Makin' News Monday: Introducing Nolan Steele Walsh (Part 1)!!!

Hello all! Well I hope everyone had a wonderful and thankful holiday weekend, I know I did! Where to begin? This post might be a doozy, so Part II of my adventures will be up tomorrow! So let’s get right to it. As you might have guessed my little chicken nugget of joy made his grand entrance into our world this past weekend. At 1:56 am on November 27th I became the mom to my third healthy and perfect baby boy. Let me set the scene.....

 Is this For REAL!? 

My hubby and I knew we had a full action-packed holiday ahead of us, but having this baby was not initially on the itinerary. Thanksgiving was Thursday, which was to be followed by the hubby doing some Black Friday shopping with my sis-in-law and going to a hockey game in Long Island, and then Saturday we had an engagement party for a wedding Brian is a groomsman in. Having a baby needed to come no earlier then Sunday if we wanted to get everything done. What’s that saying “We make plans, God laughs”, well he was certainly chuckling this weekend!

Wednesday night I started feeling something going on. I was getting more Braxton Hicks contractions then usual. I was on my way to drop my older son off to his aunt’s house (he was spending turkey day with his dad's family). The whole car ride (nearly 2 hours) I was watching and feeling my stomach tighten about every 10 minutes. I wasn't going to call the hubby until I got home, since I knew he would be nervous about me driving in that condition. To my surprise, about 15 minutes before I got home, he called to tell me that he got out of work early and was almost home himself. I told him that I was having some serious regular contractions and was going to wait it out a bit before calling Jenna, the midwife. Three hours later these bad boys were still coming at regular intervals, so I made the call. With both my previous deliveries going so quickly, I knew I didn’t have much time to waste. So we made the bed, called my Momma, pumped up the tub and told Jenna to come on down the road. I just knew my maternal instincts were kicking in because I could feel this baby coming tonight!

You don’t know SQUAT!

When the midwife arrived my contractions had slowed down, but I was still certain that I was at least 5 centimeter dilated after the shenanigans going down in my uterus. Jenna was skeptical, but she agreed to check, just to make sure. Low and behold…my cervix hadn’t even opened 1 centimeter! For all you non-medical folk, in order to pop a little one out a cervix needs to have dilated abut 10 centimeters, mine couldn’t have even pushed out a pea! I was shocked! (Apparently Jenna was not) I could’ve have sworn this was going down tonight! But apparently this little man had other plans, which included me making Mac n Cheese and Sweet Potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner the next day!

Is that you baby, or did I have too much turkey?

Thanksgiving arrived, and since my mom had come the night before for my false labor she got up and helped me get the cooking started. I was feeling much better, but kinda bummed that our new little man wasn’t here yet to celebrate with us. We continued along and had a delicious dinner with our family at my mother-in-law’s. The next morning Brian got up at the ass-crack of dawn to face the mob of crazed Black Friday shoppers looking for a deal. He and his sis were in and out of there within 4 hours and I got to sleep in because Bryson had stayed at his “Gaga’s” house the night before. 12 o’clock rolled around and I was finally out of bed. I’ll remember that as the last good night’s sleep I’ll get for a while!

While my hubby was 2 hours away watching his favorite hockey team, I made a quick visit over to my BF’s house (who just happens to rent an apt downstairs from my mom-in-law). We caught up on our weekly gossip while I tried to ignore some more painful contractions. A few hours later I had to go pickup my oldest son, but my mom and Brian refused to let me go alone, so Gaga and Bryson escorted me to get Ty. On the way back I almost stopped to go food shopping, but Gaga advised against it. So the boys and I headed back home.

It was now about 5pm and the contractions were still coming. I made dinner, got my kids bathed and waited for Brian to get home. Ty wanted to watch a movie with me, but I was too uncomfortable to even do that! Brian came home around 7 and I told him I had been having contractions most of the day, but I didn’t want to be the girl who cried “labor” again, so I put off bothering Jenna. Then around 10:30 Bryson tried to crawl into bed with us and I had to send him back to him room, the pain was increasing and I couldn’t even hold a conversation with him. So I just lay there, changing positions every few minutes to escape the mounting pressure. I walked around, washed the dishes, and took a bath, but nothing seemed to help for very long. Finally about ten minutes to 11 I went downstairs to get the exercise ball I had purchased to help loosen my hips and relieve the strain. What happened next surprised me as much as it did my sleeping husband……

To Be Continued From Boyland,

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MOM IN BOYLAND X 3!!!

