Pilates In The Womb

24 WEEKS
107 DAYS UNTIL MAY 17

Here is Talitha's 22 week ultrasound. She is practically bent in half. The bottom part on the left is her head and bottom right is her rear, then up top the 2 long white lines are her legs and her feet are at the top left. She's very flexible and I don't see how that position could be comfortable, but apparently she chooses this position often because I can feel her feet in my stomach at times.

Talitha Cumi Astorga

After many long discussions trying to agree on the pronunciation we have finally decided our daughter will be named Talitha Cumi Astorga ~prounced (Ta-Lee-Tha), if you choose to pronounce it in Spanish it is Talita (Ta-Lee-Ta) and Cumi sounds the same in both languages (Coo-me). We decided Talitha instead of Talita because we found most people were mispronouncing it. We decided we don't want her to go through life with people constantly misprouncing her name. I've even known some people who have developed a real attitude about that kind of thing later in life, which is understandable. I just don't want my little girl to have to go through that too. She will grow up with both pronounciations English and Spanish. Of course the Spanish side of our family will just automatically say her name in Spanish and most other people find the other pronounciation easier to say. I am positive this will be true for my side of the family, espicially great Grandparents and of couse her school teachers. The definition for Talitha Cumi taken from the INSIGHT TO THE SCRIPTURES VOL. 2 is: "(Tali'tha Cu'mi). The semitic expression used by Jesus Christ at the time he resurrected Jairus' daughter. It means, "Maiden, I say to you, Get up!" (Mark 5:41). The trasliterations of this expression vary in Greek manuscripts. While often referred to as Aramaic at least the latter part of the phrase (Cumi) could be either Hebrew or Aramaic, according to Vine's Exposeitory Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.

My Friend Tristan's Words of Wisdom

We went and visited our friends the Knauer’s the other night for dinner. It was so nice to see them again. Today I am sitting here at my desk with a tummy ache because I ate to many Hershey Kisses ( I only had 5 ) and I am reminded of my friend Tristan’s wise words the other night when he told us “Too many cookies will make your tummy hurt”. He is very wise for a 3 year old.

The Count Down Continues

117 Days To Sprout's Arrival

May 17, 2009

Shake Baby Shake Baby 1,2,3

Sometimes I feel like Batman's mother. The bigger she gets the more I'm feeling her move. Last night was so amazing, for the first time I saw my stomach flex out from the inside. I could feel her in one particular spot and as I watched my stomach hoping to see her move, all of a sudden POW a little hand or foot hit me hard enough from inside that I could actually see it on the outside. She did it 3 more times before I felt her move out of that spot. Even Noe got to feel her for the first time last night. I don't think she liked what I had for dinner because right after I ate I could feel her moving around. Noe asked "Is she moving" and he put his hand on my stomach and he was able to feel the fluttering of her moving around in there. It was such a special moment for us both.

Birthing Classes Start Tomorrow!

121 Days To Sprout's Arrival

Tomorrow we start our first birthing class. It is a 12 week course every Saturday morning. I am very excited to learn all about empowering myself to give birth naturally with out medication. I am ready to change my attitude about birth and look forward to an amazing experience that only me, my husband, and my daughter will share.

Kingdom Melodies In The Womb

122 Days To Sprout's Arrival

Today Sprout is listening to Kingdom Melodies Vol. #2. A classical version of the songs we sing at the Kingdom Hall. I've been reading a lot of articles that say recent research suggests the fetus can hear inside the womb and often prefers the music they hear up to a year after birth. I even heard an interesting experience from a girl here at work who all summer long would play the new Green Day album really loud in her car while she was pregnant. Her son is 3 now and even to this day when he is fussy and crying in his car seat and won't calm down all she has to do is put in that same Green Day CD and he goes right to sleep. I think this subject is so facisinating, I often find myself singing or humming to her knowing she can hear me. Every morning while I wait for the car to warm up in the driveway I read our Examining The Scriptures Daily Text out loud for her to hear. It's nice to know that I am starting a routine that will last a life time for her.

Here is one of the research articles I've found on the subject.

"A study carried out at the University of Leicester, to be shown on BBC's Child Of Our Time today (Wednesday July 11, BBC1, 9pm) reveals for the first time that babies remember sounds they heard in the womb and recognise them well into later life.
The study, by Dr Alexandra Lamont from the Music Research Group at the University's School of Psychology, demonstrates how one-year-old babies recognise music they were exposed to up to three months before birth.
The discovery explodes the theory that babies can only remember things for a month or two and suggests that memory could last a great deal longer than that.
This provides important new evidence for the influence of nurture in early child development, said Dr Lamont, who is a lecturer in psychology."

Countdown continued.....

