One Hot Mama

That's right. I'm hot. Very hot. And no, I'm not referencing my hot body which includes multiplying stretch marks, cankles and enough gray hairs - that, if plucked - could be loomed and woven into a sizeable silver blanket. I'm referring to my internal temperature, which at the moment, feels like a teakettle about to boil over. If this is a preview of what hot flashes during menopause might be like, God help us all. I usually walk around the house in a tank top and shorts, because honestly, any more clothing and I might erupt. So when I boarded the plane yesterday morning to fly to NY with a squirmy Miss Paige in tow, I knew it was going to be a sweat fest. First of all, it was one of those smaller "commuter" planes... because for some reason Delta must think commuters don't have legs, arms or butts that would call for regular sized seats with leg room and arm rests. And, to top it off, the air vents didn't seem to be pumping enough air. On a plane, I want to feel the cool breeze blowing through my hair... not what feels like hot dog breath huffing down my neck. So there I was, prego body smushed into an anorexic seat, bear hugging Paige to keep her from grabbing the french fries my seat mate was eating. Along with Paige, I was swathed in her heavy, furry blankie in hopes she would forget she was on a plane and fall asleep... no such luck my friends. Up, down, up, down. At one point Paige thought it would be funny to try and poke my eyes out. And the next "game" was putting Mommy's head under the blankie and playing peek-a-boo. I guess she didn't notice the beads of sweat running down my forehead. By the time we landed, I looked as though I had spent the 2 hours in a sauna... hair frizzed out, make-up running down my red-cheeked face, sweaty pits - basically, I could have been a spokes-model for abstinence : ) The best part of the trip was stepping out onto the tarmac and being greeted by 19 degree temperatures. Hallelujah! On my return trip next week, I'm thinking of packing my undergarmets with ice packs. Think I could make it through security? : )

I've Got 99 Problems... and My Placenta is One!

Because being pregnant isn't hard enough or complicated enough on it's own, I was informed at my last Perinatologist appointment that my placenta may be covering my cervix. Yes, that's right... I might just have placenta previa. And I was told this during my bi-weekly appointment to monitor my Protein S/Factor V Thrombosis condition (that's what caused the mini-strokes last times around). Becasue really - I don't have enough going on to worry about?

Reading this, you are probably thinking that I'm a hot mess. And in many areas of my life, I really am : ) But not usually when it comes to my health! I've always been super healthy (minus my constant weight battle) with no issues to speak of until I became pregnant. Now it's like a new condition pops up every week. Since I got the news about my less-than-perfect placenta, I've pretty much blocked it out of my consciousness. I'm thinking I can will it away if I just don't think about it. Of course I know it's not that simple, but there is actually a really good chance the sucker will move on it's own and all will be well in my womb again. According to the #1 medical resource - Google, of course - it moves to a better position (basically, anywhere but over the cervix) in the majority of people. So that is what I'm praying for. I have an ultrasound on Thursday morning, and I'm hoping the placenta moved so far away from my cervix that it is like it was never even there.

When they first told me about the position of the placenta, I thought - Who cares? I'm having another C-section anyway! (Placenta Previa would make a vaginal birth near impossible). But it's not as simple as that. I guess having Placenta Previa can cause excessive pre-term bleeding, enough to put both mother and baby at risk. And combined with my twice-daily Heparin (blood thinner) injections, that could mean a lot of blood exiting my body very quickly. I got a paper cut the other day and it bled as though I had cut my finger off. Heparin is no joke. But, like I said before, I'm really trying not to think about it because I'm confident it will resolve on it's own.

Anyway... another day, another bump in the road. But I'm feeling good that this one is just a little pothole, rather than a full on red light. I'll keep you posted!

Grand Theft of the Worst Kind

The one thing every mama dreams of as soon as she sees the telltale + sign on the pregnancy test - what will we name him or her? It's usually a deeply personal process, one that takes much research, discussion and compromise to come to the PERFECT name. It's also one of the first things people ask you - "What are you going to name the baby?" I've always told people freely, because I didn't know many people that were prego at the same time I was so there wasn't a big fear that the name would be swiped.

I recently read an article on BabyCenter.com titled, "Someone Stole My Baby Name" that made me start to think about what I would do if someone did indeed steal my baby name. The article discusses the different ways baby names are "stolen" - either purposefully or inadvertently - and how to deal with the situation. The bottom line is this - if someone steals your baby name, there is really squat you can do about it. The article suggests telling the person that you are upset, but honestly - what good is that going to do besides make things super awkward? I guess it's a risk every mama takes when she starts sharing the names she has chosen.

But I do know a few slick mamas who knew their prego friends had sticky fingers when it came to names, and lied about what the baby's name would be : ) That's pretty hilarious, IMO. My sister didn't reveal her baby's name to anyone (even me!) until he was born just a few days ago. She didn't do it because she was afraid of someone stealing it, but rather that she wanted to make it a big surprise. For the same reason, I didn't reveal Miss Paige's name on the blog until she was born - I was excited to surprise everyone! I think I'll do the same for this baby - although I will tell you that his name will start with "D". : )

I do think there are some occasions when Grand Theft of the Naming Kind is acceptable - like if you are a third-party connection to a name (i..e. a friend of a friend of a friend). I came up with Paige's name after being on a conference call with a woman who I rarely worked with, whose name was Paige. Celebrity baby names are also up for grabs - although it might be kind of obvious if you choose one of the wacky ones like Apple or Scout. Some mamas-to-be throw out multiple name options before they decide on "the one." I say any of the names she didn't use are also up for grabs. All is fair in love and baby naming!

So with this said, I'll go ahead and share the two names we were deciding between had this baby been a Girl instead of a Boy... feel free to steal : ) It's kind of like I'm putting them out by the curb with a "Free" sign on them, in hopes someone else can benefit for something I can no longer use. The two names (first and middle) were: Stella Quinn OR Naomi Danielle. We liked Stella Quinn right of the bat, but Naomi Danielle was definitely rising up the ranks in the weeks prior to finding out the gender. Maybe these will help inspire your name!

Have you ever had a baby name stolen? If so, tell us all about it in the comment section below!! It'll be a good place to vent, minus the awkward confrontation.