Corina in bathtub

Here she is having fun in the tub

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phDF_FeLRi4

Your first 6 months!!

My dear Corina
Soon you will be 6 months old. I can not believe how fast time has passed since you were born. It seems like yesterday; yet so many things have happened.
Both of your grandparents came to visit you. The Mantilla's stay for almost a month and The McDanal's for a week. We had a great time and you got a lot of attention during those weeks. I also learned a lot about taking care of you. It seems like if all that time that I was at home after having you just went by on a blink of an eye.
These first 6 months of your life have been wonderful. Dad and I can not stop looking at you, you are so beautiful, and everyday you "wow" us with some thing new you have just learned. You are still sleeping next to us on your co-sleeper and to be honest I don't want you to outgrow it, although there is just a few inches left between the tip of your toes and the edge of it. I don't know what I am going to do when I have to transfer you to your own room, I really don't even want to think about it; I might have to move to your room with you. I am going to miss listening to your breath and having you right to next to me all the time; it has been one of the most wonderful experiences. On the weekends when I can sleep in I look forward to sleeping in with you next to me; it is just so amazing. I think we can keep doing that even after you move to your room; it can be like a weekend tradition.
You have grown so much, it is almost unreal to think how tiny you were a few months ago; you did not even fit on your coming home outfit and now you are outgrowing even the 6 month old outfits pretty fast. You have hit every developmental milestone and it has been wonderful for us to see it happen; you have made us already very proud. A week short of your 5th month birthday you rolled over for the first time from back to tummy. You had roll from tummy to back a few times before that but I think those where more of accidental rolls. This time however it was real, you rolled over and started to push up with your arms; and since then you roll all the time. We love to see you doing it; and we bought you a new mat so that you can have more space to keep rolling and moving. In the last 2 weeks you have learned to sit on your own; you can now hold a sitting up unsupported sit for a long period of time and you are discovering the world through this. We can now play more together, we sit with you and play with your rattles, books, pots, etc. I love every second of it and you seem to enjoy it a lot as well. You have also discovered the wonders of splashing the water during your bath and it is just so fun and cute to see you sitting on your bath tub splashing as much water as you and I can handle. In spite of ending soaked I love it. I think you love water play too. Every little think you learn makes us so happy and proud.

CORINA IS HERE!!

I thought I will have a couple more of pre-natal posts the last time I wrote; however I was wrong. My little one decided to make her grand appearance 2 weeks ahead of time and caught us all by surprise.
Corina was born on Monday June 9th,2008 at 4:13pm!
I woke up that morning feeling fine except for the feeling of some strange cramps which I thought it was just part of the process of getting to full term and I didn't give them much attention. I went to my swim class as usual, I was sure that swimming will take care of the cramps as it always does; however the cramps kept coming every 100 to 200 meters so I started wondering if maybe I was actually having contractions but decided not to think about it. I had enjoy being pregnant a lot and I could totally be pregnant for a couple more weeks until my parents come to town. I swam for 2500m as usual, a lot slower than usual but it felt good. I came home and started to get more suspicious so I called Dave to was out of town to tell him to take an earlier flight home just as a precaution. I had a Dr.'s appointment scheduled for 10:45 and I was pretty much sure he was going to tell me that I was just having fake labor pains. Most first time moms make it to their due date and even go beyond it so I had nothing to worry.
As a precaution and since the cramps have not stopped coming I decided to stay home until the Dr's appointment to avoid driving to much and then go to work.
Dr. saw me and told me that I was 2cm dilated and that I was not going to make it to my due date; I asked him about a time frame and he said 2 to 3 days max with a pretty confident tone of voice. I asked him about the contractions and since they had slow down since I got to the Dr. he told me to call him if they get very strong and very frequent (5 minutes or less apart). I decided to call off work that day since my goal was to lay down and slow down the contractions to have at least another 3 days to get my mom and Dave home. By the time I got home I was having contractions every 3 to 5 minutes and they were in fact getting stronger. I still thought that by laying down I was going to be able to slow down the apparent labor process I was going in to. I called my cousin Clara to come help me out so that I can keep my self as motionless as possible. Motion or no motion the contractions will not slow down and at about 2 pm a very strong one broke my water. At that point I realized that there was no way back I was in labor. I called Dave who had just landed and told him to meet me at the hospital; and I called to Dr. to let him know. He told me to go to the hospital and meet him there. I was so happy that that morning while I was thinking that I was just having fake labor pains I had decided to pack up my bag for the hospital; otherwise there would have been no time at all.
On the drive to the hospital I literally felt the baby was going to come out, Clara was driving as fast as she could and on every bump of the road I could feel my little one pressing to get out. After almost running over a pedestrian on the way there and being pushed by my cousin at almost 15mph (I am exaggerating) through the hospital hallways we finally made it to labor and delivery. After getting ready on the gown they checked me up and I was 10cm dilated and ready to push. The Dr. came in, Dave walked in and I started pushing. After 20 minutes that seemed like 2 hours and 2 marathons back to back Corina was born!!! It was the happiest moment of my life when I finally saw her and heard her loud scream!! I will do it all over again!!
I am very thankful for the labor experience I had, it was great since I didn't realize I was in labor until I was almost 10cm dilated and I am sure that helped a lot but knowing that each pain, contraction, cramp had such a great purpose to be helped a lot. I was never stressed or freaked out about it; I just had this calm feeling that it is how it is supposed to be and at the end everything was going to be great. I think that the prenatal yoga class I took along with my hypno-birthing class helped a lot in taking away any fear related to child birth and to maintain a very calm state of being while I was going through all the craziness. It even seems unreal to me now but I just knew everything was going to be OK. I didn't have time to use any of my planned relaxation that I have prepared so much for my labor, everything happened so fast!! but I think I was singing the tunes in my mind with every push and every contraction.
Now I am a mom and I am loving every second of it. I feel like when I was a child after Christmas that you want to play over and over with a new toy; with the difference that my new toy is this precious human being that I can't stop looking at, and to whom I won't be able to stop looking at for the rest of my life.
I am posting a picture of Corina for you guys to meet her.

