Brazilian women rebel against cesarean births

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This article made me want to stand up, raise my fist in the air, and sing something about solidarity and the power of women. If you think that you can't change things, that your voice is too small and too insignificant, remember that huge changes in maternity care have come about from regular people like you. Power to the people!

Here's an excerpt from the article by the AP: Brazilian women rebel against cesarean births.

More women are pushing for more of a say in childbirth — whether by C-section or naturally, at home or in a hospital, with a midwife or a medical doctor. As patients in doctors' offices and street protesters reject the pressure to have surgical births, the federal government is investing billions of dollars into a natural childbirth campaign, including the building of hospitals devoted to maternal care.
"We need to have a serious discussion in this country to see what can be done to change this culture," said Olimpio Moraes Filho, one of the head doctors with the Brazilian Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "Women are starting to rebel, and they should."
A tipping point came in July, when a medical regulating agency in Rio de Janeiro forbade doctors from doing home births and labor coaches known as doulas from helping out in hospitals, saying "there are many complications possible during labor that require immediate medical attention."
In response, women organized marches in 13 cities. In Sao Paulo, they bared their breasts and carried posters reading "Our Children, Our Decision" while chanting "Brazil, don't follow Rio's example." They enacted natural births using dolls covered with Portuguese words reading "Born Free."

 

You're a bad parent if your kid walks to school?

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We've been walking Zari to and from kindergarten. It seemed the most logical of our three options (walk, ride the bus, or drive) since we only live 1 km away. If Zari rode the bus, she'd have to leave the house almost an hour earlier, and she'd get home 1 to 1 1/2 hours later. That adds up to over 2 hours on the bus per day. Driving was out of the question; why drive when our legs are perfectly capable of getting us there?

So far we've enjoyed our twice daily walks. Eric and I switch off walking duty depending on who is teaching that day. We get time with Zari and we get extra exercise. Sounds like the perfect scenario, right?

Yes, except that we have to cross a Death Trap road on the way. It's a state highway that runs through town, and there are no stop signs or stoplights in probably a mile either direction. There's a flashing light that goes on during school hours. This means that cars are supposed to slow down to 25 mph, but no one does. Every time we cross the street, it's like we're inside a giant game of Frogger (this totally dates me!).

I first contacted the school transportation department to inquire about crossing guards. After all, the road where we're crossing is the main entrance into the elementary school and to the county fairgrounds. The reply? They used to supply a crossing guard at that intersection, but not any more. They told me to talk to the police department.

So I met with the chief of police and explained my concerns--that the school no longer provided a crossing guard and that I was having real troubles getting us safely across the street, especially during the morning rush. He sympathized with my situation and said he'd send some patrol cars out in the morning, but otherwise he coudln't do much else. He suggested talking to someone in the state transportation department, since traffic signs on that road are regulated by the state, not by the city.

This morning I spoke to a woman at the state transportation department. I explained our difficulties crossing the road and asked if they would consider doing a traffic survey to put in either stop signs or a stop light. I told her I'd already met with the school transportation coordinator and the police chief, and they both told me they couldn't do much else to help me. Her response:

"You really should have your daughter ride the bus."

I explained that this option made no sense in our situation. We live close to the school, and riding the bus would take an extra 2+ hours out of my daughter's day. Her reply:

"Well, you're the one who's choosing to put your daughter in danger. You're choosing your convenience over her safety. She has a safe option, and that's to ride the bus."

Excuse me?! When did walking your child to school mean that you're a bad, selfish parent? I abandoned any niceties and dropped my polite tone. I said that it was not just a choice between convenience and safety. After all, we're facing major obesity and pollution crises in this country. I feel very strongly that it's an irresponsible choice to put my child on a bus for 2 hours a day, or to drive her to school (as many parents at this school do), when we're perfectly capable of walking. The solution isn't just to put my daughter on a bus; it's to help us find a way to safely cross the street.

Her reply:

"In my town, I have several friends who live across the street from an elementary school, and they all have their children ride the bus because it's safer than crossing the street."

The then told me that she likely couldn't do anything to help me, and to talk to the school and the police again.

Can anyone else see what's wrong with this picture? Is there anything else I can do? (I do have something really subversive up my sleeve...more on that later!)
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Dio's weaning party

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When Zari finished nursing at 3 1/2, we threw her a "nursing party" to celebrate. Nursing parties are now a family tradition, and Dio has been waiting his turn for the past several weeks. Finally we got around to making a cake.

At his request, he wanted a "race car cake." Then he added, "a Lightning McQueen cake!" (He spent a few weeks this summer with a Cars-obsessed cousin.) I wasn't about to go overboard and try this. Instead we made a decent replica with M&Ms.

I love you, Dio, and I'm so proud of you!

Book Review: The Midwife of Hope River

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I recently had the pleasure of reading Patricia Harman's third book and first novel, The Midwife of Hope River. The novel follows a fledgling midwife during the Great Depression. Fleeing from her troubled past as a union organizer, Patience Murphy moves to rural West Virginia to begin a new life. She finds herself on her own--as a woman and as a midwife--after her midwife mentor dies.

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Conditions in rural West Virginia are so primitive that Patience might have been living in the 17th or 18th century. Patience is one of two midwives in the county; the other is an old black "granny midwife" and well on her way to permanent retirement. Only the very wealthy can afford the county's sole obstetrician, so Patience finds herself with a rising caseload. Births were much the same as they would have been centuries previously; with hospital backup all but impossible for most residents, Patience has to learn how to handle just about everything herself.

The book isn't just about childbirth and midwives, though. It's a story about race relations, about American labor & union activism, about the development of obstetrics and the relegation of midwives to poor and rural populations. Most importantly, The Midwife of Hope River is a story of a woman coming to terms with her past and learning how to live--and love--again.

The book was a fun, absorbing read. If you love curling up with a good book, then you won't want to miss Patricia Harman's latest work!

Available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble, and Indie Bound. To meet Patrician Harmon in person, go to one of her book tour events! If she isn't coming to your area, you can follow her virtual book tour.

For more about Patricia Harman's writing, visit her website, Facebook page, or Twitter account. You might also be interested in my review of her memoir Arms Wide Open. 

Professor breastfeeds in class: What's the big deal?

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Why do we need feminism? Aren't we, like, so over that?

Here's a story sure to make your jaw drop:

American University professor Adrienne Pine woke up to teach the first day of her feminist anthropology class. Her infant daughter had a cold and a fever, which meant she could not go to day care. This professor was a single mother with no one else available to watch her baby on short notice. She weighed her options: cancel the first day of class (which would disrupt the class schedule and could negatively affect her tenure evaluations) or bring her baby to class. She chose the second option. When her baby became fussy, the professor breastfed her baby, who promptly fell asleep.

