Received an email from my midwife regarding the fact that Noam has not turned and is still lying with her head up.
The email had instructions for me to get Noam to turn. This time it entailed a bit more then 10 minutes per day on all four. This time it was a whole days exercise.
1. Stand on my knees, with my ass up in the air, resting the top of my body on pillows for 20 minutes.
Then take a break.
2. Lie on my back, with my ass raised (on thick books or something) for 20 minutes.
Then a break again.
3. Walk around, on all four, for 20 minutes.
Then a break. And then start all over again.
I am only allowed to stop if I can feel that Noam has probably turned. Otherwise I am supposed to do for a whole day! The day before my next ultrasound, to be exact, as they can then check if I have succeeded in forcing Noam to turn.
Well, at least I will have no problem in figuring out to spend that day in particular.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
On the right track
My midwife called today. She had not been in the office for the last days, so she had not read the results from the ultrasound till now.
"I will put you on sick leave", she said.
"But I'm no longer working", I said.
"Sick leave from school", she said.
"My husband has already forced me to quit school based on what you said last week", I said. "He is basically keeping me as a prisoner and feeding me constantly".
"Good that your husband is on my side", she said.
Seems like she has figured out, without much problems, that I'm not the kind of person that like taking it easy...
Then she said: "Babies that have a problem with growing, that are a bit too small, most of the time starts growing nicely if the mother just slows down and eats more".
That made me happy and confident. The fact that she said that straight out. Feels like I'm on the right track then.
"I will put you on sick leave", she said.
"But I'm no longer working", I said.
"Sick leave from school", she said.
"My husband has already forced me to quit school based on what you said last week", I said. "He is basically keeping me as a prisoner and feeding me constantly".
"Good that your husband is on my side", she said.
Seems like she has figured out, without much problems, that I'm not the kind of person that like taking it easy...
Then she said: "Babies that have a problem with growing, that are a bit too small, most of the time starts growing nicely if the mother just slows down and eats more".
That made me happy and confident. The fact that she said that straight out. Feels like I'm on the right track then.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I'm evil
Yesterday my sister and I went to a sort of seminar for becoming parents. My husband did not come as it was all in Swedish.
We arrived last minute and had to sit in the front row. As soon as the midwife started talking, I started laughing. What she said wasn't that funny really, but I could not help it.
As a result my sister also started laughing. And we could not stop. There we were, sitting on the front row, shaking from trying to not burst out in loud laughter, and not able to calm down.
I could not look at my sister, I could not look at the midwife, and I could not think about the situation, as those three things made me crack.
So I pulled the turtle neck of my sweater over my face. And when I had calmed down a bit i quickly turned my eyes towards the over head, which showed the picture of a baby. I then concentrated heavily for a few minutes on just staring at the baby, not look at anything else, and not think about anything else. Eventually the need to laugh let my body.
I find these situations so funny. If you were allowed to laugh, you would probably just laugh a bit and then stop. But it's the fact that you are not allowed to laugh, that makes the whole situation much more hysterical.
Poor woman, I'm sure she thought I was laughing at her. Well, actually I was, but that makes me feel so evil.
We arrived last minute and had to sit in the front row. As soon as the midwife started talking, I started laughing. What she said wasn't that funny really, but I could not help it.
As a result my sister also started laughing. And we could not stop. There we were, sitting on the front row, shaking from trying to not burst out in loud laughter, and not able to calm down.
I could not look at my sister, I could not look at the midwife, and I could not think about the situation, as those three things made me crack.
So I pulled the turtle neck of my sweater over my face. And when I had calmed down a bit i quickly turned my eyes towards the over head, which showed the picture of a baby. I then concentrated heavily for a few minutes on just staring at the baby, not look at anything else, and not think about anything else. Eventually the need to laugh let my body.
I find these situations so funny. If you were allowed to laugh, you would probably just laugh a bit and then stop. But it's the fact that you are not allowed to laugh, that makes the whole situation much more hysterical.
Poor woman, I'm sure she thought I was laughing at her. Well, actually I was, but that makes me feel so evil.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Pursuit of Happyness
Watched "The Pursuit of Happyness", with Will Smith, from 2006, the other day. We all know the film and what it's about, I guess.
The story, as it's based on a true story, is pretty amazing. Have seen interviews with Chris Gardner before, and it sure does make you think that almost anything is possible.
The film was okay. Nothing ground breaking, but still okay. I was most impressed by Will Smiths son though. He played Chris Gardner's son and did it very well.
I'm always impressed by great child actors. Probably because I, myself, even though I'm a grown up (or supposed to be), could not act myself out of a paper bag.
But maybe that is just the problem. Me being a grown up I mean...
The story, as it's based on a true story, is pretty amazing. Have seen interviews with Chris Gardner before, and it sure does make you think that almost anything is possible.
The film was okay. Nothing ground breaking, but still okay. I was most impressed by Will Smiths son though. He played Chris Gardner's son and did it very well.
I'm always impressed by great child actors. Probably because I, myself, even though I'm a grown up (or supposed to be), could not act myself out of a paper bag.
But maybe that is just the problem. Me being a grown up I mean...
Sharing a film
Not long ago, I wrote about the issue of tests, early in pregnancy, to determine the likelihood of a child having Down Syndrome. The issue is important and interesting to discuss, I think.
I'm reading this great blog, written by Tom (you can find the link to his blog on the right side of this page). A few days ago he posted a film on his blog, about this particular issue.
As it was a good film, that states much about how I feel on this issue, I'm going to keep on sharing the film. Sure he won't mind. So here is a link to his post including the film: http://narrowridge.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-part.html
Lots of love from the bored one!
I'm reading this great blog, written by Tom (you can find the link to his blog on the right side of this page). A few days ago he posted a film on his blog, about this particular issue.
As it was a good film, that states much about how I feel on this issue, I'm going to keep on sharing the film. Sure he won't mind. So here is a link to his post including the film: http://narrowridge.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-part.html
Lots of love from the bored one!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
A report from the woman in house arrest
Think I gained half a kilo since yesterday morning, from just sitting on my ass and eating horrible stuff. So obviously the technique works.
Can't do the same thing today though, as I still feel sick from the stuff I ate yesterday. Think I will have to go to the supermarket and buy lots of nuts, fruits, berries, and yoghurt. As those are things I can't get enough of and therefore can eat, and eat, and eat.
I am going to show that bathroom scale a few things!
Can't do the same thing today though, as I still feel sick from the stuff I ate yesterday. Think I will have to go to the supermarket and buy lots of nuts, fruits, berries, and yoghurt. As those are things I can't get enough of and therefore can eat, and eat, and eat.
I am going to show that bathroom scale a few things!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
This is the case
This is the case:
When I saw the midwife on Thursday she measured my womb from the outside, like she always does. The result was a bit worrying as it seemed like Noam had barely grown during the last two weeks.
I got very scared when the midwife said that I would have to go to do an emergency ultra sound the next day. The word emergency is a scary one, especially when you're talking about the child that you're carrying inside your womb, that you have come to love before you've even met.
It was 24 scary hours before I did the ultrasound. The information from the ultrasound made me a bit calmer though.
Noam is small, but I always knew that. She seems to be happy and healthy, but because she is small (16 % less than average), and because the midwife was a little bit worried that she hadn't grown so well the last two weeks, I will have to do another ultrasound two weeks from now, to make sure that she is growing. If not they need to take actions from there, and I am of course a bit worried, but I do not want to think about that right now, as worrying does not help the situation. And the midwife seems calm, so that is reassuring.
But on top of this I have a bit too many Braxton Hicks contractions right now. Too many could end up in a premature birth, and that is something that is not preferred, especially not when Noam is not that big. So to try to reduce the amount of contractions I have been told by the midwife to stop working out/exercise.
