Breastfeeding 101.

I wanted to write this last week, but the PR 'momhood' has been a rush. You know work, emotions, planning all piles up! I don't want to cry anymore while carrying this baby. Little babe is so precious <3

We took a breastfeeding course a few Mondays ago. Yay boob class!
It answered all of our questions and then some about breastfeeding and the woman's body. I watched my mom breastfeed my three little sisters so to me breastfeeding was always in the plan. But this course taught us stuff I never could have imagined! Like the self squeezing to prevent your breasts from hardening?! What? How often? How long do I have until they turn into rocks? What's going to happen to me!?
Oh dear me. Wait til I get my hands on that one.
Phil was particularly interested in learning about what to find in a diaper the first 72 hours. He says he has the stinkers. Pfft. Good for him! What a man.

Like I said, I watched my mom breastfeed three girls and I thought breastfeeding just came easy for mother and child. Now I feel such a stronger connection as I now know we still need to help our child learn how to feed properly. Although they come out hungry and sucking, if the baby and his/her lips aren't properly placed on your breast he/she is not going to get any milk at all although it looks like they're working away at it. I'm lucky to be surrounded by a wonderful group of women like our mothers and our midwife Janet. We both feel really confident about our choice to breastfeed. They cautioned us that a lot of women will stop breastfeeding because they claim their child couldn't suck right, or they were running out of milk. So often that's not the case. It's the fact that breastfeeding is new for mother and child and we all need time to get comfortable. Expect it to take weeks, not days. With a partner like Phil I know he'll work with me to stay calm, not get frustrated, and read our baby's cues to better understand when he or she needs to feed. The breastfeeding experience is also an incredible bonding experience and opportunity to keep those special and quiet moments between you and baby. As much as we as new mothers want to be surrounded by family, we need to surround ourself with baby and get to know our baby's cue signs. I really want to take a one-on-one approach and get to know my baby.

I think i'll really treasure that alone time in a room just feeding my baby. I look forward to not being attached to my phone or computer for once! The blog will be the centre for baby updates :)
We're both very affectionate people and we look forward to sharing our special bond with our little one :)

Phil's thoughts on me breastfeeding: Somewhere between beautiful...and really sexy!

That works for me!

This and that at 20 weeks!

Happy 20 weeks! 

Work: Busy interviewing PR people to help expand Beatbox Canada's media and social media reach. I think I found two amazing people that are going to help us reach all of Canada this year! Plus help at the November event when I am eight months pregnant is crucial!

Baby: I've gained 13 pounds so far this pregnancy. Been doing a lot of walking and it's tough to realize I get tired a lot quicker. My sister is staying with me for the week and it is soooooo awesome to have her everyday. I hope that all my sisters can come down a lot more. My family's already been down a few times this year which is surprising but now more than ever we realize we need each other. My grandmaman sent a card down with a graduation gift that said "tu seras la meilleur des mamans!" tear!

We also completed our final prenatal course yesterday at St-Joseph's Health Centre! We are so ready and there is much to talk about.

Love: I asked for my first ever foot massage yesterday because I did a lot of walking. I started my Christmas shopping. It wasn't planned but everything looked so perfect yesterday! Anyway so I needed a foot massage and I didn't think he was doing that well of a job so things got cranky. It's hard to slow down somedays and realize you need extra care. My ankles and legs are cramping more than ever! I need to make more time for prenatal yoga and remember to snuggle because that fixes everything. 

19 weeks

19 weeks

19 weeks- the day before we turn 20!

20 weeks! Same dress I wore on my June graduation to compare belly sizes.

Staring proudly at the cameraman lol

Grow baby grow!!

New pics! Well.. these are from Tuesday, July 12. We're 19 weeks today but we forgot to take a photo! Growing at  a slow pace.. but it's HOT so i'm not in a rush to pop. This PR MOM is working on sponsorship for three companies right now. We're heading to uncle Scott Jackson beatbox's cottage for some R&R. Well, I plan to R&R (we'll leave the boys alone). It's all I want and need lately; it's me, belly, sunshine and nature.

BOOM! Hi Belly. Only a pregnant chick can pose with their pants undone.

xoxPRMommy

Hot Hippy Update!

Baby: The next date for our 18-20 week ultrasound is....
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 9:30am! So far away! I'll be 22 weeks then.
I hope we can find out the gender! Do you know anyone who found out and it was the opposite once the baby came out?
-We're still looking for a family doc...What's up doc!
- Cramping a little today, and very very HOT. Day full of slurpees, fruit bars and popsicles. I'm also breaking out. Pregnant girl with a bumpy belly and a bumpy face. How cute.

Love: One month to go until he leave for the cross Canada trip! So nervous! I had fun looking at strollers, cribs, car seats, playpens this weekend when he was away just to see what's out there. I want to go with him before he goes so we both know what's available cause neither of us have ever had to look at this kind of baby stuff before. My mom already has a potential stroller! Hope to see a pic soon :)

Work: Endless marketing and sponsorship campaigns...Don't ask. I've been thinking about my PR brand and developing my image and colours to work from home with baby.