Now this has turned into a major controversy, with several students remarking on how "unprofessional" it was to nurse a baby in front of them. One male student--who later dropped the class--commented: “I found it unprofessional. I was kind of appalled.”

How twisted is it that this is even a controversy! You'd think that students in a feminist anthropology class titled "Sex, Gender & Culture" would embrace this as a fantastic opportunity for discussion and exploration.

When I was a graduate student, one of my fellow students brought her newborn to class. All of us, including the professor, were happy to have her baby present. After all, it was a Maternal/Child Health class--hard to imagine a more appropriate setting for a breastfeeding student!  I loved watching her nurse and care for her baby while actively participating as a student. She was a great role model for me (and later became a close friend).

What I find most remarkable is the absence of discussion on the most pressing issues: The lack of options for working parents who suddenly find themselves without childcare. The inherent sexist bias that labels lactating as "unprofessional."  Nope, we can't think that far ahead. All we can focus on are...gasp...The Breasts. Sexism and gender bias continue to thrive, keeping us mired in these infantile (ha!) debates about breastfeeding.


For further reading:

• Professor Adrienne Pine's explanation of what happened in Exposéing My Breasts on the Internet
• Washington Post article: American University professor breast-feeds sick baby in class, sparking debate

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21 Weeks Pregnant

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I felt like my posts were getting a little bland, so I thought I would spice it up with a little bit of my personal opinion. This post is an honest TMI post. Remember it is a pregnancy blog so if you don’t want to know the details of being pregnant you probably shouldn’t read it!

There are two types of girls, complainers and tough girls. Well, that is what I use to think. I could hardly stand to hear pregnant girls complain about how miserable they were every single day and every single moment. So I decided I was going to be the tough girl when I got pregnant, and I was with Lincoln, but I recently decided tough girls are the most annoying girls of all! There is a nice balance between being tough and complaining. Pregnancy is no piece of cake and it comes along with strange symptoms; stretch marks, weight gain, swollen hands and face, nausea, varicose veins, gas, stomach cramps, bone aches, larger hips, tender boobs and well pretty much every thing a girl could possibly not want.

This post I decided I would share some of the awful symptoms I have experienced. No I definitely do not think it is healthy to sit around and complain, but I do believe in being honest. If some girl is telling you how she gained hardly any weight, didn’t swell, had no stretch marks and experienced no pregnancy symptoms, chances are she isn’t being very honest with you.  Of course there are the rare few that really don't. I haven't had a lot of symptoms and my pregnancies are really easy, but I want people to realize I am human too! Although there are times I forget I am pregnant there are still the little reminders that I am.

This past week has been excellent! I have felt great, but I also feel pregnant. Whenever I exercise I get this terrible pain in my pubic bone. It feels like someone kicked me in the crotch. Ouch! It happened with Lincoln further along in my pregnancy. At night my hips ache, and I constantly have to change positions to put pressure off my hips. When I take a shower my legs turn all purple and blotchy, gross! My limbs go numb all time if I sit in any position for too long. It is so weird!

As for stretch marks….

I have to talk about stretch marks because they are a worry for every pre-pregnant girl, pregnant girl and post pregnant girl. I haven’t gotten any new stretch marks….yet….. but I am sure I will get them. Last time I got them on my lower hips, butt and my chest. I cried for a good night because I felt so ugly. Most people probably have no idea I even have them. It isn’t something I show off(obviously) but I also recognize that stretch marks are apart of pregnancy. I could care less if people know I have them now! It doesn’t make me less pretty, they are scars that show what I  went through to have children. They happen to almost everyone, on the belly, on the boobs, on the butt and even on the legs. Nothing is more annoying to me when girls brag about how they don’t have any stretch marks and act like they are better than those who do. Chances are everyone has them somewhere, even my husband has them (don’t tell him I told you!). I even got some when I was growing in high school! The point is, if you have them, don’t feel bad! If you are scared to get them, don’t worry! Most of mine have completely faded and the deeper ones on my hips were not noticeable at all after I got back into shape. A few of my friends got them on their stomachs really bad, but after some exercise they were almost impossible to see without really trying to look. There is literally nothing you can do to prevent them because they are genetic but don’t worry because it is normal.

As for other awful symptoms, they aren’t here yet, but they are right around the corner.

Swelling, my hands have already started to swell, but my face will swell lots towards the end. Last time I didn’t think I swelled at all, until I look back at pictures.

Wider hips and ribcage: My hips will spread along with my ribs and honestly when I look at pictures post-pregnancy I think my round curves are much more attractive than stick thin. I didn’t realize I had gotten any bigger below until my baby belly was gone. I remember a few weeks after having Lincoln, I was feeling my ribs and boy were they far apart! There is no way I could fit into my high school prom dresses anymore. I am built more like a women and not like a teenager, nothing wrong with that. It’s called growing up.

Weight Gain: Every woman is different and I constantly have to remind myself that it is healthy to gain weight. Some only gain 15 pounds while others gain 40. Your body knows what you need and as long as you are eating healthy and a good caloric amount you will gain what you need to gain. With Lincoln I gained 20 pounds, but I have gained 14 pounds already this pregnancy (I gained another pound this week) and still have 19 weeks to go.

Embrace the beauty of pregnancy and all the crazy things that come along with it!  Most of all stay positive, active and healthy and you will enjoy your pregnancy. BUT don’t be ashamed to complain and ask your husband for foot massages and get a little extra pampering because you are carrying a baby and therefore you deserve a little extra love!

Now back to my regular boring posts.  This week baby is as long as a carrot!

I thought I would do a little side by side comparison from last time. I can definitely tell that I am carrying different this time around. For one my shirts are feeling tighter and the dress I wore on Sunday is ready to be stored away for later, it was a tight fit,  but my pants are still loose. With my acid reflux, I am guessing I am carrying higher.