Basically I shouldn't do things that give me contractions and when I get them I should try to slow down and relax. This means basically sitting in the sofa, as most things give me contractions at the moment.
On top of that I should try to decrease the amount of stress in general that I put on myself, and the midwife suggested that maybe it would be better if I did not keep on studying (I've already quit work, but continued my studies). This as stress could affect the growth of the child, and as we know that Noam is small, it's better being safe than sorry.
Finally I should also try to put some more weight on if possible. This is for my own sake, the midwife says, as my amount of body fat, or lack off, does not affect the baby, but fat is needed for the birth and the breast feeding afterwards. But even if she says that my fat is not related to Noams growing, I cannot help feeling like it could be connected.
So, today I wrote to my teacher saying that I will not be studying anymore this term. I have had a nap. I have sat in front of the computer and the TV. Basically I've done nothing. And I have eaten a pizza (even though I hate pizza). And I have even had some cookies.
Now I'm totally bored, just from knowing that this is the way my days will look for a few weeks now. The thought of no exercise and no studies scares me, as it's something that plays a big part for my happiness. So it does make me pretty depressed, and I am fearing that I will drive both my husband and myself crazy during these weeks left of my pregnancy.
The good thing is though, that me doing basically nothing during the day has decreased the amount of contractions a lot. And even though I've realized that pizza is not the deal, as it might put more fat on my body, but does make me feel sick, I am determined to figure something else out, for putting a few more kilos on.
And as long as Noam is happy and arrives in good health it's all fine of course. Can't wait to see her.
When I saw the midwife on Thursday she measured my womb from the outside, like she always does. The result was a bit worrying as it seemed like Noam had barely grown during the last two weeks.
I got very scared when the midwife said that I would have to go to do an emergency ultra sound the next day. The word emergency is a scary one, especially when you're talking about the child that you're carrying inside your womb, that you have come to love before you've even met.
It was 24 scary hours before I did the ultrasound. The information from the ultrasound made me a bit calmer though.
Noam is small, but I always knew that. She seems to be happy and healthy, but because she is small (16 % less than average), and because the midwife was a little bit worried that she hadn't grown so well the last two weeks, I will have to do another ultrasound two weeks from now, to make sure that she is growing. If not they need to take actions from there, and I am of course a bit worried, but I do not want to think about that right now, as worrying does not help the situation. And the midwife seems calm, so that is reassuring.
But on top of this I have a bit too many Braxton Hicks contractions right now. Too many could end up in a premature birth, and that is something that is not preferred, especially not when Noam is not that big. So to try to reduce the amount of contractions I have been told by the midwife to stop working out/exercise.
Basically I shouldn't do things that give me contractions and when I get them I should try to slow down and relax. This means basically sitting in the sofa, as most things give me contractions at the moment.
On top of that I should try to decrease the amount of stress in general that I put on myself, and the midwife suggested that maybe it would be better if I did not keep on studying (I've already quit work, but continued my studies). This as stress could affect the growth of the child, and as we know that Noam is small, it's better being safe than sorry.
Finally I should also try to put some more weight on if possible. This is for my own sake, the midwife says, as my amount of body fat, or lack off, does not affect the baby, but fat is needed for the birth and the breast feeding afterwards. But even if she says that my fat is not related to Noams growing, I cannot help feeling like it could be connected.
So, today I wrote to my teacher saying that I will not be studying anymore this term. I have had a nap. I have sat in front of the computer and the TV. Basically I've done nothing. And I have eaten a pizza (even though I hate pizza). And I have even had some cookies.
Now I'm totally bored, just from knowing that this is the way my days will look for a few weeks now. The thought of no exercise and no studies scares me, as it's something that plays a big part for my happiness. So it does make me pretty depressed, and I am fearing that I will drive both my husband and myself crazy during these weeks left of my pregnancy.
The good thing is though, that me doing basically nothing during the day has decreased the amount of contractions a lot. And even though I've realized that pizza is not the deal, as it might put more fat on my body, but does make me feel sick, I am determined to figure something else out, for putting a few more kilos on.
And as long as Noam is happy and arrives in good health it's all fine of course. Can't wait to see her.
Vivid dreams during pregnancy
They say it's common to have dreams, more vivid and strange than usual, when you're pregnant. That is definitely true on my account.
I have never had sex with a woman. But recently I've become an expert on satisfying women in bed - in my dreams that is. It's strange, because normally I don't just not dream about lesbian sex, I don't even dream about having sex with men in a very vivid way.
It does, of course, occur in my dreams, but not in detail, if you know what I mean. But now it is in full detail.
Hope no one reading this will be embarrassed or offended. I believe that sex is not something you can't write about. And as you all know dreams are not reality, so talking about them is just a fun thing. Finally, dreams do often include certain interesting parts from your everyday life, which makes them interesting and fun to analyze. But if you don't agree, erase your memory of this post.
So back to my lesbian dreams. They really fascinate me. Not the fact that I'm having sex with women, but the fact that they are in such detail. Very interesting. I have to ask other friends about dreams during pregnancy and about the vividness of their dreams in general to examine this more.
When it comes to the lesbian part, a friend, that my husband and I visited for dinner yesterday, had a theory. He said that he has read that many pregnant women dream about having sex with women when they are pregnant. This as they feel that their body is "invaded", and dreaming about sex with men could enhance that feeling. Also, sex between women can not end up in pregnancy, which is, according to the friend, another reason for the dreams, as the pregnant women naturally does not want or need to dream about getting pregnant.
If above is true or not, I don't know. I did try to google it to find out more, but did not find any information supporting the theory. But I will keep on digging.
I have never had sex with a woman. But recently I've become an expert on satisfying women in bed - in my dreams that is. It's strange, because normally I don't just not dream about lesbian sex, I don't even dream about having sex with men in a very vivid way.
It does, of course, occur in my dreams, but not in detail, if you know what I mean. But now it is in full detail.
Hope no one reading this will be embarrassed or offended. I believe that sex is not something you can't write about. And as you all know dreams are not reality, so talking about them is just a fun thing. Finally, dreams do often include certain interesting parts from your everyday life, which makes them interesting and fun to analyze. But if you don't agree, erase your memory of this post.
So back to my lesbian dreams. They really fascinate me. Not the fact that I'm having sex with women, but the fact that they are in such detail. Very interesting. I have to ask other friends about dreams during pregnancy and about the vividness of their dreams in general to examine this more.
When it comes to the lesbian part, a friend, that my husband and I visited for dinner yesterday, had a theory. He said that he has read that many pregnant women dream about having sex with women when they are pregnant. This as they feel that their body is "invaded", and dreaming about sex with men could enhance that feeling. Also, sex between women can not end up in pregnancy, which is, according to the friend, another reason for the dreams, as the pregnant women naturally does not want or need to dream about getting pregnant.
If above is true or not, I don't know. I did try to google it to find out more, but did not find any information supporting the theory. But I will keep on digging.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
My new routine: Stand as a dog for 10 minutes
Today, visiting the midwife, she stated what I already suspected, that Noam has not moved her head down yet. She still has her feet in the same direction as me. Who can blame her? I would not want to be turned upside down for six weeks.
But according to the midwife it would be good if Noam decided to turn pretty soon. Most babies are turned in this week of pregnancy. So the instructions from the midwife is for me to stand on all four, yes like a dog, for at least 10 minutes every day. That is supposed to make Noam want to turn.
So I just got back from doing just that. Boring and very silly looking! But a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do!
But according to the midwife it would be good if Noam decided to turn pretty soon. Most babies are turned in this week of pregnancy. So the instructions from the midwife is for me to stand on all four, yes like a dog, for at least 10 minutes every day. That is supposed to make Noam want to turn.
