Friday

Omg this Friday was the worst day I've had in a while. It all started out when Maria, Ester and I were walking to the bus stop to get to the mall. When we were almost at the stop the bus was already leaving. We could of caught it if we ran, but we decided to wait i mean whats 15 minutes. Next thing you know those 15 minutes turned into 20, 25, and i lost track after 30 minutes. Not only did we all have to go to the bathroom but it was so freaking cold. So we got to the mall then we didn't feel like even being there. On our way out Maria got the idea of going to Target and buying hair die. On our way out we see the 140 bus driving by, for the second time we missed the bus. When I finally got home my brother that was suppose to be home wasn't even at home. He was hanging out at his friends house without letting no one know. And for my luck my mom and dad were working so I had no way in. After about an hour or something my brother and some of my cousins got there and opened the door for me. That's when I find out that they brought their kids so that I could babysit while they go to who knows what. That same night was my mom's holiday dinner party for work. I guess my mom offered me to babysit her co-workers kids. So there is poor Cristina stuck with 5 kids, including her little nephew that is crazy. I swear my little nephew Alan has ADHD or I don't know what but he is so annoying. At around 11pm all the kids were gone finally, and my mom parents got home. She made me and my little brother get ready to go to church at 12am. And there is poor Cristina at church with little kids crying all around her. I didn't get home till I don't know what time, and not only that but had to get up for work early. There goes the best weekend ever!

My Pregnancy

So I'm about a month away from giving birth. I cant wait, I want Raymond out asap. I wounder how he looks like, if he's gonna look more like me or his father. My moms been having dreams of Raymond says that she sees him smiling at her. When I have dreams of him I can see his face, its blurry, I don't understand why. I hope he comes out with colored eyes. My mom has green eyes and my dad has blue eyes, but none of my siblings came out with colored eyes. I'm the only one that has light brown eyes and people say that they change colors depending on what I wear, at least that's what people say. I started getting contractions, I never thought it would hurt that bad. Earlier today me and my friends were walking around the mall when i got a contraction. It felt so bad, I could barely walk. And when I tried sitting down it hurt eve more. After it was all over my stomach was rock hard. I also been feeling Raymond kick on my bladder, it is not a good feeling either. It feels like I'm going to pee myself. I just hope that i don't go over the due date and my son comes out healthy.

Whats Best For Baby

I been researching about what is the best things I can use on my son once he is born. Like creams, diapers, all kinds of stuff. And not only have i researched it online but i asked my family about their opinion. The first was baby creams, many recommended the Johnson's baby cream only because its been around for a while. But one of the one that dermatologist recommend is the Aveeno for babies. For one the Aveeno baby lotion is has a scent of lavender and vanilla and its known for calming and relaxing. One of the best things about it, is that its made out of natural oatmeal helping protect baby's dry skin. Another recommended Aveeno product by dermatologist is the Aveeno diaper rash cream its known to fight rashes in 3 different ways. The oat in it smoothness the baby's skin and the willow herb calms it, as for the zinc oxide protects the skin. As for diapers I think I'm going to stick to huggies. Only reason is because that's what most of my family uses and what my mom used on me and all my siblings. And she says that she doesn't really trust other brands as cheap as they might be.

Holidays Coming Up

Me and my family are Catholic also known as Guadalupanos. In December is when we have the most beautiful holidays to celebrate. For example this week we started reading the rosary every night in honer of the Virgin Mary's Birthday which is the 11th. On the 11th is one of the most beautiful mass you could attend. People do a play about one of her appearance and they dress like Indians, perform a dance and sing. This day is a special day for Catholics especially Hispanics. After that is when all the posadas start, in honer of Jesus. Posadas are like parties done at people's houses, there is food, Pinatas and a play and lots of singing. The pinatas are filled with peanuts, oranges and lots of candy. The posadas represent when Mary and Joseph use to go from house to house searching for a place to stay so that Jesus could be born. Christmas for us Hispanics is not about the presents or Santa Claus. It's the day Jesus was born, on December 24th at 12:00 am. On January 6th is when we get presents we celebrate El Dia de Reyes remembering the day when the 3 wise men followed the star to Bethlehem, bring baby Jesus gifts. Instead of writing letters to Santa we usually write them to the Reye's Mago (3 wise men) or just pick one of all 3, either Melchor, Gaspar, or Baltasar. On January 5th, the day before we usually put out our old shoes under our bed to receive the presents from the wise men. And we cant forget about their camels, we also put out a bucket with hay or water for them to eat or drink. I think these are the most beautiful holidays that we celebrate even though they been changing throughout time.

