In praise of the Snoogle

The Snoogle arrived in early December. I tried to get E to use it when it came, but she didn't want to because it was supposed to be a Christmas present.

A little over a week before Christmas, she woke up on her back in the middle of the night and it scared her because she had no idea how long she'd been laying like that. So she finally relented and started using it. From what she's said since then, this particular body pillow was the right choice. She's been sleeping so much better and her discomfort level is way down.

And, despite what you may think, the Snoogle takes up a whole lot less room in our queen size bed than the fortress of pillows she was using before.

It's really real now

While the first ultrasound photo was vague and didn't show much, there's no ambiguity about this most recent one (from the day after Christmas). The baby's head, nose, ears, eyes and mouth are very visible.

Almost from the day we found out E was pregnant, I've been talking to the baby on a daily basis, even if just to say good night. But all along, it's felt more like I was talking to an imaginary friend. Now that I've seen that yes, there is indeed a real person forming in there, it's so much more realistic to me.

The best part was finding out that the baby has the right number of fingers, toes, arms, legs, heart chambers, kidneys, etc., so that was a relief. Now we just have to to worry about everything else.

Deck the halls with ... lead?

When we were putting up our Christmas tree last weekend, E remembered hearing something about Christmas lights being dangerous to pregnant women, so she did a quick Google search.

Good thing she did.

It turns out that lead is used in the wiring of Christmas lights. CNN ran a piece on this topic this morning (click here to read it).

From the CNN piece: "Manufacturers do not hide the fact that lead is part of the PVC insulation that insulates Christmas light wiring. Lead is used legally to stabilize polyvinyl chloride so it does not crack or crumble with age. The lead also acts as a fire retardant."

What is surprising is that manufacturers don't just use a little bit of lead - they use enough to be dangerous to children (and by extension, I would assume, pregnant women).

Needless to say, I strung all the lights myself.

There are dangers I never considered that are lurking out there. Looks like I need to do more reading and research.

Feeling left out

Not only has E been feeling the baby moving around in her belly, but last night, she also felt it from the outside. Afterward, I sat next to her with my hand on her stomach waiting for my turn, but nothing happened. Tonight we also waited to no avail for something to happen.

I know I'll be able to feel it kicking in the coming weeks, but for now, I can't help but feel a little left out.

Flu shot update

Luckily, E was able to track down a mercury-free flu shot from her primary care doctor (who shares an office with a pediatrician), so that's no longer a worry.

What is worrying, however, is that flu shots are one of the few (if not the only) vaccinations that still use mercury (thimerosal) as a preservative. Yet no one talks about that.

Just this evening, one of the local news channels aired a piece on the benefits of the flu shot. Apparently it may (key word) boost your child's immune system in utero. (NOTE: the Washington Post reported the study's findings in June of this year. That's some crack reporting by the locals.)

At the end of the piece, the local anchor repeated the same old CDC line, urging all pregnant women to get a flu shot.

Just last week, I listened to a great podcast on just this topic. Dr. Robert Sears, author of The Vaccine Book, was interviewed and said that if a pregnant woman plans to get a flu shot, they should seek out the thimerosal-free version.

Amen to that.

(By the way, Pregtastic is a great podcast for moms-to-be [and dads-to-be too]. If you browse their library of podcasts, you're bound to find a topic that you're dying to know more about.)

Sideways

We've finally reached that point that I've been reading about but haven't given much thought: E can no longer lie on her back or her stomach. From what I've read, doing either can cause a variety of nasty things like: backaches, hemorrhoids, low blood pressure and decrease in circulation to her heart and to the baby. Yikes.

In theory, it sounds simple enough to have her sleep on her side, but in practice, it's not so easy (if you don't believe me, just try it).

We've resisted buying one of those fancy pregnancy pillows (i.e., yet another expense), but the tide is starting to turn. We're running out of pillows for her to put in front of her, between her knees and wedged into the small of her back to keep her from rolling over in her sleep. She LOVES to sleep on her back.

So we're probably going to break down and get one of those fancy pillows very soon. The problem is that when I've looked at them, there are too many sizes, shapes and firmnesses (or lack thereof) to make a decent decision without at least touching them and seeing them in person. Some are shaped like a question mark, some like a horseshoe, some like a donut, some like the letter C and some like the letter I. Decisions, decisions. Just google "pregnancy pillow" and you'll see what I mean.

Regardless of which one we eventually choose, it's sure getting crowded at night.

Pink or blue or ... ?

Went baby shopping in and around Boston this past weekend. Babies R Us was overwhelming, to say the least. Who knew how much stuff you need for a baby? Or don't actually need, as is more often than not the case.

No matter where we looked at clothes, everything was split into pinks and blues. Which is probably fantastic for most people, but we're not finding out what we're having (sorry Mom). So what are we supposed to do?

Even if we were going to find out, I'd hate to be pinned down to those two colors (believe me, we get some strange looks when we tell people the nursery is painted gray). Imagine it. Before you're even born, your entire life is sorted by a color: pink or blue. Big Brother indeed.

That's why I love this book.

Flu shots?

According to the CDC, because they are considered "high risk," all pregnant women should get a flu shot. The problem with this is that for the vast majority of flu vaccines, thimerosal (a form of mercury) is used as a preservative.

So on one hand, pregnant women are supposed to avoid certain types of fish because they may contain mercury, and mercury may or may not cause neurological disorders such as autism. On the other hand, according to the CDC (and most physicians), flu shots are "safe" because contain "only trace amounts" of mercury. To my thinking, any mercury is too much. A poster in the forum at mothering.com said it best:

"[O]ne more thing about trace amounts... if there were trace amounts of poop (or something poisonous) in their dinner, would they eat it? using that same arguement of trace amounts, eating just a tiny tiny bit of poop shouldnt be that big of a deal."

Another fishy thing about thimerosal-containing flu shots is that in the late 1990s, the US Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics agreed that as a precautionary measure, vaccines for children should be thimerosal-free. So young children are getting vaccines without thimerosal while pregnant women are getting the regular thimerosal-laden shots? Strange days indeed.

This is something I would never even have thought about, but my wife (god love her) wants to understand everything before committing to it, so she did some research over the weekend and learned about thimerosal. Needless to say, after researching the risks both ways, we've decided that she will not be getting any shot that is not thimerosal-free.

Of course, everyone has to make their own decisions, but I would encourage all dads-to-be to do some research to determine whether the flu shot is right for your partner.

It's official

Despite telling nearly every family member and close friend over the last few weeks, now that we've passed the dreaded 12-week mark, it's official: we're having a baby. We're incredibly excited, but at the same time, quite freaked out.

Since finding out on 9/11 (in NYC of all places), I've learned one thing over and over: there are a lot of details I would never have thought about. And I'm sure there are many more to come. This only contributes to my feeling of being overwhelmed.

In searching the web, I've come across more sites, blogs, etc. than I can count that are dedicated to moms-to-be, but very few for dads-to-be like me. So now that the pregnancy is "real," I'm starting this blog to document some of the learning experiences I'm going through as a first-time father.

It's my hope that some of the information I post here will be helpful to someone.