One month in bed / couch rest - tips on how to maintain the sanity :)

It is now one month since I went through the exciting hospital experience (LINK), which was directly like from Dr House tv series. Little Sisu* is still happy in his belly-apartment and together we have managed to get now 4 weeks further spending the days strictly in couch / bed rest.
One of the most asked question I get from everyone is:" How does someone like you manage to stay sane through the days in bed/couch rest?"





So, what do I and we do...to keep the days interesting?
I have built somewhat a routine to the days, just to keep mental activities going.

Relaxing early morning
I get up when my husband gets up around 7.30 am. Yes, one could sleep in...but for some reason I
feel that sleeping would spoil the day. Thus, I am quite happy to get up early also during days off / weekends. I am sure that opinion / habit changes after Sisu is on this side of the belly :)

My husband and me have our morning talks (read: mostly I talk and with the help of my talks & voice, he manages to wake himself up), morning routines and then I enjoy slow breakfast while reading the Finnish newspaper (Helsingin Sanomat) from iPad.

Now Sanoma Magazines / Sanoma Lifestyle has enabled lot of magazines to be read in digital format (YEII!), as a side addition to the newspaper digital order. So, some days I am enjoying the possibility to read Finnish magazines through my iPad. Some days, I read those magazines out loud to allow Little Sisu to get more accustomed to the Finnish language.

Brainy activities
During the day I try to engage my head....means I read a lot. Dive into data and information around pregnancy and delivery as per US process. Gain better understanding of all the insurance related processes and to understand what my insurance covers / does not cover.

I am not able to participate in person any pre-birthing class, so I am reading books and studying through internet related information.
Why do I put so much effort to it? I read somewhere...that average person makes a careful study and comparison through internet and consumer reports before buying e.g. a TV. Why would one not prepare the same way for the most important event too? Especially when one does it for the first time.

I think that when I know roughly what the process is and what is coming, I can relax and focus on helping to make the birth as comfortable as possible for the baby and myself.

Bonding with the baby - we have daily Belly Bud sessions and I keep talking in Finnish to Sisu. I really enjoy the daily bonding activities. Nicest is to notice how he keeps reacting to those.

Some of the books I read are not focusing so much on the physical process but on the spiritual side of it. I will write more about that later and my overall book reference list.
In short: I have since child believed that souls continue to the other side and some of them return to this side through rebirth. Luckily my mother and grandma were both very supportive of my beliefs. I got so inspired after a long discussion with my grandma, which lead me to write a study of the topic during religion class at school. I read piles of books related to the topic. I recall her being so proud when I shared my paper with her.
I am so enjoying to have the time again to read related literature, and no more focused on to the soul / spiritual side of child birth. 

I also have taken the habit to write my blogs, if not every day, every other or 3rd day.
It is my way to keep all you readers entertained :) but also share the news from here to family & friends across the globe. Having lived and worked in various countries....creates the dilemma that my loved ones are not just in one country but spread across several continents and time zones. So, no matter where I am, only part of my loved ones are near.


Social activities
Which leads nicely to one of my favorite activities....talking or chatting with family & friends (near & far) through Facetime / WhatsApp / Skype / Viber etc. I am absolutely thrilled to have now the chance to talk or chat with family & friends in Finland, Germany, Russia or Singapore in real time during the week!
As an example one of the little joys of my day: my nephews know how to call via Facetime and they can tell the time. So, now we can talk during the week instead of just weekend. I can show them "how big Sisu is now" and they can share their latest Lego designs. Words cannot express the joys of being able to see and not just hear.

Also my American Mom and Dad have taken the habit to Facetime call if we haven't seen each other for a while. So, it works near & far :)

Some days I have visitors, which creates fun change to the routines. When having visitors or talking / Facetiming with family & friends, the limitation to stay on the couch creates nice enforcement to focus on the talks instead of doing something else at the same. I have enjoyed learning away from the habit, which my professional life pushes one into....trying to do several things at the same time. Now, one has the joy of focusing and learning to be more present again.

Non-Brainy activities
I was told to sleep as much as I can....so on some days (read: most days) I take afternoon nap. I am nowadays convinced that Japanese approach, allowing people to nap during the work day should be implemented everywhere.