Infants and Discipline

In the book I been reading in the second chapter it talks about spoiling an infant. How when they cry if you pick them up right away all your doing is encouraging them to cry more. One of the tips i thought was good was to discipline yourself to meet your baby's needs. Meaning that if you see your baby crying to be strong and know its whats best. If you pick them up to much all you do is get them use to being picked up. For example my cousin never let her baby cry, and now her baby is use to being picked up. If you were to set her down just for a little she will scream her head off. Now my cousin cant even get nothing done because she has to have the baby right next to her. My cousin lives in Everett and when we have family parties she never comes, because she cant stand being in the car with her baby crying. She now realizes that she did wrong and regrets it. Since her baby cant be left alone my cousin never used the baby seat, car seat or stroller even baby swing and jumper. So she decided to give all that to me, and its all brand new.

Family Talk

On Saturday at my little cousins birthday party I brought up the topic about Discipline to my aunts. I told them about the book I am reading and that I wanted to hear their thoughts about it. They said that a to never beat your kid, that its not the way to go. That some kids get so use to it that after a while it stops hurting them, and start hurting your hand. But sometimes kids to need a little tap on their bottoms or if they were to say bad words a slap on the mouth. But not hard or have it be an everyday thing. They also explained to me how its not good to just say "NO" to a kid. I mean you can say no, but you have to have a reason for it. Then my cousin's grandma started saying how back then they use to discipline kids way different. That even at school the teachers had permission to hit the students with the rulers. I remember when I was little my parents would throw us in a cold shower when we threw a tantrum. And when my grandma would be cooking, and we went and started grabbing food she was making, then ran off, she would throw what ever she first saw at us. And you cant forget bout getting hit with the shoe or the belt. My mom would have to chase us around with the belt, shoe or even wooden spoon all over the house. I use to hate going to church, especially with my grandma. I swear she would pay more attention to us then to the mass. I would sit as far away from her as i could and still feel her eyes watching me, then if I did one little thing wrong she would reach across and pinch us, In church. But like my cousin's grandma said, kids are being disciplined way different now and days.

Thanksgiving

On Thursday it was goble-goble day, a day of thanks turned out to be one crazy day for my family. All my family gathered up at my cousin Beatrice's house all the way in Pyuallup. One of my uncle's is about to get married, or should I say already did get married. And the thing is no one in the family not even family pets like his "wife." It all started on her birthday when, their 3 month anniversary when he bought her a simple ring as a present. She took it the wrong way and made him propose that day. The face on not only my uncle but all my other family members was priceless. She had my uncle send his 2 girls that were living with him to their mom, so they wont be a problem for her. But back to thanksgiving night, she was sitting down on the table playing with some rings. No one payed attention to her, till my uncle was like "Dang Daniela just tell them you got married already." And again the face's from my family was priceless. Its turns out that they went off and got married not letting anyone know,which pissed off my uncles. After eating diner someone rang the door bell, we went expecting no one else. Once we opened it it was my cousins next door neighbor and her family. I guess she invited herself because no one else invited her, she was surprised to hear we had already ate. Since she had a big Turkey with her and pies. A couple hours later my cousin who was pregnant started feeling contractions. She thought they were going to go away since she had been feeling them already. My aunt ran to the kitchen and made her "ruda de chocolate." Which is like hot chocolate with this plant in it. In my family they believe that it help make labor go by faster. And its true because 4 hours later my little niece was born.

Discipline

I started reading a book called "Discipline From Birth to Three." I enjoy reading this book because it has other peoples short stories and thoughts on it. I think it's important to start disciplining your child since they are young. Its just that people have different ways to discipline. What someone thinks its right, for another person it might be wrong. For example I'm Hispanic so our way to discipline a child is way different then how someone from a different race would discipline their kids. In one of the short stories a girl named Belia had to deal with a tantrum her 2 year old was throwing over candy. She said she just picked him up and left, leaving all her stuff in the basket. If i was her 2 year old knowing my parents they would just let me cry. Even though it hurts you to see your child cry, its the only way they will know. You have to be hard on them, you cant always let them get their way. Or they will just get use to it and keep doing it over and over again.

