Arielle is here!

I'm so excited, wish I had more time to blog, just a quick update she's here!! Here's the pic of my mom happy with her grand-daughter!!

Next post: Birth Story....

Tanisa Samuel

Overdue and Stressed

This is what I get for posting previously about not being ready 6 weeks prior to EDD.

Now I'm a week past due date and no signs of imminent labour!! I'm going nuts here!!

I'd planned a natural unmedicated birth but of course my OB doesn't give a damn about that, she just wants to induce me. When I refused the induction for last night, she insisted I do bio-physical profile (BPP) and Non Stress Test (NST) to check that the baby is ok. Mind you, there was no reason or indication that the baby was anything other than healthy. So off we go to the hospital, do the ultrasound, baby looks perfect, face down, facing my back, moving as she should, she has more than enough amniotic fluid etc etc,, Oh by the way she has hair which I'm so excited about!! Can't wait to see her beautiful face!! But, I digress..... So then we go up to L&D for the NST. They check the baby's heart rate and my irregular contractions which are all fine - monitoring me for 2 hours (WHY I DONT KNOW), then they call the doc and say everything is fine, she insists on giving me a bag of IV fluids and monitoring me for another hour. I know that all she was doing was looking for any reason to keep me there and induce me!! But DF, me and my healthy baby eventually walked outta there AFTER 6 HOURS...... although she was not in my arms but still in my belly. She's just not done cooking and I am trying to be patient.

I've got almost no dilation and a thick cervix so an induction right now would more likely end up with a C-section since my body is not ready.

The other issue is that my mom, the eager first time grandma, who's here for two weeks to help me with the baby is waiting too, and the longer this goes on the less time she has here, by the time the baby comes she's gonna have to leave to go back to work - THIS is what's making me crazy. I really don't need her help now......... I'm capable of doing everything, ugh.... I need to just calm down, but my hormones are making me so emotional too.....

Eviction Notice Served

I never thought I'd be here but here I am in my 41st week of pregnancy! I have so many positive things I can say, like the fact that I'm lucky to have had such a perfect pregnancy, healthy baby, and no complications, blah blah blah, but all I wanna do is moan about how done I am with it all. I wanna have my body back, this watermelon in front of me gets in the way of so much, and really and truly I just want to meet this little Princess.

I tell myself that I must be grateful, that maybe she'll come and drive me crazy and I'll get no sleep, maybe she'll be colicky and I'll be begging to have her back in my belly........ But I know that's not true, as much as I know I will be tired and or stressed, I'm going to love every minute of it.

To make matters worse, the constant phone calls, e-mails, text messages, blackberry messages, facebooking........... asking the dreaded question:

Have you had the baby yet? Are you in Labor? and other variations......

UGH!!!!!! I guess I just feel like I'm somehow not doing my job of delivering this baby!! Yeh I know it's ridiculous and I know first time babies are usually late but I can't help feeling the disappointment from everyone when they call or text or whatever. To make matters worse everyone else around me that's due the same time has already had their kids, even the woman who lives in my building who's due a week AFTER me, and I feel like the last pregnant woman on the planet (I know I'm being dramatic here).

My mom's here waiting patiently on her first grandchild....... and her time here is limited so I know she'd prefer to spend the time with Arielle rather than babysitting me... LOL, ok not really but I'd prefer to have her here as long as possible AFTER I come home with the baby not before.

On top of my impatience, I have an over eager doc who's ready to induce me right away; she "strongly recommended" we schedule wednesday evening to have the baby on Thursday - sounds so nice doesn't it? Of course I've done the research and I KNOW it's not what's best for me and the baby but it is so tempting. I've declined the induction for another week, she's not too happy but hey, it's my body, my child and my decision. As long as she's healthy, which she is, we're fine to wait. My only worry is that she is not getting any smaller. So if she's not gonna get her cute lil butt outta there by Monday she'll be faced with an eviction, because I don't think I could be one of those women who go to 42 weeks.

So I'm on a mission now, back on the exercise train - walking like crazy! Morning walk with Mocha, midday walk on the treadmill - 40 minutes while reading or watching TV, then evening walk with mocha for at least 40 minutes. I have my exercise ball which I sit on while at home - it opens the pelvis and helps the baby descend. Evening Primrose oil to soften the cervix, romance with the hubby, yoga to ensure baby is in a good position for birth, any any other natural remedy - apart from the horrific and potentially dangerous castor oil.

Wish me luck!!

A few things I've learned...

Dear Daughter,

You are beautiful, of this you can be confident, but it's who you are on the inside that makes you stand out or blend in, memorable or forgettable.

Value your friendships; only time will tell if they're real, if they're not, bow out gracefully. If they are they will last a lifetime. Choose your friends carefully, your friends say much about you.

The truth is always best. Honesty shows integrity. Do what's right, act on principle and you will never have to worry.

Good manners and etiquette are never out of season; Smile and say good morning, good afternoon or good evening when you first walk into a room, even if it's filled with strangers.

Mommy and Daddy love you more than you can ever imagine, you can always talk to us about anything.

Always say thank-you with eye contact whenever you receive a compliment, a gift, or a favor.

People will love you and trust you with their hearts, don't take it for granted.