In the evenings time to "hang the brain to the coat hanger" as we say in Finland and take advantage of Netflix :) (Thanks to my Mom!) Currently I am hooked to catching up on Royal Pains. LOL! So, suitable tv series to watch when you are on bed rest. I keep laughing that related to my last name and bed rest, the tv series is a perfect match.

While watching Netflix, I normally knit. Right now progressing a nice and soft baby blanket with a hoodie triangle in Finnish & Texas Long Horn color combination. Once that is ready, moving on to the next knitting project :) But can tell you this, wool socks are not any longer the most top on my knitting list. Texas heat changes the interest area to other projects :) :)

Fours weeks have passed and till date have not gotten bored. Keeping my "legs crossed" that Sisu and myself have many more weeks like this ahead of us :)

*For those interested:
The baby's project name / nick name is Sisu.
From Wikipedia:"Sisu is a Finnish word that cannot be translated properly into the English language, loosely translated to mean stoic determination, bravery, guts, resilience,^[1][2] perseverance and hardiness,^[3][4] expressing the historic self-identified Finnish national character."

Despite the bumpy pregnancy Little Sisu has not given up on us. On the contrary....he has grown throughout the pregnancy ahead of schedule and with strong kicks. Which I am so happy about...but at times those ninja kicks also keep me on toes to run to the bathroom :) As my younger nephew already made very clear, the Sisu name will stay as the nickname used by us who love the child. How can you possible say anything else than "YES, of course!" to that suggestion.

Contractions - "You will feel those!"...or then not

I have heard people saying, as long as I can recall:" When you get contractions, which are real ones...trust me, you will notice them."
Well, funny enough either my pain tolerance level is really good or my body just is not considering contractions worth giving any nerve signals.
One month ago (while I was on wk 24) I was at the office, typical busy Monday, working the day away. I noticed some pelvic pressure but it was not coming & going, it was just there and it was not painful. Sitting in the office and especially if you do not use the restroom immediately when the signs are there, creates pelvic pressure too. It was not first time I felt that kind of pressure.

So, I worked the day through. Commented to my colleague that not feeling 100% due to the pelvic pressure...but other than that, the day was like any other.
When I got home, took a nap and felt better. Later got slight lower back tension but it was not painful and went away. Slept through the night like a baby.

As per all the pregnancy books and internet pages those could be just very usual pregnancy symptoms, nothing to worry about.

I had the regular doctor's appointment for next morning. Ultrasound revealed the cervix had shortened a lot and had funneling (still not totally sure what that means...but I guess I will find out eventually). After discussing with the doctor any sensations I may have had, which I paid attention to...it became obvious that my pelvic pressure during the work day were contractions, as was the tension on the back. Which had lead to the cervix being pushed months ahead in its stage of preparedness for delivery.

My doctor wanted to have risk pregnancy expert team's opinion (read the whole Dr House-like adventure: LINK) on what are the options to prolong the pregnancy. As I was beyond wk 22 cerglace (stitches...yep...auch) was not an option anymore. Too many risks to damage the amniotic sack.

As they were monitoring me at the hospital....the contraction monitor showed that I was having contractions even then...but still I could not feel anything! How can it be that the one thing that one thing I keep hearing that will be notable...I cannot feel a thing?
Well, luckily they do have those monitors to show the data and one does not need to rely on whether I can feel it or not.  Everything was stopped with the help of magnesium sulfate and now I am 4 weeks further and baby is still inside the belly.

But the first 2 weeks after the hospital, I was really jumpy. Each little sensation made me question if this is now the real thing again or just practice contractions?

I got Nifedipine tablets, which are actually for lowering the blood pressure but due to the side effect of
relaxing the muscles, they are used to stop premature contractions. Twice in the last 4 weeks I have had such a day that I felt the need to take one. After the first time I was mentally beating myself for being so jumpy about it. When I talked to the insurance pregnancy case responsible, she calmed me down saying that it is better I take the tablet than decide not to...and then realize later that it is too late to stop anything anymore.

