February 1, 2013

Hi guys! I feel like it was a million years ago that I was pregnant. I was inspired by a post by lovely Farah and the fact that many bloggers I follow are pregnant to write my personal tips for preggo readers.

Hope you find these somewhat useful. Please keep in mind that I had a low risk pregnancy and delivery:

Early Pregnancy:
1. Chose a caretaker that shares your pregnancy/labour philosophy. I went with a midwife instead of the standard OBGYN and could not be happier with my choice.

2. Do not rush to buy a tone of pregnancy clothing especially if you will be spending your late pregnancy in the summer. I managed with only one pair of maternity shorts and all my tops, maxi dresses fit me till the end. Best to wait to see how big you'll actually get.

3. Do not compare your belly size to other women. We all carry differently and are different shapes. I spent so many precious hours worried about my tiny bump.


Me and my 8 months pregnant bump

4. Don't bother with too many pregnancy books; just read the basics. Instead focus on some good baby basics and sleep books. I like the Mother of All Baby Books, Breastfeeding Made Simple and Solve Your Child's Sleep Problem.

5. Continue your exercise routine as much as you can. It helped me feel like my old self and maintain energy level. I especially enjoyed pre-natal aqua fitness and swimming.

Late Pregnancy and Labour:

1. Do not count down to your due date or be scared giving birth - your baby will come sooner or later and the pain will be worse if you have a negative attitude towards it. I had a relaxed attitude toward delivery my entire pregnancy and it really helped me in the end.

2. If you can, take an extra 2 weeks off from work before labour - I'm so glad I did. I managed to hang out with many friends and catch up on sleep before baby arrived. I also got my hair coloured and nails done.

3. If you have a birth plan make it flexible . My personal wish was to go drug free but I also did my research on my options and knew I would take the epidural in case of long labour (over 12 hours), being induced or back to back labour. I was lucky to have a very quick labour though.

4. If you can, have alone time with your partner before and during labour - hubby and I watched a movie the night before I went into labour, went for breakfast and nice long walk in the morning. He sat with me during early labour, hooked on my TENS machine and rubbed my shoulders as I watched Sex and the City. At the hospital, the midwives mostly left us be alone in the jaccuzi as they said we were doing great together. 

Early Post Partum Days:

1. It will take a few days for your bump to be back to normal, be patient.

2. Buy some witch hazel and use it over pads to help with healing if you had a vaginal birth. Oh ya, you will be bleeding for some time, even if you had a C-section.

3. Accept all the help you can. My mom was over at our house for 2 weeks every single day and did not let me lift a finger. I just nursed and bonded with my new baby.

Me and my 4 weeks old bebe

4. Not everyone and their mothers have to see the baby the first week she/he is here. Hubby and I only accepted grandparents, aunts and VERY close friends the first week of Sofia's arrival. Having a new baby is already a lot of work you don't want to be hosting a crowd at the same time. Other folks can wait a week or two ;)

5. You have to wait a bit before you can have sex again but maintain intimacy with your spouse. I found that I was even more in love with my husband after I birthed my daughter and watching him taking care of her.

If you guys enjoyed this, let me know and I will make a similar for new mommy tips :)

August 23, 2012

I officially have only 5 days left to meet my baby girl. Yet again I could meet her before or after. I don't take my due date as set in stone but I'm definitely getting excited. Here's a bump shot from today, 5 days to the estimated due date:



Weight Gained/Body: I'm still sitting at 22lbs gained, no change since last week. My bump is sitting much lower than before though. I don't think I'm gonna make the 25lb-35lb weight gained target for my BMI but then again my midwife is not concerned at all.

Activities: Haven't swam all week! I just go for daily walks now. Either drive to the mall and walk around there or walk myself to Chapters which is 20 mins walk from our house.

Labour Watch: Been definitely getting some signs as of 2-3 days ago. A tone of menstrual like cramps that started as dull pain and are now more intense and mostly on my back. I also have irregular contractions that come and go randomly and not letting me sleep well.  There's more TMI stuff too but I spare your ladies the details (especially those who haven't been through labour, lol!)

Mood: I'm now mostly calm and waiting on things to get going. I have a tone of food stocked in the freezer (thanks to my super helpful mom) and spend the days catching up on beauty sleep, watching reality tv shows and going for afternoon strolls with girlfriends and hubs.