Nolan Steele Walsh

Born Nov 27th, 2010

7lbs 6oz

At Home

More Details To Come!

3 COMMENTS

Thanksgiving Day Baby?

Well not yet, but last night we encountered a convincing false alarm. After 5 hours of steady contractions I called the midwife. We had the tub set up, bed made, and my mom had already gotten up here from NYC. I was ready to go! Too bad little man wasn't! She checked my cervix...not 1 centimeter of dialation! NOT ONE!!! What the hell was going on? She said she often sees this happen with the 3rd baby, but I just KNEW he was coming out! How very wrong I was. So now we are back to being on standby. I'm going to stuff myself silly today, make my husband "color" with me and maybe, just maybe this kid will make an appearance in the next couple of days. Happy Thanksgiving ALL!!!!!
Anticipating from Boyland,

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Makin' News Monday: Celebrities, Teen Sex, and PPH

So the time has finally come....I am officially OVER this pregnancy! I knew I'd get here, considering my track record I've hung in there pretty well. This baby boy of mine is now at 37 weeks, which means my aches and pains are at an all-time high. I can't sit without moaning, or get up without groaning, and switching from one side to the other nearly requires a forklift. My husband told me today that I look like I swallowed a basketball! I don't what he could possibly mean....

I want to eat EVERYTHING in sight, yet I have no room in this massive belly to fit anything! Just roast me, baste me, and get ready to serve me on Thanksgiving! I had one more visit with Jenna, the midwife today, and she thinks this little man is nearly 8lbs. Though he might need some more time to bake, I wouldn't be surprised after next weekend if he decides to make his grand entrance. I'm soooo ready for him; the crib is good to go, he has more cute monkey clothes then he could possibly wear, and last week I got my birthing tub in the mail. There's no turning back now!

In the news today were a bevy of celebrity ladies that joined the prego ranks: my favorite Real Housewife of Atlanta trainwreck Kim Zolciak, bad-ass diva Pink!, and the fashion sytlist much in need of a burger, Rachel Zoe. Congrats ladies! Also making headlines today......

Teen Pregnancy on the rise and Bristol Palin and "The Situation" have something to say about it??????

Doesn't it seem a wee bit hypocritical to have the poster boy for random hook-ups and the most famous current teen mom to preach about abstinence? Apparently The Candie's Foundation doesn't think so. They recently enlisted these two (who are only known for what they have done in the bedroom and something called a "fist pump") to tell teens casual unprotected sex is not the way. Isn't this kind of like having the stars of CBS's Mike & Molly giving dieting advice? The whole idea that these two have become the voice of a new generation scares me. What they have really demonstrated is that you can have unprotected sex, with as many random people as possible, and then get paid to write a book and hired to be on numerous successful reality shows. That'll teach those kids to not mess around! It's fucking ridiculous...sorry but our kids should NOT be looking up to these "celebrities". You wanna keep a kid from having sex or at the very least unprotected sex, let them attend a real birth of a baby, or have them save enough money to support a child for just a year, or don't allow them to hang with friends for a few months preparing for inevitable decline of their social lives. Kids need a reality check, not some warped sensationalized version of what sex can really get you.

Do you think Bristol Palin and "The Situation" should be teaching teens about abstinence?

How Christy Turlington’s Scary Birth Experience Made Her A Birth Activist
 

One of my favorite sites posting great articles relevant for this generation of parents is Babble.com. Supermodel Christy Turlington recently completed a film about the alarming rate of mortality that delivering mothers are experiencing in other parts of the world. After having a "normal" pregnancy, she was faced with dealing with PPH or Post Partum Hemmorage. This incessant bleeding after delivery affects nearly 1000 women who die shortly after birth. According to the article about 500,000 women perish each year during childbirth. The saving grace for Christy was that she was in a state-of-the-art hospital in New York City, not in a third-world village with limited medical resources. Her film No Woman, No Cry touches on the fact that 90% of maternal deaths are preventable and helps bring to light the hardship these women face in other countries. Though I usually don't share scary stories of birth because women are very capable of birthing healthy children, I think its important that we don't take for granted the advances we have made. I appreciate the interventions available to us in this country, when necessary.

