Henry’s (and Halia’s!) World

I finally took time out yesterday to really concentrate on sleeping options for baby, and came up with two choices;
The Eddie Bauer Covington Bassinet in Newport Brown/Cream

and the Graco Travel Lite Crib with Bassinet in Marlowe both available via Target.

Now while I can’t write a complete review as I haven’t seen either in person, based on the specifications of size, and in the case of the Travel Lite Crib, I think I’ll be able to use the lower portion well beyond 15lbs which is a source of frustration with traditional bassinets that they can only be safely used for a short period of time before baby outgrows it. I also love that I can travel with and set up the Graco Bassinet with little problem, the color and patterns seem to work with either gender so that shouldn’t be an issue no matter what I have and at $89.99 it is a steal.

However, I’ll reserve final judgment till I actually view both and get a feel for what they can provide.

To say that anything about this baby has not been overwhelming would be an understatement; from finding the right practitioner to deliver, to the right car seat, with so many selections available to expectant parents, the choices are becoming more detailed and hard to reach at on a whim.

I have been searching months for a diaper bag large enough to carry the essentials of my entourage, but still stylish enough to use as a purse for a lady on the go, and Bellablu Maternity gave me just that.

The Shanti Bronze Diaper Bag by Baby Kaed meets all my expectations, large enough to tote baby’s and siblings items without sacrificing my desire for style.

For anyone who has checked out their library DVD collection or attended a child birth class, I am sure I am not alone in thinking what is it with all these old movies, that always seem to feature pregnant mom’s exercising in leg warmers? That always seems to stick in my mind and about the only thing I can remember.

Imagine my delight when my local birth center introduced Sheri Bayles’s 2007 DVD, Laugh and Learn About Childbirth, and it puts such a funny spin on childbirth that you are just bound to love, but also learn so much from.

She offered a great breathing technique which I’d never heard of before, but which made such perfect sense that every time I’ve had a contraction, I’ve practiced this technique and it took my mind off the pain I was going through.

It starts with the contraction of course, and Sheri’s advice is to focus on a focal point, and instead of the hee-hee haw-haw we seem indaunted with on TV, rather take in a long cleansing breath through the nose, then let out an equally refreshing breath through your mouth, and continue to do these as long as it takes for the contraction to end.

With baby due next month (wow!), it has done a lot to calm my nerves practing these breaths as epidurals are not offered at my birth center, so hopefully when the real deal hits, I’ll keep a calm mind and be able to use this breathing technique to get me through labor.

“If pregnancy were a book they would cut the last two chapters.”
— Nora Ephron