Main Blog

Nathan is here

Okay, I don't have alot of time to post, but I wanted to annouce the birth of my son, Nathan Robert Parkhurst Hoggatt - born 1/22/07 at 9:18pm by unplanned C-section at 36 weeks 6 days of pregnancy. He and I are doing well, our biggest challenge right now is getting breast feeding going, which pretty much means things are normal. I'll try to write some more once I have a chance.

We have quite a few pictures in the album already and check Gary's blog for updates as well.

Consumer reports withdrawl

So this week, based on the recent recommendations of consumer reports, Gary and I changed our original plan to buy a Peg Perego infant car seat to a Baby Trend infant car seat. Thie Baby Trend seat was top rated in the recent study and cost about half as much. Monday we looked and and tried out the matching travel system and decided to go ahead and buy it since inventory was pretty low.

So now, Consumer Reports retracted its ratings of the infant car seats. Oy! I suspect is was mostly because the one brand that they trashed, Evenflo, protested loudly. But now I wonder what was going on with the study, hope Consumer Reports won't change their ratings so much and that we made the right decision on the car seat purchase.

Stick pregnancy

Maternity Leave

Today is my first day on maternity leave - Wow! I decided to take the full four weeks disability before my due date. Heck, I get money for it, so why not? I've also come down with a cold and lost my voice, so it is probably better I'm not at work anyways. I hope I don't get too bored, but I've got a list of projects and chores I want to do before the baby comes.

Sunday my Aunt Betsy hosted a nice baby shower for me. We had a great turn out with a mix of mine and Gary's relatives and girlfriends. We played some silly games and I got a whole bunch of baby stuff. Thanks to everyone who came, it was really nice.

Letters

Dear Lamaze International and La Leche League:

I have come to understand that you feel it is the God-given-right of every woman to see a midwife, decline prenatal testing, hire a doula, abstain from pain medication and medical interventions during delivery, give birth at home (preferably in an inflatable bathtub or crouched on a birthing stool) and breast feed imediately and exclusively after the birth. That if you end up with any other alternatives, such as having an MD provide your care, taking pain medication during delivery, or accepting a C-section, you probably aren't a "real woman" or maybe because you some dangerous high risk medical issue and really, really had to.

I know at some level this is supposed to be empowering. That pregnant women should feel confident and unafriad about having a baby - that nature knows best and you'll be fine if you trust in your body and your experienced midwife. I expect that becoming a mother will probably be the most positive event in my life and is a very powerful, spiritual, and life-changing thing. I also appreciate learning about all the nifty breathing techniques, labor positions, and breast feeding tips.

However, I am naturally a worrier. The idea of going through, what I understand is, one of life's most painful and life threatening experiences, without the option of pain relief or the tools modern medicine, well, that just sounds stupid. A hundred years ago, women and babies routinely DIED in "natural" childbirth.

So please, tone down the organic, holistic rhetoric about avoiding modern medicine and let us worriers go to the big fancy hospital and consider pain management and still be acceptable mothers.

Yours Truly.
35 weeks pregnant first time expectant mother who probably knows too much about the risky side of pregnancy to begin with

Infant seat delima

So consumer reports just came out with a scathing review of infant car seats and according to their studies, most on the market are not up to snuff.

Gary and I had initially planned on getting the Primo Viaggio car seat and matching stroller, but now I'm having second thoughts. It wasn't ranked too low, in 4th place, but I'm thinking we should check out the top ranked ones.

I had originally decided on the Primo Viaggio based on consumer reports previous safety studies. It seems weird that in only one year, they come up with these new issues and recommendations. We will probably stay with our original pick, since it tested fine if you don't use the LATCH system to install it. I also plan to take it to a local fire station or CHLA to get it fitted properly.

34 weeks

Happy New Year

Happy New Year all. Gary and I went to Mike's for New Year's Eve, but I was a party pooper and we left at about 10:30. Not since I was a little kid have I missed staying up until midnight on New Year's Eve, but I just couldn't stay awake this time.

I'd been thinking about it, and I will always remember the year of 2006 as the year of pregnancy - either trying to get pregnant or being pregnant. Overall it has been a very good year. I'm not exactly sure what 2007 will bring (besides a new baby), but I imagine it will be exhausting, incredible and amazing.