Additional Note: My husband is working hard to wrap up the last details of his startup business before things happen baby-wise. And I'm still hoping baby stays put till her due date to give us more time. One of my close friends is in town tomorrow so we were just chatting on the phone. I told her about my signs and she said they sounded exactly liker hers a day before she went into labour :/

Question for all moms who read this, did you go over your due date with your first? What were some of your early labour signs?

August 17, 2012

Hi guys! Another pregnancy update, hopefully not too many more of these before baby :) I technically have 12 days to my due date but as due dates are estimates, baby can come any time now up to two weeks after her due date:



Weight/Body: Have put on 23 lbs as of now and it hasn't changed for the last 5 days or so. I still look like I swallowed a basketball! All the eight is in my belly and nowhere else. Still no swelling of hands and feet and no stretch marks (which I hear are super common in late pregnancy).

Activities: I still swim once a week in my parents pool and walk 3-4 times a week. I need to go a lot slower now though as baby is nice and low in my pelvis and making brisk walks very difficult.

Appetite: Still quite high but nothing like I heard pregnant women go through. I eat much more than I used to but definitely not eating for two. Still eating healthy but HAVE to have my chocolate ice cream everyday.

Mood: mostly in a good mood these days. I have this underlying anxiety most of the time (anxiety is an issue I struggle with on a permanent basis) but I'm also excited and weirdly calm. Let's just say I go up and down every minute of everyday!

Latest Prenatal Appointment: I met the second midwife who'll be attending the birth of my baby (in Ontario you get two midwives to attend the birth). She was as awesome as my main one and we chatted for about an hour. Baby is now fully engaged and super low in my pelvis. Her heart beat is still a strong 150 db and all measurements are normal. I also got a TENS machine from my midwife to help cope with early contraction pain.

What's left to do: I actually have to think of stuff to do now! I made a huge jar of my fave pasta sauce and put in the freezer yesterday. This weekend I want to make a bunch of meat balls to freeze as well. Also reading a few baby books still. Right now on "The Happiest Baby on the Block".

Random Guess Work: Hubby thinks baby's coming on the 20th (her actual due date is 28th). I think she's coming either the 31st or September 1st. My mom thinks her arrival will be on the 25th, lol1 What do you guys guess?

August 9, 2012

Hi guys! A pregnancy update for you for week 37, only about 3 weeks to go!! Didn't have a good belly shot for this week though as I spent most of it napping on the couch. Took this one at my folks place today:



Body/weight: My bump is definitely bigger now and dropped a little bit. As of today, I'm 22 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight and still below the weight limit for my BMI (which is supposed to be 25 lb to 35 lbs). All my measurements are still normal though and the baby is healthy. I still have no stretch marks (knock on wood) and sleep throughout the night with no help from extra pillows.

Mood: I'm up and down these days. Hubby's still in the process of advancing his new business and that is taking a lot of his time. But I'm grateful for the time we spend together at home as opposed to him being in an office. I'm still excited to meet my baby and the fear of child birth has not yet hit me. I may be naive but to me childbirth is natural, nothing to get freaked out over.

What's Left to Do: really not much. I've even packed the hospital bag. I'm on mat leave now and mostly relaxing; when the mood strokes though, I read baby books and cook some freezer friendly food for after birth.

Some of the Best Moments as of Late:

- My mom (who's a professional hair stylist) dying my hair today (will post about that later), plus a nice blowout and massage and pedicure she treated me to. I love my mom!

- My sister is in the middle of her exams so her Pomeranian toy puppy is staying with my folks temporary. I get to see him every week now, just look at this face:



- Watching Mad Men Season 5 marathon while hubby massages my feet *heaven*

What I don't like so much:
- People saying "oh, you haven't had your baby yet?" yes smart ass, that's why I still look about 9 month pregnant!!! arghhhhh

- having random anxiety periods about things that could be wrong with the baby and husband's business not picking up :(

- Waiting and waiting...no way to predict labour and I like to be in control of things.

So here you had it. If you already had babies, how were you feeling in the last few weeks? How did you deal with the waiting game?

August 6, 2012

Hello my lovelies! Hubby and I received our maternity photos we did about a month back this past weekend. We are very pleased with them and glad that we splurged and decided to get them done professionally.

We used the same photographer we had hired for our engagement, wedding and third wedding anniversary photo shoots. He has a great photography vision and over the years we've actually become friends with him and his wife so we know each other very well and he understands our expectations.

Here are some of the photos I wanted to share with you guys here. Btw, these were done when I was about 32 weeks (8 months pregnant):

Hope you guys enjoyed these images :)

July 25, 2012

Hello my lovelies! Only 5 weeks to go until my estimated due date. As I get more uncomfortable moving around, I also get more anxious to meet my little bubbah.