How has your birthing experience shaped your view of delivery?

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Makin' News Monday: How Much Is Too Much Information?

What up peeps! Thank you for making last's weeks Makin' News Monday piece one of my highest  posts EVA! Due to it's success I'll be keeping it going, so if you have anything you think should be makin' news please feel free to send me a link (momsinboyland@gmail.com). I hope you are all having a fabulous Monday morning, and if not maybe this little slice of what's in the news today will give you that much needed chuckle.

Mo-om! When The Stars of Mommy Blogs Grow Up

Chances are if you stumbled upon my post, this ain’t your first time to the mommy blog rodeo.  It’s estimated that 3.9 million American moms today are writing about their kids and motherhood. That’s enough poop stories, pregnancy woes, and cute kindergarten musings to last a lifetime. Now, there is a increasing concern that the stories we disclose could have a negative impact on our growing offspring. The spectrum of sharing details of our children’s lives range from minimal anecdotes with ambiguous names and strategically taken photos, to reporting nearly every play date, physical change, or terrible tantrum you can conceive of. Before there were mom bloggers a small amount of mothers used their daily lives to relate to the broader picture of parenting through newspaper and magazine columns. Today those children are adults, and apparently dealing with the emotional aftermath of articles like 'My daughter is fat; what can we do to make her less fat?' written by current New York Time Magazine contributor Robin Marantz Henig. Most recently, a post titled ‘My son is gay’ caught national attention when a mid-western mom of three shared a story and photo about her son dressing as Daphne, from the cartoon Scooby-Doo. I can see how that might one day cause the 5 year-old boy issues if it turns out he is indeed not gay. On the other hand, the courageous way in which this mom dealt with her son’s unconventional Halloween costume (and the bitchy school moms who thought it was their business to judge) could be the loving catapult that allows this boy to one day express who he is freely and proudly. I, myself, have to monitor how much I share about my own children, especially with one knocking on puberty’s door. Should I really use my son’s emergence into adolescence as way to connect with parents in similar situations? Or will I inevitably scar my 4 year old for life if I tell one too many stories about how foul his bodily gases truly are?  There is definitely a fine line…unfortunately some parents have no problem crossing it.

STFU Parents
 

Speaking of TMI, have you ever read a Facebook status update about a friend’s kid that was either so self-indulgent or mindlessly trite you wanted to publically tell that person “No one gives a shit!”? No, well then feast your eyes on the ever popular Tumblr site that gives new meaning to the term “over-sharing”. Now I know this isn’t necessarily “news”, but I think it should be. With the invention of instantly tweeting every inane thought to your “closest” friends and updating everyone (including your 3^rd cousin in Alabama) with how awesome your child is, giving people too much insight into our private lives has become an epidemic. Do I LOVE my friend’s kids and want to relish in their amazing achievements or cute pictures, yes! Do I want to hear their entire feeding/sleeping schedule, or how well your tyke is doing with his potty training, not so much. (I would’ve have attached examples from my own FB page but I fear a tirade like the one posted below). ‘STFU (Shut the F**K Up) Parents’ brings this verbal diarrhea to a whole nutha level (says the woman who blogs about every pregnancy milestone and the aforementioned kid farts!) If you are prepared for an onslaught of newborn placenta pictures or egotistical rants then please check it out. The woman in the post below is one of the many moms who seriously needs to get a life and quit whining about her “hardships”, we really don’t care! As Chris puts it, "get off Facebook" if you've got so much shit to do!   

  

 My favorite anonymous entry, comes from a mom who chooses to virtually bitch-slap a fellow mom for complaining about her daughter AND removing her comment from her wall. It's like the timeless bathroom stall has been replaced by a giant full-page ad in the NY Times spewing spineless insults and promoting adult bullying. Honestly it's kinda lame, but on the same note funny as hell! Take a gander at this doozy, this mom is straight GANGSTA!

The lesson of the day: think before you click it could mean avoiding a lifetime of therapy for your kids, or the embarrassment of internet infamy.

  

What do you consider “TMI” when it comes to your online posts about your kids?

 Self Editing From Boyland,

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Week 36: The Wonderful World of Pregnancy!