Suspension

I got suspended yesterday fro 3 days. Its sucks because since its the last days of the session, I cant make up work and I'm going to miss the final test in science. You see it all started last week at MacDonald's when me and my friends went out to eat for lunch. We were just sitting there when Carlita the girl that goes out wit my son's dad and some girl named Zenaida walked in. Maria doesn't like Zenaida because of stuff that happened between them and me and Carlita fought last year at Evergreen, and she don't like me since I'm having a baby from Moe. That day Maria got up to go to the bathroom and Carlita and Zenaida followed her in there. Alicia knew they were going to try to do something so her and ester went right behind them. I staid watching the food. That same night Maria was talking to her friend Evelyn and told Maria that Carlita called a guy named Hawi and said how her and Zenaida were planning on jumping Maria in the bathroom. On Wednesday me and my friends saw Zenaida with her boyfriend, we didn't say nothing to her maybe just gave her dirty looks. And that same night Maria gets a call from Evelyn saying that Zenaida went to Carlita crying saying we punked her, and that Carlita was mad and was going to get 15 girls to go to our school and jump us. But to jump especially me so that I can lose the baby. And said that she didn't like Maria because she went out with Moe as well. Maria and I both know how Hawi is and how he puts words in other peoples mouths. So we decided to go see what was going on ourselves. We confronted Zenaida and she denied everything and looked like she was about to start crying, but Carlita was quiet the whole time. Once we confronted Carlita she started taking things the wrong way and was just pointless to talk to her. I was in the car with Ester while Maria and Alicia were talking to them. All of a sudden Carlita started calling all of us names and that's when everything started. Me and another girl that was with Carlita and Zenaida were trying to stop them. We left and the whole day I was just receiving messages from friends at Evergreen asking what happened. It was none of their business so I just didn't write back, but Carlita and Zenaida went and told a whole different story making it seem like all four of me and my friends got beat up. When it wasn't even like that whats so ever. Next week at school Maria, Alicia and I got called in to the office and got suspended and yet the other girls are trying to get me and my friends jumped. But I'm the main one Carlita wants.

Getting Ready For Raymond

I been so stressed out this last couple of days. Mostly about school, getting all my work done, and getting good grades. You see I only had 4.5 credits left to graduate in the beginning of the year. I never planned to go back to school, I was just planning on working full time and saving up money. My parents talked to me about how was I going to make my son go to school and get his education when I didn't even finished school. They were right, that's when I decided to enroll in New Start. I really want to finish by December, but if I have to stay till January its okay too as long as I finish before I give birth. Another thing that's been stressing me out is making sure I have everything ready before Raymond arrives. I have like 3 cousins that have baby boys that are like 4 months now. They are being nice enough to save me the baby clothes their kids don't wear no more. Last night one of them came and brought me 2 big boxes full of baby clothes. I been putting everything I got from her and the baby shower away. Raymond is not even born yet and already has a lot of stuff, I had to give up my dresser to put his clothes in there. He has 2 dressers full of clothes and I only have my small closet to store my things. I was making a list of things I need, and its mostly little things like bottles, bibs, small toys and lotions. I still have 2 more months to get ready, but 2 months go by fast, and its stressful.

Chalenging Labors and Cesarean Birth (part 2)

There are also medical methods to start labor, some of the most common once are prostaglandin, pitocin and artificial rupture of the membranes. Prostaglandin is put in the vagina to help ripen, its the same substance in semen. This substance comes in different forms gel, tampon-like or pills. Pitocin is a drug just like the oxytocin made by your body, its given to start contractions. This substance is given by an IV, It starts at a slow dose and once contractions start the dose increase. Artificial rupture of the membranes (AROM) means breaking the bag of water with a plastic hook. Its used more often to speed up labor rather then starting it. When my sister had my niece I remember that she had high blood pressure and they had to start labor early. They did all 3 methods on her. She said that once they broke her water it didn't hurt, but it felt as she had peed. Her mood got really grumpy after, and was complaining about everything. There are also different types of labor like a short but fast labor. Short labor goes by really fast and is more painful contractions come one after the other. There are many things you can do during this type of labor. First of all make sure you get to the hospital as fast as possible and take deep breaths. I would want to have this type of labor since its faster then you can just get it over with, but I just don't know about the contraction parts. As i was reading on there was a small box with information on how you can know if your baby is coming. The scariest one was you can see and maybe even touch his head at the opening. I would get so scared if I just felt something wet and hard down there, especially knowing its my sons head popping out, knowing me ill start panicking.