124 Days to Sprout's Arrival

Yeah, I think this looks a little better than the other option.

Countdown to Sprout's Arrival

My sister wants me to add a countdown clock to our blog. This is the only counter I could figure out how to down load. I think I need a blogging lesson from our friend Sheree who has everything from a visitor counter to music playing on her family site. I think instead of using this counter I'll just add my own countdown to each post.

22 Weeks

Here is what Babycenter.com has to say about the development of baby Sprout this week:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

All In A Name....Any Suggestions??

As of now we are trying to pick a name. It's not exactly an easy task to begin with but to make it even more difficult we are trying for a unique Spanish Bible name. Noe and I really want a Bible name and Noe's family really want it to be Spanish, espicially his mom. Every name I've come up with Noe has shot down. I'm open to suggestions, even if it's just the name of a city in the Bible that sounds cool in Spanish or a phrase from the Bible like "Talitha Comay" (sounds like Ta-lee-tha, Ka-may) Which is what Jesus said when he resurected the young girl. I really like that name, but it is to close to Noe's cousin's 1 year old daughter's name ~ Talia (sounds like Ta-lee-ah).

If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear it!!

Photo Update Coming Soon.....

I'm sorry I haven't added any photos of myself lately. It's not like I really feel like taking a picture of myself the bigger I get, but my progress must be documented. Today I saw a picture of me that a friend took over a month ago and I can't beleive how different I look compaired to my 1st photo taken at only 10 weeks. So, I promise to try and take a picture in the next couple days and update you all with the progress.

Natural Childbirth The Bradley Method

We have decided to give birth naturally with no drugs or intervention unless necessary. We have signed up to take a 12 week course called the Bradley Method. It is an intense course designed to train both mother and father in child birth and give the father the needed education to be competent and confident as the coach to fully assist the mother through the birthing process. Here is a little information from the website.

Bradley® Classes:

1. Teach a natural childbirth method that works - Natural childbirth is an important goal since most people want to give their babies every possible advantage. Without the side effects of drugs given during labor and birth. Bradley® classes teach families how to have natural births. The techniques are simple and effective. They are based on information about how the human body works during labor. Couples are taught how they can work with their bodies to reduce pain and make their labors more efficient. Of over 200,000 Bradley®-trained couples nationwide, over 86% of them have had spontaneous, unmedicated vaginal births. This is a method that works!

2. Provide each couple a 125 page Student Workbook containing the class curriculum, study guides, vocabulary, information on pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, coaches/doula training, ways of handling pain in labor, pre-birth bonding, staying healthy and low risk, nutrition, protein counter, general assignments, birth plans, relaxation exercises, labor rehearsals, Certificate of Congratulations, pictures and more. The workbook provides standardization and insures couples that their teacher is teaching according to today’s standard of Bradley® classes.

3. Provide excellent coach/doula training - Coaches face some special challenges in labor. They need special training as well as the mother. This is not a spectator sport. We begin by teaching the coach how to help her during pregnancy to be aware of things that help her be as healthy and low risk as possible. What to expect in the natural course of a birth, how to avoid unnecessary pain in labor, how to support and be an advocate for this mother. Coaches learn a series of relaxation techniques and effective labor and birth positions. The classes provide relaxation practice and labor rehearsals. They are designed to educate and motivate coaches and make them a valuable part of the birth experience.

4. Offer comprehensive education - When you take a class in the Bradley Method® you don't need most "extra" classes that are commonly offered. Bradley® classes cover it all: nutrition, exercise, being more comfortable during pregnancy, the coaches role, introductory information about labor and birth, advanced techniques for labor and birth, complications, cesarean sections, postpartum care, breastfeeding (we do recommend La Leche League meetings) and caring for your new baby. Our classes cover a few topics that are rarely discussed in other classes like: how to reduce the need for an episiotomy and the likelihood of a tear, how to avoid needing a cesarean, how to make the best of it if a cesarean is necessary, and what the coach should do if the baby is accidentally born in the car.

5. Keep classes small enough for individual attention - Bradley® classes average 3-6 (or 6-8) couples per class. Classes are kept small so that your instructor can get to know you and present a class that meets your needs. Small classes are also important so that you will have the space to do plenty of practice in class. Studies have shown that the Hawthorne effect (the effect of personal attention) makes for better learning and successful results.

6. Use only certified instructors - Certified Bradley® instructors are trained professionals and experts in the field of childbirth education. Most of them have given birth naturally themselves or attended many unmedicated natural births. They have undergone an extensive training program with the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth and are required to complete continuing education requirements and reaffiliate every year.

7. Teach 12 weeks of classes, because it works. Couples who take a 12 week series are more likely to give birth naturally.