 

 

22 Weeks Pregnant

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I have the hardest time taking pictures on the day of. I just don’t have the time! Tonight while making dinner, Scott snapped a quick picture while I cooked. Speaking of dinner, I have become OBSESSED with cooking. Anyone that knows me, knows that I HATE cooking. I always have and I was determined to always hate it, but something happened and I believe that “something” is pregnancy. I enjoy cooking and trying different recipes now, weird. I don’t think we have eaten the same thing twice in the past two months. Good, yummy, homemade food is what I crave and now that we are 12 hours away from my mom who cooked us the yummiest Sunday dinners, I now get my fix every day cooking myself. Yet it is more than just good food, I want to be healthy for my baby and oh my gosh did I find the BEST website for healthy recipes in the entire WORLD!

skinnytaste.com

Holy crap! I LOVE her recipes and I LOVE how healthy and tasty they are! For the past two months I have been a cooking machine and now the thought of making anything from a box makes me want to gag. Why would I ever put that nasty stuff into my body or my child's? Can you say hydrogenated oils? They are in most packaged foods and it is basically like eating plastic. Scott thinks I am insane, but I take it as a compliment. I thought it would be hard to stop eating hydrogenated oils, but as long as you make everything from scratch and don’t use nasty margarine, oils or shortening you don’t even realize you are avoiding it. Of course eating healthy doesn’t stop me from cooking LOTS of sweets and treats.

I made these yummy sour cream sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting. Mmmmmmmm!

 

They were gone in three days, whoops!

Besides cooking, I went through Lincoln’s baby clothes to decide what I needed to buy and sort out the clothes that were worn, stained or out of style. While I was going through the clothes, Lincoln would get so excited and say, “This was my FAVORITE baby shirt!” or “These were my Favorite baby boops(boots)”. It made me laugh pretty hard.

The other day I was laying on my back and scratching my belly(sounds gross but my skin is so itchy!) and my belly was sticking out, Lincoln came over and said, “WHAT is in THERE mom?”. He doesn’t quite understand what is going on yet.

But what is going on is pretty exciting! Baby is 11 inches long and about a pound. He looks like a baby with his perfect lips, eyes and eyebrows. He even has lanugo, fine hair, covering his body.

He is the size of a spaghetti squash:

I have been feeling really good this week! Nothing too exciting and no changes. My total weight gain is 14lbs and I can tell my belly is about to pop right out there any day. It feels so tight! The “fat” stage should be over with in no time, I can’t wait! I need to go buy my some pregnant clothes because these ones won’t last much longer. Yay!

23 Weeks Pregnant

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All about the bladder

My bladder takes over my life when I am pregnant. I constantly have the “urge to pee” and if I can go three straight hours without rushing to the bathroom it is a miracle. At night I make sure I go right before bed and then wake up twice in the middle of the night. It is exhausting and just plain annoying!

Last Friday, Lincoln and I went to the park to throw rocks and play in the water. I made sure to go to the bathroom before. I promise. I’m not sure if it was being around water but the moment we got there I had to pee. First mistake, I decided to hold it. After two hours, yes two whole hours, I was bouncing and told Lincoln it was time to go. He needed to finish throwing all his rocks. Maybe I am a terrible mom, but after watching him take his time throwing several rocks, I kicked the rest of the rocks in the lake with one quick sweep of the foot, “They’re gone, time to go buddy!”. I began walking quickly to the car and who knows what he was doing, crawling? Ugh! I grabbed him and began running. He lost his shoe. I put his shoe back on. Eventually we made it to the car and once the car was started I breathed a sigh of relief, only three miles to the house. That’s when it happened. I could feel the sneeze coming on. “Crap!” I thought as I crossed my legs and sneezed hoping with hope that it wouldn’t happen. Oh but it happened. Yes, I peed my pants. A grown woman, how embarrassing! It wasn’t too horrible, but bad enough that I did need to change some clothes.

This baby is on my bladder. Oh does he love bouncing on my bladder. I feel like I am nine months pregnant the way I run to the bathroom, cross my legs and smack Scott when he gets me laughing a little more than I can handle. By the end of this pregnancy I will probably be wearing depends.

Other than bladder problems, everything is growing nicely. I gained another pound this week making my total 15 pounds.

This week baby’s lungs are developing stronger and believe it or not if baby was born there is a very minimal chance of survival, but still a chance. Amazing!

Baby is the size of a large mango;

and here is my little mango:

24 Weeks Pregnant

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As I approach the third trimester, the “honeymoon stage” of the second trimester is quickly fading. I feel like I am going to explode! Whenever I eat too much I roll around in pain because it is so hard to breathe with all that pressure. The other night Scott and I went to a ward dinner event. We had already gone to a movie and had snacked throughout it, so when we got to the dinner I was already full. But hey, why not stuff myself some more? Big mistake! After eating, Scott looked over at my bright red, pained face and asked if I was going to pass out. I wasn’t going to pass out, but I was feeling a bit hot and stuffed. They were giving some very spiritual talks but I couldn’t take much longer and I got up to use the bathroom. I am glad the bathroom was empty because I spent the next 15 minutes jumping up and down, touching my toes, hanging from a stall door, loosening my pants, shoving my belly out and rolling around hoping that maybe I could get some more room in there. Eventually I gave up and left. Scott was standing outside the door looking very concerned. He had been debating about busting in the women’s bathroom to heroically save me because he was sure I had died in there. I am so grateful my husband is understanding of my pregnancy pains. We left early and I waddled to the car. Yes I have begun waddling, and yes I look like an idiot because I am not that far along yet.

Sometimes I wonder where this baby is going to fit when he gets bigger!

Right now he is the size of an ear of corn:

 

But one day he will be the size of a small pumpkin:

How in the heck is a pumpkin going to fit if I am already choking on corn!?!

Other than dying from food, I feel great! On Wednesday, we went to my doctor’s appointment for another ultra-sound and it was great to see my little boy again. He is still a boy! He is also healthy, healthy and Lincoln got to see him. When she was showing us the baby Lincoln said, “he is smiling!”. When she showed us his spine Lincoln shouted “he has teeth!” and then while looking at the head he said '”he is a circle”. We thought it was funny that he was so interested in the baby and shouting out what he thought he was seeing. Lincoln also felt the baby move for the first time this week. I was reading him his bedtime story and while I read, he held his hand on my stomach. When he got a kick to the hand he sat up and stared at my belly and asked, “what is in there mom?”. I keep telling him it is a baby, but I am sure he thinks mom is getting fat with an alien.

As for the exciting news, we decided on a name! Yay! I thought for sure our little boy was going to be nameless. I really wanted to have his name picked out before because it helps with bonding. It makes him seem more like a person and already apart of the family. We have decided to not tell anyone the name, but we will give you a hint:

It is a name of a car

Now for stats: This week I gained another two pounds making the total 17 pounds. Sometimes I feel like the weight is going to all the wrong places, like my love handles, thighs and rear end, but I am just thankful that my little boy is healthy and growing, even if it means I have to grow all odd-shaped too.

My belly is really starting to pop!

