Pregnancy is something so special and is definitely a different special experience for every individual.  During this pregnancy, I was able to take in the moment to moment events and feelings.  Towards the end of the pregnancy, I dealt with sciatica and what could be a herniated disc, so it definitely challenged me in many ways.  Walking around with a cane was not easy and having a to take care of the needs of a toddler, was not easy at all.  I went through an emotional rollercoaster because at the end of the day, I’m only human.  In the midst of everything, I am proud that I stayed positive and tried to take it in strides.

So finally I went to Labor & Delivery on July 23rd, 2009 to check on what I thought was a break in my amniotic sac.  It was also my due date and I did not think I was going to go into labor.  I was also very hesitant in going in to Labor & Delivery because I had already been there about 6 times, for false alarms, and did not want to be labeled the “false alarm” girl.  Of course, it’s always better to be safer than sorry.  So drumroll…I would like to share with you my birthing story.

July 23rd, 2009

• 1:45am:  I was awaken in the middle of the night with severe cramps where I could not breathe.  I could not move nor talk.  The contractions came every 30 minutes throughout the night.
• 5:00am:  The contractions came every 20 minutes. I thought that maybe I was finally in early labor.
• 9:00 am: The contractions came every 15 minutes. The contractions were getting closer and I told my husband that maybe he should not go to work because if he does, maybe he would miss the birth.
• 11:00 am: Contractions come every 10 minutes.  The last time I was at L&D my midwife told me to come into the hospital when the contractions were 10 minutes apart because I was already dilated to 3cm.
• 11:30am: I call my midwife to see what I should do.
• 12:00pm: The contractions are now 20 minutes to 30 minutes apart. I am thinking that they are braxton hicks contractions because they become irregular.
• 1:00pm: Still no call back from my midwife.
• 1:30pm: I have something leak down the side of the leg and instantly think it’s my amniotic fluid.  I finally get to talk to my midwife and she tells me to come in so that we could check on it.
• 2:00pm: My husband and I get ready to leave the house to go to L&D which is 5 minutes away.
• 2:30pm: We stop by Trader Joe’s to get snacks and water, so that we have something while we wait at L&D.
• 3:00pm: We walk over to a Pasta Cafe next door and grab a bite to eat because my husband is extremely hungry.
• 4:30pm: We finally arrive at L&D.  They don’t have any free rooms, so we are sent to the waiting room to wait.
• 5:00pm: They come to get us. My midwife checks me and tells me it’s not amniotic fluid, however, I am dilated to 5cm, and wants to know if I want to be admitted now or later.  I asked to be admitted.
• 6:00pm: I walk the L&D corridors to get the contractions going. I have to go back 30 minutes later.
• 6:30pm: I am monitored.
• 7:00pm: My midwife comes to check on me. I am now 7cm dilated and the midwife and nurse are amazed.
• 7:15pm: I am sent to walk again for another 30 minutes.
• 7:45pm: The nurse puts me on the monitor again.
• 8:15pm: The midwife comes to check on me again.  I am now 9 cm dilated and they are surprised again how fast everything is moving.
• 8:30pm: The nurse prepares everything for the actual birth.  I am at this point in significant amount of pain. No drugs, no nothing. Just a lot of pain, plus my added back pain.
• 9:00pm: My midwife comes back to check on me, but I am still at 9cm, but a very good 9cm.
• 9:15pm: We talk about positions I can be in to deliver because I cannot lay down to deliver since my major back pain.  We try putting in the birthing pole, but I can’t do that either because of the back pain.  Finally the nurse brings in the birthing stool.
• 9:25pm: I am told that I am 10cm and to push with the next contraction.
• 9:29pm: With one push, Ella Hanul was born! She cried so hard and so loud.
• 9:30pm: They gave her to me with her umbilical cord still intact and then was handed to my husband.  I lost all the energy that I had and was close to passing out.