Challenging Labors and Cesarean Birth

The Chapter i been reading about has to do with the different types of labor and cesarean births. It also gives out tips on different ways to make labor easy. One type of labor would be inducing labor, in other words starting labor when it doesn't start on its own. That is when the doctor uses medical methods instead of letting it start on its own. Another medical term for inducing labor is induction. The doctor should give medical reasons for inducing labor and you have to make sure you know the reason before agreeing. My grandma had this type of labor when giving birth to my mom. She had it a couple weeks before the due date only because my grandpa would be present. And that was the only birth of his my grandpa assisted, because he was a sailor and had to go out to sea a lot he missed on all his children's birth except my mom's. In the book it talks about things you can do when labor is slow to star. Like walking, Castor oil, sex or rubbing your nipples. Walking helps out more when your having prelabor contractions and it keeps labor going rather then starting it. Castor oil is an old method women use to use to start labor because of its strong smell. The only problem is the side effects which is bad cramping and diarrhea. Sex causes contractions especially when you have an orgasm. Semen can also help because of its substance in it called prostaglandi, which is the same thing the body makes so that the cervix becomes softer. But you just cant have sex if the your water hasn't broken.

My Baby's Daddy

Raymond's dad is named Mohamed Sadik, and is from Syria. Moe and I started dating when we were 15 years old and broke up last October. Our relationship was great except for when he listened to his friends and would let them get to him. He met most of my family and would come over every once in a while. In the summer of 2008 he changed a lot, he started thinking he was the big thing and started problems with my cousin. His mood would change one day he'll be all up on me and the next starting fights with me for no reason. My mom would say that he was on drugs or something, most of my family stopped liking him. He became very controlling wouldn't even let me go to family parties, when ever I was with him he would take my phone and check it all. I wouldn't be able to talk to no guys what's so ever, even look at them. He didn't even care if they were my cousins, I couldn't talk to them because he thought I lied to him saying they were my cousins. He wouldn't show up to my house at all, and started talking about my cousin saying how they were want to be gangsters. Our Senior year came and supposedly there was to many thing running through his head so decided to take a break, but told me I still wasn't able to talk to no guys. That day after school my cousin and his friends picked me up and Moe got mad, he turned around and started hugging this little freshman girl, that's been wanting to get with him. Ever since that day they started going out but was still trying to get me back at the time. After 5 months he found out she cheated on him with his best friend and we decided to try it out again. We were together for about 3 months when she came out of no where saying she was pregnant, I told him she was just saying that to get him back or it wasn't even his. But he went back to her and left me, a week later I found out I was pregnant and when I told him he didn't believe me. After a month he hit me up saying she wasn't pregnant and wanted to be back with me but I denied him, and he asked for a chance to at least let him help me out and I accepted that offer. They started dating again and I believe she got stuff stuck in his head, Because he called me denying my kid and talking a bunch of mess. That's the last I heard from him till a month ago when he called to let me know he was going to Detroit, but was going to try to be back before "our kid was born" I just laughed when he said that.

Staying Healthy After Pregnancy

When I was in class Maria was telling me that I should buy a corset or something so that I wont get a gut, which is the last thing I want. So I started researching ways I can stay healthy after I give birth and found a lot of tips. There was a tip I came across that really caught my attention. "It took nine months to get there. It should take at least that long to get back to their fighting weight." Meaning your not going to go back to your old body right away its going to take time. Specially if you don't stay healthy and take care of yourself, like not eating right or exercising. Its easier to loss weight faster if you only gained between 25-35 pound in the pregnancy. Then if you were overweight before the pregnancy or put on more weight then needed during pregnancy. In the research I found a lot of interesting tips, like not going on an official diet. The reason is because playing the new role of a mother can already cause so much stress and adding the fact that you wont be able to eat right can cause you to gain more weight. A big tip for losing weight is breastfeeding, studies have been done and it is said that brestfeeding can help you return to your pre-pregnancy weight faster. Im so glad I decided to look up all this information, since none of it was in the book i wouldn't had known. And knowing myself I would have put myself on a strict diet.

