Naming a new baby is hard. Not only are there family traditions and individual preferences to consider but there is also the added stress associated with not giving our children a name that will haunt them forever. No pressure.
So how can parents choose the perfect name for their children? Here are some fun ways to test whether your name will lead your child to a life of success or doom them to total failure.
As my son’s 2nd birthday approached, my husband and I began to talk about adding another baby to our crew. The dog was not enthusiastic, but we had always wanted two kids, so we decided to go ahead with it anyway.
This time, we decided to attempt to time the pregnancy so that the beginning would fall when I was off work. This proved to be wise, as my Hyperemesis Gravidarum returned, much stronger than the last pregnancy. I spent most of the summer in and out of the hospital, depending on IV fluids to keep me going.
But I’d better back up a little bit. Before the hospital, before the first ultrasound even, we we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves. We were going to have our two kids, 2 1/2 years apart and it was going to be great. Okay, I would be sick again, but I had lived through HG before, and I could do it one final time. It was all going to be fine. Then we were thrown the curve ball. Continue reading
As many of you know, I have had very severe hyperemesis gravidarum with my current pregnancy. In case you haven’t heard of it, hyperemesis or HG, is severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that leads to significant weight loss, dehydration and general misery. (If you would like to read more about it, please click here.)
Unfortunately, I am quite familiar with HG, as I had it for the entire 41 weeks of my pregnancy with my 2 year old son. So, you might say that I am a bit of an HG pro now. My HG prevents me from doing a lot of ordinary things, like cooking, going to stores and even opening my fridge, which makes my life is a bit more complicated. Since my symptoms show no signs of going away any time soon, I found that I had to figure out a way to deal with these every day hurdles. (Without hurling in the process.) This has lead to some rather strange new habits. Continue reading
It has been a year since the birth of Baby MB and I am finally ready to write about it.
First, he was super late. Super, unbearably late. You can read my other post on that part here.
I began feeling contractions for 3 days before his birth, which were irregular and got my hopes up, but each day passed with no baby. Finally the day after my own birthday I woke up feeling pretty sure I should call the hospital. When I did, I was absolutely shocked at what they said. Continue reading
I still remember going to visit a friend a month after having her first baby. At the time, she was one of the first of my university friends to have a baby and most of us in attendance were childless. Someone asked the new mom what was different about her body after the baby, and she responded with, “What’s not different?” At the time we laughed, thinking that she just didn’t want to talk about it. We changed the subject. I now realize that this was one of the truest answers she could have given.
Even though I had done the requisite research about recovery from childbirth, I was still surprised by some of the changes my body has gone through since my son was born. During a recent mom’s night out with the mom squad, it became clear that I was not the only one.
So, I asked the mom squad to tell me what surprised them about their post-baby bodies:
Most women I know experienced some type of morning sickness during their pregnancies. For many, this means aversions to favourite foods and vomiting for a few weeks. For me, pregnancy meant 41 weeks of IV fluids, anti-nausea pills, dehydration and barfing discretely at work.
Why? I had a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. You may have heard this term in connection with Princess Kate of England’s recent pregnancies. For those who haven’t, hyperemesis is extremely severe nausea during pregnancy which results in significant weight loss and dehydration. It is rare, happening in under 2% of pregnancies. (Yay! Lucky me!)
Though most people were very supportive during this time, I heard quite a few ridiculous comments ranging from simply uninformed to downright rude. These are a few of my favourites and the things I wish I had said in response: Continue reading
Mommy Brain:
Mommy Brain is real. I have experienced it and… wait, what was I saying?
Oh yes, I for sure thought this was just code for being tired. Wrong! If I had to define “mommy brain” now, I would say it is a strange combination of hormones, sleep deprivation and adapting to a complete life change. Continue reading
Our baby was 8 days late. This doesn’t seem like much now, but it was actually the longest week of my life.
You see, I spent my whole pregnancy with the due date circled on my calendar, and much like many first time moms, when it passed without a baby emerging from my uterus, I felt somehow cheated. What is the hold up?, I wondered. Why is he still in there?
I waited for nearly a year for this. I had the pregnancy from hell. (Which you can read about here, if you like. Let’s be honest, if your baby is late, you probably have the time.) I thought I had put in my time on this project. I grew a baby from scratch. I didn’t eat for 9 months. The further I got past the due date, the more irritated I became, but what else could I do? The baby obviously didn’t get the memo. Continue reading
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