After that, I had to deliver the placenta, which was not pleasant and very painful.  I lost a lot of blood during the whole process, which was the scariest part.  About an hour after the birth, I was being escorted to the washroom and lost consciousness and hit my head on the hard hospital floor.  All I remember was my husband and the nurse picking me up.  I could hear the nurse calling on nurses for an emergency backup.  I ended up with a huge bump on my head and lips.  The next day they did blood work and my hemoglobin level was at a 8, the normal level is 12-13, and I would require a transfusion if it went down to 7, so it was a close call. Now I am home recovering.  It surely was a journey I will never forget and just staring at Ella makes everything worth it.

Hi everyone!  I finally delivered my baby girl Ella Hanul.  She came on her due date.  I delivered without any drugs.  Right now, I am going through a brutal recovery process because I lost so much blood.  Once I come back to my normal physical state, I will post more in detail.  Thank you for your continued support and can’t wait to share with you my birthing story!

Today is my due date July 23rd, 2009.  I didn’t think I would make it this far and here I am.  I have been reading endless message boards with lots of women who have met their due dates or are 2 weeks overdue.  I was starting to think that this baby would never want to come out.  Yesterday,  I woke up in the morning and had bloody show.  If it was about 4 weeks ago, I probably would have been on high alert and worried.  However, being that my due date was the next day, I started to get excited because it’s usually a sign that labor will happen soon.  Still being a little reserved, I didn’t get my hopes up because this pregnancy has been anything but textbook.

I focused on my daughter the entire day because she is fighting her UTI (urinary tract infection) and on top of it, a virus.  The poor thing has been going through a lot this past week.  Throughout the day, I had bloody show.  I didn’t have any contractions, so I thought it was another sign that labor would not happen for another couple days or maybe even weeks.

At 1 am, I was awakened by major pelvic pain that went on for about a minute.  I could hardly breath and it was excruciating pain.  At that point, I did think that something was starting to change, but I made myself go to bed.  The first contraction was followed by another one, 30 minutes later.  The contractions then started to get closer and stronger.  It’s 12:37 pm right now and my contractions are about 10 minutes apart.  The last time I went into L & D, my midwife told me to come in when the contractions were 10 minutes apart because I had already been dilated a good 3 cm.

My husband didn’t go to work, but he keeps asking me if my contractions are real or fake.  Common? Are you serious?  First, I don’t think I would have the capability to fake such a contraction, unless I was trying to act out a character in a movie.  Anyhow, I gave him a piece of my mind, and I think he knows I mean business.  Right now, it’s a waiting game.  Let’s see if today is the day!

With consumer awareness growing on a daily basis, although still very behind, there are more choices for our children than ever.  I say this time and time again, but the largest organ in our body is the skin.  When you don’t take care of your skin, then you start to develop all sorts of health related issues.  For me, when it comes to my family’s skincare, I always read labels, and I will literally sit in an aisle to look through each ingredient in every product I consider.  I know I have sensitive skin, something I inherited from my mother, so making sure I am an educated consumer, is a must.

When speaking to my friends, family, and mothers at the park, I hear more and more the frustration in their voices about eczema and skin sensitivities. I noticed that a lot of the products that they were using were very mainstream children’s products that were filled with all the nasties (paraben, sulfates, pthalates, propylene glycol, frangrances, and DEA). Another thing that parents are mislead by are products that are labeled “organic” and “natural.”  Just because the product is labeled organic or natural, does not mean that it free of all the chemicals and dyes that effect our skin in a major way. 

As parents, we always want the best for our children, and I believe that constantly educating ourselves with what’s on the market is very important. I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t put anything on your skin that has ingredients that you could hardly pronounce or have to reference a medical dictionary.  Lately, I have come across some great companies that really exemplify what I look for in skincare. It is definitely a relief to know that we do have options.

One of the standout companies is Nature’s Baby Organics.  A company that was started by a mom, Adena, who took matter into her own hands.  After her daughter mysteriously broke out in a rash, she began to educate herself about the products that she was using on her daughter, which turned out to be harmful.  Eventually this led her to create a whole line of products that really focused on clean skincare. Her products do not contain any parabens, pthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, propylene glycol, or DEA.  If I see any of these nasties listed on a label, I put it right down, and move on.