Almost Full Term 37W

So this week on Wednesday I will be 37 weeks and considered full term. That means that my little girl is big and strong enough to come out whenever she wants. However I am pretty sure she has already picked her birthday and she will be one of the 10% of babies who are actually born on their due date (June 25th). I feel it is just meant to be.
I have been feeling pretty good. Besides sometimes forgetting that I can not bend down to tie my shoes and that getting up from laying down on my back is a bit challenging I am not uncomfortable. I am still swimming 3 times a week and although I am slower that before being pregnant my times have not come up that much. I can still keep up with the class!!. I hope to swim until my last week; it makes me feel really good and think Corina loves it too.
Two weeks ago we had a Dr's. appointment, he said everything looked good. I asked about my belly measuring smaller and he said not to worry about it, that is not an accurate measure plus the 32nd week ultrasound showed that my girl was developing just perfectly and was perfect in size and weight for the age. We have another appointment this week and I think that after this one we are supposed to go in every week.
We also got her room practically done. We moved the furniture, took all the office stuff out, cleaned as much as we could from the closet, built the crib and dresser/changing table and washed her clothes. We have received so many gifts from friends that Corina is set with clothes and diapers for the first 4 or 5 months of live. The crib looks really good and the room surprisingly looks very nice and cozy as well. I say surprisingly because neither Dave or I are very good decorators but I guess that sometimes just by keeping things simple it all works out for the best.
This week I got the car seat but they sent a model that had been recalled last year so I have to send it back and get a new one; at least we have a back up which was a handy me down from my brother that we could use in case we don't get a seat on time. That one is washed and ready to go. I also got the co-sleeper bassinet and I love it. It was so easy to assemble, it takes barely any room and it securely attaches to the bed so we will be able to sleep with our little girl avoiding at the same time all the risks that co-sleeping can bring. It is the best of both worlds. It also works as a changing table and as a free standing bassinet you can take to the balcony for a sun bath or to the living room; it folds up in a little package and it only weights 24 pounds.
Work has been better; still pretty busy but I am handling work stress a lot better, just not worrying too much about it and doing my best. I do have a great job and I just need to get used to the up and downs of it.
Well thanks for visiting. I will try to have weekly updates from now on!!

