Eating the WHAT?

Jason wanted me to blog this one...

Nat and I were thrown a fun shower yesterday by Stina, event planner extraordinaire, and her hubby General Fuzz. It was small enough to get to chat with everyone, which was great (and something I regretted not getting a chance to do with everybody at the Massachusetts shower.) I have one more at work this week and then I think we're officially soaked in good wishes and stuff. We even had a shower-by-mail from the relatives in Missouri. Craziness!

Anyway, after the shower, Jason was interested in whether or not we were planning to partake of the placenta in a culinary sense. No way! I can see burying it under a lemon tree, maybe, or marveling at the fact that my body grew a whole new organ just to support this kid, but it seems pretty cannibalistic to actually eat the thing. Anyone out there know of anyone who has?

On a related note, we have looked into the lotus birth thing, which is basically the practice of not clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. Instead you keep the cord attached to the placenta so that all nutrients and blood can continue to fortify the baby. People clean and salt the placenta and keep it in a little sack until the cord naturally detaches at the belly button in a few days. I think it is a cool idea, but whether the hospital lets you walk out with your kid still attached is another issue...actually, I wonder if the hospital cafeteria ever prepares placenta. Supposedly it tastes like veal. Ick.

Working Gal (w.Belly)

Feeding Bryozoan

Compound Tunicates

Under the Dock

So, not a lot of blogging lately, mostly because I've been back to work. Funny how work takes it out of a gal. I feel like I did in the beginning of this adventure, like coming home, sitting on the couch, and not moving at all until I pull myself into bed! The difference is, back in the first trimester I could actually sleep...forever if need be. Now, no matter how any pillows I stack and Pepcids I pop, I'm still up constantly. Seems like both the uterus and the internal clock are preparing for baby time.

The work saga has come to some sort of resolution, albeit a crappy one. Basically, my co-worked was ushered into the fill-in 6 month full-time benefited position that should have been posted in the summer and didn't until last month. Can you guess why I wasn't chosen? Seems to be a case of big belly...and the fact that I'd prefer to be elsewhere for 3 of those months at this point. It surely isn't a lack of qualification, since I have degrees, teaching experience, and coordinator experience far beyond any other candidate. Now, if the position had started in September, as it should have, I'd be all rich and healthcare settled and good to go by now. Part of it still screams "equal opportunity ???," "Most qualified applicant ???", but instead of fighting, I am going to suck it up and take it as a sign that it isn't the best place or position for me. It did help to fill a good gap. Now I get to focus on pulling in what income I can for the next month(s) and then figure out whether I want to go back part-time, or seek out something even better, once the family priorities have been sorted out.

But, still, I do like what I'm working on right now. This time of year is when the seasonal programs get fun. We're starting our real field science-y classes, starting with investigating all the critters that live on the rocks and docks of the Bay...my favorite little guys are illustrated above. Try putting your belly to a dock one day and check out who is hanging out underneath. The coolest thing is that they're probably all animals, though they resemble plants. The sadder thing is that the animals in Boston are probably the same as those in San Fran, or Tokyo, or Sydney, since they're mostly all aquatic invasives due to shipping issues. The other critters just can't keep up. But they're all beautiful...

Dreamy

BUT, previous post aside, right now I could really go for this. You know you're really pregnant when space for your partner comes second to space for more supporting pillows..I use 5 right now and can conceive of uses for at least two more.

Nesting

This nesting (and resting) thing has me rearranging rooms in my head and contemplating the intense bout of consumerism that has hit our home this past year. From maternity wardrobe to IKEA kitchen to finally getting a printer and accumulating a fine collection of infant clothing, we've bought a lot this year, and most of it new. I've been trying to think of ways to limit the spendage in the months ahead so that we can afford to have me stay home with the pea for the formative breastfeeding time and still be able to travel to visit the far-flung relatives. I found a great blog that offers some crafty solutions to the baby gear dilemma, I already picked out some fabric for homemade boppy covers, now I just need to remember how to sew! I'm seriously interested in this whole COMPACTING idea, too, it'd be interesting to see how much of our needs (and maybe even some wants) could be fulfilled second or third-handedly.

Time to bury my head.