So I just got back from doing just that. Boring and very silly looking! But a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A catch 22 situation
I'm a contact person to a lovely woman from Eritrea, let's call her Ana, that has come to Sweden as a refugee. The contact was set up by an organization called SWERA (Swedish Refugee Aid).
I'm supposed to hang out with Ana, for her to learn the Swedish language and become more integrated in society. No more, no less.
Unfortunately that does not really work. Because when you become friends with someone, you get involved in their lives, and that is of course what has happened.
This is not a problem, but it does give me some insight in to how refugees are taken care of, by the state, in this country. Unfortunately it's not a very nice view in certain aspects. Bureaucracy seems to be a big problem. Understaffing seems to be another one.
The thing is, Ana had to move out from the place were she was renting a room in December. Since then the social services has moved her from one hotel to another, which is of course very expensive for the social services and very tiring for Ana.
Once in a while, when Ana forces them to a meeting to talk about the situation, they give her a note with the names of some companies that she could get in touch with to try to find an apartment. As Ana barely speaks Swedish she always has to ask someone to help her.
When we met last week I, for the second time, did the job of the social services by calling round to different apartment rental companies. As Ana actually prefers to live far away in a not very popular area I finally managed to find a land lord that said that they had available apartments in the area and that they would send an application form that Ana and the social services should fill out.
Yesterday Ana called me from the office of the social services assistant. She asked me to talk to the assistant which I did. Then I found out that the social services is not allowed to in any way guarantee that they will provide for Ana, as the money they give Ana every month is based on her being in school the month before.
"Can't you at least write that you will be paying for her apartment as long as she fulfills the requirements?", I asked. The assistant told me no with an almost embarrassed voice.
"But it's in your interest, as Ana living in a hotel is very expensive for the social services!", I continued.
Still embarrassed the assistant told me that she agreed and that Ana was not the only one in this situation, but that she (the assistant) had to follow the rules and restrictions.
"This is stupid!", I said. "You're wasting lots of the tax payers money. And Ana and everybody else in this situation are not happy. And still there is nothing you can write to give a land lord some sort of security?"
I bet you can guess the reply.
Talk about a catch 22 situation! What a waste of money! What a horrible way to treat people that are supposed to make a life here! How are they supposed to become integrated in the Swedish society when they don't even have a home?!
I'm supposed to hang out with Ana, for her to learn the Swedish language and become more integrated in society. No more, no less.
Unfortunately that does not really work. Because when you become friends with someone, you get involved in their lives, and that is of course what has happened.
This is not a problem, but it does give me some insight in to how refugees are taken care of, by the state, in this country. Unfortunately it's not a very nice view in certain aspects. Bureaucracy seems to be a big problem. Understaffing seems to be another one.
The thing is, Ana had to move out from the place were she was renting a room in December. Since then the social services has moved her from one hotel to another, which is of course very expensive for the social services and very tiring for Ana.
Once in a while, when Ana forces them to a meeting to talk about the situation, they give her a note with the names of some companies that she could get in touch with to try to find an apartment. As Ana barely speaks Swedish she always has to ask someone to help her.
When we met last week I, for the second time, did the job of the social services by calling round to different apartment rental companies. As Ana actually prefers to live far away in a not very popular area I finally managed to find a land lord that said that they had available apartments in the area and that they would send an application form that Ana and the social services should fill out.
Yesterday Ana called me from the office of the social services assistant. She asked me to talk to the assistant which I did. Then I found out that the social services is not allowed to in any way guarantee that they will provide for Ana, as the money they give Ana every month is based on her being in school the month before.
"Can't you at least write that you will be paying for her apartment as long as she fulfills the requirements?", I asked. The assistant told me no with an almost embarrassed voice.
"But it's in your interest, as Ana living in a hotel is very expensive for the social services!", I continued.
Still embarrassed the assistant told me that she agreed and that Ana was not the only one in this situation, but that she (the assistant) had to follow the rules and restrictions.
"This is stupid!", I said. "You're wasting lots of the tax payers money. And Ana and everybody else in this situation are not happy. And still there is nothing you can write to give a land lord some sort of security?"
I bet you can guess the reply.
Talk about a catch 22 situation! What a waste of money! What a horrible way to treat people that are supposed to make a life here! How are they supposed to become integrated in the Swedish society when they don't even have a home?!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Nasty tasting tea - a great experience at work
Even though I gave up the idea about becoming a psychologist a few years ago, and decided to take a slightly different path, the way us human beings react, think, act and behave fascinates me (and sometimes scares me).
I find the smallest things interesting. Yesterday it happened when I was sitting with a cup of tea in my hand. The tea was a certain kind of tea that I've been drinking a lot at work, because that was the tea available.
It hit me, when I was sitting there, with the cup of tea in my hand, that I actually felt like if I was at work. The flavor, the scent of the tea, and the fact that I had to use a small tea cup (which I never do, but now had to do to get some flavor out of this tea bag) totally made me feel like if I was at work. It was a strange feeling.
Then I started to examine the feeling a bit. And I realized that I could not drink the tea, could not finish what was left in the cup. All of the sudden it tasted horrible.
And it wasn't the fact that it reminded me of work. It was the fact that at work a cup of tea (most of the time this tea in particular) was something that symbolized a few moments on my on in the morning, a nice time in front of the TV or the computer before going to bed (yes, I did and was supposed to sleep at work) or a chat with my colleagues.
Without those things the tea tasted horrible. At home I'm used to drinking all different kinds of nice tea, and this nasty tasting tea did not fit in my sofa at home. Still, at work, because of what it symbolized I had enjoyed it a lot. Funny, right?
I find the smallest things interesting. Yesterday it happened when I was sitting with a cup of tea in my hand. The tea was a certain kind of tea that I've been drinking a lot at work, because that was the tea available.
It hit me, when I was sitting there, with the cup of tea in my hand, that I actually felt like if I was at work. The flavor, the scent of the tea, and the fact that I had to use a small tea cup (which I never do, but now had to do to get some flavor out of this tea bag) totally made me feel like if I was at work. It was a strange feeling.
Then I started to examine the feeling a bit. And I realized that I could not drink the tea, could not finish what was left in the cup. All of the sudden it tasted horrible.
And it wasn't the fact that it reminded me of work. It was the fact that at work a cup of tea (most of the time this tea in particular) was something that symbolized a few moments on my on in the morning, a nice time in front of the TV or the computer before going to bed (yes, I did and was supposed to sleep at work) or a chat with my colleagues.
Without those things the tea tasted horrible. At home I'm used to drinking all different kinds of nice tea, and this nasty tasting tea did not fit in my sofa at home. Still, at work, because of what it symbolized I had enjoyed it a lot. Funny, right?
Coffee, coffee, does anyone want some coffee?
I feel a bit strange today. Maybe it's just an excuse to not study. But probably it's because I haven't had any tea this morning.
Mu husband promised to get some on his way home from a meeting. But while I'm waiting for that I'm seriously considering having some coffee. Even though I know I haven't enjoyed coffee since I got pregnant. The few sips that I've had, that is.
Pretty pointless to have some then, I know. And on top of that BBC was reporting all day yesterday about a new study showing links between miscarriages and coffee. On the other hand, another study could not find any link between those two.
Not easy being pregnant these days. A classmate is planning on writing her thesis about the amount of information bombarding parents, and try to come to a conclusion about wether or not it's a good or a bad thing. Think that could end up being interesting to read.
In Sweden they say that you can drink three cups of coffee per day without risking harming the baby in the womb. In England they say that you can drink a glass of wine per day without any risk. Would be interesting to try to figure out the factors behind all the recommendations given in a society.
In Sweden there would probably be much more difficult banning coffee during pregnancy than banning wine. The majority is not addicted to wine, but the majority is definitely addicted to coffee.
Anyway, not sure about the meaning of this post. Probably just another bad reason to not study.
