Breast milk has tons of benefits not found in infant formula. Despite the common notion that formula is almost as good as breast milk, it’s just not so. Infant formula is a decent alternative to the real thing if the mother is unable to nurse, but it still does not contain many of the nutritious properties of natural breast milk. The first dose of breast milk that a baby receive, colostrum, contains tones of antibodies and acts as a laxative to purge waste from the babies bowls that may have built up in utero. The composition of mature milk is slightly different from colostrum, but still very advantageous. Every time a mother breast feeds her baby, she is delivering a dose of immune-boosting live white blood cells that help her baby fight off all kinds of diseases. The fats, vitamins, and minerals delivered through breast milk are incredibly easy for babies to digest and absorb. Interestingly, studies show that breast feeding has an impact on the intelligence of the child in addition to providing optimal nutrition. Breast feeders metabolize fatty acids better which has a positive affect on a kid’s IQ. Fevers early on in infancy can negatively impact brain development causing a lowered IQ as well. Since breast milk is chalk-full of immunity promoting properties, it can help to reduce the risk of fevers that can fry baby’s brain. While I don’t have babies and haven’t been faced with the decision, I like to think I would opt to up my baby’s chances of success by breast feeding the sucker.

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In my twenty five years of life I don’t think that I have ever had to stress as much as I have the last 7 years. When you’re a child your parents are there for you giving you what you need through life and trying to raise you right. I was never in trouble as a kid and most of the time I was always on my toes with my chores and other things. I did find out soon enough after I met my husband that he was the man I wanted to spend my life with. I was young but not stupid. My life had lead in a direction that required me to skip my child hood and take on adult responsibilities. I don’t regret that my mom needed me after my dad died. My husband soon proposed and we were married, it was at that point that I realized I had grown up and my own adult responsibilities had started. Through the years I have been through marital issues with my husband ranging from not talking to getting a divorce and it is all over money. When you grow up the more responsibilities you take on the more money it requires. Four years after our marriage my daughter was conceived and my mind was spinning not only was I trying to feed and clothe myself and husband but now I had a beautiful baby on the way that needed just as much if not more and I was scared out of my mind. In the end however I had a great job and was able to take care of everything we needed. Things have been great since then.

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So, as I’ve been talking about for a few months, my sister is pregnant. This is going to be the first baby in our family, so the first time I get to be an aunt. I am so excited already, and very impatient when it comes to getting all the new information. Soooo.. as I said last week, she was going to the doctor to find out what the gender of the baby is going to be. She has said that she planned on waiting to tell us until we were all together and in person over the holidays, but I really doubted that she could keep it from me. I called her and she told me… it’s a boy! We were all so sure it was going to be a girl, so most of us were surprised, but I am still just as excited as before. She told me right when I called, but I wasn’t aloud to tell anyone, so that’s why I didn’t want to write about it on here just in case. You never know what my family is doing, and them creeping on here wouldn’t surprise me at all! So, I’m going to be the proud aunt of a little boy here in April, and I get more excited each day!

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1.)    So I went to the doctor’s office this morning after the advice of the hospital and to my surprise everything is fine. I went in and sat for about 10 minutes after registration and my doctor’s nurse called me to the back to have my blood pressure done and the new blood test to check and see if there is issues with my pregnancy. After the blood test I went into the room to have my Dr take a look at everything. He had gotten the tests from the hospital the night before and had already looked at the tests when he comes into the room. He told me that there was not a tear any were that he could see from the ultra sounds and that the only thing he could tell could make that assumption was the umbilical cord was floating around, causing a line through the uterus. The news made me feel better but really made me mad in the long run. Why did the hospitals assume there was a tear if they couldn’t tell. I was upset and crying and my doctor could tell that they had really upset me the night before and had made sure to tell me everything was ok. I explained everything that had happened to me the night before and my doctor was infuriated. It was at that moment he explained if I  continued to have issues with the hospital then I was to let him know. He also told me that if there was anything else that I felt was wrong then to call him first. I have such a loving doctor and couldn’t ask for anyone better.

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I had no knowledge of how important blood type can be during a pregnancy until doing some research on some of the complications that can come with the parents having different blood types. Everyone has different antigens that sit on the top of their red blood cells, some have A antigens, B antigens, both A and B antigens, or none, which makes them an O blood type. To decifer whether or not you are a positive of a negative blood type, there is the RH factor. If you have the RH antigent on your red blood cells, then you are a positive blood type, and if you don’t then you are negative. So, if you have A and B antigens, and the no RH antigens, you are an AB Negative blood type. If a mother is RH negative, then she has antigens in her body that may fight off and destroy and positive antigens in her system. Meaning, if the fetus is RH positive, her body may attach the fetus and enter into the placenta and cause complications, or even miscarriage. So, if a mother is RH negative, and there is a chance that her baby may be RH positive, such as the father is an RH positive, she should receive a shot to help deal with the antibodies fighting the babies positive antigens. If the mother is positive, there is no worry for this. If both parents are negative, there is also no need to worry. If there is a chance the baby may be positive, then the mother should receive the Rh immunoglobulin. During the first pregnancy, the mother usually doesn’t produce enough antibodies to fight off the Rh positive fetus, but if the second child is Rh positive her body will produce the antibodies much quicker and should be monitored by a high risk obstetrical specialist.