After talking to some friends, who recently went through a delivery...I finally have one friend, who has the same case as I do. She does not feel the contractions.
So, I learned not to trust the statement made everywhere "you know, when you have real contractions", it is not given that every person would feel them.  Keeping "my legs" crossed that forces of the universe allow the pregnancy to continue as close to the due date as possible. May the force be with us :)

Music to the belly - Belly Buds

Roughly around the same time as the mother starts feeling the kicks of the baby, his hearing develops.
Latest studies show that from that point onwards the baby starts to form the foundation to language.
Which is lot earlier than the studies before have predicted.

Apart from high interest to languages, I love music and come from a family, where we had even a separate music room. TV did not play as big role in my childhood home (with initially all the 3 channels we had) as music and the music room did.
My childhood house growing up had initially been a duplex, but when we moved in, it saw its transformation to a family house. The 2nd living room became a music room.

My mom's motto was: "There has to be music for every mood."
That motto was reflected in the big shelf full of LPs and the stereo, which were clearly the focus of the room. Otherwise the room was full of space to dance and then 2 "Fatboy" like huge cushions on the floor, which my mom had made by herself. I have lot more fun childhood memories from the music room than e.g. living room.

My mother taught me dancing in that room and we shared many bonding moments there while dancing, singing and laughing. She taught me to dance with my eyes closed. She encouraged me to let my soul sense the music. I remember seeing the music as variety of colors moving, when I closed my eyes and with her guidance I learned to dance to it.

Though my mother is not with us anymore on this side of the curtain, thanks to her approach teaching me to feel music, music has always played a role in my life. I have always had endless appetite to explore various genres & artists, in various languages. My first god-daughter and eldest nephew learned even to dance before learning to walk...because their music freak aunt taught them :) My nephew got 7 am disco lessons  before I dropped him off to day care, when I was helping out with daily logistics during some weeks when he was little.

When knowing about my pregnancy I started reading about studies on how music played during the pregnancy has a positive impact to the baby. Friend of mine in NYC recommended to get Belly Buds. She had enjoyed those during her pregnancy.

So, I got the deluxe version (dual cable, allows me to listen the music together with the baby) as the birthday present to myself on behalf of my husband and myself :) :)
I can only warmly recommend getting those. I have enjoyed jamming with the little guy so much. It is nice to feel each time that he reacts to music. The Belly Buds come with Pre birth and Post birth volume control, making sure that volume level does not go over the "healthy" level.

The recommendation (which in US is followed rather strictly) is after certain week always checking that latest at bed time one should feel at least 10 baby movements in one hour, aka kick count. There are all these tricks of drinking (sweet) juice or really icy cold beverage to get the baby moving, if he is otherwise lazy to move. Funny enough for our little guy those tricks have not worked so well but when he hears music...the jamming starts immediately :)

I have played variety music and made sure he gets to hear already, apart from English, also Finnish, Swedish, German, French and Spanish music.
Sibelius' Finlandia hymn is of course on the playlist too :)

Some interesting studies related to the topic:
https://auditoryneuroscience.com/topics/sounds-heard-unborn-babies-utero

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1501264/Dolphin-sounds-aid-brain-growth-in-unborn-child.html

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20130102/babies-learn-womb

Book reference: This is your brain on Music - Daniel Levitin

Expect the unexpected

In my profession I was trained to be always prepared for everything and expect the unexpected. I became rather good at it and was able to be step ahead of the game most times.

When you get to go through pregnancy for the first time....suddenly you are back to square one.
You have no clue how the body is going to react and what kind of pregnancy symptoms are waiting for you around the corner.
My doctor, all the people around (family & friends) books and internet communities cannot forecast it for sure either. They can tell what they know from statistics or went through but still does not mean it applies to you too exactly in the same way, if at all.

It is an amazing adventure but admittedly at times it feels frustrating as well in the beginning. Especially if you have previously been the high performer type, who was good in keeping thing under control and getting all things done as per plan....or in my case, often ahead of the plan.
Suddenly pretty much nothing else is in your control, except your attitude and way you handle everything that is coming at you. Also, thinking that after successfully managing one unwished pregnancy side effect, you would master the game...nope. Better rather not expect anything, yet be prepared for everything with big portion of faith and good sense of humor in the back pocket.