Here is my bare belly:

26 Weeks Pregnant

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I missed last week because we went to Idaho for awhile. It was great to see my family, but I don’t think I will be driving much during my pregnancy anymore. I felt great clear up until last Sunday when I played steal the flag with my family. I was doing good until I had to get someone out of jail and ran my little heart out. Of course I didn’t get caught! I am faster than my brother even pregnant. Yet, after that run I couldn’t walk anymore. I dragged myself to the house where I laid down and tried to get the pain in my pubic bone to go away. It hurt so bad! I could hardly sleep that night and every time I moved I would cry out in pain. The next day my brother, who is a Chiropractor, worked on me and I felt much better. I waddled for a few days, but at least I wasn’t fighting back tears with every movement.

I have gained another three pounds, making the total 20. I seriously cannot believe that I am six months pregnant. It is incredible! Baby is moving lots and I occasionally get a kick to the ribs. My acid reflux has been non-existent lately and I think it is because my stomach has finally popped out. I think I look bigger in real life than this picture. Probably because I am standing up straight when I usually am all sloppy posture! I finally went out and bought a new bra and oh my gosh can I breathe! I need to go buy some bigger shirts and pants. It is crazy how much prettier I feel when I wear clothes that actually fit. It would be great to say “I wore the same clothes my entire pregnancy” but let’s be honest, that would not be very flattering, even if I was only belly.

 

27 Weeks Pregnant

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This week I got to welcome the third trimester!

That means two trimesters down and only one left to go. What are my thoughts and feelings? I am beyond excited! In just 13 short weeks I get to welcome this little guy into the world. I love newborns and how sweet, tiny and perfect they are. I am also scared! Will I be able to handle TWO kids? Will I be able to love this little guy as much as I love Lincoln? Will Lincoln feel replaced and sad? So many emotions and feelings.

I have felt A-mazing this week! Seriously! I haven’t had a single symptom of being pregnant, besides constant kicks to the ribs and sides, not even acid-reflux or pain in the pubic bone. Maybe the honeymoon stage of the second trimester will linger a little longer. Cross my fingers!

Baby is doing good and growing wonderfully. I swear he kicks me all day long and it is starting to get a little painful but I enjoy every moment. I went to my doctor’s appointment and I am measuring right on, healthy, healthy. He is now the size of cauliflower!

Here I am. I finally went and bought a couple of new shirts and a pair of shorts. My sister-in-law gave me this maternity skirt and I love it.

 

29 weeks pregnant

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These last couple of weeks have been wonderful! Baby is growing and weighs in at 2 1/2 pounds! He moves all the time and we all love watching my belly roll with movement. Pregnancy has become a natural part of my life. It is hard to imagine my stomach not moving and I can't remember what it was like to have a flat stomach. It seems like this buldge has always been here and as strange as it might be, it is comforting.  I don't "feel" pregnant because I can't quite remember what not being pregnant feels like.

We recently moved again and it was a last minute decision that forced me to pack up the entire house by myself. I even loaded half the U-haul. Scott had to work and I was forced to do it alone. We then moved and unloaded in basically one day. Thankfully we had some family in Everett to help us unload furniture and Scott's cousin helped us load. As awful as those two days were, I am so happy to be in our new place! It is beautiful and it makes me excited to decorate baby's room!

Not a lot to say. I gained two pounds making the total 23. I have become quite awkward. When I try to stand up I fall down because my balance is off. I have also started snoring and sometimes it gets loud and I wake up myself. I pee like every hour during the day, but only once or twice at night.

Here I am and a small look at what I packed:

30 Weeks Pregnant

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I made it to the 30's! I made it to the 30's! I seriously cannot believe that I am basically seven months pregnant. Yay! Time is definitely flying by and although I am not quite ready for baby to be here I am definitely getting there. Soon I will be hoping for the little guy to make his appearance but I am not to that point yet. Getting there.

Lincoln on the other hand is beyond excited and ready. He thinks I am growing a best friend for him to play with, which I am, but he won't come out throwing balls and pushing trucks around like Lincoln is hoping for. Several times a day he asks if he can come out yet and play. He asks if he is sleeping, or kicking me and sometimes will put toys on my belly for the baby to kick. It makes me so happy that he is already bonding with baby when he isn't here yet. Of course he will struggle when he comes and has to share our attention, but I think being older and understanding will make it easier to explain.

I have once again felt great this week. A few weeks ago I was in way worse pain than I am now. Which is kind of backwards, but my body just needed to adjust to the changes. I started sewing a few things for baby and preparing his room. It still has a long way to go, but there is plenty of time.

I have to find another doctor because we moved. Gag! This will be number four. It makes it difficult for me to even want to schedule an appointment so I keep putting it off.

I am nervous to add another person to the family and so we have spent a lot of time together enjoying these last months as just the three of us. It really makes me enjoy everyday moments and not wish away my pregnancy that I see so many expectant mothers do. Pregnancy is an exciting time and as painful as it is, don't wish it away. There are so few times you will get to experience that kicking baby and many women who can't experience it ever, so enjoy the moments and the time with your family before baby arrives.

This week baby is the length of a cucumber and approaching 3 lbs. He is getting stronger and stronger and could now grasp my finger tightly.

I definitely feel his kicks getting stronger but they feel more like shoves because he has very little room to swing a leg. I have gained 23 pounds. I wore a tight shirt so you can really see how big my belly is. I love it! I couldn't be prouder and I tell anyone and everyone I am pregnant.
Look at that big belly!

And here is my bare belly

Epidural or No Epidural

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I find it quite sad the war that goes on between women who deliver naturally and those who take the epidural. There is no special award for going through hours of a painful labor and it certainly does not make you a better mom or more of a woman than someone who chooses to skip the pain. Of course it didn't start at labor and it doesn't end there either. Many women can't conceive on their own without the help of medicine, some can't conceive at all and choose adoption. Does that make them less of a mom? Certainly not, and it definitely doesn't make them any less womanly than Miss Fertile Myrtle. After labor, some women struggle to breastfeed and resort to formula. Some women don't even bother to try breastfeeding at all. Some will breastfeed for eighteen months. Whether baby is fed with breastmilk or formula doesn't matter. Guess why? No matter what route we go to get our baby, no matter what process that baby comes and how that baby is fed, the final goal is the same for all of us, we want a baby to love and care about and we are doing the best we can. So let's all stop judging and pointing fingers at eachother.

