(Technically that title is misleading as I have only gotten as far as an adventurous baby, but let’s treat this as an experiment and I’ll report back in a few years on my findings and if it worked out in the end.)
First, a disclaimer: I am NOT a fancy cook in any way. In this season of life, easy and reasonably healthy is the name of my game. Also, I am not a doctor. Please talk to your child's doctor about any questions you have!
I’m planning another post on tips for starting solids, but for this one I want to jump right into some things I’ve done to hopefully start Casper’s eating habits off on a healthy path and share what he eats on a typical day. It’s easy to get stuck serving the same things over and over, so I find it really helpful to see what other people feed their kids. Send me all your inspiration!
So far, Casper is a very adventurous eater with a giant appetite. I really don't know if he's ever been truly full; his stomach seems to extend forever. Who knows whether anything I’ve done has helped him along or he was just born like this, but I really think and hope that he’s off to a great start. It’s a big goal of mine to avoid picky eating as much as possible because I am a(n improving) picky eater and my whole life it has driven everyone crazy, including me. It really just complicates life in so many aspects and it’s hard to overcome as an adult.
Here are a few of the things I’ve focused on:
Read MoreThe first two weeks, just us three.
Read MoreThe last weeks of my pregnancy went by as if I was underwater. Each day dragged on and with every hour that passed without so much as a Braxton Hicks I became more uncomfortable. I tried hard not to be impatient, though I suspected (and was right) that I would go pretty far past my 'guess date'. Friends and family sent messages daily enquiring about the whereabouts of the baby, which I appreciated but found also made me anxious. I felt open to whatever birth experience was coming my way—I just didn't want to be induced.
On June 30th, 8 days past my due date with no signs that I was anywhere close to going into labour, we went to BC Women's early in the morning for a routine check-up they give to women who go past 41 weeks. I first had an ultrasound to check fluid levels and everything looked good. We went down the hall to have an NST done. They got me all hooked up and within 5 minutes things started happening. The nurses started to look concerned and were having me move from my right to my left side. Out of nowhere someone slapped an oxygen mask over my face and they started to wheel me away down the hall. I really didn't know what was going on but this strange sense of calm came over me. I could feel him kicking away as normal so I wasn't very alarmed. Andy chased after us and they explained that his heartbeat had decelerated way down and didn't come back up to totally "normal" range. There was mention of a c-section then. It was a little shocking. We didn't have anything packed because we thought we'd be in and out in an hour and back home waiting another week for him to show up. They wheeled me into the labour & delivery triage and decided to monitor me for a few more hours because he hadn't had any more big decelerations. Over those hours he did continue to drop down into the 90s but would come back up right away and they didn't seem that concerned. His heart rate was a little slower than what's considered 'normal' but after a few hours they realized that was normal for him. They weren't happy to leave it any longer, and so, I was induced. Of course.
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