I tried the Shampoo & Body Wash, the Bubble bath, and the Face & Body Moisturizer, on my daughter. I have been hesitent to give my daughter a bubble bath since she had a bladder infection a couple months back, which put us in the ER.  I decided that I would give her a bubble bath and made sure that I used the filtered showerhead water to fill up the tub.  I loved the scent and my daughter sat there playing with her toys. After a good ten minutes, I had her stand up, and rubbed the Shampoo & Body Wash all over her body and her hair.  I’m a big fan of an all in one body wash and shampoo.  It’s just makes my life a little bit easier.  After I gave her body a good rinse, I had her come out, and slathered the fragrance free moisturizer on her body.  It glided on smoothly and had absolutely no fragrance.  I am pretty sensitive to fragrances, so I always like the moisturizer to be fragrance free.

Nature’s Baby Organics, is a line that embodies the heart and soul of one’s mother’s journey to create a line of products that would not be harmful for any baby or child. As a parent myself, you want what is best for your children. The Nature’s Baby Organics line is nothing but good quality skin care that can be used for our babies, as well as ourselves.  The three products (Shampoo & Body Wash, Bubble Bath, Face & Body Moisturizer) that I used on my precious daughter will be in a Target Store (300 Target Stores) near you from August 1st-October 1st.   Please  support and try these fabulous products out.  For more information on the products, please visit www.naturesbabyproducts.com.

(Disclosure: Products were provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.s  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Don’t know if this exists.  I’m sure it does, and I have just not been educated on it.  Well, if it’s anything like post-partum depression, during pregnancy, I feel like I can relate.  My due date is inching near, just two days away, and it seems the baby is as comfortable as comfortable can be. That I don’t mind because she will make her entrance when ready.  What’s really gotten to me is this never-ending sciatica pain on the right side of my lower back that seems to get worse. If  you read my post last week, I was unable to get an appointment with my physician to get a referrel for a physical therapist.  I’m not sure how much it will help now, since I am closer to going into labor, but I know it will probably help after labor.

So on top of being frustrated with trying to make appointments, I have been pretty much immobile.  I am walking around with my mother’s walker and cane.  I can’t even call it walking because it takes me a couple minutes to move across a couple inches.  I simply look and feel pathetic.  No offense, but I have literally gotten stares by 90 year old senior citizens, wondering what could be wrong with me, besides the obvious pregnancy.  So the last couple days, I have had moments where I would just break down and cry because there is not much I can do at this point, but bare the pain.  I’ve tried warm baths, showers, tylenol, massages, and nothing seems to work.

My mom who has major knee issues has been picking my daughter up from preschool everyday.  It’s sad because these are some of the last days I will get to have alone time with her, but because of my pain, I am screeching.  I wish there was a magic pill I could take that would get rid of my pain because it really is affecting me in every way.  I am still trying to stay positive because that is who I am, but at the end of the day, I’m only human.

On top my own pain, we ended up in the ER again this weekend.  My daughter was running a 104-105 high fever.  She is super active and has a really good appetite, however, she was lethargic, dry coughing, not eating, and throwing up.  Her fever never subsided and kept getting higher and higher.  So we ended up taking her to the ER.  Our last visit, she was diagnosed with UTI (Urinary Tract Infection).  This time, she was also diagnosed with a UTI for the second time around.  It was hard being in the ER because my daughter only wanted me.  So on top of my back pain, I had her weight on top of me.  Now, she is on antibiotics, and she seems to be doing a lot  better.

Today, I finally get to see my physician for a referrel to a physical therapist.  I guess we will see what happens.  If I don’t get a chance to see one before I deliver, I will be seeing one afterwards.  After that appointment, I head to my midwifes, which is my 40 week checkup. Wow!  I feel baby moving like crazy, so that part is good.  I will be having my daughter home with me, so that I can manage how she is doing.  Hopefully, she will be feeling good by Wednesday, to go back to preschool.  I am crossing my fingers that this week will go by smoothly and by the end of it, I will have my baby in my arms.

While I attended the Pump Station Event, a couple weeks back, I came across a very fresh and neat company.  I love going to events to discover new companies that have noteworthy products.  While I sat down, trying to rest my sore legs from carrying the baby around in my tummy, my mom went and visited all the booths at the event.  About 15 minutes into it, she came back with a piece of apple.  I like apples from occasion to occasion, but I’m not a apple fanatic, so I told my mom I wasn’t interested.  Then she stuck the apple in my face and said, “try it!”  As stubborn as my mom is, I just gave in, and ate it.  The apple tasted really clean and fresh, without the waxy residue aftertaste you usually get after eating an apple.  She pointed at this table, and said you need to go check them out.

