The Adventures of Baby Arthur

by Liz

Soon after we rolled out of bed Saturday morning, we thought it'd be nice to walk around the neighborhood and get some breakfast on such a nice sunny day. We settled into the restaurant, glad that another shrieking baby was on the premises to keep the heat off of us! That shrieking baby turned out to be the daughter of a stylishly dressed (in a low-key way) and amazingly fit Jessica Alba. We only noticed them as they were leaving and we're assuming that the baby was Honor Marie, who according to this 'the Insider' article, is less than 3 weeks older than our own Arthur. We naturally researched all of this as soon as we got home of course. We also confirmed that Jessica Alba IS currently in town according to the tabloids, but Lincoln won't let me post any gossip links on this blog aside from that one article!

Anyway, I couldn't help but notice a few things that were mentioned in the Insider article. The natural birth (Lincoln says I'd kick her butt!) and proximity of birthdays between Arthur and Honor are where our similarities end. Sadly, not only do we not have a hilltop LA estate, I was not allowed a "soul food diet" during pregnancy either! My OB/GYN, Dr. Anna, was a stern looking and strict woman with the kind of piercing eyes that cut through you if you did anything wrong. She basically prescribed me the Atkins diet - no carbs, no juice, no sugar. She also told me to control the quantities I ate, that I should not listen to any of those "eating for two" cliches and that being pregnant is not a green light to gain 55 lbs!

Well, I didn't listen to her completely, but I did manage to only gain 18 lbs (21 in total) after 8 months. At our visit that month, Lincoln and I were both concerned that the baby was not gaining enough weight. Dr. Anna quickly dismissed those concerns after her checkup and estimated that Arthur weighed 6.5 lbs already. She then slanted her eyes and said, "You've been drinking juice haven't you?!". *GULP*, Guilty As Charged!

Anyway, I guess we can't all be Jessica Alba. And by the way, the "I lost my tummy by breast feeding" is complete BULL!!

Labels: health, miscellaneous, pregnancy

by Liz & Lincoln

My unscientific opinion tells me that Chinese women have it the toughest when it comes to dealing with the incessant old wives's tails and pregnancy myths. Some of the myths or traditions undoubtedly have some merit. For example, neither mother nor child are to step foot outside the home for one month following childbirth. While under house-arrest, the mother is required to eat copious amounts of ginger, whether it be in a soup, tea, or dish. Well this could make sense - Ginger has many health benefits for digestion, circulation and more. A mother could easily need an entire month to recover after childbirth while an infant's immune system is weak. So it could be best not to go outside right?

Well there are probably dozens of other myths which make far less sense. Some of them are downright funny! Many women follow pretty much anything they hear to "err on the side of caution" and Liz was no exception to this instinct. On many occasions, a quizzical look from me was enough to make her feel better about not following something retarded. My cousin on the other hand was not as fortunate as she followed EVERY MYTH you are about to read about. What a poor poor soul!!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor! All facts were found by speaking with doctors, other parents and researching the web. I only used reputable websites for facts and not any other blogs, posts or personal opinions.

The Myths

Myth: Do Not Eat Pineapples. Pineapples are spiky and considered poisonous. It's also cold, which is bad. Do not eat watermelon, lychees or mangoes either.

Fact: Pineapples contain a chemical called Bromelain which may bring on labor. However, you would need to drink a huge quantity for it to have any effect. Liz's OBGYN did suggest that she reduce the amount of sugar and juice intake to prevent unhealthy weight gain. Other than that, there does not appear to be any kind of medical basis for this. Rating: Stupid

Myth: Do Not Eat Seafood. They cause rashes on the baby. Do not eat snails, or the baby will drool alot.

Fact: It's a well known fact that seafood is important for a balanced diet, but certain seafoods may have elevated mercury levels and should be avoided. I'm still laughing over the snails myth! Rating: Plausible, but not because of the rashes or drooling!

Myth: Do not eat bananas or lamb because they will give the baby seizures.

Fact: I couldnt find any medical explanations for not eating bananas or lamb other than sticking to a balanced diet and making sure all meats are well cooked. Although Liz hates lamb, she did eat bananas by pound. Rating: Stupid

Myth: Do not hammer anything or do any kind of work around the house, because the baby will be ugly.