Three days of organizing magazines (I love to get magazines but I never remember to go back and look up that article/recipe/planting tip/organizational insight that really would have helped in a pinch), sorting baby clothes, writing thank-yous, scaring myself with household budgets and trying to find affordable post-baby, post-job health insurance has made me desperate to grapple with some issues beyond the fetus and the cottage. So, I pull my head up to examine what's happening in the world, particularly in the healthy food part of the world.

Does anyone else find the increasing dichotomy between the government support of corporate interests with regard to questionably safe food and increased public concern around food safety and security crazy unreasonable? How can the consumers be moving so steadily in the opposite direction as the legislators? Capitalism just keeps getting worse and worse.

While various states consider a ban on hydrogenated fats, regulating standards for produce to reduce contaminants, passing legislation to bar candy bars from schools, pushing for labels for foods containing growth hormones, genetically altered, and lab-made ingredients, and re-examining the national organic standards in the face blatant corporate disregard for the rules. At the exact same time, the FDA is okaying the sale of unlabeled meat and milk from cloned animals, arguing that labeling food as RGBH free or unaltered is unnecessary, and backing pretty much any corporation it can without any regard for health and safety. I don't get it.

I certainly don't feel very safe, especially as a pregnant person. There are so few things I have control over in this process, you would think that I could at least trust the food I put into my body to be the best possible to nourish this life. Yet, when food with questionable health effects is able to be sold and not required to be labeled, when I can't even trust the accuracy of the things that are labeled, and have very little recourse or information to know exactly what I am consuming, that control is stripped away.

Luckily, having much experience with farms and food, I have a few sources I can trust - our CSA box, our tiny garden, and the local natural foods store who keeps abreast of the issues and seems to know what is safe and sustainable to stock. Good luck, little baby, I'm doing my best to keep you healthy, even if your country doesn't give a shit.

Forced Hiatus...

I guess I spoke too soon...last night was a scary one and now I don't get to work for the rest of the week . After work I began to feel really lightheaded and nauseous, and began having a number of braxton hicks contractions. I've been noticing these for months now, but usually they don't come one after the other. I tried to eat some dinner, drink some fluids, and sit for a while, but by 8 or so they weren't letting up. I called my doctor and she asked me to lay down and time them, and to call back if I was having more than four in an hour. Half an hour later I had had six! And off to the hospital we were sent.

It was good practice for the real deal. Nat ran around packing the essentials (TUMs for my unceasing reflux and snacks and water in case ice chips were the only menu items.) He was scatter-brained parking and almost didn't turn off the car before leaving it! I was chattering my teeth and shivering the whole way, I was so nervous for the baby. We were ushered up to the labor and delivery triage where bigger pregnant people than me were huffing and groaning and the echoes of baby heartbeats were everywhere. They hooked me up to monitors and it was a big relief to hear little pea's heart whooshing away, strong and clear. It was also sort of weirdly validating to see the contractions on the trace...not that I wanted them to be there, but at least I was in tune with my body.

They did a test for Fetal Fibronectin and checked to see if I was dialating, which I wasn't. The baby seemed fine, not dropping and still bopping around like crazy (and had been all day). The nurse said the heart accelerations and decelerations looked more like those of an older baby, which I took for a good sign. After a couple of hours the contractions didn't seem to get any worse, though they were still happening every few minutes. The test came back negative, which seems to suggest that the kid won't be making an appearance for the next few weeks at least. And so I was sent home with orders to call the OB in the morning and to stay low for the rest of the week. Bummer. But whatever it takes to keep this kid healthy...even if it means being broke and bored. I need to find more home-based projects that don't require moving stuff around or heavy cleaning. I think my projects at work are actually less physical!

And thus ends another trip to the darker side of preggersville. Wish us luck in making it another 10 weeks!

Hiatus all over

Almost a month without blogging, and oh, how it flew by! I had a nice trip back to Massachusetts, even though it was just as warm there as it was here in Berkeley. It did snow once, in time for a killer baby shower, which made for a pleasant view of the snow covered woods as I opened the gifts. Amazing gifts. Thanks, everyone. We were truly showered with love and beautiful baby stuff. And we'll be more showered on this coast in the coming months. So many, many people willing to be a part of this process...we love you all!

Three days back and we were out to Point Reyes again yesterday to see some elephant seals and try to spot some whales. I didn't make it down and up all of the 380 odd steps to the lighthouse, but nearly! More soon...I have much to discuss!