The sooner one can accept that keeping positive attitude and trying not to stress about what is coming ahead, those are the only things one can influence. The rest is out of your hands and one needs to create the trust relationship towards the universe. Trust that everything what happens, happens for a reason. There is purpose for everything....one just need to let go of the illusion of having the control of what happens and when.
That is how the rest of the life is going to go anyway with a child. So, the sooner one accepts the feeling of being able to live with uncertainty and not having the control, the better.

My adventure has had lot of bumps but despite all of them....here we are starting soon the 3rd trimester. I could tell you everything about hematoma, placenta previa, about uncertainty whether or not one has gestational diabetes (diabetes as a side effect of the pregnancy).
Yet, most of the details would not matter....as everyone's body reacts differently. In my case all the previously mentioned healed, cleared out and 3 hours glucose test confirmed that no diabetes after all.

I personally believe that no matter what comes along the journey, one should not forget about the miracle of carrying a small human being inside. That little being is hungry for the positive energy and love you share.
Most things in today's health care (at least in US) can be handled and managed. In my case, there has been to each bump on the road a solution, which I have worked out together with my doctor.

Even bed rest as a solution to prolong the pregnancy as far as possible. As bad as bed rest sounds to someone like me, who is always active and has 10 irons in the fire at the same time (Finnish saying). When that bed rest becomes THE solution, one can only accept it. Well okay, one could protest against it but it helps nobody, really.
Nor dwelling in what once was or what one was still able to do few weeks ago. Better just stop, take a deep breath, take the mental & emotional scissors out and cut the cords to all of that. Let it all go and turn a blank page to see what it will be filled with. Breathe out, out with all old, breathe in the positive energy and faith. Faith in what ever happens, happens for a reason.

After that.....
The transition from busy daily life to couch life goes without major obstacles. Suddenly you have your daily activities on the couch and all the time to take in the all the information from books, web pages without rushing through. Knitting the baby blanket or preparing yourself to what's to come, suddenly that is keeping you happy throughout the days. You find yourself actually enjoying this phase.

I have made the best out of each solution and kept in my mind that all of these things, eventually end or change. So, instead of worrying, I have knowingly chosen to enjoy, as much as possible, the time and make the best out of it. Even if it means that my world shrunk into bed, couch and bathroom :) One month into it and I have not had a day, where I felt bored, sad or depressed.

Having friends and family around (in person and virtually via Facetime / Skype / Viber / WhatsApp), with whom you can talk about anything and everything. Who keep checking how things are and share their latest events. That helps on those days when bed / couch / bathroom starts temporarily to feel too small :) It may take few reminders and some effort from your side to establish the renewed social schedule but keep trying. Once you succeed, suddenly you find yourself talking to friends, with whose calls you did not encounter with or visits from family & friends, who you did not expect to take the time.

Even if my pregnancy has not been the rosy, pink story from the magazines, I've had the more rocky hike. Yet it has been perfect pregnancy for me. I needed to go through the transition this way and this has allowed me to bond with the little person already before he is born. I have had the chance to stop and embrace the experience and remind myself that this is just the beginning of the life long journey with full of surprises. Thus, except the unexpected ;)

The Finnish Baby Box - all you need for the baby for the first months

Finnish social security system (KELA i.e. National Institute for Health and Welfare) is providing all mothers-to-be with a Baby box (or as known in Finnish Maternity package). The box is solid card board and is excellent bed for the baby during first months. Inside there are clothes and all other items needed for the baby's first year.

The history of this goes back to 1937 when Finnish law regulation for maternity grant was implemented. Initially the law was to support low income mothers but later extended to apply for all mothers-to-be (read more: LINK).

Living abroad has previously meant that one is outside the Finnish social security coverage (except in few exceptional cases), which also meant: no baby box. During the past year thanks to social media there was lot of attention towards the Finnish baby box. As it is rather unique concept on global level.

3 Finnish fathers decided to create a commercialized version for export purposes, yet keeping the Finnish style and quality very much part of the set of 52 (!!!!) products included in the box.
They did not just a launch a baby box but they included also the Moomin version :)
For those, who do not know anything about Moomin - read this: LINK.

