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I have discovered a new blog called Project Subrosa, a personal blog of Catherine from UK which talks about being a wife and a new mom. She just had a home birth and she told her beautiful story in her blog.
Reading her story about home birth inspired me. If God blesses The Cook and I to have a baby soon, I would definitely consider a home birth instead of a hospital one. I have nothing against hospitals it's just that I sort of have a fear of hospitals. Hospitals make me sad. Maybe because the times I've been to one is to visit a sick loved one.
My BFF had a traumatic experience when she gave birth in a hospital. While she was in labor, the interns made her a guinea pig in taking her blood pressure. Someone seemed to be a new intern and didn't know how to take blood pressure, not sure how it is properly done. Imagine being in pain due to labor while these interns alternately take your blood pressure for the sake of practicing it.
She had to have a C-section since the baby already pooped in her womb. She said it was like she was being molested there in the delivery room. She was butt naked and doctors and interns are inside the room without any sympathy to what she was going through. She remembered being injected some sort of drug in her spine while the nurses bended her body, while her big belly was squeezed between her chest and legs. Such a scary experience and I don't want it to happen to me!
Given that the doctors, nurses and interns are used to seeing butt naked pregnant women in the delivery room, these pregnant women are not used to being butt naked amidst these doctors, nurses and interns. Blankets here please!
I want to have a beautiful pregnancy and delivery of baby and it seems home birth is the way to go. It's natural, at my own pace and very intimate since me, the midwife and family members whom I like to be there will be there with me. Not people whom I don't know and would just experiment taking my blood pressure.
I saw in Ms. Chiqui Brosas' site that there will be a free breastfeeding seminar this coming June 19. I was so excited at the thought of participating in such a class. And it's free!
I told The Cook that we should attend the class. At first he was hesitant. Why should he be there since breastfeeding is done by mothers? I said it's better if we do it together. As a couple. We're planning on starting our own family once he comes back from Dubai, might as well equip ourselves with knowledge on how to rear a baby.
Pre-registration is a must so I texted the number on the site about our details. Ma'am Zeny Feliciano replied (yey!). She is a Postpartum Doula and a Lactation Counselor (imagine, what seems to be a simple task of breastfeeding has a coach!). She asked me to send my email address via her site at http://lactation.weebly.com. She sent me an invite for the class and now I can't wait for The Cook to be home and for us to attend the class.
I've been searching the Internet about home births in the Philippines and one woman who promotes it is Chiqui Brosas. She conducts classes every Sunday called Prepared Childbirth Class and I am very interested in signing up soon, of course when I get pregnant, that is. Hopefully, The Cook will be keen on attending too since I would want him to be by my side as we prepare for our soon-to-be-baby.
You can check out her Multiply site for photos of her classes.
I would want as little drug in my body as possible during baby delivery time. I don't want my newborn to be drowsy or in a daze when he/she arrives in the world. Imagine, if an adult woman becomes groggy because of those drugs given during delivery, what more could these drugs do to an infant?
Hopefully, the universe will conspire and let The Cook and I experience joining a class like this.
Hopefully The Cook will be coming home soon. I could only imagine the ordeal he and the rest of the crew members went through after the maritime accident happened. Right now, I only have vague information on where he is. He called via satellite phone and texted through one of the crew's cellphone. His cellphone unfortunately was in his cabin and was destroyed together with the rest of his belongings. I'm thinking of buying him a brand new cellphone. A touchscreen phone which he likes. I'm eyeing the Samsung Star S5230W. The more I read about that phone, the more I want to have it myself. Heehee.
But, I have to make sure he hasn't bought one yet before I buy the phone. :)
Update:
The Cook has called to inform me that they are now in a hotel. They are just unloading cargo from the ship and will eventually go home soon. Flight details not yet available so far.
Now that the Cook is coming 5 months earlier than what we expected, the possibility of me conceiving has been playing in my head ever since. We truly wanted to start our family and hopefully, with God's grace, He will bless us with a normal and healthy baby. I'm not praying for a specific gender. Beggars should not be choosers.
I really hope that I would be able to conceive and bring a bundle of joy in our family. Inay advises me that the Cook and I shouldn't be tiring ourselves and travelling around if we want to have a baby. She said that I should not be always leaving the house and I should give my body the chance to conceive. Sort of, I should let myself “incubate” so to speak. :)
As of today, my husband is still not yet here in the country. He called yesterday to say that they are not yet in the hotel since an investigation is still ongoing. They are still in the tugboat which rescued them. His office here in Manila said there are 13 crew members who are questioned about the accident in the cargo ship. I'm like, how long does it take to investigate 13 people? 5 of which are injured?! It's been a week and they still have no idea when the crew will be returning here. Hmph!