35W Drs' appointment, Baby Shower, lots of work

Last week we had our 33th week Drs' appointment. Everything is on track in spite of my belly measuring a bit smaller than what it should. The Dr. said that the belly should measure from the top of your uterus to your pubic bone as much cm as the # of weeks you are pregnant. Well my belly measured 30 instead of 33; the Dr. didn't seem concerned though since the 32nd week ultrasound showed that our little girl was measuring exactly as she should for 32 weeks and my fluid levels were outstanding (as he put it). I guess I just have a smaller frame and my belly can not expand much more; that is maybe why I feel Corina moving all the time; she might be running out of space in my belly, but she needs to stay put for another 4 to 5 weeks. I have another Dr.s appointment this week (now I am seeing the Dr every other week until week 37th when I will start seeing them every week). Hopefully my belly have grown a bit more; although I just can't imagine it has any more skin, muscle or space to grow.
This past weekend my friends and cousin threw me a baby shower. It was a very nice brunch at my cousin's place and also my aunt who was visiting was able to attend. We all had a good time and everyone brought some very useful and pretty things for Corina. We have been so lucky with the stuff we have gotten; I can say we are pretty much covered with the essentials. Thanks so much to everyone who came to the shower, it was great seeing everyone and thanks so much for the gifts as well.
Today we had a brunch in our house for 2 couples friends of ours who we met at the Hypnobirthing class. We had a great time; it is a lot of fun to get together with people that are going through the same experiences we are going through; plus we are all due at around the same time so it will be fun in the future since our kids could definetely be buddies. They are also very much into natural birthing; one of them is even having a home birth which I think I might have been open to if I would have a bigger place to put the birthing tube. I wish hospitals here will offer the choice of birthing in water, it just seems to be so much easier than a regular birth. They are also questioning the American vaccine schedule and considering, like us, to selectively vaccinate as well as delaying the shots.
I have had lots of work on the past two weeks; I don't mind it because I do enjoy what I do but it has gotten a bit out of hand and I have gotten a bit stressed with that and getting closer to my due date. I have tried to manage that stress as much as possible so that it doesn't affect me, the pregnancy or the baby; the last thing I want is to go into labor before it is time because of that. I have discover that swimming helps me a lot to relax, and just letting it go and leaving work at the office. Although last Saturday I did have to work all day, but it wasn't too bad.

That is it for today's updates. I will update everyone on this week's Dr.s appointment and any other interesting things I might go through during this last month and a half. (A month from today my baby could be here), well she needs to wait until at least June 21st when my parents arrive.

33 W, Pediatrician, Baby Shower, Ultrasound.........

So we are getting closer, and it seems that time has decided to fly. I am really excited about the arrival of our little one but at sometimes I do want to put a stop in time; just for a few weeks and figure out all the things I need to figure out before Corina decides to make her appearance.
We met the guy we are considering for to be her pediatrician. We liked him and we liked the fact that he is a sole practitioner and not part of a big group where they treat you more like a big factory assembly line. In addition we liked that he has the philosophy of doing whatever is necessary to avoid unnecessary antibiotics or visits to the hospital. He was open to delaying vaccines and to not administer some vaccines as long as we have a plan in place and tell him in advance; and of course as long as we sign all the corresponding release forms needed. So far we are considering a couple vaccines (DTaP and IPV) which stand for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP) and Polio (IPV). We do want to delay their administration though until Corina is at least 9 months or 1 year old. Of course I want to share this information with the Dr. before so that he knows we have a plan and we are not wasting his time on the actual appointment trying to make him make a recommendation. I have to say though, I am still a bit scared. I have read a lot of info about vaccines (pros and cons) and it is definetely a difficult area to make a decision on, you want the best for your child and neither side seems to offer an answer; and the anti-vaccine group seems to offer more sound research on the dangers of vaccines than the pro-vaccine group on the benefits of them. In addition the other diseases they administer vaccines for such as Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chicken pox, hepatitis A and B, Flu, Rota virus are not life threatening diseases and can be easily treated.
I am also debating about the Vitamin K shot that newborns receive at birth as a standard practice in the US. This shot is administered to babies because many babies are born with a deficiency in Vitamin K mainly due to their underdeveloped digestive system; Vitamin K deficiency occurs because there is an absence of bacteria in the gut flora which helps in the production of it in newborns. Since Vitamin K is needed in blood clotting, this deficiency can lead to HDN (Hemorrhagic Disease of the newborn) especially after a difficult delivery, the use of forceps, circumcision, or the use of certain types of anti-convulsive drugs or some pain killers sometimes used on epidural. The risk for this disease is about 1 y 10,000 and although it is a dangerous condition it can be controlled by administering Vitamin K when it happens. If everything goes as planned my kid will not fall under any of the risk conditions and shouldn't be in need of this shot; apparently they can also test to see if the baby's blood is clotting property; however, here in the US it is just a standard for all babies. It appears pretty harmless but I have come across a lot of information linking this shot to an increased risk of Leukemia and other childhood cancers, and an increased risk of developing bacterial meningitis among other less serious side effects. In addition, synthetic vitamin K is not well absorbed by the body so it makes you wonder if it really make sense to inject it to newborns as a precaution when
1.- they might not even need it,
2.- It is not doing much and
3.- It can be toxic and has dangerous side effects.
On the other hand, there are also studies saying that infant cases of HDN and mortality due to it has decreased since administration of Vitamin K became routine; and that exclusively breastfed babies are at a slight higher risk because breast milk does not com fortified with this vitamin as formula does. I plan to exclusively breastfeed so there is another dilemma to solve. I will like to know if in my country this is also a standard procedure, if it is not it will make me feel better to opt out of it unless there are difficulties delivering the baby that will put her at the high risk category. Other wise I have found more evidence of the dangers rather than the benefits of it.
Those are my big time dilemmas now.