 Where does time go? It seems like only yesterday I was announcing to the world (ok not the world, more like my 50 loyal readers, but I LOVE them all!) that I was about to take on motherhood for a 3rd time. Now I'm only one day away from being 36 weeks pregnant, making preparations for a home birth, and just ordered my birthing tub, crazy! I really do feel so blessed that this whole process has gone so well, not every expecting mother can say they have had an incident-free pregnancy.

Yesterday, while at every kids dream play land (Chuck-E-Cheese) I was talking to a new mom friend about her birth experiences (she's pregnant with her 3rd child due in April.) Her first baby was not delivered until she was 42 weeks pregnant. Seventeen hours after induction and getting a full 10 cm dilated, the baby STILL wouldn't come out. Because he was nearly 9 pounds it was medically necessary for her to have a C-section. It kinda of bummed me out that she will never get to experience the chemical euphoria often associated with natural delivery. Don't get me wrong, bringing a new life into the world, however it may happen, is a life-changing moment. I just wish every woman could know that pleasure without intervention or drugs.

So now that I've gotten the lovey "all pregnancies should be this beautiful" speech out of the way, I have to take a minute to bitch about the new geriatric hips that have replaced my old perfectly good ones. Have you ever started to get up from sitting and realized your legs are still attached to the couch as you lose your balance and nearly topple over?? Have you ever felt like their were tiny coal miners scaling your lower back like they were chipping away at semi-precious stones? Do you find yourself emitting an unladylike amount of gas that forces you to blame it on the dog....or your kids? Have you ever slept with so many pillows, surrounding your body like a protective fortress of fluff, that you didn't even realize your husband had gotten out of bed? With every sad little whimper and whine, I am trying to ignore the fact that my body just can't move the way it used to. I forgot that bending down too quickly could cause all the blood to rush to my head and temporarily land me in a woozy state of confusion. I also failed to remember how certain areas will not feel the touch of a razor since they are no longer visible without a hand-held mirror. Oh yea and did I forget to mention that I now need to crack my lower back 20 times a day, which almost instantly leads to Braxton-Hicks contractions! Oh the beautiful and hairy life of a pregnant lady....

What's your biggest pregnancy complaint?

T-Minus 29 Days From Boyland,

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Makin' News Mondays!

Thanks to all of my new readers and to those who have been following for awhile. I wanted to try something new to liven up this site and spark some more conversation. So was born Makin' News Mondays. Now you can check here at the beginning of each week to find out all the latest news concerning pregnancy and motherhood. Enjoy!

Extreme form of pregnancy-related morning sickness could be genetic (Science Daily)

According to Science Daily almost 60,000 women are hospitalized each year for an extreme form of nausea called Hyperemesis Gravidarum or HG. In many cases this can force a pregnant woman to unwillingly terminate her pregnancy. If a woman’s maternal or paternal grandmothers, aunt or cousins are afflicted with the same condition, women are often more likely to experience it themselves. Not only was HG found to be genetically linked, but women who have a sister who had HG are 17 times more likely to get it themselves. A good friend of mine dealt with this throughout her entire pregnancy earlier this year. She could hardly keep anything down, was in and out of the hospital for IV food and fluids, and was vomiting nearly everyday up until the time she delivered. It's hard enough worrying about taking care of yourself without having the added pressure of not getting enough nutrients to support your growing child. Luckily her baby was born, full term, at a healthy 7lbs 1 oz.

Have you, or anyone you know been effected by HG?

Experts say teen pregnancy is an epidemic in the U.S. (Central NY, Your News Now)
The article states that nearly 1/3 of teenage girls will become pregnant in the US each year. Thanks MTV! OK, so I can't totally blame Teen Mom for their dramatic look at this epidemic. Let's face it kids were getting their "unprotected swerve on" long before shows like this ever existed (I was one of them). But what message is that sending to kids? Long gone are the days of secretly sending your daughter to an Aunt's house for "summer vacation" or being shunned by family and hauled off to a nunnery. Don't get me wrong being a parent when you can't even vote is NOT the worst thing that can happen to you, but it also isn't like buying a pair of shoes and then changing your mind. Today you can get knocked up, have 15 minutes of fame, and be on the cover of Star Magazine. I think the show’s intention might have been to illustrate how difficult it is to balance school, a social life, and oh yea a CHILD, but I feel like that message has gotten lost in the paparazzi photos and red carpet events.