Baby Shower

I'm having one of my baby showers on Saturday, and I'm really exited. I'm having 3 baby showers, the one on Saturday is going to be in Puyallup with most of my family that lives over there. Its going to be a mixed shower for both men and women and all the little kids in the family. Their planning on ordering the boxing match which is going to be fun because all my family is into boxing. Yesterday me and my mom went to buy all the thing we will need for it and there was so many thing to buy, and so many different choices. My aunt is going to bake a tres leches cake that's so good and my mom is making some lasagna. One of my uncles is making a liquor drink, it has different types of white liquor and a bunch of different types of fruit in it. Too bad I'm not going to be able to have none. The second baby shower is going to be at my house with all my friends. My best friend Linda and Melissa are planning them for me, and according to them they invited about 60 people, but we're not counting with everyone coming. The cake is going to be from Costco, they are cheap, big and really good. And we're not planning on having food just a couple different salads and some jello. From my friends baby shower I'm not really expecting a lot more like clothes and small things. I expect all the big things from my family baby showers, like the stroller and car seat and more expensive things. The last baby shower is going to be at my house as well and its going to be my aunts that live in Seattle. This one is going to be only got females no males. I'm planning on having all my showers in late November because then Christmas is coming, and then everyone is going to be broke.

Having Your Baby: Labor And Birth

I already want Raymond out of me, but giving birth is the scariest part. In chapter 5 in the book I'm reading it mentions everything about labor and birth. It talks about contractions and how they come and go during labor. It compares contractions to a wave, saying "Each contraction is like a wave: It's weak at the beginning, it builds to a peak; and then gradually goes away." Just thinking I'm going to have to go through the pain of labor makes me regret getting pregnant. As far as I've heard its the worst pain ever. In the book it says how everything that the mother does during her pregnancy it can affect her labor. Like if she smokes, has an infection, uses street drugs or has a lot of stress it can cause early labor. Which is not good because then the baby wont be a full-term baby and might not be fully developed. But as long as the mother stays healthy then you will have a healthy full-term baby and be able to take him home sooner, and leave the scary hospital faster. When the cervix is dilated it means its fully open which is 10 cm dilated. So the baby is suppose to fit through your 10 cm uterus, which is still pretty small.

Dream Act

The story I posted up yesterday is a story I wrote last year in my Latino club. You may have heard of May 1st being the day Latinos protest. At Evergreen High School the Latino club known as ALAS decided to take the challenge and do a silent protest without having to walk out. We bought white and black shirts with the words dream in Spanish in the back which was Sueno. And we also wanted to inform other students about the Dream Act. For us to be able to do this we had to let the HS3 staff members know what was going on and inform them as well. Our Advisor Brenda Espinoza had us research the Dream Act so we can prepare our speeches, and had a couple group members write stories about how immigration is effecting them. The day before May 1st after school we got up in front of all HS3 staff members and we began describing the Dream Act. The Dream Act is a proposal that was being introduced to the US Congress. This bill would provide millions of immigrant children the opportunity to receive a US Residency only for those who have arrived in the US since before the age of 16, who is between the ages 12 and 35 at the time the law is enacted, must have resided in the US for 5 constant years since their arrival year, Must have graduated from a High school or received a GED, and must have a clean criminal record. After six years with their temporary residency, they may earn a permanent residency. Meaning they have to attend college and earn at least a two year degree or serve in the US military for two years. After completing that they will be granted a permanent residency which then leads to US citizenship. After we informed the staff member with all this information, we began sharing our stories. I never knew it can get this emotional, as I looked at the staff they were in tears. I remember most of my friends including me couldn't even finish reading the stories, we would break down in the middle of them. Finally we told the teachers how most of us have the same fear, which is coming home to an empty house, finding out our parents were being deported, that's the fear that not only Latinos but immigrant's children have in common. We explained to the staff that they can help us out in buying a shirt to wear on May 1st with us. All the teachers bought one which made us very happy knowing they supported us. After our presentation was all over staff and students were still in tears, I remember one teacher saying "I never imagined you guys as the cheerleader, ASB officers, football players, soccer captain, students in general would be going through this, I'm sorry but I cant look at you guys in your eyes knowing what you're going through"

Story I Wrote

Crossing the border, putting herself in danger, just to give us a better life. Leaving memories, loved once, 16 years of her life behind, just to give us a better life. Not being able to go out the country with out her, because she might not be able to come back with me. Driving pass an immigration car without her panicking. She's not able to hold a good job, she worries about bills, but still gives us what we want. She doesn't have enough money to buy groceries, has to go to the food bank to feed us. And yet we'll always see her with a smile on her face. At least she tries, because deep down inside she's hurting. She misses the rest of the family haven't seen them in years. The holidays is when she gets the saddest, she missed her father's funeral. All this just to give us a better life. But is it really a better life, hearing her cries at night but when it comes to the day time her faking her happiness, just to give us a better life, Am I selfish? No, lets just say I'm a lucky girl, to have a wonderful mom that gave up a lot, everything, her life, just to give her children a better life. No one else would do the same, not even the love of your life. That is what you call Amor de madre, Mother love.

