VisitSaturday we had our 4th and last class. It covered everything we wanted to know about breastfeeding. I am very motivated to breastfeed exclusively for the 4 months while I am on maternity leave and will try to stretch this for another 2 months in order to try for the exclusive 6 month period as suggested by the <a href="http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/breastfeeding/facts/en/" target="_blank">World Health Organisation</a>.<br />
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I can only hope that everything will go smoothly and according to plan. I do have a lot of support in this area as the clinics and hospitals are really promoting breastfeeding and have a lot of structures in place should one need help.<br />
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On Saturday afternoon we went to the hospital where we are planning to have the birth. I felt that this would help me to mentally prepare and avoid any nasty surprises on the day. As most of you might be aware, some of our government hospitals in South Africa is in a terrible state and just down-right scary. Luckily this is a small country hospital and we were pleasantly surprised. The hospital is very clean and well kept. Is is also well situated with scenic views. The maternity ward is small. It has one delivery room and a back-up room to be used in case that one is full. It has a room with 2 beds for when you are not in active labour yet and a room with 4 beds for when you delivered your precious cargo. It also has a separate room for preemie babies and a full bathroom and toilet.<br />
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The staff are very friendly and they do promote different labour techniques like making use of a gym-ball and walking or squatting. Only once the baby is crowning it is preferred that you lay on the bed in order for them to have easier access to the baby. They also promote skin-to-skin and breastfeeding within the 1st hour of birth.<br />
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So at least I was able to put my mind at rest about the hospital. We will be in good hands.<br />
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-22048915379308542962014-07-29T17:06:00.001+02:002014-07-29T17:06:56.045+02:00What I Will Miss About Being PregnantWith only 6 weeks to go I made a list of 10 things that I will really miss about being pregnant. For me it is a truly magical experience. Yes, there were / are some unpleasantness, which I will probably make a list of as well in order not to fool myself that all was wonderful, but the overall experience for me is great. <br />
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1. Smiles from total strangers<br />
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2. Indulging in "cravings" and luxuries<br />
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3. Being the center of attention and having everybody concerned about my well-being<br />
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4. Feeling the baby's movements, hiccups and kicks<br />
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5. Having an excuse to stay in bed (especially on the cold and rainy days)<br />
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6. No sucking in the tummy<br />
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7. Finding the perfect name<br />
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8. No PMS<br />
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9. Watching my body transform as the baby grows<br />
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10. The love of my life being totally awesome, caring and spoiling me rotten<br />
<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-21094553675083662852014-07-29T17:04:00.000+02:002014-07-29T17:04:26.697+02:00The Bump - Week 34<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-65477236387261135862014-07-21T16:20:00.000+02:002014-07-21T16:20:55.537+02:00Only 7 Weeks Left!Yip, we reached 33 weeks - only 7 more weeks to go! We visited the doctor this morning for what will be our last sonar should all go well. Our little girl is beautiful and healthy, weighing a good 2.5kg and progressing above average.<br />
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She has been extremely busy the whole weekend and last night she made what felt like a somersault (which were quite painful). I told hubby that I though she turned around as with the last scan she was lying head up and according to some friends they felt when their babies turned around. So, whether it was last night, she is now laying head down and ready to descend into the world when the time comes. Everything looks to be in place for a normal birth so now just to get through the last couple of weeks.<br />
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Friends of ours had their little son on Thursday and they cannot stop talking about the little man. We will meet him once they are settled and up to receiving visitors. So we are now really looking forward to also have our little girl in our arms.<br />
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-67309741354371718932014-07-18T16:38:00.000+02:002014-07-18T16:38:45.275+02:00Showered with Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We are not very keen on doing things the "traditional" way only to please people and not have them look at us funny. So when deciding to have a baby shower, I/we decided that we will definitely not go with tradition where a couple of ladies come together, drink tea and make me dump my head in flour, dress funny or eat disgusting things. </div>
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The most important thing was for hubby and the other men to attend as well. The modern man nowadays have just as much input and takes care of the children almost as much as the woman. Hubby has also been right beside me every step of this pregnancy and he loves to be included in everything, as is his right.<br />
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So last Saturday we hosted an "Ooievaarsbraai" (Barbecue). We used the local hotel as a venue as it has enough space to accommodate a fair amount of people and in case of the weather turning nasty it has indoor braai facilities. The weather was typical Western Cape for this time of year - 6 seasons in one day, but we managed to braai outdoors and it tuned out to be a truly lovely day. We had about 40 people attending and received some awesome gifts for our little spoiled madam. </div>
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Then on Thursday the Old Age Home gave us a "surprise" baby shower. It is very difficult for a secret to be kept that way in a small town so we were aware of it. We expected a small gathering with a couple of gifts, so were actually surprised to have a lot of the ladies (and gentleman) attending. We received a bunch of pressies and some very welcome cash. The food was delicious with some awesome finger foods to choose from and a cup of tea / coffee.</div>
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All this made us realise how very lucky we are to have "stumbled" across this little town and be able to settle, make a living and raise our child here. We are loved and our little one will be too and that is a huge blessing. As the saying goes "It takes a village to raise a kid". We are grateful to have this village behind us. </div>
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-25009501347394027322014-07-18T15:55:00.000+02:002014-07-18T15:55:52.748+02:00Antenatal Class 3On the 5th we had our 3rd class which was all about bathing and caring for your newborn. Hubby got some very tragic news just before he had to come and pick me up that 2 of his residents at the Home, together with their sister were in an accident. None of them survived. As he was too busy with the arrangements and breaking the news and giving counseling to the other residents I went on my own. I was also in a bit if a shock as one of the aunties was my absolute favourite, so I'm sure that I've missed some of the things that were discussed in class.<br />