Then I am still deciding on a crib and dresser/changing table. I have found some that I like but need to make a decision on and soon. Some of them are available only online and I don't know if I am 100% into buying that type of stuff without ever seeing it or feeling it..

Last weekend we went to Birmingham for a Baby Shower that Dave's family put together for us. Everything was very beautiful and we got some very nice gifts including our most desired Jogging Stroller and a brand new bed for ourselves. I tested the stroller today with my 4 yr old nice and we both loved it. We are very thankful for all the work the family put into the shower and the generosity of everyone; many of who I have just met. Thanks so much!!

This week we had our 32W Ultrasound to take measures of the baby and track her growth. She is growing as a champ, every measurement is on track and everything looks very healthy. She is already turned and in a good position; the ultrasound technician doesn't think that she will turn back up b/c there is not enough space for her to do so. She already weights 4pounds 6 ounces and should be gaining 1/2 a pound a week. So if she keeps that rate of growth and wants to stay in there until the 40th week she should be an 8pound baby!! Big baby for my Ecuadorian standards!! Our technician was really nice and got us some 3D pictures of the baby, she didn't want to show us her mouth, she was enjoying very much her tasty hand but we were able to get her to move it. I am posting a picture of my growing belly and the beautiful life growing inside of it.

If anyone who visits has any advice on my Vaccine/Vitamin K dilemma please post a comment or send me an email!!

Thanks for visiting.

Baby Bottles

Hi,
Below is some really good information on baby bottles and the materials they are made off. Having your child use conventional polycarbonate bottles will not cause immediate harm in them but you do not know what the exposure to all those toxins will cause in the future. I think we live in a world where we are exposed to toxins every day but we should definitely do what it takes to keep this exposure low.
I am going for a BPA free bottles and glass bottles!!

Hope it is helpful

PA - Also known as Bisphenol-A
is an estrogen-like chemical in plastic could be harming the development of children's brains and reproductive organs. It is found in #7 POLYCARBONATE plastics that are bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utencils and the plastic coatings used inside metal cans. BPA interferes with hormones by simulating the action of estrogen.

"An ingredient of polycarbonate plastic, BPA is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in industry today. It can seep from hard plastic beverage containers such as baby bottles, as well as from liners in cans containing food and infant formula." - LA Times article. Read more below.

Phthalates
"plasticizers" that soften PVC plastic (#3) into it's flexible form.
Most cling wraps are made of PVC and traces of phthalates and another chemical called adipates can leak out of PVC when in contact with food, especially heated, fatty food. Phthalates are suspected of interefering with hormones and the reproductive development of baby boys.

So what is a mom to do with this information?
First thing - ditch all your polycarbonate bottles! These are the #7 PC or PLA (polycarbonate/polylactide) bottles, also avoid #3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride), #6 Polystyrene (better known as styrofoam).

When using plastics look for these safer plastics: #2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), #4 LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene), and #5 PP (Polypropylene).

Avoid using the #7 plycarbonate bottles that are the very clear plastic bottles like Avent, Dr. Brown's, Gerber, and Evenflo.

So, what bottles are safe to use?
BPA-Free Baby bottles like Born-Free and Think Baby (Medela bottles have always been BPA-free!) are #5 Polypropolyne. They tend to have a cloudy or yellowish tint to them. Also a great sippy cup option is stainless steel - like the Safe Sippy from Kid Basix