With that said, let me go back to epidurals. When I delivered Lincoln, I planned on getting an epidural from the beginning and when the time came to have him, it worked out that I was able to receive the epidural. Everything went more than smooth. I had no negative effects from the drug and it ended up being the best twelve hours of my life. After getting the epidural I ran into a number of women who went naturally and some who wished to go naturally. I thought they were amazing! Hours of pain was something that I was not willing to experience. All of the ladies were sweet, they respected my method and I respected them. In fact I didn't even know about this "epidural war" until I met a girl who insisted on forcing her opinion on everyone and even told me, "If people who got epidurals actually did the research they wouldn't get one" or my favorite "I would never take the risk of hurting my baby". Mind you, she has never had a baby and likes to press parenting advice too. I always kept my mouth shut, but it seems quite silly to think that women who get epidurals are uneducated and selfish. I did my research and was overly impressed with how few risks come from the epidural. Before having Lincoln, I thought I might end up paralyzed if I got one. Thankfully I DID the research and found this NOT to be the case. There are always going to be risks dealing with any drug and it is important to know these risks, but there are also benefits.

This time around I have thought about going naturally. One of my friends just had her baby naturally and her birth story is so absolutely beautiful that it made me think about not getting an epidural. However, after re-reading my own labor story I realized my experience was just as wonderful and I hope this time goes as great as last time. That's the beauty of it all, no matter what you decide to do it is your story and that makes it the best!

Because I have never experienced going natural, I can't give advice on it. But I can tell my experience on getting an Epidural. Here are some of the benefits from my personal experience:
-No pain
-I got to laugh and joke around with my husband for hours and not worry a moment about anything.
-I got to take a nap and get some energy for the active labor.
- I could talk on the phone and keep family updated about how labor was going.
-My body was completely relaxed and I didn't suffer any emotional or psychological effects from the pain.
-When it came time to push, the nurses let me know and baby was out in a half-hour.
-I got complete attention from the nurses as they constantly needed to check my blood pressure and IVs.
-After labor, I had zero pain and recovery was painless. No joke, it was painless.
-I have no fear or anxiety over labor this time around and look forward to delivery because it was literally the most enjoyable twelve hours of my life.

This was my experience. I was one of the very common who don't experience any effects, but there is always that chance. Do the research. Look up the risks, but don't Google and try to find the one in a million horror story because if you want to find proof that an epidural will kill you, you will find it. Believe me, I was positive my Lincoln was going to come out with two heads because it has happened before.

I have decided to go with an epidural because that is what is right for my baby and me.

Whatever you decide is up to you and don't let anyone make you feel inferior or lesser of a woman for your choice. Remember it is your story to tell, so live it how you want to!

31Weeks Pregnant

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I made it to the single digits! Yep, only nine weeks left and that means it is time to get ready for baby.

This week I set up his room. We got his crib built and his bedding washed, ironed and made and curtains hung. The swing is built, the bouncer in the corner and the carseat scrubbed down and washed. I painted over some scratches and dents in his crib and scrubbed every last inch of everything. I want it to be new for him. Then I prepared his baby stuff and set up a list of things I need to buy each week over the next couple of months. Not a lot to buy, but we do need a few things, like diapers, wipes, hangers, socks and pajamas. Just small things but nothing I am going to want to run out to the store and buy when we get home from the hospital.

It was really good for me, well us, to set up his room and buy baby stuff. I have been excited but now I am REALLY excited. I get that butterfly feeling in my belly and have thought plenty about labor. I constantly have braxton hicks! My stomach hardens up into a ball and cramps, but nothing abnormal and it just feels like a menstrual cramp. I had braxton hicks all the time with Lincoln, but every time my belly tightens, I wonder if I will go into pre-term labor. My belly has been developing a faint line down it for awhile but it is really clear now. I got it with Lincoln too. Both my sisters didn't get it and most girls I know don't. The nice thing about it is after the baby is born the line gives this optical illusion like I have a six pack, haha, I am totally kidding. Eventually it fades. Also my belly button is starting to go all outty on me, well half of it is and the other half is really deep. All sorts of funny.

Lincoln still asks every day if baby can come out and play and loved setting up his room with me.
I haven't been exercising at all, but we have started swimming in our pool and almost every night we relax in the hot tub. These past few weeks has been really relaxing to me and I have been soaking up every moment. With Lincoln I was completely worried about something being wrong or him coming too early, facial defects, deformities, you name it. I would literally sit on the computer and Google every possible thing that could go wrong during labor or what horrible disabilites my baby could have. I would cry, stress and have anxiety over it. Every time Lincoln wasn't kicking I would be in tears. I am not sure what the difference is this time but I have felt completely at peace. It might be that I miscarried two babies and know that there is simply nothing I can do to stop bad things from happening. Whatever God decides to do, he will do, and I have just left it in his hands. There is no sense in worrying myself sick over every "if", and "if" something does happen I will deal with it then.

I am also SO excited to see my mom and dad! They will be here on the 24th of July to help. Scott and I were talking about how it seems more real that my parents are coming than that a baby is coming. I have to remind myself that they are coming to see my baby and not me because I keep wanting to plan activities to do with them. Then I remember the only activity I will be wanting to do is sleep.

I scheduled a doctors appointment for next week. I guess we will see if I even like this doctor, but I will only see him possibly four times before I deliver, so I sadly don't care too much. I will deliver in the same building my appointments are in, so yet again a huge building.

Overall, I'm doing great and baby is growing fast! Over these next weeks he will be growing half a pound a week and is already four pounds! Four pounds! I swear he has got to be more like twenty pounds because that's what it feels like. Not too much room in there.

Here is the belly! As a side note, this skirt is the only one I will be wearing to church anymore. Last week to fit in a dress I had to have Scott zip it up. He was laughing so hard because there literally was four inches between the zippers by my shoulders. I ended up wearing a jacket over it in case the entire back ripped out. I have three pairs of pants that fit and I usually walk around with the zipper undone anyways.

18 months old!

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Inga has definitely earned the title "toddler." Goodbye, baby. Hello, little girl. She's one of the pack now, following her siblings around and imitating whatever they're doing.


New words since last month:

• juice
• baby
• cup
• push
• shoe (said the right way with much emphasis--she loves wearing shoes!)
• Dio (dao)
• ball
• moi ("me" in French)
• num (when she wants to eat)
• toes
• no
• yay
• cheese
• apple
• pastèque ("watermelon" in French) 
• wow
• ow
• thank you

Many of these words are hard for others to distinguish, but at least we know what she's saying. I remember that Zari, unlike Inga, enunciated her words perfectly from the start.