Here's my 35 week pregnant bump, starting to finally get very big!



Weight gain/appetite: I've gained 21 lbs as of today. I'm still right on track...but I'm eating quite bit more these days. I eat 4-5 small meals a day and when I'm not eating I'm thinking about food, lol! Still eating very healthy though, only home cooked meals and healthy snacks. I also drink a lot more water than I used to, which I guess it's a good thing. I still have no stretch marks, yey! I hear some people get them later or even after giving birth so I'm not in the safe zone yet :(

Baby Movements: plenty still but I feel them a lot more now and her kicks make me a bit uncomfortable. At my prenatal appointment today, baby was still head down and she's starting to engage which is great!

Exercise: I go for a 30 minute walk every day right before lunch. Twice a week I also go for an hour stroll with hubby. I still attend my prenatal aqua fitness classes once a week and am loving them. Being in water is great when you're far into your pregnancy. My parents have a nice pool so I use theirs when we visit on Sundays as well.

Mood: Generally great despite some bumps in the road (my husband is in between jobs). I'm getting more and more anxious to meet my baby but also trying to enjoy these last few weeks we have just the two of us. I sleep fairly well too for being almost 9 month pregnant which helps with the positive mood.

What I have left to do:
- Pack my hospital bag
- make frozen food once mat leave starts
- stock up on more diapers (I have enough for a month right now)
- read the last two recommended baby books: Mother of All Baby Books and Breastfeeding made Simple. Do you guys have other book recommendations btw?

Baby Stuff: the little princess pretty much has everything she'll need for quite some time. But her mom also got treated to her own gift. This is the diaper bag my office got me as my shower gift. It's by OiOi and I love it! It's huge and roomy and does not look like a diaper bag. And of course I love the polka dots and the fact that it's a messenger style so you can put it on and not worry about having your hands tied up. It also has a second handle which allows you to hold it like a purse:



The interior is all water proof and washable too. It comes with a changing pad, wipe and bottle holder and has enough compartments to fit all my baby on the go essentials:



Hope you guys enjoyed this update. Will do another one at 37 weeks :D

July 12, 2012

Hi everyone! Time for anothe pregnancy update, we are now at week 33 which is 8 months and one week. I only have about 6 weeks left till my estimated due date of August 28th.

Here's my bump picture from yesterday:



Weight/body: I have now put on 18 lbs at nearly 34 weeks! Wow, I thought I'd never grow!! My weight is still focused on my bump and nowhere else and I still cary high. My belly button is starting to pop too, lol! My breasts have gone up a cup size unfortunately. I'm hoping they stay where they are now though and don't get any bigger.

Baby Movement: OMG you guys would not believe how much this little one moves and kicks around! I feel like she never sleeps and hope she does sleep when she comes out, lol! She's been head down since week 28 so I feel her kicks right under my ribcage.

Craving/appetite: appetite is all there these days and I'm eating much more than before. My husband is loving it! I still eat very clean though, no fast food or junk snacks. Always home made, even the dessert.

Loving About Pregnancy these days:

- Acts of kindness from family, friends and coworkers. One of my coworkers even threw me a surprise office shower. I received my pretty diaper bag (more on that on another post) as a gift, my boss paid for all refreshments and I had a great time with my coworkers.
- Pregnancy in summer style: maxi dresses are my best friend. Pretty much everyday I get many compliments on my outfits
- Hubby cooking food and baking pies for me. It used to be who did all the cooking and it's nice to have a break from that.
- All the baby kicks, never gets old!

Not Loving so Much:

- The damn heat and humidity! This is the worst summer ever and often, we reach a high of 45C with humidity here in Ottawa :/
- Chest pain, can't do much about it either. It comes and goes throughout the day.
- The waiting game...I wish I wasn't such a control freak and I'd just take things as they come. I wanna know when exactly I'll go into labour, lol!
- Less energy than before...I plan for so much and can never get it all done.

Accomplished so far:

- Nursery complete, all baby gadget and gears purchased. All clothes washed and organized.
- Did the hospital tour and finalized my birth plan. Made it much more generic as I won't know how things go until I go into labour.
- Started on the raspberry leaf tea regiment which is said to facilitate labour. Anyone has personal experience with that?

To do still:

- Attend the prenatal classes (two condensed classes over the next two weekends).
- Pack the hospital bag and have it ready to go.
- Set up the bassinet next to our bed for when baby's still young.