9:00 amAfter I received a call from The Cook's office last Tuesday, I regularly checked his company's website for any news about the incident. And this morning, there is a press release about it.
There was an explosion in the engine room and unfortunately, one Pinoy seaman died and five others were injured. Those injured were airlifted to receive medical assistance while the rest are still on deck. I assume the Cook is one of those on deck since Mr. Avanzado reconrifmed that he is 100% safe and is medically fit.
Reading the news about the accident makes it real for me. It's like a concrete evidence that the accident really happened and some lives were compromised. I pray that Mr. Avanzado was telling the truth and not just saying things just to not let me worry. But I do worry. The Cook hasn't sent me a text message about his situation there. I'm still waiting and hoping for the good news.
9:46am
The Cook called. Finally!He said there was indeed an explosion in the ship and his cabin was destroyed. All his stuff and paperworks, all gone. He was only able to save the clothes he is wearing. Good thing he was not inside the cabin when the explosion happened. I don't wanna think about what could've happen if... He told me to call his office and inform them that his Messman was still in the ship beneath the rubble. He's assuming that the Messman has died since it's been three day since the explosion happened. Sadly, the Messman is the 1 casualty in the explosion, according to his office.
He is now on a tugboat to Dubai. Hopefully he and the rest of the crew will be home soon. I pray for their safe return. And to the family of the deceased, my prayers are with you.
I received a phone call from The Cook's office this morning. The caller, Mr. Avanzado, informed me that the cargo ship where The Cook works in had an "accident" but he cannot say what kind of accident that was. But he assured me that The Cook is safe and there is no need for me to worry. And how does he propose me to do that? I've been texting the Cook but still no reply. Mr. Avanzado said that the area where the ship was stranded is a dead spot, meaning, no communication with the crew. Bummer... He assured me again that all of the crew have been removed from the ship and they are transferred somewhere (he still cannot say).
Based on the two calls I got from Mr. Avanzado, I assume that there was a machine malfunction in the ship (he said there is total blackout). The ship got stranded at the Arab Sea. All crew have been evacuated and will return home soon.
I hope and pray that all is well with The Cook and the rest of the crew. And hopefully he can send me a message.
Finally!
After not practicing yoga for several months, I finally pushed myself to start doing yoga again last Saturday at our home in Batangas. I was thinking of enrolling in a class but since I haven't save for it yet, I decided to do yoga at home. I cannot do it in our apartment since there is an ongoing construction of other apartment units in our area, plus the road reconstruction. It would be a lungs nightmare if I dare practice yoga with all the dust inside the apartment. Not conducive for a yoga practice.
I did only 20 minutes of Ashtanga Yoga which I learned in my Yoga Manila classes last year. You can download the Ashtanga Basic Practice here. I promise myself to continue practicing every weekend at home where the air is cool and fresh and without outside distraction. Aside from the cackling hens, that is.
For those of you who would want to take classes, there are yoga studios in Manila which offer classes for beginners and intermediate students. Here are the ones I know:
Yoga Manila Studios in Alabang, Ortigas and Makati
http://www.yogamanila.com/
Ananda Marga
#46 Maamo St.,
Sikatuna Village,
Quezon City
www.yogainmanila.org/
For May, I've lined up things to do for this month. When I list things, I feel a strong obligation to do them, instead of just thinking about doing them.
1.Read the “Bonfire of the Vanities” by Tom Wolfe. I want to read one book a month so this is my Book of the Month. I bought this book in '98 and haven't read it. Yeah, I'm a book hoarder, especially when books are on sale. I always think that the books that I buy will be read, it may not be now, but I know that they will be later.
2.Do my cross-stitch project for at least two hours every weekend. Sad to say, the project has lost its novelty to me. But, I'm proud to say that I have done a quarter of the project.
3.Spend quality time with my girl friends in our Tagaytay trip (again). Maybe even eat lunch at the famous Sonia's Garden. (Am so looking forward to it!)]
4.Apply for a mutual fund. I've been mulling about it for so long that I need to take the plunge and do it.
5.Join a fun run.