No other big changes to report. Inga's still nursing 2-3 times a day. Still haven't caught a single pee or poop. She's really interested in pottying, though. She signs "potty" whenever one of us is going, and often she'll want to sit on her potty, too. I just wish she hadn't forgot how to go!

She's started wanting to run and walk everywhere, rather than ride in her stroller. On a typical day she'll ride half the time and run the rest. This can add up to a mile or more of running every day. She's going to be a very fast kid if she keeps this up.
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Professor breastfeeds in class: What's the big deal?

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Why do we need feminism? Aren't we, like, so over that?

Here's a story sure to make your jaw drop:

American University professor Adrienne Pine woke up to teach the first day of her feminist anthropology class. Her infant daughter had a cold and a fever, which meant she could not go to day care. This professor was a single mother with no one else available to watch her baby on short notice. She weighed her options: cancel the first day of class (which would disrupt the class schedule and could negatively affect her tenure evaluations) or bring her baby to class. She chose the second option. When her baby became fussy, the professor breastfed her baby, who promptly fell asleep.

Now this has turned into a major controversy, with several students remarking on how "unprofessional" it was to nurse a baby in front of them. One male student--who later dropped the class--commented: “I found it unprofessional. I was kind of appalled.”

How twisted is it that this is even a controversy! You'd think that students in a feminist anthropology class titled "Sex, Gender & Culture" would embrace this as a fantastic opportunity for discussion and exploration.

When I was a graduate student, one of my fellow students brought her newborn to class. All of us, including the professor, were happy to have her baby present. After all, it was a Maternal/Child Health class--hard to imagine a more appropriate setting for a breastfeeding student!  I loved watching her nurse and care for her baby while actively participating as a student. She was a great role model for me (and later became a close friend).

What I find most remarkable is the absence of discussion on the most pressing issues: The lack of options for working parents who suddenly find themselves without childcare. The inherent sexist bias that labels lactating as "unprofessional."  Nope, we can't think that far ahead. All we can focus on are...gasp...The Breasts. Sexism and gender bias continue to thrive, keeping us mired in these infantile (ha!) debates about breastfeeding.


For further reading:

• Professor Adrienne Pine's explanation of what happened in Exposéing My Breasts on the Internet
• Washington Post article: American University professor breast-feeds sick baby in class, sparking debate

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Barbie has a home birth

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Beach Birth Photography did a photo session of Barbie having prenatal visits, going into labor, giving birth, and breastfeeding. Love it!

Actually what I liked best was the implicit commentary on the trope of birth photography. You know...the tender moments captured between the woman and her husband, closeups on hands or hair or bellies, the midwife applying hot packs to the woman's sacrum, the alternations between color and black & white, the older sibling's excitement and awe. I don't know if it was meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I certainly read it as such.

Go take a look; I think you'll enjoy it!

(I'm super curious...how did the photographer make Barbie's pregnant belly?)

Cochrane Review: "all countries should consider establishing home birth services"

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A new Cochrane review of home birth has concluded that that "that all countries should consider establishing home birth services with collaborative medical back up and offer low-risk pregnant women information about the available evidence and the possible choices."

Besides examining the evidence, the reviewers also address the interplay of autonomy and concern for fetal rights. Having recently participated in similar discussions at the Human Rights in Childbirth Conference, I was excited to see the following commentary:

This review shows that there is no strong evidence to favour either planned hospital or planned home birth for selected, low risk pregnant women. From an autonomy-based ethical perspective the only justification for practices that restrict a woman’s autonomy and her freedom of choice, would be clear evidence that these restrictive practices do more good than harm (Enkin 1995), as we stated in the previous version of this review (Olsen 1998). A decade later, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg handed down a judgment stating that “the right to respect for private life includes the right to choose the circumstances of birth”. Thus, no matter what the level of evidence is, European governments are not allowed to impose, e.g. “fines on midwives assisting at home births” as it “constitutes an interference in the exercise of the rights ... of pregnant mothers” (Registrar 2010). On the other hand, the ethical concept of the fetus as a patient (Chervenak 1992) may lead some to state that “Obstetricians have an ethical obligation to disclose the increased risks of perinatal and neonatal mortality and morbidity from planned home birth in the context of American healthcare and should recommend against it” (Chervenak 2011) and that “In clinical practice it involves recommending … aggressive management (interventions such as fetal surveillance, tocolysis, Caesarean delivery)” (Chervenak 1992). In this ethical perspective recommendations about interventions are acceptable even when they are not supported by randomised controlled trial (RCT) data. The lack of strong evidence from RCTs and an autonomy-based ethical perspective lead to the conclusion that all countries should consider establishing home birth services with collaborative medical back up and offer low-risk pregnant women information about the available evidence and the possible choices.

One of the limitations of a Cochrane Review of home birth is the very small number of RCTs on home birth. I highly recommend reading the chapter on home birth in Amy Romano and Henci Goer's new book Optimal Care in Childbirth. They examine a large number of high-quality studies that the Cochrane Review does not include. (My review of this book is forthcoming.)

The updated Cochrane Review is significant for those working to reform American maternity care policies. Notice the language supporting autonomy, accurate information, integrated home birth services, and professional collaboration from last year's Home Birth Consensus Summit. The new Cochrane recommendations should make it easier to translate these consensus statements into action:

• We uphold the autonomy of all childbearing women....Shared decision making includes mutual sharing of information about benefits and harms of the range of care options, respect for the woman’s autonomy to make decisions in accordance with her values and preferences, and freedom from coercion or punishment for her choices. (Statement 1)
• We believe that collaboration within an integrated maternity care system is essential for optimal mother-baby outcomes. All women and families planning a home or birth center birth have a right to respectful, safe, and seamless consultation, referral, transport and transfer of care when necessary. When ongoing inter-professional dialogue and cooperation occur, everyone benefits. (Statement 2)
• Effective communication and collaboration across all disciplines caring for mothers and babies are essential for optimal outcomes across all settings. (from Statement 6)

For more information on the Cochrane Review on home birth:

• University of Copenhagen: Birth is no reason to go to hospital
• Full text (PDF) of the review

First prental visit

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It's nice to finally be able to blog about being pregnant! I've known for a while, but I just didn't feel like sharing with the whole world. Now it's beginning to be obvious that I'm pregnant if I wear a tight enough shirt, so no more secrecy.