Fact: Umm. Ok, I didn't bother looking for any kind of medical explanation for this other than medical advice from Liz's doctor about not over exerting herself. Exercise is very important for a pregnant woman and cautious use of any kind of construction tool is prudent for anyone. There are about 15 Chinese explanations for this, ranging from the child's spirit floating around the house to how loud noises can be harmful for the baby. Not that it matters anyway, as if Liz would ever pick up a hammer!! Rating: Rip Roaring Laughter

Myth: Do not use scissors because it will cause a split in the baby's lip.

Fact: Keep that sharp object away from that belly! Rating: Rip Roaring Laughter

Myth: Do not cry or your baby will always cry.

Fact: Hormonal changes during and after pregnancy may lead to changes to brain chemistry and depression. Roughly 10-13% of pregnant women have been known to suffer from depression. While the crying itself may not physically cause the baby to cry more, depression certainly has an affect on everyone involved. Visit WomensHealth.gov for more information. Rating: True

Myth: No cold food or drinks. No opening the refrigerator or standing next to it. No showering for a month and only ginger baths.

Fact: I can find no medical explanation. However, the belief of the so called "hot-cold" balance within the body and the environment is centuries old in Chinese culture. After giving birth, a woman is believed to be in a cold state due do the loss of blood and needs to be replenished by keeping warm with soups, many ginger based dishes, hot ginger baths, etc. Maybe this has merit, but not taking a shower or washing your hair for 30 days is just disgusting! Rating: Yuck!

One can conclude that many myths are cultural in origin and have been passed down over the course of hundreds or thousands of years. Here is a good article on some of the differences between western and other cultures around the world. Liz did not follow a single one of those myths listed above and Baby Arthur continues to be a robust little boy!

Right or wrong, it's up to you to decide!

hfckpu67rg

Labels: health, pregnancy

Everyone and their mother (no pun intended) is an absolute expert when it comes to pregnancy, babies and children. Talk to a single person, expect an anecdote of wisdom from someone else they know. Talk to someone who has had a child, they'll give you the low-down. Talk to a doctor, they'll give you their expert medical opinion, which is to be considered gospel.

Stay away from all caffeine! Wait, my doctor said one cup a day was ok? Duh, everyone knows you're not supposed to drink! Wait, it says here that you can have one glass a month while pregnant. Don't listen to loud music, don't think negative thoughts, read to the baby in the womb. Don't eat this or that. Don't hold scissors. Dont move around too much. Wait, does that mean prenatal yoga is bad?

Do a little research on the internet and you'll just make your head spin even faster. Not only will you find thousands of blog posts, forums and articles written by doctors, but for each tidbit of advice you read, you will find another tidbit of advice that says the exact opposite. (Except for the obvious, stay off the crack)

One of the frustrating decisions we had to make was to decide if Liz should have a CVS test or an Amniocentisis. These are tests for chromosomal or genetic disorders, like Downs Syndrome. We read through all the pamphlets, did our research online and found conflicting odds on complications all over the place. Were the odds of complications on the CVS 1 in 100 like the pamphlet said or 1 in 200 like the hospital birthing counselor said? Is the Amnio safer then the CVS since it's less intrusive? Or are they both equally safe? To make matters worse, when we pressed our doctor for an opinion, she would not budge and would only say "it's your choice".

Now that Baby Arthur is 6 months old and ready for solid food, we wondered what foods were safe. Did we have to worry about allergies? Like from peanuts? Our pediatrician said not to worry and to feed him anything. If he gets a rash, then stop feeding him whatever you fed him, but then try again later to see if it happens again. One of my best friend's wife, also a pediatrician, was aghast at that advice and said "absolutely no peanuts".

The fact is that there is no bible for any of this and no one truly knows what they are talking about with 100% certainty. Many of the old-wives tales, like not touching scissors while you're pregnant, are cultural in origin. Many French mothers drink wine throughout their pregnancy and the French are generally healthier then Americans. (Watch Sicko!)

The only thing you can do is to get enough opinions, read enough articles and make the choice that you are most comfortable with. Relax, don't stress over it. Stick with the advice that everyone agrees on, like NO SMOKING, and you'll be fine. This is how we've done it, and Baby Arthur is thus far a perfectly healthy, robust 6-month old!




P.S. We went with the amniocentisis because the odds of complications were equal or less in all of the literature we found and it seemed like it was a less intrusive procedure based on the descriptions. We have not "just fed Baby Arthur anything" quite yet and have decided to start him off slow with blended porridge (sometimes with meat or vegetables, as long as it is blended into a paste), which is a page out of the Encyclopedia Grandma.

Labels: parenting, pregnancy