Humbly and sincerely apologise when you think you may be wrong, look the person in the eye and you can easily diffuse 99% of most drama and misunderstandings. Clarify and seek to understand others' point of view. Even if it was unintentional, if you hurt someone, apologise.

In general, people are good and mean well, but if you're in any doubt, trust your instincts, it's ok to be cautious.

Never do something to someone else that you would not want done to you. Think this through every time your actions involve others.

Never speak ill of one person to another, you will lose their trust. When you speak of others, pretend the person can hear you.

It takes at least 3 months to get to know someone so take your time and be careful.

Health and safety is paramount.

Never date a guy who's involved with someone else - even if he has all the excuses in the world.

Never stay with a guy who's not 100% sure he wants to be with you. If a guy's interested he will do ANYTHING to make sure you know it.

Never make promises lightly - keep your word, no matter whom you gave it to.

Learn from others' mistakes as well as your own.

Save 20% of your earnings and forget about it.

Never borrow money if you can avoid it. Pay cash for even large items like your car. For your home, minimum 20% down.

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Walk away and bide your time, you will see!

Don't get involved with get rich quick schemes. Nothing in life is free.

Take Care of your body, treat it well and it will serve you well.

Exercise and eat right.

Too much of anything is never a good thing.

Use sunscreen. Keep your face clean and moisturized.

Keep your goals in mind. Think of your future and ensure the things you do now make a positive contribution to your goals.

There's nothing more important than getting the best education possible - no-one can ever take that away from you and it will make you a better person and help you carve out the future you deserve.

Don't be a slave to today's fashion, great style is timeless. You can be stylish, sexy and intriguing on any budget.

Don't over do make up, you don't need it, you're blessed with beauty that is rare to find - most days, lip gloss, and earrings are all that's needed.

Love,

Mommy

Rocking it Hot at 39 weeks

Sometimes I feel like a traitor to women worldwide, many of whom at 39 weeks are generally uncomfortable, anxious and ready to get this baby out already!! But I don't feel this way. Yes I'm getting bigger every day, but at the same time, I've not been plagued by the discomforts that seem to dominate the last days of pregnancy - such as back ache, swelling of the face, hands and feet, pelvic pressure, constipation, urinary incontinence, insomnia and more. Some women even experience this throughout their entire pregnancy.

I have a fairly good idea why I've been so blessed; I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but to have had 39 weeks of relative ease has a lot to do with my level of fitness prior to the pregnancy. In the year prior to trying to conceive, I consciously and purposefully put myself in the best shape of my life. I'd always enjoyed great health generally, but knowing that I would eventually have a baby, I decided to push myself like never before. The key to fitness lies in many aspects of physical exertion and includes the development of the cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory system - enhanced by aerobic exercise such as running which in turn increases stamina. There's also the development of strength by anaerobic exercise such as functional and weight training. Development of strength in the core has been key in helping me carry the baby more efficiently as she grows heavier by the day. I learned that my strong abdominal muscles have helped distribute the work more evenly putting less pressure on my back for the overall weight. My back muscles were also strengthened and therefore more equipped to handle the weight.

The fact that I continued to work out throughout my pregnancy has also contributed to my energy levels, kept my weight gain in check, reduce stress and improve overall mood, made me feel good about getting bigger, and it's supposedly good for the baby and my body post birth, so we'll see! You might wonder what it is I'm doing at 39 weeks (nothing compared to before), I walk twice a day, half hour in the morning and half hour in the evening plus I do an hour of yoga 3 times per week (or more if I can).

I'm dedicating this post to Natasha Leybush, my friend and trainer for many many years. She owns Rock It Hot Fitness Studio on Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Natasha I miss you!! You changed my life for the better and taught me why taking care of my body is such an important thing; and the only way to do it is to make fitness a priority. No-one says it's easy, but it certainly is worth it!!

Have to make special mention of Evgenia Bondarenko, my #1 running partner and co-founder of the Provo Running Club!!

Tanisa Samuel

This day in History - Gulf Oil SPill

The weather is beautiful today, heading to Fort Lauderdale beach (while it's still clean)....

Today in History: The worst ever Oil spill in history still rages on. S0 far up to 50 million gallons of oil has poured into the US Gulf and continues to harm all the wildlife in a range that encompasses an area larger than Jamaica. The images of the damage literally brings me to tears.

President Obama is doing the best he can but the job of stopping the leak is left up to the company that's responsible for the spill in the first place. It's so frustrating, every day up to 60 thousand gallons continues to pour out......

Waiting patiently

My pregnancy has gone by pretty quickly, I can't believe it's only 20 days till Due date! While I'm happy for her to come when she's good ready and fully baked, I am also hoping we don't go past the due date. She's getting big in here! I'm hoping for a small baby (like I was) although she's probably past the weight I was when I was born; Mom tells me I came early at 5 pounds something - less than 6 pounds! I'm finally starting to feel uncomfortable. I can feel the weight in my belly and on my back. Standing for long periods are difficult and even walking, while good for me and yes I still take long walks with Mocha, is more difficult and uncomfortable thanks to those fake contractions which seems to increase as I walk - or maybe I just notice it more? My walk is now a full blown WADDLE!!! She's low and head down, that's good but so far no dilation or thinning of the cervix so no signs of any impending labour anytime soon!