Giving Birth

5 months pregnant, on vacation &
preparing myself mentally for the big day

Over forty days ago, my third child was born. This time, it was al natural for me; that meant no drugs, no anesthesia, no "little helps", just me (my mind) and  my body working together and do "our thing" waiting for the baby to show up. And in full disclosure this was also a home birth. For those unfamiliar with the birthing business in general, this is something that has become quite popular in countries like the UK and even the USA. However, in Mexico, it is currently extremely popular for women to be cut open so as to have their babies removed in the "most sterile, safest" manner. I've never been particular to hospitals (unless I am sick then I think they are great) and the idea of some doctor cutting me open because he had a vacation planned near my due date or because she (and this did happen to me) had to be in Mexico City for classes, I made the decision to find a doctor that practiced humanized medicine and would be open to the idea of a home birth.  Having already had two medically "controlled" (vaginal) births with two different gynecologists, I knew that this wouldn't be easy.

It was a hard thing to do to convince my partner and mother that this was the right thing. We went to prenatal classes and even had a doula lined up for the day of the birth. But nothing could have prepared me for what it meant to have a baby like women used to before Western medicine started controlling how, when and where women give birth. I never imagined I would be sweating as if I was running a marathon, grunting, moaning and panting like so many women that have gone before me, but there I was at five o'clock* in the morning, just the same way I came into the world, trying to push another human being out of my body.

 (*this is still up for debate since that was the daylight savings time for Mexico)

Another human being? At the time I wondered if maybe, by some weird accident, I didn' t have bowling ball or extremely large headed alien inside me. If I hadn´t of been so focused on expulsing my baby, I would have laughed at myself.  But it wasn't a bowling ball or alien baby, it was a real, drug free baby. And I did it, after almost three days of trying to get my oxytocin pumping and my contractions regular, I had another baby and this time, I was 100% present, I didn't pass out, have an anesthesiologist on top of my chest pushing the baby down, or my gynecologist use enormous scissors to cut "more space" for the baby (aka an episiotomy). I was man-made drugs free and high on oxytocin and later endorphins. 

There were times during labor that I thought I couldn't do it- I actually thought of asking my doctor to "get the baby out of me" but at that point I was fully dilated with a human head making its way down my vagina. It wasn't the right time to ask for a c-section and as I thought it, I heard a voice cheering me on like they do at the Boston Marathon: YOU CAN DO IT! YOU ARE ALMOST THERE! I could see the anticipation on my doctor's face, I felt as if he was in awe of what he was witnessing. I knew we had made the right choice in doctor now it was just up to me.

It took three different birthing positions before I found the right one for me. And as my partner's legs trembeled and his arms shook from the weight of my body and the sheer exhaustion of holding me in my squatted position, I felt as if we were both having the baby. And we did. Another little human being to share in life in my Mexico.

A Mexican Coffee Drinker Gets "Not So Smart"

I recently came across an interview of blogger and author David  McRaney on Science 360 radio using my niffty TuneIn Radio App I downloaded onto my Blackberry. The interview got my attention when I realized McRaney, who grew up in rural Mississippi with a conspiracy theories obsessed father, was someone on a mission to prove something: to prove that critical thinking, analysis and reflection are the best way to go. Now, these are ideas that I am totally feeling and I take the whole "independent  thinker" shtick to heart.

Taking a  look at his blog, You Are Not So Smart:  A Celebration of Self Delusion,   there is a lot to get the independent thinking juices flowing.   Being  that this blog is dedicated to life in Mexico the post  titled  Coffee  caught my eye and at 38 weeks pregnant, coffee is one drug I consume daily. Mexico, according to the  National Coffee Association, is one of the world's largest coffee producing countries. This particular post  was published two  years ago and in it McRaney writes:

"The Misconception: Coffee stimulates you. The Truth: You become addicted to caffeine quickly, and soon you are drinking coffee to cure withdrawal more than for stimulation."  