Is our culture to blame for the rise in teen pregnancy?

Poor Women Often Gain Too Many Pregnancy Pounds (Fox News.com)
Wow FOX News, thanks for bringing obvious information to our attention. Apparently a new study conducted by Yale University shows young, lower income women, often gain more weight and tend to hold on to nearly 10% of it a year after delivering. This study included women between the ages of 14-25.

First off let me point out as a mom who gave birth to her first child at 17, and had preeclampsia due to poor eating habits I can understand why they came to this conclusion. Before getting pregnant I could live off of Mc Donald's and Twinkies without gaining a pound. Unfortunately, it was difficult to change those habits once I was with child. I think most 14-year-old's would choose to eat delicious crap over a well balanced diet. As a teen, and young adult, I figured eating A LOT of food (no matter what it was) was better for me and my growing baby then not eating enough. I could've saved Yale of a lot of money by also pointing out that people living in poorer economic conditions are more likely to be over weight because unhealthy food is cheaper, per calorie then nutritious choices. I could buy a dollar bag of potato chips and get 1000 calories, or I can buy the same dollars worth of carrots but only get 250. Add to that equation that most cheap fast foods are packed with refined sugars or obscene amounts of filling carbohydrates and you have a recipe for overweight individual.

Do you think poverty has a negative effect on pregnancy weight gain?

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To Snip, Or Not To Snip?

Dirty. Unsanitary. Gross. Dangerous. No I'm not talking about the cast of the Jersey Shore. These are all adjectives that have been associated with an unaltered penis.While speaking with our home birth midwife, the topic of circumcision was discussed when going over our birthing plan. Twelve years ago, when my first son was born, I was not even asked if this was something I wanted, it was just standard procedure. I must honestly say, if I was consulted I would have agreed absolutely. I had rarely seen "swords in their sheath", my feeling was that it was weird and uncommon. This time around, since I was the one calling the shots, I was delighted by the fact that I could have a choice in the matter.

I would have never questioned whether or not snipping the tip was the right thing to do. I think at one point or another, we have heard that uncircumcised penises are unclean, will more easily contract STD's, and increase men's chance of getting penile cancer. Aside from the health issues that may occur, we have developed a wide-sweeping opinion about what a "normal" penis is supposed to look like. But what if our idea of normal has been skewed by years of irrelevant data, misconceptions, and personal taste? I wanted to get to the bottom of this, and find out what has led us, as a country, to perform infant circumsicions to nearly 80% of our baby boys, and if it really benefits them.

Here are the facts. Did you know??

• Medicalized circumcision began being practiced during the 1800's in the U.S. to prevent masturbation. http://www.nocirc.org/.     

In cases of masturbation we must, I believe, break the habit by inducing such a condition of the parts as will cause too much local suffering to allow of the practice being continued. For this purpose, if the prepuce is long, we may circumcise the male patient with present and probably with future advantage; the operation, too, should not be performed under chloroform, so that the pain experienced may be associated with the habit we wish to eradicate. [Athol A.W. Johnson. On An Injurious Habit Occasionally Met with in Infancy and Early Childhood. Lancet 1860;1:344-345.]

• In 1900 only 18% of penises were circumcised, by the year 2000 it had reached 70%  http://www.boystoo.com/history/statistics.htm

• Gellis (1978) said there are more deaths from circumcision than from cancer of the penis. American Journal of Diseases of Children

• The incidence rate of cancer of the penis is 0.3 to 1.1 per 100,000 men per year in developed countries http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/FN/fn96-01.htm#CANCER%20OF%20THE%20PENIS 

• In its 1996 Statement, the Canadian Pediatric Society noted: that the cost of circumcising 100,000 male infants is $3.8 million and that this maneuver would prevent only two cases of cancer of the penis. ... they estimated that the cost of prevention would be 100 times the cost of treatment

• The World Health Organization in 2007 endorsed male circumcision as “an important intervention to reduce the risk of heterosexually acquired H.I.V.” However, this study was ONLY conducted in Africa where the rate of HIV accounts for two-thirds of the world total.

