Yesterday morning I attended my first prenatal class, which was a "breastfeeding basics" class. I was so happy to be in a room full of other soon-to-be-mums! I went on my own since Ashton was too afraid to come. (Just kidding, he was actually working and had said that he wouldn't have an opportunity for "practical application" of the knowledge we would gain lol). He was kind of right though. Unless he wanted to learn how to help me massage the milk out for manual expression if the baby can't latch properly... Ha!

These are some of the useful facts and skills that I learned (even Ashton might find them interesting).


1. The Newborn Tummy!
At birth a baby's stomach is only he size of a cherry! So teeny! And it will take an entire month for her tummy to even be the size of an egg! This somewhat eases my worries that I might not be able to produce enough milk to breastfeed her.


2. Did you know? Differences between breastmilk and formula.
Compared to a formula fed baby, a breastfed baby...
...has softer stool.
...does not need to be burped as often and may not burp at all because they swallow less air (breast vs bottle).
...has a smaller stomach.
...requires a smaller feeding to get the same amount of nutrients.
...has an easier time digesting and, consequently, has fewer "fussy" periods.
...generally requires fewer medications and visits to the doctor.


3. Wet diapers and bowel movements.
Poop is poop, but I just like this chart because it gave me more of an idea of what to expect. The chart also included a column for color and texture of bowel movements, but I decided to leave that part out (as I'm sure you are all glad!). It is good to know though so I know what is normal and when to be concerned.


4. Interesting facts!

• Skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth and frequently thereafter helps babies breastfeed sooner and last longer, latch on well, cry less, soothe more easily and have lower stress hormones.
• Frequent babywearing stimulates baby and promotes breastfeeding.
• Babies actually LOSE weight after they are born, but should typically be back up to their birth weight by the time they are two weeks old.
• Babies feed better when they feed on cue, rather than on a schedule. Cues include: hand to mouth movements, licking lips, rolling eyes, sucking movements and noises or sucking on hands or fingers.
• The more milk your baby takes, the more milk your body makes!

   

I learned a ton more as well, but won't bore everyone with the details. Overall, the class made me much less anxious to breastfeed and I definitely gained some useful knowledge on how to properly latch and unlatch, how often to feed in a 24 hour period, how to encourage breastfeeding, how to know when baby has received enough milk, different positions for breastfeeding and burping, how to comfort baby when she cries, when to contact a lactation consultant or pediatrician, etc.

Honestly, it was such a useful class, I really recommend one to any new mum who is planning to breastfeed. Breastfeeding might not look or sound that hard to some people, but after sitting through the class I realized there really is a lot of skill involved--as well as patience and practice!

To any other women out there who are planning to breastfeed for the first time, good luck and don't give up. Our bodies were made for this!

How far along? 32 weeks.
Total weight gain? 22+ lbs.
Stretch marks? None on my belly.
Best moment this week? Making it through a six day work week!!! Registering my prenatal care in Dorchester and setting up an appointment to meet my new midwife. Checking out an apartment with Ashton and filling out an application! (Just waiting to hear back now!) Seeing my family this past weekend for Deasha's birthday. (Happy Birthday!) I love getting to sleep over at my Mom's, I just feel so comfortable and relaxed while I'm there. I feel like it's my once-a-month mini-vacation. Too bad I only get one more before baby arrives!
I went to Whole Foods in Dedham and treated myself to the brown rice cucumber and avocado rolls, with wasabi and ginger of course! Even though the sushi is expensive I've only had it one other time since being pregnant so I thought I'd treat myself today!
Late night snacking tonight.... It's like these treats were made for me!! I let Ashton have one too, even though he's not a Mom, lol.

This munchkin has apparently been wiping my body out and allowing me to sleep 9 or more hours a night; I can't stand it! I think it is the growth spurt that she's going through but I literally cannot wake up. I know I shouldn't be complaining, I should probably be grateful for all the rest I get and that I don't wake up at all to use the bathroom or have insomnia or something. But when I finally do get up I feel like such a bum and like I could have gotten so much done in the few extra hours of sleep that I got!

So this morning I really wanted to be a bit more productive:
- I called my Maternity nurse and left a message for the second time (we literally keep missing each other somehow). Hopefully she calls back tomorrow afternoon or on Friday for our appointment.
- I signed Ashton and I up for a tour of the maternity ward at Brigham and Women's on Monday night! Yay, I am so excited to visit the hospital and this will probably be the point that I let them know I plan on delivering there so they will expect me, teehehe.
- I also registered for two more classes at B&W at the end of the month: Breastfeeding Basics and Infant Care and Behavior. Ashton can't make either of these classes but I registered anyway since they are the only ones that weren't full and I'm going to keep an eye out for the March events calendar so maybe I can switch the Infant care class to a time that Ashton can make as well.
- Another thing I decided was that I probably won't get the Tdap vaccine now or after birth. Please don't scold me on this. I'm just not really big on vaccines and am going for an entirely natural pregnancy and childbirth as much as possible. :)

Well, that is all for now! Next on my list is researching hypnobirthing and other natural labor and childbirth techniques. Wish me luck! Haha.

I had my first maternity support appointment today and now have a lot of things to think about! The maternity nurse asked a lot of questions and went through a checklist of things that I should be thinking about at this stage in my pregnancy. There is so much to learn and remember and do, it's mind boggling! At first it was just a lot of intro questions about my health and my pregnancy that my doctor and midwife have also asked. Then she got me thinking about all kinds of things: scheduling a trip to the hospital to tour the maternity ward, creating a birth plan (which in itself gives me a million things to think about!), planning my maternity leave from work, infant immunizations, making a trip to the dentist, signing up for classes (labor & delivery, breastfeeding, childcare, infant health and safety), scheduling a glucose screening..... and the list goes on. Seriously, my brain was wiped out!

I did make a list of goals after we got off the phone though:
1) exercise for at least 20 minutes a day
2) make a dentist appointment
3) drink even more water and add cranberry juice to my diet
4) google TDAP because that is the next immunization my doctor/midwife will ask if I want (between 27-36 weeks)

My welcome packet with the samples and books should arrive in a few short weeks and my next maternity support appointment will be during my 28th week of pregnancy. I will probably ask Elizabeth during my next appointment about the TDAP and glucose screening and get her opinion.

The maternity nurse also expressed her concern about me not having gotten the flu shot. Oh, well. Overall, I'm glad I took advantage of this program because every little bit of information helps!