Centering @ UCSF

Becoming a first time parent is nerve racking, there's so much information out there on do's/don'ts and what to expect.  So you can imagine our relief after meeting with our awesome midwife Sharon Wiener at UCSF who told us about Centering (A great perk is that she's the moderator of our group).

"Centering takes women out of exam rooms and into groups for their prenatal care. Women complete the conventional medical history and physical exam in a doctor's office or clinic and then are invited to join a group of eight to 12 women or couples who have similar due dates." 

We joined and thoroughly enjoy our experience. We share stories, concerns and most importantly feel supported and not alone.  It's been great for me and my hubby to meet other couples, create potential friendships and of course future playmates for our little one! 

A possible draw back may be the time commitment. The group meets once a month for 2 hours, the first 8 months, then bimonthly until you're due. The class provides you with an awesome reference guide of what to expect during your pregnancy. The information from both the handouts and the class provided us with so much information that when we enrolled in our birth class, we felt like we had done it already. 

A typical session plays out like this:

• the first 1/2 hour is spent taking your own weight, blood pressure and meeting w/ the midwife
• gather to meet and go over questions/ concerns based on a loose agenda
• bathroom breaks and plenty of snacks to enjoy are a big plus

If you are still early in your pregnancy and have a flexible schedule, do check out Centering at UCSF, I believe classes meet at all 3 campuses. Feel free to email me with any questions.

Love Lots,

MommySF 

Baby Showers, No Storage, Oh My!

City living has its perks; walkable communities, shopping, eateries, etc. But it also has its draw backs; mainly small living spaces! With a baby on the way, so much goes through ones mind, do we need a bigger place?, should we move out of the city?, how will we afford our lifestyle while being good parents? and of course many more lurking doubts keeping us up in the wee hours of the morning.

So when things began progressing in our pregnancy, you can imagine the anxiety that blanketed me when asked about a baby shower.  It was really the last thing on my mind and the last thing I really wanted.  Why do I need people to buy me things I should be providing for my child? So what if so many others have done and continue to do it? Must I be like everyone else? Plus where would I put everything? Can't I just buy things as I need them?

Well can you imagine telling my mom and mother-in-law that yeah I understand this is the first grandchild, but I don't want a shower, ha I quickly lost that game.  In fact I had two showers. Since I gave in, I thought I might as well just let life carry me where it wants. So there I was agonizing over these showers and what to register for.  Both my hubby and I are environmentally conscience and many of the baby items we were interested in were organic and low VOCs (volatile organic compounds). After some searching we found this fabulous place on Chestnut Street called Giggle.

Why we love Giggle:

• Giggle buys and sells products based on a certain criteria and are scrutinized to meet high standards
• The employees are super knowledgable, friendly and oh so patient! Most employees are parents, so they bring a layer of their own expertise and advice, which you don't find at some other retailers
• They are local, started in Los Angeles, most products are produced by American companies
• Awesome Best Baby Checklist makes it easy to register, even if you don't buy everything from them
• You can register for gift cards, great for future use

The showers went great, everyone had a great time and the baby already has a bank account! But there were a few guests who purchased items off the registry with no gift receipt, so we found ourselves contemplating what to do with 3 bouncy seats and enough toys and clothes for twins!  So we tried our luck on craigslist and will donate everything else to friends or goodwill.  

For the items we are keeping but don't need for several months we found these awesome stackable 12 gallon flip-top storage bins from costco for only $6. They are great for any small space and fit great in our closets. I can't find it on their site, but there are plenty at 10th Street SF store.

*I also found this Martha Stewart episode helpful: Martha Stewart- Baby Must Haves

Love Lots,

MommySF

39 Weeks and Counting

The cliche' time flies really becomes so evident when 9 months of gestation quickly comes down to the last 2 weeks. Where did all that time go? I know for the last few months I was busy with 3 baby showers, Christmas and the New Year but what about the months before. Being blessed with an easy and uncomplicated pregnancy I guess answers it, as I was truly able to live life as I did before the bun got into the oven.

The weeks after we found out were the hardest, as getting off the sofa seemed impossible. The term "morning sickness", which I found doesn't apply to only the morning had me spinning all day long. I thankfully didn't spend anytime befriending the toilet but the whooziness just wouldn't go away. At least not until literally week 12, it was like a switch and I was able to get back to business.

I quickly signed-up for prenatal yoga at the Presidio YMCA and got outdoors walking. Acupuncture also seemed to work. I was introduced to an awesome acupuncturist that helped me throughout the pregnancy. Besides check-ins, I also tried something called the "Calm Baby" treatment, which helps deliver a calm baby (I'll keep you posted if that worked). But if you need a little boost check out Cass Hicks on Union Street, not only is she great at what she does, she's a gem.

I must say though, now with 14 days left, routine day-to-day activities have become a chore.  For example sleep, no... it wasn't 8 hours a night for the last 39 weeks, but it was acceptable up until this week. The bathroom breaks every hour are annoying and once I'm awake around 6am it's hard to get any rest. But I'm proud of my body that can make it through the day feeling refreshed and aware.

With such amazing weather over the last few weeks, staying outdoors has been relatively easy.  As sometimes getting the baby's room cleaned and organized takes up most of my time.

This is my first pregnancy and it's an amazing experience to watch my body change and adapt to the baby growing inside.  This pregnancy has been the easiest milestone I have yet achieved in the my 32 years of life. I'm looking forward to the day we meet face to face and gaze at each other.

Love Lots,
MommySF

Locals:
Cass Hicks, Acupuncture
Presidio YMCA