I still have yet to receive that damn letter from Service Canada... it's been since May!

Hippy mom

Life: This is my line walking down the stairs at Keele subway station: Old man, pregnant me, and girl on crutches.

xoxo Over-heated PR MOM

18 weeks today

This is us yesterday! We turned 18 weeks today :)
Cravings: Herb and Garlic cream cheese and cheese.
Love: He's too sweet! We want to take some nice pics together hugging our belly when it grows a little bit more. I'm thinking the first week of August before the Courage Canada campaign and one when they return in October. Of course we'll get shots in between when I go visit him across Canada.
Baby: I'm feeling butterflies around my bellybutton.

Gaining...!

Baby: Gave more blood today and we get the date for the next ultrasound next week! Boy vs girl! So far it's two votes girl and the rest of the world says boy! I've also gained six pounds since our appointment last Thursday. Who says a scale is always right?!

This pregnant belly is neat. The more I look down the more pregnant I feel. And I look down allllll day at work. It's hard to concentrate on what I'm writing because every time I look away my thoughts are drifted downwards. This rubber feeling belly is amazing, but a big part of me is beginning to feel intimidated to be carrying this baby. I really have no words, it's like carry a present with a big fragile sticker over top.

Life: Been a rough day. I can't wait to go home and do prenatal yoga. I'm sorry on my friend's I bailed on re: Nacho date but this girl needs to chillllll out after a day of giving blood and sales at work.

Love: We need new belly photos and now Phil is threatening to take photos of me while doing prenatal yoga. I can't even lock him out of the room for 30 minutes! He can't distract my breathing exercises and poses like that! haha. My goodness love.

Good news: Congrats to our friend Avi from KOTD and Amy on their baby boy! Rex was born today after 40 hours of labour! Ouch! Me next!

Work: Working on the Toronto International Film Festival for Out There and trying to find anymore available hotels for Comic-Con!

Cravings: I'm on my second Iced Caramel Macchiato of the day. At least this one is tall and light...

Baby's hand over head

Lack of photos on this blog! I told Phil we need to take more belly photos.

xox PR Mom

Emotions

We had a beautiful family reunion this year. I introduced Phil as my boyfriend and father of my baby to 153 family members on my mom's side. It was truly an amazing weekend! He had a blast, I had a blast and the weather was sunny and beautiful. We made time to lay in the sun on Sunday to work on his farmer's tan. His skin bronzes so well I hope our baby is blessed with that trait because I don't tan I just get more freckles!

Phil's already an amazing dad. Call him dad-to-be, say you're not a father until you play your role, but with everything we go through together and in preparation for our baby and life together it's safe to say 'dad' is doing his best to make sure mom and baby are happy.

Emotions are running high lately, probably because I'm getting more pregnant and my family and Phil are becoming more and more supportive and excited. I can't imagine any more love! I tear up so much that now I'm getting rashes under my eyes.

It's overwhelming. I'm surrounded by so many wonderful compliments and excited baby talk but yet my head is full of so many other conversations. Phil and I talk a lot, we don't have many other friends with babies yet so we have each other to learn from. I'm just missing the outside party of hoping someone sits down and asks, how prepared do you feel? how are you prepared financially? Here's some advice. I have an amazing family and supportive friends but some of the people I would hope would have stepped up seem to be shying away.

I guess it could just be slight paranoia but I almost feel like most of my friends are dancing around in circles instead of remembering that I'm still the same person. I do need to get out and talk about things other than the baby. That's selfish but very real to say. C'mon other moms, admit it! I need to stay level headed. Because of the lack of this need, I'm growing to feel like I am better left behind because the pregnant girl is tired, the pregnant girl hates smoke... I'm still learning to adapt to social situations as a pregnant person as well and some days it's easier than others. I can still go out and no, I don't enjoy tea dates.

I've got some balancing out to do. Yes relationship wise do need our own personal time but we also need each other a lot of the time. Reality is, our social life is different from this point forward now that we have a child on the way and soon we will have a child to consider. From two free-spirits, best friends and lovers, to the same type of person plus baby we have so much more to look out for, yet so much more to look forward to. Phil said the most amazing thing when we were talking about financial fears and the coming years. People are asking how will we do it?  They say they can't imagine moving forward with what they're doing in life and having a kid. Now that we are having a kid Phil made me realize we are indeed continuing to do what we have been doing- PLUS the MOTIVATION to know we are having a baby. We are taking care of ourselves a lot more than if we were just a couple who moved in together for fun. This is real, and we need our friends to stay real as well because we come as three now...and forever .

He rubbed my belly and said we need to have another one. Already?! haha, we do love being pregnant and I think we are adapting to life as much as we can, with so little time left! Our friend's gf's water broke yesterday GO AVI and AMY! When we found out the news I felt like my entire insides were going to rupture. I was so excited and nervous! Before when people had babies I was excited, now being pregnant and knowing people are having babies I feel like I'm right there with them. Such a wild feeling.

Five months to go!

xoxox Emotional PR MOM