Mu husband promised to get some on his way home from a meeting. But while I'm waiting for that I'm seriously considering having some coffee. Even though I know I haven't enjoyed coffee since I got pregnant. The few sips that I've had, that is.
Pretty pointless to have some then, I know. And on top of that BBC was reporting all day yesterday about a new study showing links between miscarriages and coffee. On the other hand, another study could not find any link between those two.
Not easy being pregnant these days. A classmate is planning on writing her thesis about the amount of information bombarding parents, and try to come to a conclusion about wether or not it's a good or a bad thing. Think that could end up being interesting to read.
In Sweden they say that you can drink three cups of coffee per day without risking harming the baby in the womb. In England they say that you can drink a glass of wine per day without any risk. Would be interesting to try to figure out the factors behind all the recommendations given in a society.
In Sweden there would probably be much more difficult banning coffee during pregnancy than banning wine. The majority is not addicted to wine, but the majority is definitely addicted to coffee.
Anyway, not sure about the meaning of this post. Probably just another bad reason to not study.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
It's a bit funny...
... that my mum and three of her friends are all becoming grandparents for the first time, almost at the same time. You can imagine what the conversations must sound like when they are having a cup of coffee together.
Anyway, one of them became a grandmother yesterday. It happened in a pretty funny way, which is why I'm writing it down.
The doctors were a bit worried, earlier in the pregnancy, because the baby was not putting on weight. They told the mother to relax, stop working, not stressing and so on. So she's been taking it cool for a few weeks.
The baby was supposed to come in a months time, but yesterday the water broke and they had to go in to hospital. No contractions though, but the doctors decided that they should stay in the hospital.
After a while the mother feels like she needs to go to the bathroom. She does, and when she's sitting on the toilet, she can see that the baby is on it's way out. She, of course, runs back to the hospital bed, and just a little bit later the baby is born.
According to my mum, she basically had no pain. And the reason, I guess, is that the baby was only 1,6 kilos! Can you believe that?! That is just crazy!
I was born five weeks prematurely, but I was 2,1 kilos. This baby was just 1,6! But the baby is healthy because he had basically finished developing. It was just the weight that he hadn't put on. He must be so tiny!
Sounds lovely to give birth with no pain, but I think I still prefer for my daughter to stay in there for a bit longer, and put on a bit more weight before she decides to come out.
Well, one done, three left to go... In my mums gang that is.
Anyway, one of them became a grandmother yesterday. It happened in a pretty funny way, which is why I'm writing it down.
The doctors were a bit worried, earlier in the pregnancy, because the baby was not putting on weight. They told the mother to relax, stop working, not stressing and so on. So she's been taking it cool for a few weeks.
The baby was supposed to come in a months time, but yesterday the water broke and they had to go in to hospital. No contractions though, but the doctors decided that they should stay in the hospital.
After a while the mother feels like she needs to go to the bathroom. She does, and when she's sitting on the toilet, she can see that the baby is on it's way out. She, of course, runs back to the hospital bed, and just a little bit later the baby is born.
According to my mum, she basically had no pain. And the reason, I guess, is that the baby was only 1,6 kilos! Can you believe that?! That is just crazy!
I was born five weeks prematurely, but I was 2,1 kilos. This baby was just 1,6! But the baby is healthy because he had basically finished developing. It was just the weight that he hadn't put on. He must be so tiny!
Sounds lovely to give birth with no pain, but I think I still prefer for my daughter to stay in there for a bit longer, and put on a bit more weight before she decides to come out.
Well, one done, three left to go... In my mums gang that is.
"The Lives of Others" (Das Leben der Anderen)
Just watched a BRILLIANT film! It's a German film called "The Lives of Others" (Das Leben der Anderen) from 2006.
The plot outline from imdb: "In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives."
Read more here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/
You just have to watch it! It's really, really great!!!
The plot outline from imdb: "In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives."
Read more here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/
You just have to watch it! It's really, really great!!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
God parents
Since I got pregnant I've been struggling with choosing a god mother for my unborn daughter.
I needed to figure out what it meant to me. My conclusion ended up being that a god mother is first of all not a relative. I know that, at least in Sweden, many people choose siblings for god parents. I did not want to do that. I expect relatives, and especially my sisters, to love my daughter and be there for her anyway. They are her aunties by blood. They don't need another "title".
Second, a god mother is, to me, not someone that will introduce my child into Christian faith and all of that, as it traditionally means.
Third, a god mother will not be the guardian to my child incase something would happen to my husband and I. But she will care and make sure of my child's best interest, if that happens. But most important she will know me so well, that she can pass on stories about me to my daughter, tell my daughter what my views on life was, and hopefully have some of those views herself.
Forth, a god mother need to get a long pretty well with my husband. After all, it is the father of the child.
Now, I'm not planning and not hoping that I will pass away prematurely. So as the situation is right now, what I'm hoping that having a god mother will mean to my child, is giving her the nice feeling that there are other grown ups than her relatives that care about her. I believe children should be surrounded by lots of role models and grown ups that care.
And if my daughter really like her god mother, maybe she can turn to her if there is something that she feels she can't talk to me about. And as the god mother is supposed to be someone that knows me well and that I consider being a good role model, there would probably not be any advice from that direction that would interfere with my views.
So, after coming to this conclusion, I just needed to figure out who this person was. I had one person in mind, but was sure she would not want to. Just didn't think it was her sort of thing.
Today I decided to ask her anyway, as I figured she would not have a problem turning me down. Surprisingly she was happy and honored and said yes straight away. Now Noam has the greatest god mother of all.
There will be a problem if we will have more children though, Because the person "next on the list", who's views go hand in hand with my views a lot, I'm pretty sure is not interested in even pronouncing the word god parent. But, I guess, that problem is yet far away.
Finally something funny. Noam's god mother is catholic and married to a jew. Noam's god father is muslim. And her parents believe in all sorts of things, but no organized religion. Could it get any better?
I needed to figure out what it meant to me. My conclusion ended up being that a god mother is first of all not a relative. I know that, at least in Sweden, many people choose siblings for god parents. I did not want to do that. I expect relatives, and especially my sisters, to love my daughter and be there for her anyway. They are her aunties by blood. They don't need another "title".
Second, a god mother is, to me, not someone that will introduce my child into Christian faith and all of that, as it traditionally means.
Third, a god mother will not be the guardian to my child incase something would happen to my husband and I. But she will care and make sure of my child's best interest, if that happens. But most important she will know me so well, that she can pass on stories about me to my daughter, tell my daughter what my views on life was, and hopefully have some of those views herself.
Forth, a god mother need to get a long pretty well with my husband. After all, it is the father of the child.
Now, I'm not planning and not hoping that I will pass away prematurely. So as the situation is right now, what I'm hoping that having a god mother will mean to my child, is giving her the nice feeling that there are other grown ups than her relatives that care about her. I believe children should be surrounded by lots of role models and grown ups that care.
And if my daughter really like her god mother, maybe she can turn to her if there is something that she feels she can't talk to me about. And as the god mother is supposed to be someone that knows me well and that I consider being a good role model, there would probably not be any advice from that direction that would interfere with my views.
So, after coming to this conclusion, I just needed to figure out who this person was. I had one person in mind, but was sure she would not want to. Just didn't think it was her sort of thing.
Today I decided to ask her anyway, as I figured she would not have a problem turning me down. Surprisingly she was happy and honored and said yes straight away. Now Noam has the greatest god mother of all.
There will be a problem if we will have more children though, Because the person "next on the list", who's views go hand in hand with my views a lot, I'm pretty sure is not interested in even pronouncing the word god parent. But, I guess, that problem is yet far away.
Finally something funny. Noam's god mother is catholic and married to a jew. Noam's god father is muslim. And her parents believe in all sorts of things, but no organized religion. Could it get any better?