Work

Now that I am farther along in my pregnancy I been getting more and more tiered. Especially when it comes to work. Since I work at Orange Julius I'm always standing up and doing something. After work my legs are so sore, I can barely even walk. My co-workers understand so they mostly just have me work the register. In a way I think is harder thorough since I'm just standing there and not moving. Closing has been the hardest part, I feel bad when I close because I feel like everyone is doing all the work and I'm doing just the easy stuff. Ever since I had to go to the hospital last week my doctor said I should slow down and take a couple days off work. But you see I'm going thorough some family problems at the time and really need the money not for me and my son, but to help my family out. And taking a few days off work is the last thing on my mind. I plan on working all the way thorough my pregnancy, unless there is complications. I been talking to my manager and i told him about my plans after birth. My plan is to take at least a month off work after birth maybe even less if I feel better, and if my grandma does fly up here from San Diego. And I told him how closing has been kind of hard on me and told me to just do what I can, but if I still feel it hard on me to let him know. The thing is that if I tell him I cant close the only times he'll be scheduling me for would be the weekends. And like I mentioned earlier I really need the money to help my parents out, so the more hours the better.

Preparing For Birth

According to the book I've been reading, its time for me to start preparing for my birth. Just thinking about it scares me. Listening to my mom and family talk about it, make me not want to go through it. I plan on having a natural childbirth, meaning giving birth without using pain medicine. I really don't want to take the epidural, and a cesarean birth is the last thing on my mind as well. My mom had natural births with all her kids except my youngest brother, and that's because she had high blood pressure and my little brother was wrapped around the cord. Some risk of a cesarean birth are, pain for several weeks after giving birth, more problems with a future pregnancy and an increased risk of a cesarean for next birth. There is other risk too, but just knowing this risk scares me. One of the biggest advantages of having a natural birth is that you can have control of your body. Since my doctor said that the baby can come out anytime i already have my bags ready, one for me and one for the baby. Just thinking about it gets me so exited, just not the popping him out part.

29 Weeks

On Saturday I became 29 weeks into my pregnancy. Which is almost the end of the 7th month, meaning 11 more weeks to go. I'm so exited I really cant wait. My mom says that as time gets closer, time will go by slower, especially if it goes passed the due date. As I was reading yesterday I finally got to the section that talks about 7 months, I found so many facts I didn't know about. Like that my son is between the size of a honeydew melon and a spaghetti squash right now. The baby's brain and nervous system are almost mature, and he can suck on his thumb. I think its pretty funny that being inside of me he can recognize my voice. Not only is he aware of familiar voices but he is also aware of the changes in light. He can now open and close his eyes and his eye lashes are growing, and since he's a boy his testicles are forming. Since I'm getting closer to my due date my uterus is now 3 to 4 inches above my belly button, and the baby is getting crowded in there. In the book it mentions how most babies will settle into a head down position, and some stay that way for the rest of the pregnancy. And now that I remember on Monday when i went to the hospital and they did the ultrasound Raymond was in a head down position. But not only is Raymond going through some changes but I am as well. Like one of the big thins is getting harder for me to sleep, and heartburn especially when I eat a lot of hot stuff which I cant help. Another big thing is that I'm suppose to be gaining 3 to 4 pounds, I already feel fat and I keep telling myself it's because I'm pregnant but it wont go through my head. Other changes that say in the book is feet, ankles and hand swelling, but I haven't gotten to that part yet. Well like I said 11 more weeks for Raymond to be out, Finally!!

Being Pregnant Sucks

Tonight is Halloween night, and while all my friends are making plans to go out and party or something, I'm not. I got work from 1pm to 8pm and after work I'm going home to give out candy. I really wanted to go out trick or treating with my friends, we even went out looking for costumes. I tried on a referee one and I looked so funny. My big belly was all popping out, I didn't feel comfortable in it. It really sucks being pregnant, a lot of things I want to do I cant. For example I use to love playing soccer and now that I'm pregnant I cant even run. My friends are always talking about going out dancing and when they invite me I just laugh, I cant imagine myself with a belly out in the dance floor dancing. Or even when I go out shopping and I see something I really like, I cant fit into it. I mean there's no point on getting a bigger size I'm not going to be pregnant for much longer. I got 2 more months left, and now time is going by supper slow. I want my baby out of me already, I want to see him, hold him and not only that but I want to fit into my clothes again. I mean at least I don't have to wear that maternity clothes, I could still fit my jeans but I have to put a rubber band so I can button it, I know ghetto huh?