Here you have it. Will update more in the next few weeks in between my usual beauty posts. Hope you enjoyed my pregnancy ramblings :)

July 3, 2012

Hey beauties! After many weeks of work, our baby girl's nursery is pretty much ready. I mean there are some little things that need to be done (like installing shelves for her books, getting clock/iPhone dock...) but I was happy enough with the progress to post the pictures at this point. We've even mounted her video monitor already :D

Colours: we waited on anything nursery till we knew the sex of the baby. Once we found out we were having a girl, we each picked a colour for her room. I picked coral and my husband picked green. So we went with soft coral, sage green and cream shades for her room:




Theme: I didn't want to do the typical girlie pink princess theme. So we decided on owls for the theme. We tried not to over do it though and threw in different animals, birds and flowers here and there. We painted the room with help from my dad and my youngest sister helped us with the wall murals you see in the pictures (the tree and the owls). I think she did an excellent job:



We are also on a budget as my husband is job hunting and I'm going on mat leave soon. So while we splurged on some key items (like crib, drawer chest, stroller,..) I found some great deals by shopping at Winners (the green lamp and the picture frame) and my mom made the curtains for us. We found the glider/ottoman on kijiji for an awesome deal and had the material dry cleaned.



I've organized the boxes above the change table with basic baby supplies; one contains soothers and teethers, the other contains about 30 diapers and the last one has wipes and rash cream stored:



A peak inside her closet, where we installed the IKEA shelves for easier organization. For now I've only hung her 0-6 month dresses and winter suites in there:



I organized things like her swaddling and receiving blankets, bibs, burping cloths, bathing supplies, towels, her Moby wrap and gray Ergo carrier and my own maternity supplies (nursing pads and creams) in here:



I found this organizer at Winners and love it as it has small pockets on both sides. So I put all her socks and shoes in one side and her mittens, headbands and hats in the other.



Finally, the first drawer contents, which is mostly 0-3 months onesies and baby wear. The rest of the drawers contain older size clothings:



We also have bouncer, two different swings, play mat and her bassinet which will not be placed in the nursery. The plan is to have her sleep in the bassinet next to our bed for the first 8 weeks before she can have her room.

Hope you guys liked this post. I'm pretty proud of the nursery and happy to be pretty much done at this stage which I still can move about easily (I'm 32 weeks now).

June 26, 2012

Hi beauties! I had my baby shower this past Sunday and thought I share some pictures and details here.

My mom and two sisters hosted the shower at my parents place. In true Persian style, this was a pretty big party with around 70 women attending. I knew nothing of the details besides the date so I was super thrilled to see a couple of my friends attend from out of town (one from Victoria, one from Montreal and one from Toronto). There was a tone of food, the cutest cake and of course all the presents for the already spoiled baby girl.

I teared up a few times during the party especially when my mom did a toast for me and the baby. I'm much more emotional these days (blame pregnancy hormones). But the whole event was very humbling for me, being surrounded with all the love and kindness. It felt like the right passage into motherhood for me.

My hubby showed up at the end of the party with the cutest flower arrangement for me. It included 64 Hershey's kisses for the number of days I have left to my pregnancy. He also brought flowers for my mom and sisters to thank them for hosting the party. I love my hubs!!!

Here are some pictures:


Me and my 31 week pregnant bump. I'm wearing a maxi dress by Jessica Simpson.


with my mom and sisters


My dearest friend who came in from TO...she was also the maid of honour in our wedding 5 years ago


BFF's


My sweetest hubby with the most thoughtful shower gift <3

Hope you enjoyed this post and don't feel baby-overwhelmed ;)

June 21, 2012

Hey lovelies! I have another pregnancy update for you. So much has happened since the last time I updated (about 3 weeks ago). Let's have a go at it first with a bump picture:



Weeks pregnant: 30 weeks (7 months and 2 weeks), due date is August 28th.

Weight/body: I have now put on 11lbs which I think it's not enough. In fact I'm freaking out about it! For my BMI I'm supposed to put on 25-35 lbs by the time I give birth :/ My bump is still growing and all the weight gain is just focused on that area it seems.

Baby movements: she is moving as much as always but as she's a bigger baby now, I feel her all the time. Sometimes she even wakes me up at night with her punches and kicks.

Symptoms: I have mild backaches sometimes in the evening and also pressure on my rib cage as I carry high. My aquafitness classes have helped reduce the backaches significantly.


