First childbirth class

So the day actually came when I attended my first childbirth class. It was held in the ISO in Ateneo, Katipunan. I was a little worried since we were running a bit late but turns out there were other couples who came much later than us.

It was a very interesting experience especially since we were able to talk about our expectations and fears about pregnancy and childbirth. Lloyd finally came clean on his fear of actually holding a baby. If you’ve seen him with a newborn you’d be scared too at how he seemed so fearful and nervous with the baby. I talked about my fear of not entirely avoiding the “bad” foods that had sugar and preservatives.My OB was quite specific about the foods that I’m supposed to avoid.

Another subject that came up was the weight gain that the ladies in our group had. I’m so happy to say that I had the least weight gain. Rome was quite surprised that with the other ladies in our group they were announcing they had weight gains of 15 to 25 pounds! Lloyd said one of the gained 30 pounds. I only gained 12 pounds so far. Maybe it’s because I offset the weight gain of eating 3 times a day with the avoidance of junk food.

In the later part of the class, Rome was teaching us all some pregnancy exercises. I brought a towel instead of a mat to lie down on the floor but was a bit embarassed when I realized everyone else had a decent mat! Worst of all is that Lloyd mentioned that the towel was obviously taken from a hotel since it was emblazoned with a “Paradise Hotel” in huge letters! This is what I get for grabbing something at random from my parents’ house. I don’t think anyone noticed it though. I told Lloyd we’d have to buy a yoga mat asap. Haha!

Last but not the least is the workbook that Rome gave us to write our expectations in and for me to put my weekly food diary. Siyempre one of the questions is a fill in the blank one where it says “My wife’s pregnant body is……..” Lloyd took a look at it and teased me “Huge!” Of course he wrote something else.

This coming Saturday we’ll start attending the Makati class since it is more convenient for us. Our Sundays are busy enough as it is. So it’ll be a different group and hopefully it will still be as interesting as the first one.

Going crazy over baby stuff

I finally got around to going to Rustan’s for the baby registry with Lloyd and to my surprise, we finished in around an hour. I admit there’s a lot of stuff available in Rustan’s but some of my wish list items were not around. This is what I get from browsing online.

Anyway I was a bit shocked with the prices of the car seat, stroller, high chair and crib. It’s not because I’m brand conscious but because the items I really wanted were portable, multipurpose and high quality.I guess in the case of baby gear, high quality means high price. Not to mention ang laki ng patong ng Rustan’s compared to the online prices. Amazon won’t deliver these things to the Philippines but if I have them delivered to my relatives then shipped, it is still cheaper kasi 100% ang patong ng Rustan’s!

The crib, playpen and changingg table in 1 (Graco play yard in Kasbah)

This one I definitely want since most likely Lloyd and I will be living in a place with limited floor area.

The toddler stroller (MacLaren Quest Sport Stroller)

This stroller caught our eye since the handles are rubberized and it is quite easy to fold up and bring along. Plus lightweight siya. Of course Lloyd also went through this “orange” phase when he bought his Seiko monster.

The High Chair (Graco High Chair in Kasbah)

This we won’t need right away. Probably not in the next 6 months.

Car seat (Graco Infant SafeSeat)

This we will definitely need since the grandparents will want to see their grandchild.

Buti na lang Lloyd’s parents are quite enthusiastic about their first apo. Tita Cora volunteered to buy the stroller and casually told Tito Tek “oh, ikaw sumagot sa crib ha?” Boom. Two down. This is of course not counting the fact that my boss already lent me an infant stroller and Baby Bjorn carrier. I just need to have those cleaned.

I also decided to start buying stuff for Baby Joao and I started with swaddling blankets and Medella bottles that I ordered from Amazon and had sent to my Tita Rory in the States.

Swaddling blanket

Kiddopotamus Swaddling Blanket

I read that swaddling helps a baby sleep throughout the night and prevent SIDS. So I ordered this in small and large sizes.

I don’t think I’ll put a picture of the bottles anymore. Safe to say that I just looked for ones that are BPA free. I don’t think I’ll be buying a breast pump yet since I’ll check if I do have the capacity for breast feeding first. I did however order a baby sling from a multiply site. Indigo Manila has some cute slings in various patterns and I think that baby wearing is good bonding for mother and child.

In conclusion, the baby gear shopping madness has begun.

How does a shopaholic prepare for a baby?

My name is Marissa and yes I’ve been known to engage in retail therapy quite extensively. When I had problems at work I would leave and go malling to let my anger and irritation blow over. Right now my current workplace is not near a mall unlike when I used to work for ePLDT so I would engage in online shopping. Yup, shopping from the comfort of your PC.

As my tummy grew larger and my pants got way too tight for comfort, I would end up buying maternity pants and dresses. However, those lousy maternity pants feel too tight and right now I live in leggings. I’d feel so frustrated with my clothing choices that I inevitably buy more and more dresses. Yes, I am now a real girl.

Lately with Joao being active I casually started thinking about stuff for him. I went to Amazon and searched for the best selling baby stuff and boom I was hooked. There are so many things like baby swaddling blankets to baby carriers to BPA free bottles. Nalula ako. I’m so tempted to click that check-out button but I held back since I haven’t visited the baby section of Rustan’s yet. I actually told Lloyd that we should get a baby registry around August but I can’t hold out any longer. I must go check out baby items!

In conclusion, I’ve actually been lent a stroller and baby bjorn carrier. So I’m wondering if a baby sling or a baby carrier like the baby bjorn is best. I’m a little skeptical of the sling but it looks more natural that the baby bjorn. I’ve been doing research over the Internet and both come highly recommended. Hmmm…

Becoming a reality

Welcome to my new blog. I had an old one before I got married and pregnant but I feel that a fresh start is needed especially with my different view of life.

So anyway, I’m 6 months pregnant and we’ve decided to sign-up for Child Birth classes. I’ve already confirmed with Rome Kanapi who came highly recommended by my Tita and friend. Unfortunately, her Saturday Makati class is full already and that leaves Sundays at Ateneo. As if we didn’t already have enough places to go on Sundays. Anyway Lloyd doesn’t mind as much because he misses the place. Truth be told, I too will always have a special place in my heart for Ateneo since I did have 4 memorable years there.

Rome seems like a really nice person to talk to over the phone telling me to prepare a food diary and what to bring to the classes. She said if we didn’t have a yoga mat we can just use a towel and bring 1 throw pillow. However, it’s the food diary that is making me guilty.

During the first months of my pregnany I was practically draconian in my avoidance of anything with alcohol, caffeine, sugar and preservatives. I may have slipped and succumbed every now and then but I was firm in my resolve more or less.

Unfortunately now that I’ve passed my gestational diabetes test and other blood tests I’ve been feeling naughty. I’ve had cravings for C2 green tea and worse Hershey’s milk chocolate. I thought I could get away with a few “kisses” but last night I whimpered to Lloyd to buy me a bar with almonds. Good husband that he is, he did buy it. But I swear I ate only half. The other half is waiting to be consumed tonight.

Turns out that the reason Rome asked me to keep a food diary according to my research on Google is that I will be telling people at the child birthing class what is in it. Waaaah! Poor baby Joao, he’s getting high on all that sugar.   But in all honesty the little guy has been very active lately. I swear, he recognizes Lloyd’s voice.

Anyway, I’m just really excited that I’ll be joining this class and interacting with other expectant mothers. There are so many questions in my mind that books only partially answer. Some real life preggy stories in our culture will be nice to relate to.