After I ate the apple, a lightbulb definitely went off in my head. I went over to the table to discover, Eat Cleaner.  Just the name makes you want to eat cleaner.  Mareya Ibrahim, who is the co-founder of the company took some of their wipes to wipe off the apples, to show the dirt that came off.  It was disgusting.  Whenever I buy produce and fruits, the first thing I do at home is to soak them in our filtered water.  I also try to buy almost everything organic.  But there are times when we are on the go, have no time, and there are not a lot of options.  So the Eat Cleaner line of products would be ideal for me in those situations as well.  I personally think that Eat Cleaner should be carried in all restaurants because speaking for myself, I go through at least 3 incidents of food poisening a year.  During this pregnancy, I’ve already gone through it twice, and it was not a pleasant experience.  I literally thought I was going to pass out, die, or even lose the baby.  It was a really scary situation.

Eat Cleaner is an all-natural, lab tested food cleaner that washes surface contaminants, pesticide residues, waxes and organic particles from commercially and organically grown produce. Eat Cleaner can also be used to wash and clean processed meats, seafood, and poultry.  Another added bonus, it prevents foods from browning, and you can use it to clean countertops and cutting surfaces, after food preparation. I would definitely visit their website at www.eatcleaner.com which has so much educational information about our foods and the process it goes from field to plate.

I got to try out the All Natural Fresh Fruit + Vegetable Wash and the All Natural Seafood + Poultry Wash.  I bought a whole bunch of organic cherries from the farmer’s market.  I brought them home and sprayed them with the Eat Cleaner Fruit Wash.  I followed the instructions and let them soak  for approximately 2 minutes with our home’s filtered water.  After the 2 minutes were up, I drained the cherries, and rinsed them again with filtered water.  It was really simple process, and took shorter amount of time because whenever I soak my fruits, I let it soak for about 30 minutes, until I begin to see the dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl.  My daughter and I tried the cherries after it was all said and done, and they had a perfect snap to them, as well as no waxy residue aftertaste. It definitely had me smiling. 

For dinner, we had shrimp with rice.  I don’t eat poultry, so shrimp was perfect in seeing what the Eat Cleaner could do to it.  I let the shrimp thaw all day, and put them into a bowl.  Once they were thawed, I rinsed them with filtered water.  I drained them and then sprayed them with the All Natural Seafood spray.  I soaked them for 2 minutes with filtered water, and they were ready to be grilled.  When I ate them, I didn’t notice that much of a difference in taste, however, I noticed that the seafood smell was almost non-existent. With my daughter, she does not like eating seafood because of the foul odor it can give off, so this spray was great in releasing and removing that odor.

Eat Cleaner is such a great product for every household to prevent food borne illness and pesticide consumption. Especially, those of us who are pregnant or nursing, and have children, especially infants. The lab tested products were 99.9+% effective in killing Salmonella and E. Coli. That alone is very convincing to me in using the products.  Also, another fact that I did not know was that because organic products are grown in fresh and recycled manure, we have to be more careful.  I thought being organic was the answer to eating clean, but I guess not.  Another great thing for us mommas is that those apples that we pack our children’s lunches, don’t have to be brown anymore, just spray on some Eat Cleaner and they will look good as new.  For more information please visit them at www.eatcleaner.com.

(Disclosure: Products were provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

When you hear the word concierge, it sounds like a service that is offered to the rich and famous.  At least, everytime I hear that word, it makes me think of the concierge service at the Ritz Carlton in “Pretty Woman.”  Well, a service similar to that is available to you in the comfort of your home.  Just go to www.nearbynow.com.  Nearbynow.com is a full service online concierge.