Cravings: I've been eating more generally within the last 2 weeks. Still have a preference for Mediterranean food but also eating tones of watermelon, cantaloupes and cherries in between meals.

Mood: strangely enough, I'm very much looking forward to labour. I'm not terrified of it and am very curious to see how the whole thing will go down and how I will cope. I'm mentally prepared and looking at it as a healthy and natural path to meeting my baby girl finally!

Accomplished these past weeks:
- Nursery is complete and just has to be tidied up and we have to hang the curtains. Can't wait to show you guys the pics in the next update!
- Registered for the hospital L&D tour and also got my admission card.
- Booked cleaning services for complete house cleaning for Aug 13.
- Got more baby stuff like bassinet, swing, bouncer and glider/ottoman.
- Finalized my birth plan and gave a copy to my midwife.

Still have to do:
- Buy more essentials like breast pumps, crib mattress, sheets,...
- Pick up the stroller and car seat. Get the car seat installed and inspected.
- Pack the hospital bag, I want to have it done by week 35.
- Practice my breathing and massage techniques.
- Attend my prenatal classes (doing two condensed sessions in mid July)

Last but not least, my baby shower is this Sunday and I'm getting quite excited about it. My mom loves hosting parties and hence as the organizer she has invited the whole town, lol! I don't know any of the details but I know there will be a cake :D

Hope you guys enjoyed this update :)

June 7, 2012


Hi guys! This is going to be a vent post but mostly just for fun so I hope it doesn't offend anyone. I've been having a mostly smooth pregnancy and am so grateful for all the help and advice I get here and there. This baby is the first for both my husband and my family sides so the amount of attention is unbelievable!

However, there are some things I want to get off my chest. I think many pregnant women share some of the same rants, lol! I thought it'd be fun to put them in a blog post:

1. Rant #1 - choice of birth/delivery: by far my biggest pet peeve has been the amount of judgment I receive regarding my choice of birth and delivery. I want to try and attempt a natural birth. I have been doing my research since the start of my pregnancy and this is my preferred plan. However, most of my friends and their male partners have been extremely discouraging in this regard and tell me I cannot do it or I'll change my mind. It's frustrating especially coming from men (who have no uterus, lol). I know natural birthing is not as common in North America but I don't appreciate being judged or being told I won't get a medal for going the natural route. I don't want a medal, I just want the best for me and my baby. I didn't judge anyone or second guess their choices when it was their time, so I appreciate the same from people. This is obviousely not everyone but common enough that's got me worked up!

2. Rant #2 - hot summers: This exact conversation below, happens every single day:

Random Person A, usually a male "so when are you due?"
Me: "August 28th"
Person A "boy it's gonna be a looooooong hot summer for you. I don't envy you!"

ughhhhh, yes I appreciate being reminded that our bodies run hotter when we're pregnant!!! Didn't know till you sympathized with me!

3. Rant #3 - you're too small!: This other conversation, this happened twice today already:

Random Person B "so how far along are you?"
Me "almost 29 weeks, so 7 months and a week"
Person B "wow you look so small for 7 months! Are you sure the baby's measuring ok?"

yea, so my belly is not as big as most pregnant women as far along as me. But my baby's ok and I'm ok. Every pregnant woman has a different body shape so stop comparing me to yourselves or wives/girlfriend/friend!


This is me with my 28 weeks belly btw

Rant #4 - choice of baby name: People telling me they don't like the name we've picked for our daughter or suggesting some other random names (without being asked). Ok, so first of all I'm sorry I shared the name with anyone, big mistake! Second of all, you either already had kids and got to pick their names or will have your own one day and your name picking time will come. We like our baby's name and we're sticking to it!

Rant #5: - horrible birth stories: having to hear other women's horrible birth stories. If your birth was bad, I may not necessairly have the same experience. Please share only the positives as the media already bombards us with how unnatural and horrific birth may be. I want to go in with a positive outlook on the whole process not be scared off the negatives.

Rant #6 - yummy mummy!: "Men" telling me I will be a yummy mummy!!! There's only one man who should tell me that and you're not that person. Thank you for reminding me that I may still be attractive after giving birth :/ Don't mind women telling me the same though, lol!!

Rant #7 - Breast comments: Being told "oh thank goodness your boobs haven't got any bigger!" Enough said!

I feel so much better now, hahaha! If you've already had kids or are pregnant, let me know some of your common pet peeves. Otherwise, hope you enjoyed this post still :)

April 17, 2012

April 11, 2012

April 1, 2011