A story about Mr. Mister, Western Union and a watch list
A friend of my husband (let's call him Mr. Mister) yesterday told my husband about a situation that includes his ill father, Western Union, and the crazy and well known watch list that anyone seems to risk ending up on.
Mr. Mister's father is ill and was in desperate need for money to be able to have surgery. All his savings was already spent on previous surgery and treatment.
Mr. Mister of course scrambled together the needed amount from himself and other relatives, made a transfer via Western Union, and then called his dad and said that he now could pick up the money.
The father went to Western Union, where he was told that he could not get any money. The father called Mr. Mister, who called Western Union and asked what was going on. At Western Union he was told in a pretty rude way that the name Mister is on an international watch list (you know, the kind of list that came about after the 11th of September 2001), and because of that the money had been frozen.
Mr. Mister of course was furious, but asked how the situation could be solved. He was told that the situation would be checked out, and if everything was in order the father could get the money in two weeks. Two weeks!! The father needed it now!
Mr. Mister, even more furious, made another phone call to someone higher up in the organization of Western Union. He told this person that he would not only speak to the media, make a documentary about the situation, and make a whole lot of problems. He would also make sure that no one with the name Mister would ever use Western Union again. And there are a lot of people in this world by the name Mister.
A bit later he gets an apologetic phone call from Western Union with the information that his father can now pick up the money. Great for Mr. Mister's father! But the situation still sucks!
How many innocent people, like Mr. Mister and his father, end up in this situation? I bet it's quite a few. I've read about some of them in the newspapers. Some guys has had their assets frozen forever. It's just not okay!
I understand the need to work against criminals (or against terrorism, like Mr. Bush would say), but the way it's being done needs to be examined. And I'm not just talking about this issue. This might be one of the least important ones.
Mr. Mister's father is ill and was in desperate need for money to be able to have surgery. All his savings was already spent on previous surgery and treatment.
Mr. Mister of course scrambled together the needed amount from himself and other relatives, made a transfer via Western Union, and then called his dad and said that he now could pick up the money.
The father went to Western Union, where he was told that he could not get any money. The father called Mr. Mister, who called Western Union and asked what was going on. At Western Union he was told in a pretty rude way that the name Mister is on an international watch list (you know, the kind of list that came about after the 11th of September 2001), and because of that the money had been frozen.
Mr. Mister of course was furious, but asked how the situation could be solved. He was told that the situation would be checked out, and if everything was in order the father could get the money in two weeks. Two weeks!! The father needed it now!
Mr. Mister, even more furious, made another phone call to someone higher up in the organization of Western Union. He told this person that he would not only speak to the media, make a documentary about the situation, and make a whole lot of problems. He would also make sure that no one with the name Mister would ever use Western Union again. And there are a lot of people in this world by the name Mister.
A bit later he gets an apologetic phone call from Western Union with the information that his father can now pick up the money. Great for Mr. Mister's father! But the situation still sucks!
How many innocent people, like Mr. Mister and his father, end up in this situation? I bet it's quite a few. I've read about some of them in the newspapers. Some guys has had their assets frozen forever. It's just not okay!
I understand the need to work against criminals (or against terrorism, like Mr. Bush would say), but the way it's being done needs to be examined. And I'm not just talking about this issue. This might be one of the least important ones.
Downsizing - another condition of mine?
A friend of mine yesterday jokingly said that she is downsizing at the moment. This as she's quit her job, without having a new one, and is now forced to hold on to the little amount of saved money that she's got, until she finds herself a new job.
She said that it had felt pretty nice having people over and offering them a three year old melon liquor instead of going out to buy a new bottle of wine.
I started thinking, and realized that if that is what downsizing means, then I'm the typical downsizing person. And it's all because of my mum.
If you say to my mum: "Oh, you bought yourself a new pair of shoes!", she replies proudly : "Yes, I found them on sale for a hundred SEK (15 USD)".
And all my life she's been the kind of person who never throws away food. She saves every little thing and hope that it will not go to waste.
Those are just two examples. And I'm exactly the same,
I actually enjoy being broke once in a while. Because being broke means having to do with what you've got.
When my husband manages to cook something really brilliant with ingredients that we've had for a while, instead of buying other ingredients, I feel like I've won the lottery.
I even, to some extent, make my choices on what to eat in the fridge, based on what would expire first.
If I need a pair of shoes, and I manage to buy them on sale, I feel like I've gained money and not spent money.
When all my school books are available at the library, and I don't have to buy any of them, I feel such joy.
Again, those are just a few examples. And I've got my mum to thank for it.
That's me. Maybe another one of my many conditions. Or maybe it's just common sense?
She said that it had felt pretty nice having people over and offering them a three year old melon liquor instead of going out to buy a new bottle of wine.
I started thinking, and realized that if that is what downsizing means, then I'm the typical downsizing person. And it's all because of my mum.
If you say to my mum: "Oh, you bought yourself a new pair of shoes!", she replies proudly : "Yes, I found them on sale for a hundred SEK (15 USD)".
And all my life she's been the kind of person who never throws away food. She saves every little thing and hope that it will not go to waste.
Those are just two examples. And I'm exactly the same,
I actually enjoy being broke once in a while. Because being broke means having to do with what you've got.
When my husband manages to cook something really brilliant with ingredients that we've had for a while, instead of buying other ingredients, I feel like I've won the lottery.
I even, to some extent, make my choices on what to eat in the fridge, based on what would expire first.
If I need a pair of shoes, and I manage to buy them on sale, I feel like I've gained money and not spent money.
When all my school books are available at the library, and I don't have to buy any of them, I feel such joy.
Again, those are just a few examples. And I've got my mum to thank for it.
That's me. Maybe another one of my many conditions. Or maybe it's just common sense?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
She's kicking!!!
God, this kid is strong! According to the midwife she is not a very big baby. Well, big or not, she's strong anyway!
I'm going to have a few words with her when she gets out. Like: "You are not supposed to annoy or hurt your mummy!"
I'm going to have a few words with her when she gets out. Like: "You are not supposed to annoy or hurt your mummy!"
Friends
I don't know if it happens at a certain age, or if it's just a coincidence that lots of people around me, including myself a bit, have been making their "friends list" a bit shorter recently.
Some have been doing it because they've gotten disappointed and/or angry with friends. Others have been doing it because they feel that there is really nothing in common with certain friends anymore. And others again have done it because they've realized that you can't make people care about you and cherish your friendship if they don't want to. Or often it's a mix of all three reasons above.
I enjoy staying in touch with friends - most of the time anyway. I like keeping friendships alive even when I don't have lots of things in common with some people anymore, or if I no longer live in the same city, country, or what ever. I think you can, and should, have different kind of friends.
Of course, the friends that know you well are the ones that you cherish most, that becomes most important to you. But friends that's known you for a long time can also be "a great asset" and really fun to hang out with even if you no longer have the same interests, the same views and so on.
But I've also, in the last year or two I think, realized when to let go. It doesn't matter how much you care about someone or how close you used to be if the other person does not seem to care or want to be that close anymore.
And it doesn't matter how fun you have when you talk and/or meet, if you are the only one making the effort to keep in touch.
And it doesn't matter how long you've known someone if there is really no common ground at all anymore.
So, sometimes you let go. You accept that you everybody doesn't want you as a close friend and that you don't want everybody as a close friend.
Most of the time it doesn't mean that you will not have a great time if you meet or run in to each other once in a while. It doesn't mean that you don't care about that person at all anymore. But it does mean that you've become closer to being acquaintances than being close friends. You're not angry with each other, but you've given up on being close. It's just life. It's not a big deal even if it sometimes feels like it.