Breastfeeding

One of the hardest decisions I had to make was to either breastfeed or use formula. A lot of my friends who are now mothers told me that it was hard for them to breastfeed because it hurts so much. My mom said she breastfed all of her children and that there are so many advantages about breastfeeding. In the book I'm reading there is a big section about breastfeeding. One of the biggest advantages about breastfeeding to formula is that you save a lot of money. And as a single mother that is what I need to save as much money as I can. I also had to look at advantages that my baby had as a breastfed baby, there are so many advantages that I didn't know about. Like a breastfed babies are healthier, there are fewer ear infections, less risk of diabetes, allergy's and asthma, SIDS, and obesity in childhood. And not only are breastfed babies healthier, but they have a better brain development, they get to know you right away and feel safe being with you. And the advantages for me other then saving money is that I will have less chances of breast cancer, and loss the baby's weight sooner. The good thing about breast milk is that it is always ready when you need it and its never too hot or too cold. In other words it just makes life simpler and easier. The big thing about breastfeeding is that I would feel uncomfortable breastfeeding, it going to feel awkward. But I made the decision to breastfeed so I'm going to have to get use to it.

Emergency

On Monday October 26, 2009 I was sent to the Hospital, I was so scared. It all started when my stomach started hurting so bad I couldn't take it no more. I went to the bathroom and when I looked down there was blood on my pant. I panicked, and called my mom to the bathroom, she ran to the kitchen to call my doctor. The doctor wanted me to go to the hospital as soon as I could. There was so many things going through my head, the main thing was if my baby was okay. I was in tears and so was my mom, she didn't know if she should call my grandma or not. Once we got to the hospital the nurse had me strip down and put a hospital gown on. As I laid down waiting for my doctor to come in I cried some more. Once she came in the first thing I asked was if my baby was okay. She looked at me and said that everything was going to be okay to calm down. I was hooked on to a monitor that was keeping track of my baby's heartbeat. After about 15 minutes my doctor came back in and she checked my pelvic area for bleeding, it was not comfortable at all. She said everything was fine, but maybe my cervix was causing bleeding. The only way to check that was by doing an ultrasound, I was kind of glad because I was going to see my baby. First she checked my cervix, the water around the baby and any danger areas. After my doctor saw that everything was okay she showed me my baby. More tears started coming down my cheek, but this time they were happy tears. He was moving around kicking, and had his legs wide open making sure we knew it was a boy. Doctor said everything was fine that she couldn't find anything wrong. And a couple minutes later I was on my way back home, and feeling happy.

Baby Names

Once I found out I was having a boy, the hardest part was finding a baby name. I always had said that if I had a boy I was going to name him after my grandpa and dad, Carmelo. But everyone from my mom's side of the family hated that idea. I spent hours, days, and weeks searching the Internet for baby boy names, but there was none that caught my attention. After a couple days I came up with the names Jayden or Devon. And once again no one from my family agreed. Jayden because it was kind of hard for my family to say and Devon because it was my nephew's middle name which I had forgotten. My family then gave me a tip, to think of a name that you can say in both English and Spanish. Couple days later me and my mom were talking, I then mentioned my great grandpa's name. Then my mom told me how every time that someone in the family tried to name their son that, the kid would pass away. Then she told me about one of her brothers that was named Raymond and that he had died when he was 4 years old. I really liked that name, and that's my son got his name after one of my uncles. When I told my grandma what I was going to name my son she got really happy, which made me really happy.

Health Care During Pregnancy

One of the topics that is mentioned in the second chapter of the book I'm reading is, parental care. It is really important for a pregnant women to stay healthy while they are pregnant, that is why they need to have regular visits not only to check their health but the baby as well. I have a visit with my doctor, the WIC clinic, and my own house nurse at least once a month. And I also have a number were I can get a hold of my doctor in case I have any questions. With my doctor the visits are pretty simple she checks my weight, blood pressure, urine test, and listens to my baby's heartbeat. I also had a pelvic exam done around the 4th month it was not fun. My next test is going to be a blood test, they gave me a little bottle of orange juice known as glucose. I have to drink it in 5 minutes about an hour before the test is going to be done. As far as i know my pregnancy is going well other then the baby being a little smaller then it should and having low blood sugar. After the blood test visit my appointments are going to change from being once a month to every 2 weeks. At the WIC clinic is different, every time I go in I see a different person. Such as the nutritionist, social worker, or a nurse. Afterwards they give me my WIC coupons and I'm on my way home. My house nurse comes almost once a week on Fridays, with her i get to open up more. I get to ask any questions I have, and she brings me lots of stuff, like baby books, breast pumps, and lots of information on not only being pregnant but after the baby is born. I'm very lucky having them support me as well as my family.