This pregnancy is funny--I really don't know when to expect this baby! I'm either 16 weeks along or 12 weeks along. After my very early miscarriage, I thought I had another cycle...but it was really light and really short. Nothing like I've ever had before. I strongly suspect it wasn't a cycle at all, but just some breakthrough spotting that happened to come right when I would have had a period. Other reasons for thinking I'm 16 weeks along:

• I'm measuring spot-on for being 16 weeks pregnant: 2-3 finger widths below the umbilicus. 
• I started feeling movement about 4 weeks ago. 
• The timing of my icky/queasy/exhausted stage also points to being 16 weeks, not 12 weeks. 

But...I can only say I'm about 95% sure. There is still the possibility of my baby coming in late April rather than late March! This uncertainty doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I like not really knowing and not really caring.

The icky stage was pretty awful. And I know I have it easy compared to so many other women. I never puke; I just feel queasy all day and all night. I feel dizzy and weak. I am extremely exhausted. Like my other pregnancies, these symptoms lasted about 6 weeks. But this time was brutal. I've never experienced such exhaustion before. And when you have three small children, you can't just lie on the couch all day! I'd basically collapse once Eric came home.

My best coping strategy was reading; I devoured my way through books 2-5 of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I highly recommend her books: they're smart, entertaining, passionate, and incredibly well-researched.

But now I feel great. I have tons of energy, I have an appetite again, and I am not a useless blob who neglects her children in favor of reading a book. Take today, for example: I taught my 8 am freshman composition class (biking there and back), sewed 4 slings, fed the children lunch, worked on a vaginal breech workshop I'm organizing, walked the kids to pick up Zari from school, went to my first prenatal appointment, prepared 2 dinners for later this week while Eric cooked fried green tomatoes, and put Inga and Zari to bed. I couldn't fathom doing any of these things earlier this pregnancy--except I had to do some of them.

Getting the Nursery Ready for our Baby Girl's Arrival

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In this video I show you our messy spare bedroom which will be transformed into a beautiful nursery for our new baby girl. She is our tax day baby, due on April 15, 2012! It is a mess! I have my work cut out for me as we try to clean it up, paint, and decorate it. I am somewhat of an artist, so I plan to paint a cool mural in there.

Do you have any good ideas for a Mural in my little girl's room?

I NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS, please submit your idea in a comment to this post, and thanks :)

I was thinking rolling hills with fun trees, blue sky with puffy clouds and a smiling sun setting, with animals, birds, and sleeping moon with a nightcap in the distance faintly showing in the sky with the sparkling stars coming out. I thought since the sun is setting the black sky will start to show towards the upper part of the wall and that could continue onto the ceiling. It would be really cool with glow in the dark stars for decorations.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions
~Justin

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23 Weeks Pregnant - My Baby Can Hear and Dance!

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My wife is now at 23 weeks pregnant today. My baby is now about 1 foot long, as big as a large mango! She now weighs just over one pound and her sense of movement is fully developed and she seems to be dancing in there. Blood vessels in her lungs are quickly developing and getting ready for breathing. She is now becoming accustomed to loud noises like our dog barking.

I've begun talking to my baby. It was a little weird talking to my wife's belly at first, then it became less weird. I even tried singing to her. I sung "Oh Holy Night" to my my little growing girl. My wife laughed when I got to the high soprano part. It also had the dual effect of putting me in the Christmas spirit and in a good mood.

Unfortunately, this week and today my wife is getting the Round Ligament Pain again that I spoke about in Week 19. It is a brief stabbing sensation that usually only lasts for a few seconds or also can be a dull pain which she feels in her lower abdomen between her groin to just under her belly button and along her hips. If you traced a line of a high cut bikini swimsuit that's where the pain is. She keeps telling me she wished I could feel it so I would understand. I keep offering to stab my stomach, but when that doesn't work I just try and be supportive.

Tomorrow we have another doctors appointment, the regular check up. We're thinking our midwife might change and move up our due date a little (now it's 4/15/12) because in the sex determining ultrasound at Week 20 the baby measured larger than it's supposed to be at this point. I'll update you next week about that.

We were wondering some more if her belly button would pop out soon. It's still an innie but it might not be for long. I keep joking that it might sound like the button popping out of a turkey when it's done when we were younger. I did some searching and found that this is a common concern among women. Apparently, some women are quite annoyed with their belly button sticking out so much and even go as far as taping it down so it doesn't show with the clothing they wear. That made us laugh but then my wife said, "that would annoy me too!"

Just to be fair, since this blog is about my sympathy weight in addition to my wife's pregnancy, and because I've been showing pictures of her belly, it's only fair that I show mine! Now this picture really shocked me that my belly is as big as this is, but I shouldn't feel bad because this is how she feels everyday but worse right? This is my heaviest weight of my life, 205 lbs and my sympathy weight gained stands at 20 lbs so far! Time for some exercise for real now. Starting tomorrow... or maybe after the new year.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as an Ear of Corn believe it or not!!! Ouch

See How My Baby's Growing at 23 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Large Mango!

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26 Weeks Pregnant - Painting Baby's Room!

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We thought very carefully on what color we wanted our Baby Girl's Room to be, and after long deliberation, actually my wife Nikki just decided for us :), we went with "Violet Eclipse." Nikki loves purple and this is me painting it on:


Baby Girl - Pregnancy - Nesting - Painting Baby's Room

My wife is now 26 weeks pregnant today. My baby girl is now 14 inches long, as big as a English hothouse cucumber! She now weighs 1-2/3 pounds she is really starting to make my wife's belly move when she moves! The nerves in her ear have grown to be more intricate now so they say she can hear conversations and she is getting used to the sound of our voices.

Also, her lungs are preparing for breathing by her actually inhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid into the developing air sacs in her lungs. She does this to practice and strengthen her chest muscles so when she emerges into the air she can take a gulp of air and continue through the rest of her life.

This week we're really starting the nesting process. I'm finishing painting the baby's room tonight and we will be starting a 6 week long Lamaze class in a couple weeks. Things are really coming along :) This week we've been busy reading and watching movies and I'd like to make a couple of recommendations to help with the process toward being a mother and father...

Recommended Movie:

This week we also watched a movie which I highly recommend! It's "In the Womb," a National Geographic Movie that uses revolutionary 3D and 4D scans to follow a birth from the moment of conception to the day the baby is born. It's so interesting and very educational for Mom and Dad to be.

Recommended Book for Dad:

My wife found a wonderful book which I'm reading, it's "The Expectant Father" - Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads to Be by Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash
It's a great read so far and has a lot of helpful insight for real dads to be during each stage of the pregnancy.

Sympathy Weight Update: Wow, finally lost a couple pounds, I'm now 205 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 20 lbs so far! This is probably due to how much work around the house I've been doing. Maybe "Honey Do" lists aren't that bad...