It's probably a good thing rather than a bad thing. "Cutting off" people that never get in touch or/and that you care a lot about, but who doesn't seem to care back, saves you from being sad and disappointed. "Cutting off" people that you really no longer have anything in common with saves you from the awkward and boring meetings you might have to have once in a while otherwise. And of course "cutting off" people that totally freak you out saves you from going mad.
Friends are very important! So putting more effort in to cherish our real friends and not be too stuck on the rest can't be such a bad idea.
Some have been doing it because they've gotten disappointed and/or angry with friends. Others have been doing it because they feel that there is really nothing in common with certain friends anymore. And others again have done it because they've realized that you can't make people care about you and cherish your friendship if they don't want to. Or often it's a mix of all three reasons above.
I enjoy staying in touch with friends - most of the time anyway. I like keeping friendships alive even when I don't have lots of things in common with some people anymore, or if I no longer live in the same city, country, or what ever. I think you can, and should, have different kind of friends.
Of course, the friends that know you well are the ones that you cherish most, that becomes most important to you. But friends that's known you for a long time can also be "a great asset" and really fun to hang out with even if you no longer have the same interests, the same views and so on.
But I've also, in the last year or two I think, realized when to let go. It doesn't matter how much you care about someone or how close you used to be if the other person does not seem to care or want to be that close anymore.
And it doesn't matter how fun you have when you talk and/or meet, if you are the only one making the effort to keep in touch.
And it doesn't matter how long you've known someone if there is really no common ground at all anymore.
So, sometimes you let go. You accept that you everybody doesn't want you as a close friend and that you don't want everybody as a close friend.
Most of the time it doesn't mean that you will not have a great time if you meet or run in to each other once in a while. It doesn't mean that you don't care about that person at all anymore. But it does mean that you've become closer to being acquaintances than being close friends. You're not angry with each other, but you've given up on being close. It's just life. It's not a big deal even if it sometimes feels like it.
It's probably a good thing rather than a bad thing. "Cutting off" people that never get in touch or/and that you care a lot about, but who doesn't seem to care back, saves you from being sad and disappointed. "Cutting off" people that you really no longer have anything in common with saves you from the awkward and boring meetings you might have to have once in a while otherwise. And of course "cutting off" people that totally freak you out saves you from going mad.
Friends are very important! So putting more effort in to cherish our real friends and not be too stuck on the rest can't be such a bad idea.
A brilliant day
It's rare that everything goes your way the whole day. Today it has, for me though.
It did start like if it would be a bad day though. I turned on the news, while having porridge for breakfast. And I was met by a debate about whether or not the law on homosexual marriage should change.
That is a debate about if it should stay as it is now - a separate law for homosexuals, that is close to the heterosexual one, but still called somethings else and including some small differences. Or if there should be one law no matter who you chose to marry, one form of marriage and no separation that makes one category the norm and another category "the others".
I got annoyed, as the person arguing the stand point that I have, the later one, was pretty bad at arguing his point. And I got annoyed as the other person, arguing the separation, used things like "the child's best interest" in her arguments, like if it was clear that her stand point provided the best situation for children.
Anyway, I shook this annoyance off, and I went to see three of my former colleagues, and had a nice time.
After that I went to a Beauty salon and had a two hours facial, which was wonderful.
When I got home I had two letters waiting for me. One that told me that I got highest grade on the course that I just finished. And another one that told me that I've gotten a really big raise, bigger than I had dared to expect.
Can it get any better in one and the same day?
It did start like if it would be a bad day though. I turned on the news, while having porridge for breakfast. And I was met by a debate about whether or not the law on homosexual marriage should change.
That is a debate about if it should stay as it is now - a separate law for homosexuals, that is close to the heterosexual one, but still called somethings else and including some small differences. Or if there should be one law no matter who you chose to marry, one form of marriage and no separation that makes one category the norm and another category "the others".
I got annoyed, as the person arguing the stand point that I have, the later one, was pretty bad at arguing his point. And I got annoyed as the other person, arguing the separation, used things like "the child's best interest" in her arguments, like if it was clear that her stand point provided the best situation for children.
Anyway, I shook this annoyance off, and I went to see three of my former colleagues, and had a nice time.
After that I went to a Beauty salon and had a two hours facial, which was wonderful.
When I got home I had two letters waiting for me. One that told me that I got highest grade on the course that I just finished. And another one that told me that I've gotten a really big raise, bigger than I had dared to expect.
Can it get any better in one and the same day?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
New law - pretty good idea
An inquiry, started by the former minister of equality and now finished by the new government, is suggesting for advertisement that is discriminating (based on sex/gender) to be illegal.
Breaking the law would mean not being allowed to use the advertisement in particular and also risking a fine.
This does not mean that advertisement can not include bare skin for an example. But a more or less nude man or woman in an ad about something that has nothing to do with bare skin, and when the bare skin does not have a purpose, for an example, that's when it would be illegal.
We have body/organization dealing with these issues already, but according to the results of the inquiry that body/organization, has failed in doing it's job. Therefore the suggestion about this new law.
Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Sounds like a step in the right direction and a clear stand point about where we want to go when it comes to discrimination.
Breaking the law would mean not being allowed to use the advertisement in particular and also risking a fine.
This does not mean that advertisement can not include bare skin for an example. But a more or less nude man or woman in an ad about something that has nothing to do with bare skin, and when the bare skin does not have a purpose, for an example, that's when it would be illegal.
We have body/organization dealing with these issues already, but according to the results of the inquiry that body/organization, has failed in doing it's job. Therefore the suggestion about this new law.
Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Sounds like a step in the right direction and a clear stand point about where we want to go when it comes to discrimination.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
"Gone Baby Gone"
You know the film "Gone Baby Gone", directed by Ben Affleck (who can't act, but actually is a very good producer and director). The film that had the premiere in the UK postponed because of the Madeleine case.
I watched that film yesterday. I had no expectations really, as there has been so many films about kids going missing, and many of them are not that good.
Well, this film was actually pretty good. It was darker than I thought it would be. And it had some nice twists that I did not expect in a film like that.
Not a master piece, but I liked it. It's worth watching.
I watched that film yesterday. I had no expectations really, as there has been so many films about kids going missing, and many of them are not that good.
Well, this film was actually pretty good. It was darker than I thought it would be. And it had some nice twists that I did not expect in a film like that.
Not a master piece, but I liked it. It's worth watching.
Not strange at all
During this whole pregnancy, my husband has been saying that I am no different to what I used to be before getting pregnant - except for the big belly then of course.
No cravings. No strange mood swings. No madness. Well, that did change a few nights ago.
My husband said something, not very funny, but I found it hilarious. I started laughing. Not like normal people laugh, but hysterically. I could not help myself. I could not stop it. I laughed so much that my whole body cramped up, and I thought I was about to give birth tight there and then.
It went on for about 5-10 minutes. In the beginning my husband laughed with me, but after a while he started to look at me, almost frightened.
Then, all of the sudden, the laughter turned in to crying. I cried and cried and could not stop. Now, my husband looked even more frightened.
Finally I did stop anyway. Confused and amused by my own behavior. I convinced myself that it was perfectly normal when pregnant, and I called my sister the next morning to tell her the amusing story.
"What do you mean normal when pregnant", she said. "That happens to me all the time", she continued.
Well, it has never happened to me before, but now, when I know that it, according to my sister, is something not strange at all, maybe I will start doing it more often. If for nothing else, then for the exercise from laughing and crying for 20 minutes or so.
On the other hand, I think there are a lot of things that my family find "not strange at all", that other people might raise there eyebrows at.
But then, who cares?
No cravings. No strange mood swings. No madness. Well, that did change a few nights ago.
My husband said something, not very funny, but I found it hilarious. I started laughing. Not like normal people laugh, but hysterically. I could not help myself. I could not stop it. I laughed so much that my whole body cramped up, and I thought I was about to give birth tight there and then.