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1.)    Depression and Pregnancy is something that happens to many people when they become pregnant every day. What happens when you already have depression and then get pregnant? I had depression when I became pregnant the first time and was on the pill called Paxil. During my pregnancy they removed me from Paxil and put me on the pill Wellbutrin. It wasn’t until the end of my pregnancy that I found out why they took me off of the Paxil. According to the news the Paxil medication caused multiple birth defects including heart problems, under development, and even intestines on the outside instead of inside. Wellbutrin has never helped me with what I needed and I always felt lost couldn’t make it to work because I didn’t want to be there and was constantly at the throat of all of my family. I’m pregnant again and I have had mood swings but that comes with pregnancy. My doctor put me back on my Paxil after my daughter was born and I had been on it up through the time I found out I was pregnant with my second child. This time I told myself that I wasn’t going on anything Wellbutrin didn’t help and Paxil is dangerous. I have been doing quite well with no medication but I really have to think before I speak as to not offend or be blunt to a person.

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Tons of baby stuff going on today… I got to see Kayla’s baby for the first time. He was born on Saturday, and I got to see her and hold him when I was in Amarillo driving through. He was perfect, and the littlest baby that I have ever held, and also the youngest baby I have ever held. Then, my sister went to the doctor today and found out the gender of her baby since she is 18 weeks along. I can’t tell yet, but as soon as I can I will let everyone know! Also, since my sister lives in Arlington, I haven’t gotten to see her since she found out that she was pregnant, so tonight when she pulled in to town she came over to see us. It was the first time I saw her, and she is showing a little already. I had to take a picture of her because I couldn’t believe she already had a little bump, I wasn’t thinking that it would be showing that much already. I can’t wait to be an aunt, and now that I’ve seen her it finally seems more real! Only five more long months of waiting for the baby to arrive, I hope it goes by fast!

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Lately I have been watching random TV shows about daily things. Some of those shows are pretty addicting, they are always trying to take every day things and turn them into dramatic situations. There are a bunch of cooking shows, and they make the chef out to be a total dick. Or, they have a lot of cake decorating shows that make every cake they make into a huge deal. Like someone will drop it or mess it up, or it will just fall over. Or the people they deliver it to will hate the cake and push it over. Just things that I don’t think happen in every day work for these real occupations. So, when this new show came out called “I didn’t know I was Pregnant” I couldn’t believe it. I have read one or two freak stories about someone who didn’t know they were pregnant and then they gave birth randomly to their child with no clue, but how often can that happen, really? An entire show series about someone who has a baby but doesn’t even know they are pregnant? But, the shows has different women on each episode that claim they had no idea they were pregnant during the either the entire pregnancy or the majority, and they either found out in a freak way or just had the baby and didn’t even know they were in labor. I would like to think that women would be more attuned to their bodies and the changes that happen when you are preparing to have a baby. But, I guess these ones just aren’t.

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As I mentioned, my friend Kayla was induced and had her little baby on Saturday. Today, I got to meet the little guy and hold him. At a whopping six pounds plus a couple ounces, he was the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never got to hold a baby that was so young, most of the time by the time I get to see the baby they are already a few months or more old, so they are bigger. And sturdier. He seemed so little and helpless, and I was so scared at first to hold him. But, he’s perfect. The bluest eyes ever, and a head full of blonde hair. His little fingers and finger nails were my favorite part, I can’t believe they are so small but they look so… human. I’ve seen some pictures of some babies that were just born and some of them have looked a little scary. Some of them look like little old people, all wrinkly. But, he was perfect. I expected him to just start talking because he looked just like a little adult. I can’t wait for my sister to have hers, she found out today what she is having and is waiting to tell the entire family until we are all together, so I can’t say anything on here because you never know who’s creeping around and readying what I write! I’ll write all about it as soon as the entire family knows!

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Today is the day my sister and her husband find of if their baby is a boy or a girl! I had assumed that as soon as she went to the doctor she would call me and tell me what happened, but now she’s decided that she wants to tell all of us in person. So, I have to wait until we are all together for Thanksgiving to find out. I don’t know if I can stand the wait any longer! But, this is just her 18 week check up, and a lot of the time when you go to that they have a hard time telling for sure what the gender is. Sometimes they have their legs crossed, or the umbilical cord is in the way and the doctor can’t see on the screen. They are expecting to find out today, but for all we know it may be another month before anyone gets the news. I hope everything goes easily and smoothly and they are able to find out for sure what color they need to start buying to decorate! My sister told me yesterday that, according to all her baby books, her baby Is currently the size of a sweet potato. I think it’s cute that they reference the size of your baby using food… I think that sounds like it might be a good nick name for the baby! Any how, I hope that either today or tomorrow I get the news, if they get the news. I can’t wait to know so I can start shopping!

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