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as big as a Head of Cauliflower, believe it or not!

See How My Baby's Growing at 26 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a English Hothouse Cucumber!

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Kyla's 21st Birthday!

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April 27, 2011! Even though Ben and I were busy with school and work and church, we still had some fabulous Birthday celebrations! I have this sewing machine, but no table to put it on. Ben bought me a table and chair for our extra room. Now I have a sewing table (HORRAY!!!). 

Then, for dinner we went to Pita Pit. Small and simple Birthday, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Honor's Graduation!!!

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Ben has been working so hard at school. He is finishing up his last semester in his Senior year and moving onto a Concurrent Masters program next year. He has been in the Honor's program and has just completed it. For those of you who don't know what Honor's is...I'll explain a little. It's pretty much doing extra work in about 1 class a semester. This not only gives Ben more experience in the classes he is working on, but also helps him create relationships with the Professors and expand his horizons.

Mechanical Engineering is already a really time consuming and difficult program at Utah State, but doing Honors on top of that adds a lot of pressure. The people in the Honor's office were surprised to see that Ben was still in Honors at this point. They said they couldn't remember another Mechanical Engineering student who had not dropped out of Honors by their Junior year. So...not only is doing Honors a difficult thing, but it is almost impossible in the Mechanical Engineering program to graduate with Honors. Ben has stuck to it and really done a great job.

Last week (Wednesday April 18th) was Honors graduation. This was a night to honor those all those at the University who graduated or will be graduating with Honors from Fall 2011-Summer 2012. They had a really yummy dinner, a slide show presentation highlighting the accomplishments of each Honor student, and awards.

Here are some pictures from the evening:



Ben is WAAAAAAAAYYYY in the back. (Sometimes he forgets he's a little bit shorter than his older brother Joe. Haha) 

One of the ladies who works in Honors even remembered that we were having a baby boy in June. She gave us a special gift of a little newborn onesie. This shirt has a little bit of a background story. Utah State has some game day shirts that say "We are HURD" In the "U" the is the word "State" for Utah State. The Honors department decided to make a little spoof off of these shirts for their students. These shirts say "We are NURD" This little onsie says "NURD in training" haha! We love it! 

Here is Ben with his Honors Diploma and his medal that he gets to wear when he walks for graduation.


Way to go Ben!!!! I am so proud of all the hard work you are always doing! Way to stick through the program and graduate as one of the only Mechanical Engineering students to graduate with Honors from Utah State!

Samaras first Diwali 26th Oct 2011

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The baby doll looked her best in Pink flowery overalls complete with the Pooja ka laal tikka and gende ka peele phool in her hand, i had her share of prasaad & Zee pocketed her share of money lol. We visited bhavz for the first time this year and she suggested Sam call her 'B' and no aunties for now.
Bhavz had put up a beautiful display of Chinese lanterns and diyas combined. Had a lot of Kaju Katli my favorites and decent meal later we returned home. Sam behaved well throughout the evening but as soon as she entered the car to ride back home, her wailing started and lasted till 4am.
..... Still got a lot of figuring out to do, don't now how to handle babies crying..........

....EID special.... 2011

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Samaras first Eid!
Oh Baby how in my womb you grew while I sat & stared at the moon
Today you stare at the moon while I glance at the wonder I created, YOU!

Shopped at Bur Dubai, Meena bazaar for some ethnic clothes for Sam, finding a size 0 in those was tough. I collected my suit from the tailors, a good gesture from a dear friend honey b aka bhavz from Indieland....met Shakti aka Imrans mom while shopping & she had a LOT to tell us.... Met up with Shakti few days later and glad to hear that my brother is doing well.... 'jadho rakhe saiyaan, maar sake na koi,' hear that sistas!


After looking around like crazy, we managed to find a blue ghaghra  & open back choli for Samara.... She looked like an ethnic doll complete with red & diamond bangles, matching mittens, booties and cap.


Spent our Eid mornings attending to Sams tantrums, later lunched with BILS & SILS cooked a great meal. Hit global village afterwards and ate at Bandoo Khans.
Overall we had a nice time the first and second day of Eid. Entertained inlaws at home the next day and then went for a stroll to Ibn Battuta...
The latest paki suits collection is adorable...
Zee picked up a new red top for himself and checked out Rocker Chic outfits for Sam, will probably fit her @ 5 months or so...,
Maira looked smart in jeans wear!

Growing together!

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Sad News: Just came across the story of a new jersey dad Arthur Morgon who tossed his 2 year old daughter Tierra La'Shae Camaya Morgan-Glover, in the creek to die.....Here we are some struggling parents trying everything to get pregnant and have kids while someone goes about tossing theirs into rivers. Apparently the kid was warm, had a pleasant smile and was quite an intellect. My heart goes out to the grieving mom and people who were close to her.
Parenthood and Responsibility: Me and Sam are both learning to be patient with each other, (Sam more so because I've always been the hustler kind) I notice the tiring sighs when my not so patient hubby has tried to comfort and soothe her for sometime and yet again I do not blame him, after all his work demands most of his patience and better to spare him the double duty after a hard days work.

Sam is growing faster day by day and each day I get to see her smiling and radiant face, what more could I ask for...that (her wide toothless smile) makes my day.
I dressed her up in sailor white outfit, complete with mittens, cap and bib but like her papa her head starting sweating so i removed her mittens and washed her little hands in some warm water and did away with the wet burped bib. For some funny reason she tends to gather quiet a bit of goo in between the folds of her fingers and clenched fist. She is almost three months old and I'm already dabbing some sanitizer in there.....

My Opinion Counts

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BIGG BOSS Season 5              
.... A desperate offer by none other than the eminent casting coach Mahesh Bhatt of Bollywood as he publically and very benevolently offers Sunny Leone a role in Bollywood movies... What's the big deal about seeing an Indian- Canadian porn star in a Bollywood flick, maybe she's selected because of her lap-dancing abilities, hmmm.... no surprises there, after all isn't this talent more common amongst strippers ....Maybe all the struggling artists and models of b'town ought to learn some lap-dance since not too long ago Mallika Sherawat was pictured on Mahesh Bhatts lap post her murder debut, what in the world was she doing there.... Think ladies, think;)


....Times of India on Jism 2- Sunny Leone is Perfect!
When Mallika said 'NO' to Mahesh Bhatt!
The Understatement by Mahesh Bhatt: Jism 2 Not about Nudity
Nasty & Naughty Tidbits:
Times of India- Mallika to star in Jism 2
Cast Ashmit & Veena for Jism 2

Penthouse- Pet of the Year 2003