It went on for about 5-10 minutes. In the beginning my husband laughed with me, but after a while he started to look at me, almost frightened.
Then, all of the sudden, the laughter turned in to crying. I cried and cried and could not stop. Now, my husband looked even more frightened.
Finally I did stop anyway. Confused and amused by my own behavior. I convinced myself that it was perfectly normal when pregnant, and I called my sister the next morning to tell her the amusing story.
"What do you mean normal when pregnant", she said. "That happens to me all the time", she continued.
Well, it has never happened to me before, but now, when I know that it, according to my sister, is something not strange at all, maybe I will start doing it more often. If for nothing else, then for the exercise from laughing and crying for 20 minutes or so.
On the other hand, I think there are a lot of things that my family find "not strange at all", that other people might raise there eyebrows at.
But then, who cares?
The superpowers of the Flaxseed
I've started to eat a lot of flaxseed during my pregnancy, for a whole lot of reasons, which some of the reasons I should not tell here.
The strange thing with those seeds, is that they seem to be alive. I am not joking. In the evening, when I get undressed, I find them everywhere - on my body!
It's like if they sneak, jump, swim and always towards me. And when they reach their target, they hand on.
So now I'm entertaining myself everyday with trying to make sure that in the evening there is no seed stuck on me. It's not easy. It takes a lot of concentration, but I will manage. Yesterday only one little bastard had managed to climb on to me.
Maybe a solution would be to stop eating them. But I'm not going to do that. That's called giving up. Also, these horrible seeds are way too healthy in all sorts of ways for me to give them up.
I will win this fight!
The strange thing with those seeds, is that they seem to be alive. I am not joking. In the evening, when I get undressed, I find them everywhere - on my body!
It's like if they sneak, jump, swim and always towards me. And when they reach their target, they hand on.
So now I'm entertaining myself everyday with trying to make sure that in the evening there is no seed stuck on me. It's not easy. It takes a lot of concentration, but I will manage. Yesterday only one little bastard had managed to climb on to me.
Maybe a solution would be to stop eating them. But I'm not going to do that. That's called giving up. Also, these horrible seeds are way too healthy in all sorts of ways for me to give them up.
I will win this fight!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
A really boring post
During my pregnancy I've basically followed the motto: If it makes me feel good, I can do it even though I'm pregnant.
So I've been going to the gym. Of course I haven't been doing it as often or lifting as heavy weights as usually, but I've still been doing it.
And I've been sleeping on my back, as that's what I prefer to do if I can't sleep on my belly. I know many pregnant women can't sleep on their back because they then get dizzy (from the weight on a particular nerve and/or blood vessel), but I've had no problem with that.
Some people have been questioning me doing those things. So the other day, when I saw the midwife, I ask her about it.
She told me that I should not sleep on my back. If I happened to wake up and find my self on my back, I do not need to freak, but I should try to avoid sleeping on my back.
She also told me that I should not be lying on my back in the gym, and of course not on my stomach either. I should not be working out my stomach muscles, not even lightly. And if I have to do squats I should not do it with any weight on my shoulders.
Now, imagine how difficult it was for me to take a class of Body Pump yesterday.
And imagine how difficult it was for me to sleep when I can't sleep on my stomach or my back, and my ribs hurt when I sleep on the side.
I'm thinking that maybe all the advices that are given to you when you're pregnant is a bit too much these days. I can bet that no one said to my mum, when she was pregnant, that she should not sleep on her back. So I'm considering not taking all advices that I get too seriously.
The one advice that I will be taking seriously though, is the one my midwife gave me about iron supplements. She told me to not take any. When it comes to iron supplements I've been listening to other people and started taking it once in a while now in the end of my pregnancy.
As many people start taking it very early in their pregnancy and some people even need to take to pills a day, I thought I also had to start sooner or later. But the same rule never apply to all people. And my midwife told me that my blood values are so good that I really do not need to take any kind of supplements. So now I've stopped. Like I think I'm going to stop taking so seriously on the advice about not sleeping on my back.
God, this really ended up being the most boring post ever. But at least I wrote something.
So I've been going to the gym. Of course I haven't been doing it as often or lifting as heavy weights as usually, but I've still been doing it.
And I've been sleeping on my back, as that's what I prefer to do if I can't sleep on my belly. I know many pregnant women can't sleep on their back because they then get dizzy (from the weight on a particular nerve and/or blood vessel), but I've had no problem with that.
Some people have been questioning me doing those things. So the other day, when I saw the midwife, I ask her about it.
She told me that I should not sleep on my back. If I happened to wake up and find my self on my back, I do not need to freak, but I should try to avoid sleeping on my back.
She also told me that I should not be lying on my back in the gym, and of course not on my stomach either. I should not be working out my stomach muscles, not even lightly. And if I have to do squats I should not do it with any weight on my shoulders.
Now, imagine how difficult it was for me to take a class of Body Pump yesterday.
And imagine how difficult it was for me to sleep when I can't sleep on my stomach or my back, and my ribs hurt when I sleep on the side.
I'm thinking that maybe all the advices that are given to you when you're pregnant is a bit too much these days. I can bet that no one said to my mum, when she was pregnant, that she should not sleep on her back. So I'm considering not taking all advices that I get too seriously.
The one advice that I will be taking seriously though, is the one my midwife gave me about iron supplements. She told me to not take any. When it comes to iron supplements I've been listening to other people and started taking it once in a while now in the end of my pregnancy.
As many people start taking it very early in their pregnancy and some people even need to take to pills a day, I thought I also had to start sooner or later. But the same rule never apply to all people. And my midwife told me that my blood values are so good that I really do not need to take any kind of supplements. So now I've stopped. Like I think I'm going to stop taking so seriously on the advice about not sleeping on my back.
God, this really ended up being the most boring post ever. But at least I wrote something.
Friday, January 11, 2008
A clear picture?
Yesterday I saw on the news that the UK is building new nuclear power plants.
How nuclear power can be considered environmentally friendly I do not understand.
On the news they also said that this could make more countries wanting to follow the same path as the UK. They were right. This morning one of the Swedish political parties is saying that that's exactly what they want to do.
I'm agreeing with Greenpeace instead. Yeaterday a spokesman for Greenpeace said that building new nuclear power plants is not the way to go to lower a countries carbon footprint. Changing the way of thinking is the key. Building new nuclear power plants just "saves" a state from having to rethink.
The spokesman used Sweden and Finland in an example. Sweden's goal is to keep on shutting down all nuclear power plants. This plan has forced Sweden to think differently and make other plans for environmentally friendly solutions. Because of that Sweden has reduced its carbon footprint with 9 percent.
Finland, on the other hand, has plans on building more nuclear power plants and has increased its carbon footprint with 15 percent.
Doesn't that give a quite clear picture?
How nuclear power can be considered environmentally friendly I do not understand.
On the news they also said that this could make more countries wanting to follow the same path as the UK. They were right. This morning one of the Swedish political parties is saying that that's exactly what they want to do.
I'm agreeing with Greenpeace instead. Yeaterday a spokesman for Greenpeace said that building new nuclear power plants is not the way to go to lower a countries carbon footprint. Changing the way of thinking is the key. Building new nuclear power plants just "saves" a state from having to rethink.
The spokesman used Sweden and Finland in an example. Sweden's goal is to keep on shutting down all nuclear power plants. This plan has forced Sweden to think differently and make other plans for environmentally friendly solutions. Because of that Sweden has reduced its carbon footprint with 9 percent.
Finland, on the other hand, has plans on building more nuclear power plants and has increased its carbon footprint with 15 percent.
Doesn't that give a quite clear picture?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
"The Kite Runner"
Would like to recommend a book: "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.
It's not a masterpiece. Rather "light" reading. But you will find it difficult to put it down once you've started reading it.