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We had a mom there with her 2 week old boy. He was born at 36 weeks, so were still tiny. But the sweetest little thing and he did not make a peep while they bathed him. I realise that it might not always go as smoothly as that, especially in the beginning while getting the hang of caring for such a small little human being.<br />
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We also touched on problems like colic and over-stimulation and made a list of all the necessities for baby's medicine cabinet.<br />
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All and all it was very informative and helped a great deal to see an actual baby being cared for instead of just reading about it.<br />
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-75557662314432772752014-07-10T10:39:00.000+02:002014-07-10T10:39:17.210+02:00Antenatal Class 2This past Saturday we had our second class. It was a terribly cold and rainy day as far as the weather was concerned. The snow on the mountains made for lovely scenery but the wind was chilly. Luckily the class was nice and cozy and we had some premium coffee and yummy scones to warm us up.<div>
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The topic of the lesson was The Birth. They explained the stages of labour and also the different birth options. We are lucky that we know exactly what we want and also that our plans seems to be in order. I do realise that sometimes things do not go as expected, but at least we are prepared for any surprises as well. The couple in class with us on the other hand are very confused. They are much younger than us and seeing them struggling with this actually makes me glad that we are more mature and in a better position to make informative decisions. They live on a farm and have quite a drive to the hospital. They do not like or trust their gynecologist, but he is the nearest one to them and they also don't want to change doctors in fear of offending him.. He insists on her having a c-section as it will be very inconvenient for them to have to rush from the farm to the hospital when she goes in to labour - I think very inconvenient for him to be waken up in the middle of the night maybe? </div>
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It is a sad fact that South Africa has one of the highest c-section rates in the world at 76% of all deliveries performed via c-section. I believe that this has its place as an emergency procedure or where natural birth is not possible. Unfortunately we are bombarded with media and doctors trying to convince us that this is the "safer" option. </div>
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So I was extremely disappointed by the videos shown to us portraying the different kinds of births. The videos came as a package and was sponsored by a well known diaper company. The natural birth shown a black lady, all alone giving birth in a state hospital. By the looks of the room not one of the "better" ones (also a sad fact that our state hospitals are in a terrible state).. The delivery itself was ok to look at but one could not help but notice the shabby bedding, stained walls and run-down look of the room and obviously the fact that she had no support but for the nurse attending to the delivery. </div>
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The c-section on the other hand was filmed at a private up-market hospital in Sandton. It was a white couple having their second baby and they were all happy and smiley, the husband being very supportive and being at his wife's side during the whole procedure, the team of doctors very professional and the theater spotless with all the high quality machinery. </div>
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Why they could not show a woman having a natural birth in a private hospital, being supported by her husband goes beyond me. No wonder our South African woman are afraid to go for this option, if this is the kind of educational material distributed by trusted companies. </div>
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Although the 2 nurses running our baby clinic are encouraging natural birth, I am almost convinced that the other couple will now definitely opt for the c-section. Sad, I believe that woman should be proud of their bodies and should be comfortable in making a decision to opt for a natural birth, without having fear drive them to make other choices. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.where2stay-southafrica.com/blog/destinations/exploring-overberg" target="_blank"><i>Source</i></a></td></tr>
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Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-10229740439899730262014-07-09T17:09:00.002+02:002014-07-09T17:09:40.948+02:00The Bump - Week 31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-77887894308311514712014-07-09T16:53:00.000+02:002014-07-09T16:53:28.907+02:00Cruising AlongThe other morning my cleaning lady commented on how nice it is to work for me as I never complain about being pregnant. Apparently she had worked at places before where the pregnant ladies thought it was their right to complain and be nasty and horrible, blaming it on being pregnant. I told her thank you, and that I do not see the use of being nasty and horribly just because I have something to blame it on. And after waiting and dreaming for 5 years to be pregnant I will feel rather horrible to complain about anything.<br />
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And sure, it hasn't all been easy. There has been aches and pains and funny things happening to my body. The latest is a pain in my bum muscle which prevents me from walking like a normal human being and makes it very uncomfortable to sleep.<br />
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But all in all I am healthy, the baby is healthy and everything progressing nicely. The bump is getting quite big now and I can only wonder how much it will still expand in this last 8 and a half weeks. Yip, time waits for no-one. I am so very curious to meet this girl of ours and cannot wait to hold her in my arms. But I am also adamant to enjoy and appreciate this last couple of weeks. We have been blessed to be able to go through this experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://gde-fon.com/download/woman-mum-pregnancy-stomach/335544/1680x1050" target="_blank">Source</a></i></td></tr>
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Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652913562065311423.post-83021144278418890232014-06-12T17:22:00.000+02:002014-06-12T17:22:42.232+02:00Antenatal Class 1Saturday we had our first class. It was very informative and really worth attending in preparation for the birth of our little girl.<br />
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We are very fortunate to have this facility in our little town. The baby clinic and classes are run by 2 qualified and experienced nurses. They are both great people and very passionate about what they are doing.<br />
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During our first lesson we covered the birth-plan, signs of labour, danger signs, pain, effective pushing and positions for labour. We also had some nice snacks and tea and the moms got a foot massage.<br />
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I'm looking forward to your next class - which is only in July - in order to gain some more knowledge. It really makes a difference to have someone explain things to you than just to read about it.<br />
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<br />Juanitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17269924013690366943noreply@blogger.com0