I'm Done With Ultrasounds

During my first pregnancy my husband and I decided to do the two routine ultrasounds offered in Canada, IPS (integrated prenatal screening) and the anatomy scan. We were beyond excited to see our little baby and find out the gender so that mommy could begin her shopping.

Our IPS can back with a low risk score; however, the anatomy scan done at 19 weeks demonstrated an echogenic intracardiac focus. In other words, a small bright spot seen in the baby’s heart. My midwife called me a few days later to share the news with me. She mentioned that this finding could be a sign of a chromosome abnormality (Down Syndrome). I was advised that another ultrasound was recommended along with genetic counseling. After our conversation I immediately called my husband and just balled hysterically. He quickly calmed me down and reassured me that only a soft marker was shown and the likelihood of Down Syndrome was still extremely low.  I then spoke to my second midwife and she backed up my husband. We decided to opt out of getting a 3rd ultrasound and genetic counseling. We knew in our hearts that everything was fine with our son and we were right!

Then came along our second pregnancy. Again we decided to do the two standard ultrasounds. We contemplated this idea for a while. We did some research into the safety of ultrasounds and weren't quite sure if the risks outweighed the benefits. We did feel as though we knew a little bit more about ultrasounds and felt like we knew what to expect. So we went ahead and decided to go ahead with it. Again our IPS results came back with a low score and our anatomy scan showed another echogenic intracardiac focus. However, that's not all it showed. Our scan also demonstrated a cleft lip. I called my husband yet again balling hysterically. He still stayed positive and tried to calm me down but was a little scared himself. I immediately told him that I wanted another ultrasound and the genetic counseling. He agreed with my decision. All that was left to do was wait for our next test and pray. Two days later we were sent to a better-equipped hospital. Here we find out that our baby did not have a cleft lip and that our previous ultrasound tech had thankfully made an error.

Based on our experiences and research we have decided that we are officially done with ultrasounds. All of this could have been avoided if we choose to do the Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) instead. This is a new way to screen your pregnancy to see if your baby has an increased chance of having a few specific chromosome disorders. This test also determines your baby's gender too. All this test requires is a simple blood sample done at 10 weeks of pregnancy. The test isn't covered by OHIP but you can apply for it to be covered. I just think for my own peace of mind the money would be well spent if it means no sleepless nights and anxiety.

I hope that my story can help other parents feel more at ease about their ultrasound results.

Maternity Shirt Pregnancy Announcement

So I’m not even pregnant, but would like to be in the near future. Since I am always looking for a fun way to announce my pregnancy, I think I am going to try a maternity t-shirt from MaternityShirt.com. Luckily,  they were awesome enough to send me a T-shirt of my choice for review. When I found out that I was going to be getting a t-shirt for review I quickly went onto their website to choose one. It was honestly so hard to choose just one since there are so many cute ones to choose from. I finally ended up selecting the "Baby Peeking" shirt (the message will be read loud and clear).

Now that I have the shirt at home I am super excited to wear it in front of my family when the time comes. The plan is to wear it to a family get together and see if anyone notices.

Homemade Brown Rice Cereal

I decided to skip the whole rice cereal with my son as a first food. After much research I found that firsts and vegetables would be a better option. I also avoid giving my son foods that contain fillers and additives. When my son turned 9 months old I decided to introduce rice into my his diet to add a bit more texture to his meals. This is when I began experimenting with short-grain brown rice. Brown rice also provides great nutrients, such as: Vitamin B, iron and fibre. 

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup short-grain brown rice
2. 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Place the brown rice in a blender or food processor and grind until you have a finely ground powder, about 1 minute.
2. Bring the water to a boil and add in the brown rice powder while stirring.
3. Reduce heat, simmer, and continue to stir until the water has evaporated and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Serve warm and watch your little one enjoy!

Organic Avocado and Turkey Puree

Avocado is a well-loved fruit full of nutrients and monounsaturated fat. Turkey is high in protein and iron too. These two ingredients make a wonderful combination.

Ingredients:

1. 1 organic turkey drumstick
2. Avocado oil (I choose avocado oil since my son tried avocado as his first food)
3. 2 organic avocados  
4. Plain boiled water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease the baking dish with avocado oil
3. Add the drumstick to the baking dish
4. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes (until the juices run clear)
5. Remove the pit from the avocado and spoon out the flesh
6. Once the drumstick is ready remove the bone and cut into pieces
7. Place the drumstick, avocado, and some water into a blender or food processer and puree
8. Slowly add more water and puree until you have reached the desired consistency

Beef Liver and Vegetables Puree

Does your child need an iron boost? This puree will do the trick.

Ingredients 

1. 1 tablespoon organic beef liver
2. 1 white potato peeled and diced
3. ½ zucchini diced

Directions

1. In a sauce pan cook the potato and zucchini in about ½ of water. Bring the contents to a boil and simmer until soft.
2. Remove only the vegetables from the saucepan.
3. Put the liver into the saucepan with the remaining cooking water and simmer for 8 minutes.
4. Once the liver is done, combine all ingredients into a blender or food processer and puree.
5. Slowly add the water and/or remaining cooking juice and puree until you have reached the desired consistency.

Footprint Keepsake for Father's Day

Still searching for something to make your hubby for Father's Day? Here is what I did:

My son and I had a busy morning making his footprint. In case you'd like to do the same here are the links I used to help me:


The first thing you'll need to do is make homemade play-doh. I used the recipe from The Imagination Tree

Now that the play-doh is ready, here is a helpful step-by-step blog post on how to make the plaster of paris print. Kindergarten Kids: Mother's Day Plaster of Paris Handprints 

I also obviously didn't have sentence strips lying around so I used the plastic from my Cascade dishwasher tablets instead. This step is really important to avoid the plaster from leaking everywhere. I found this link helpful with this step: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=432014#axzz34ElW4vh5

Here is also a great video from Hillside Artisans Children's Boutique that you can watch too. 

After following the above links you should end up with something like this:

Then all you'll need to do is paint a gloss varnish over the footprint,  print out the Footprints poem, put it into the shadow box and then glue the print into the other side and your done! 


Enjoy!

Organic Apple Pork Chop Puree

Pork is a great food for iron. Babies need iron for strong blood and energy.  Apples are a good source of fibre, vitamin C and flavonoids.

Ingredients:

1. 1 organic centre cut pork chop
2. Avocado oil (I choose avocado oil since my son tried avocado as his first food)
3. 2 Gala apples
4. Plain boiled water or cooking juice (save the juices that you cooked the apples in)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease the baking dish with avocado oil
3. Add the pork chop to the baking dish
4. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes (until the juices run clear)
5. Peel, core, and chop the apples into small cubes and steam for 10 minutes.
6. Once the pork chop is ready chop it into 1-inch pieces.
7. Place the pork and apples into a blender or food processer and puree.
8. Slowly add the water or cooking juice and puree until you have reached the desired consistency.