• The American Medical Association in 1999 wrote, "Virtually all current policy statements from specialty societies and medical organizations do not recommend routine neonatal circumcision, and support the provision of accurate and unbiased information to parents to inform their choice."

Let's face it, there is a strong societal and even religious pressure to carry out what I feel is a barbaric and antiquated act. In other countries, like indigenous African cultures, Americans protest female circumcision, hailing it genital mutilation. Why do we treat our sons any differently?  The studies show that while there are some risks for leaving your sons intact, the negative ramifications are minimal at best. I truly believe our children should be able to live in this world in the most pure and natural state, without compromising their medical well-being, of course.

Some parents (especially men) would argue that an uncircumcised member looks unappealing and therefore promotes ridicule from other men or detracts from female sexual partners. If my son ever asks me why his "little man" looks differently then other boys I'll tell him this... I didn't want to hack off a piece of flesh from one of the most sensitive places on his body and deprive him of the amazing sensation that is enhanced by the extra skin. And honestly I couldn't give two shits about the amount of action my son may or may not get. I'm not sleeping with him.

How do you feel about circumcising infant boys?

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Halloween Hangover

Happy belated Halloween all! Sorry I was MIA last week, but between my birthday (I'm 29 bitches HOLLA!) and all the festivities I was pretty spent. Last Thursday we kicked things off with Bryson's school Halloween party. It was a lot of fun, although I thought we were under attack since we had a Batman, Superman, Batgirl, and Robin all standing guard of the classroom! This party was no joke. We feasted on cupcakes, Frankenstein inspired marshmallows, a slew of candy, tater-tots AND chicken nuggets, every kids dream lunch. I know you would probably all love to see the costumed cuteness, however I was not able to take pictures. Usually I don't have my camera for Kodak moments because I've forgotten it (Baby Brain is a REAL thing!) This time it was Tyler who was sabotaging my photography efforts. Apparently he was hiding the camera from Bryson and completely forgot where the elusive hiding spot was. I searched this damn house high and low, until finally I found it perched atop a book shelf in our office. Unfortunately this was Thursday night, so it was too late for Bryson's party....but just in time for mine!

This was the second year in a row Brian and I attended his childhood friend's costume party up in Albany. Last year our outfits weren't very imaginative: he was a hockey player and I a sexy referee. Yeah I know pretty lame, but I am not afraid to admit I am one of those women who uses Halloween as an excuse to look like a hoochie, plus my hubby really liked the costume.

Sexy Referee circa 2009

This year I didn't really think an 8 month pregnant belly would have been appropriate in a sexy wench, slutty cop, or skanky sailor costume. Instead my husband came up with an ingenious idea that could incorporate my prego belly.  Take a look at our awesomeness...

I got LOTS of Milk!

Oh YEAH, I know you are jealous!!! What better way to sport my bump then to be a 1950's housewife knocked up by the Milkman. We were equipped with an old-school glass milk bottle and a naughty milk mustache. I think we had the best costume of the night!

I must admit that I did live vicariously through my husband that evening. I told him since I obviously couldn't drink I wanted him to have fun for the both of us. Unfortunately I don't think he planned on having as much fun (aka Jack and Coke's) as I poured for him. Add on 4 slices of greasy pizza and you have a recipe for disaster. The aftermath included sympathy kisses from me AND his best friend, 40 minutes of sitting outside in 20 degree weather, 20 minutes of incessant unfiltered ranting, followed by deep hibernating sleep. I think he partied enough for next few years.

As for my kiddies they also had a blast Sunday night. Bryson initially wanted to be a red Power Ranger, however after his cheap momma found a Superman costume at Old Navy for $5, that idea quickly changed.

Saving the world, one serious pose at a time.

Tyler also wound up changing his mind from a hunchback to a zombie. Nothin beats ripping up some old clothes, slapping on some face paint (also for $5 at Wal-mart) and calling it a day!

The scariest zombie of all...a MIDDLESCHOOLER!

Overall the candy gathering was a huge success, which I am currently reaping the benefits of, and I even got to partake in "drive-by" trick-or-treating since I was not up to walking the full circuit. Not a bad evening at all. One thing I could have done without....the yellow and green oozing FLARP that makes authentic fart noises courtesy of my mother-in-law.

FLARP--Grossness in a jar!

Recovering From Boyland,

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