It is very user friendly and takes you directly to the source, which cuts out run arounds and saves you time.  I know as a parent, the hardest thing to do is going from shop to shop comparing prices.  Sometimes you take what you can get.  I went to the site myself and it was really easy to use.  For some reason, the site already recognized my location, so I didn’t have to type in my location.  I then went to my category, which was Baby, and typed in the word “Swings.”  The search brought up a bunch of swing options, prices, and the locations.  It was simple as that.  When I did separate searches for Prenatal vitamins and children’s shoes, when the items were not available locally, it used shopping.com to search for online stores that provided those items.  Let me tell you, the prices were about $10 plus cheaper.

Another added bonus is that if you want to reserve an item, just follow the prompts, and a member of NearbyNow’s concierge team will reserve it for you and send you a confirmation e-mail within 10 minutes. Then you can check it out at the store before you commit to buying it. The service definitely saves you time and gives you options when you are busy handling other matters.  Go to Nearbynow.com and try it out to see how it can benefit you!

Note: This review is soley based on my personal experience and opinion and results may vary person to person.

I am 39 weeks today! I am literally 7 days away from my actual due date.  I’m not sure if I can hold on any longer because of the immense back pain I am dealing with.  I am literally using my mother’s walker and her cain to move about in a really slow motion speed.  The last couple days have not been fun because I have been pretty much tied to my bed.  Nothing is really getting rid of the back pain, and I can say I have literally tried everything in the book to get rid of it.

So it’s been another week of waiting and trying to ask little baby to make her appearance, so that I could get my mobility back.  My Mother in Law and my Brother in Law are in town, from overseas, and I really hope that they can see baby before they leave.  It’s been an emotional roller coaster for me, this past week, and I do hope that I can stay positive through this.  The only thing that has kept me sane is reading endless posts on message boards that relate to what I am currently going through.  I guess reading about other ladies in similar situations, makes me feel normal, and not crazy.

Here’s to another day, another week, and hopefully another positive birthing experience!

A name of a song and a favorite past time treat, the lollipop.  Growing up, I would ironically get a lollipop after my dentist’s appointment.  My childhood was filled with lollipop memories.  I use to sneak lollipops underneath my bed, take extra ones when I was at restaurants, and Halloween was just all out lollipop eating fest.  I feel that I have passed on my “lollipop loving torch” onto my daughter.  She is obsessed with eating lollipops and if she had it her way, she would eat the entire bag.

The only problem I have with lollipops are all the empty calories that doesn’t really do much for my daughter’s nutritional intake.  When you look on labels,  they are  filled with high fructose corn syrup and a lot of bad coloring.  I would rather give my daughter a lollipop that was made of fruit juices and if it were organic, even better.  That is why I love the Yummy Earth Organic Fruit Lollipops. 

 When I give her the lollipops, I don’t feel guilty anymore.  It’s really a treat.  She loves the taste and I personally think it tastes a lot better than the lollipops that contain all the bad for you ingredients.  They also sell a variety of packs with different flavors, as well as their candy drops.  My daughter and I walked over to Whole Foods today and got 3 more packs.  I will definitely get these lollipops for Halloween at my daughter’s preschool.  For more information please go to: www.yummyearth.com.

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Since last Wednesday, I have been experiencing major back pain.  The pain went from bad presssure to now, immobility.  I am in so much pain that I cannot walk, crawl, or even go to the restroom myself.  I have been on the phone with my on call midwife, every other day, because of the immense pain that I have been in.  There is not much that can be done until the baby comes out.  So I have been literally talking to the baby, on a minute to minute basis, asking her to make her appearance.

Today, I was able to go to my midwife appointment.  My midwife clearly saw the pain I was going through, and felt really bad that everything that was recommended to me for pain relief, has not worked.  The tylenol, the ice, the warm baths, nothing has worked.  The pain has only gotten worse  as the days have gone by.  Today, my midwife told me to get a same day appointment to see my primary care doctor, so that I could get some sort of diagnosis, to see a chiropractor or a physical therapist.

At this point, I just want baby to come because I cannot tolerate this pain.  I can’t even fathom how I am going to be able to give birth, with this pre-existing pain.  I just pray and hope that I can get through this hurdle and be able to give birth the way I planned.  I am waiting to see if my primary doctor can squeeze me in.  I hope they do and I can be on the road to severe back pain recovery!