The story is about friendship and about the relationship between father and son. Most of it is set in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and later during the control by the Talibans.
Worth reading if you just want to relax for a day, because that's all the time it takes to finish the book.
Read that a movie, released in 2007, has been made from the book. Haven't seen that though, but it seems to have gotten some good reviews.
It's not a masterpiece. Rather "light" reading. But you will find it difficult to put it down once you've started reading it.
The story is about friendship and about the relationship between father and son. Most of it is set in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and later during the control by the Talibans.
Worth reading if you just want to relax for a day, because that's all the time it takes to finish the book.
Read that a movie, released in 2007, has been made from the book. Haven't seen that though, but it seems to have gotten some good reviews.
"The oppression of men" - I do not know if I should laugh or if I should cry...
I just love Claes Borgström (the former Equal Opportunities Ombudsman) for keeping on arguing Women's rights and keeping on saying such obvious, but yet so important stuff, about feminism and the need for and vision about equality.
I just do not like Pär Ström that recently wrote the book "Mansförtryck och kvinnovälde" (The Power of Women and the Oppression of Men). He seriously claim that feminism has gone to far and that it is now the men that are oppressed.
I do not know wether to laugh or cry. The guy is basing his ideas on the fact that women most of the time get custody when parents have a dispute in court, and on the fact that most Swedish men are automatically drafted to the army when women are not, and finally on the fact that there are women that beat up their men and are not taken seriously.
I feel sorry for the guy. He first of all has no clue what feminism is, or that there is not one feminsim, but loads of different views, and that the only common factor is the recognition of inequality between men and women.
And he doesn't realize that most feminists actually are fighting for men to be more involved in parenting. And that the one's that are pro-army actually want both women and men to be drafted.
And he obviously is not intelligent enough to see that the fact that a few men are beaten up my their partners does not take away the seriousness in the huge amount of women being beaten up and sexually abused by men. And he does not realize that most feminists would love to get rid of those gender roles that are a part of why men are not taken seriously when being abused by a woman.
The guy is not very intelligent obviously. And still he gets lots of space in media, and Lennart Ekdahl (a TV host) tonight on TV seemed to agree with Mr. Ström. Obviously I do not like Lennart Ekdahl either - not after tonight.
Although I should not be surprised. These kind of ideas always get space in media. And as Birgitta Olsson (a politician fighting a lot for equality) put it: We only need to look at history, When women got the right to vote people were saying that feminism had gone to far. When women started having paid jobs instead of being house wives people said the same. Male chauvinists have and will always be around.
I just do not like Pär Ström that recently wrote the book "Mansförtryck och kvinnovälde" (The Power of Women and the Oppression of Men). He seriously claim that feminism has gone to far and that it is now the men that are oppressed.
I do not know wether to laugh or cry. The guy is basing his ideas on the fact that women most of the time get custody when parents have a dispute in court, and on the fact that most Swedish men are automatically drafted to the army when women are not, and finally on the fact that there are women that beat up their men and are not taken seriously.
I feel sorry for the guy. He first of all has no clue what feminism is, or that there is not one feminsim, but loads of different views, and that the only common factor is the recognition of inequality between men and women.
And he doesn't realize that most feminists actually are fighting for men to be more involved in parenting. And that the one's that are pro-army actually want both women and men to be drafted.
And he obviously is not intelligent enough to see that the fact that a few men are beaten up my their partners does not take away the seriousness in the huge amount of women being beaten up and sexually abused by men. And he does not realize that most feminists would love to get rid of those gender roles that are a part of why men are not taken seriously when being abused by a woman.
The guy is not very intelligent obviously. And still he gets lots of space in media, and Lennart Ekdahl (a TV host) tonight on TV seemed to agree with Mr. Ström. Obviously I do not like Lennart Ekdahl either - not after tonight.
Although I should not be surprised. These kind of ideas always get space in media. And as Birgitta Olsson (a politician fighting a lot for equality) put it: We only need to look at history, When women got the right to vote people were saying that feminism had gone to far. When women started having paid jobs instead of being house wives people said the same. Male chauvinists have and will always be around.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Eugenics?
In Stockholm, where I live, all pregnant women will from this year be offered to do NT (NUPP-test in Swedish). The test shows the risk for the baby being born with Down Syndrome. The test used to be offered to women over 35, as the risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome gets higher with age. But now, as I said, it will be offered to everybody.
The reason for this is, according to the ones that's been promoting it, that people will not test the amniotic fluid if the NT shows a low risk. Doing tests on the amniotic fluid creates a higher risk for miscarriages than the risk there is to have a child with Down Syndrome. So the NT is good in that sense.
What is not good, if you ask me, is that this test is being offered to everyone. The test basically only shows the risk for Down Syndrome. It does not guarantee that the baby will not have another handicap, illness, and so on.
What offering this test to everyone does, is creating a feeling about Down Syndrome being something not normal, not okay, a really horrible handicap, etc. Most people barely know what Down Syndrome is. A lot of people still call all sorts of mental handicaps as mongolism. Many midwives don't know much about it either, and still they are the ones that are supposed to answer the questions about it, when all those pregnant people want some answers.
My problem is not with every persons right to choose abortion or not, no matter what the reason. My problem is with the message that is being sent out by offering this test to everyone. I've had this debate online with other people, I've seen it being debated on TV, and it's scary how little people know.
I asked a friend the other day about how they had received the offer. She told me that she had gotten a short letter about that she had the right to do the test and when she had to do it. She did it, because she wouldn't want a baby with Down Syndrome, she said. She does not know what Down Syndrome is.
Another person said that it's for the sake of the baby, as a life with Down Syndrome is not a life. A person with Down Syndrome that gave her view on the test, said that it makes her sad that some people claim that her life is not worth living.
Keep on offering the test to women over 35. And sure, offer them this new NT than the older one where test of amniotic fluid was included in the first phase. But do not offer it to everyone! That looks very close to eugenics to me. And it's discriminating towards people with Down Syndrome, as the state is basically saying that they and their way of living is not as good as someone else's.
Who decides what's normal and what is not? Who decides what life is a better life than another?
The reason for this is, according to the ones that's been promoting it, that people will not test the amniotic fluid if the NT shows a low risk. Doing tests on the amniotic fluid creates a higher risk for miscarriages than the risk there is to have a child with Down Syndrome. So the NT is good in that sense.
What is not good, if you ask me, is that this test is being offered to everyone. The test basically only shows the risk for Down Syndrome. It does not guarantee that the baby will not have another handicap, illness, and so on.
What offering this test to everyone does, is creating a feeling about Down Syndrome being something not normal, not okay, a really horrible handicap, etc. Most people barely know what Down Syndrome is. A lot of people still call all sorts of mental handicaps as mongolism. Many midwives don't know much about it either, and still they are the ones that are supposed to answer the questions about it, when all those pregnant people want some answers.
My problem is not with every persons right to choose abortion or not, no matter what the reason. My problem is with the message that is being sent out by offering this test to everyone. I've had this debate online with other people, I've seen it being debated on TV, and it's scary how little people know.
I asked a friend the other day about how they had received the offer. She told me that she had gotten a short letter about that she had the right to do the test and when she had to do it. She did it, because she wouldn't want a baby with Down Syndrome, she said. She does not know what Down Syndrome is.
Another person said that it's for the sake of the baby, as a life with Down Syndrome is not a life. A person with Down Syndrome that gave her view on the test, said that it makes her sad that some people claim that her life is not worth living.
Keep on offering the test to women over 35. And sure, offer them this new NT than the older one where test of amniotic fluid was included in the first phase. But do not offer it to everyone! That looks very close to eugenics to me. And it's discriminating towards people with Down Syndrome, as the state is basically saying that they and their way of living is not as good as someone else's.
Who decides what's normal and what is not? Who decides what life is a better life than another?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)