There has been  more research published on coffee and the other more than 1,000 ingredients found in the beverage  since  McRaney summed up the misconception  and  laid  down "the  truth".  

In 2011,  an article on  Science Daily.com stated that researchers studying Alzheimer's found  " the first evidence that caffeinated coffee offers protection against the memory-robbing disease that is not possible with other caffeine-containing drinks or decaffeinated coffee."  Being the granddaughter of an Alzheimer's patient as well as the daughter of a stroke survivor, relating caffeine  consumption to protecting the brain is something for me to get excited about.  However, caffeine is addictive but I wonder am I really "drinking coffee to cure withdrawal more than for stimulation"?  I am also drinking it because  it  can  (maybe) possibly be good for me. 

Just this month the Chicago Tribune published the  article  "What is it about coffee? Research showing benefits for everything from liver disease to Alzheimer's?"  where a list  of  research related  information goes  into how  consuming coffee is not  just addictive but has many health benefits.  Some specialists, however, warn against the consumption  of coffee  pregnant women and children, one such being  Tasmanian  defence nutritionist, Chris Forbes-Ewan, but praises the benefits for certain humans, like Olympic  athletes. 

As I  type this post,  I have  just finished my one cup of Mexican grown coffee I bought at a local coffee shop. I have not stopped my consumption of coffee during any of my pregnancies and perhaps I am just like  McRaney says, not as  smart as I think I am, but I do know that contradicting research comes out almost  daily.  Coffee is addictive and  as it turns out, drinking it daily can also be very  good for me, which is also an important part of  "the  truth".  So, for now, I will stick to my one cup a day and  continue to use  coffee not only as a stimulant but as preventative  medicine. Maybe some scientist will publish research that  shows  that coffee makes you smarter...then  I really will be as smart as  I think  I am! 

Pregnancy Friendly Hair Gel: Product Review

This review is of a product I bought with my own money. I reviewed it because I think it is such an awesome product and I wanted to share it with my readers and friends.
I am close to being at the half way point of the 40 (or 42 weeks) of pregnancy. I am super sensitive to smells and can now sympathize with my younger brother who would complain and complain about my "stinky" perfume when we were teenagers. I find perfumes, lotions, hair gel, creams, after shaves, soaps, ANYTHING with an artificial scent, to be particularly offensive to my nose and general well being. Recently, my husband thought it was the perfect time to switch hair gels, that's right, NOW, when he has an over-sensitive-to-smells, pregnant wife. I explained to him that his new L'Oreal hair gel "has the same scent if flowers could poop." He didn't get it. I gave him an ultimatum: either ditch the gel or I will ditch it for you. My message got across to him and several days later he came home with Gel de Linaza by Buena Imagen. (see bellow image)

The best smelling non-smelling  hair gel on the market in Mexico!

He gingerly handed it to me for the "smell test". I opened the tube and took a whiff. It smells a little chemically, but nothing that I could turn my nose up to or even have a reaction to. It is the closest thing to smelling like "nothing" that I can describe. And HOORAY it is a gel that I can use too! It is made with linseed extract from flax and according to Wikipedia, "...various parts of the plant have been used to make fabric, dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, hair gels, and soap."  So linseed is a tried and tested ingredient for hair gels. It is natural (it is after all, from a plant!) The gel is manufactured right here in the city where I live. So I have a natural, locally produced hair gel that makes me WANT to do my hair in the morning. Can I quote a creepy, Hollywood star? Can I say "WINNING!"

The 250ml tube cost $40.00 MXN at the Buena Imagen Spa but we later found a better deal at a local fair: two 250ml tubes for $50.00 MXN. The ingredients are: distilled water, carbomer, trietanolamida, linseed extract, methyl and propyl paraben. My overall reaction to the gel: I love the fact that this gel is alcohol free and that it doesn't leave white flakes in my hair, have a bunch of ingredients or make me feel like throwing up. It is a win-win-win situation! 

Now, if I can only find a deodorant that doesn't make me want to smell like B.O.