Family

I went a month from hiding this big news from my family. It was really hard keeping a secret this big. The only people that knew was my close
friends, my uncle Francisco, and my cousin Lily. I couldn't hold it in much longer, had to tell my parents before I started showing. Luckily I was 4 months and not showing what so ever, till this day I'm not even that big. For the 4th of July my family decided to go camping down to Sand Lake, Oregon. My family is really close, we go camping often with our whole family and our quads. This was a good time to let them know what was going on, but I was really scared. I thought they were going to go off on me specially my parents. With my uncles help we gathered my parents at the bonfire. I got behind my uncle and started crying, words wouldn't even come out my mouth. I remember my dad saying "que ya saliste con tu regalo?" meaning "what your already pregnant?" I looked at my mom and she was in tears, I went over to hug her and we hugged for a very long time. My parents weren't as mad as I thought they would be, they were mostly disappointed in me. After all the crying and the yelling, the long speech came. They started off saying how they didn't expect this from me, that I had so much going for me, and how my life was going to change drastically. Then the questions came, about what I was planning on doing, how I was going to do it, about the baby's dad and so many more. Thing went better then i expected, they were in shock for a couple days and now they are really happy and cant wait for the baby to come.

The Simple Guide to Having a Baby

I been reading a book called "The Simple Guide to Having a Baby." I enjoy reading this book not only because its easy to follow, but because it uses a lot of pictures and contains pregnant women stories as well. In the first chapter "Now that your pregnant" it talks about things like what happens during pregnancy, changes your body is going through, and questions people ask during pregnancy. The question that popped out to me the most was "What's it like being a single mother?" You see I'm no longer with my baby's father, the only people helping me out is my family, which I'm very blessed to have. I'm not even planning on putting the father on child support because I really don't want nothing to do with him. Just like he wants nothing to do with my son. In the book it mentions how being a parent is hard work and that it's a job for 2. You see I don't agree with that. It is hard work but I believe that as long as you try your best and give your kid what he needs and have people support you like your family and friends, you don't need the other parent around. But I do agree with the book when it mentioned that sometimes you feel lonely and wish you had a dependable parent. I do feel lonely at times I'm not going to lie, but then I think that god put me in this position for a reason. God believes in me and knows I can get through it, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm at New Start finishing up my credits so I can graduate, I'm working and I plan on attending College after I give birth. I'm doing all this just for my son Raymond, and to prove people that a single mother can do it on her own. In the first chapter it also talks about a support system. I have so many people that support me, even people I wouldn't think that they would be there for me. But at the same time I lost a lot of friends, and that's when I realized whose really there for me and whose not.

Last Day Of School

It was the last day of school, June 16 2009 around 12 pm. I remember it like it was just yesterday. Right after school my 2 friends and I rushed down to the Public Health Clinic, only to learn that they didn't do pregnancy test at the time. We started digging through our backpacks to find bus fair, and rode the 128 down to White Center. I was shaking, nervous, scared, never thought I would be stuck in this position. We got off the bus and walked to the DSHS Clinic, went to the 2nd floor where there was a long line. I remember telling my friend Fatima that we'll just come back another day. But they didn't give up on me, Karla walked up to the front desk and was told that we didn't have to wait in line. They sent us back to a little office to find a nice lady who started asking a bunch of questions. I was given a little cup and was sent off to a bathroom. Back in the little office my friends were asking the Nurse a bunch of questions related to sex, condoms and random things, I was able to get my mind off the test for a while. Couple minutes later the test results came in, I think my friends were more nervous then me. I remember hearing the nurse say "Your due for January 23" I was in shock! It took seconds for me to react by asking if I was pregnant. Next thing you know I was hugging my friends crying, thinking what are my parents going to say or do. I needed help, needed to talk to my school counselor Brenda Espinoza. She helped me out a lot, gave me tips on how to break it down to my parents and choices I could consider. That day I went to my cousins house and didn't go home till after my brother called telling me my parent's were already sleeping. I didn't want to confront them yet, and knowing my mom she can tell there is something wrong just by looking at me. I did my best to avoid her for a couple of weeks. Wanted to get my mind set, and decide what my decisions where going to be, before confronting my parents.