...and we were so lucky to get the Moomin Finnish Baby Box from my American mom & dad as Babyshower present. A box full of Finland for our little Finnish-American baby...a box full of Moomins! <3

It was like another Christmas, when opening the box. Words cannot describe the joy waltzing around my heart. I have never grown out of loving the Moomins.
The characters have so much to offer also for adults. When my god-daughters or nephews came for visit, I pulled out some of my Moomin DVDs and enjoyed watching those with them.
When I was living in Finland, every foreign visitor got the "luxury" to watch at least short clip of the Moomins. Even in Houston my friends' daughter has been exposed to Moomins, when ever they visit us :) She does not understand a word of the Finnish DVD but she does not care. First thing in the mornings during their stays, she is asking for the Moomins.

I am already internally jumping out of joy to get to carry the main responsibility to expose our child properly to the Moomins / Finnish language / Finnish culture. Among many other language & culture activities, means also that I will be able to watch the Moomin DVDs with him :)

The Moomin products exist nowadays in several languages and are very famous e.g. in Sweden, Japan and Korea (Link: Moomin.com).

The box included 3 different size categories to cover the clothing needs for the first 12 months and other supplies like towels, wash cloths, muslin swaddles, grooming kit, etc.
It also includes sleeping back, which can be used also as the under blanket, when the baby is lying on the floor / on the ground (e.g. in the park, beach, etc.). Full list of contents here: LINK.
Some of the clothes are too warm for Texas summer but during the winter months, very useful. Also very useful for the future Europe visits :)

Princess Victoria & Daniel, as well as Prince William and Catherine received from Finland baby box as a present for their first borns...our little prince has now one too, thanks to his mummi (grandma) and pappa (grandpa).

Links to the attention towards Finnish Baby Box:
BBC - Why Finnish Babies Sleep in the Box
Finnish Dad take the Baby Box Global
Why Americans Will Never Get the Finnish Baby Box 
I found this article humoristic, at the same it serves as a good reminder of the different scale of US and Finland, when put in comparison.

My very first Baby Shower

Before my own baby shower I had never been to a baby shower. In Finland this American tradition has been raising its head only during the past year or two.

I was really happy to get to know that my mother-in-law was planning to throw one for me. I would get to experience the baby shower at its origins in the true American style.

Side note: I personally prefer to call "mom", when ever suitable. As mother-in-law has distancing clang to my ears and I consider her as my American mom. Same goes to the rest of the family...my father-in-law is my American dad, sister-in-law I refer to as sis and brother-in-law as bro. They have welcomed me with open arms and hearts...to me they are my family here and not just "in-laws".

The tradition in US goes back to Victorian times but apparently has been in fashion nation wide since 1950's. Some things have changed between now and then. It used to be only for women and nowadays mixed showers are organized as well, including the men to the joyful celebration.

I know from the family video clips that my American family were hosting mixed baby shower already in the 1970's, total trend setters and ahead of time :)

I like the mixed baby shower concept, as it can be tough at times for the father-to-be to feel to be part of the pregnancy...since the baby is in the bump and not visible. This way the father-to-be gets to share the joy and take actively part to the preparation of the baby's arrival.

So, how was the baby shower? It was lot of fun and I really enjoyed the event.
After having spent few days in the hospital by myself that week and having gotten the order for couch/bed rest, it felt nice to be among people and just have fun. We had the extended family in town for the cousin's event and some friends of ours joining.

Mom had prepared everything tip-top, as always. She has inherited from Nana the skill of organizing parties and hosting them perfectly. The buffet style menu was nice mixture of Nordic and American style with, among many others, variety of dip vegetables, meatballs, lots of cheese and smoked salmon.

After everyone had filled their belly with food and drinks, time to laugh...we had the game "who knows the Mom-to-be / Dad-to-be best" and with our gang goofy answers were not spared :) It was easy, engaging and fun way to share some additional info with friends and family. Not to forget the laughter we got from the very creative answers.

The presents were mixture of items from our baby shower list and those, which our family & friends wanted us to have. As per the custom they were placed on the present table and opened by me & my husband at the end of the baby shower, one by one. This way sharing the joy of giving and receiving with everyone. Nice way to also show appreciation to all, who participated.

One of my friends, who lives in NYC and is fantastic & happy mother of a baby boy, bit over one years now. She has given me great tips and advices on the journey becoming a mother in US. So, I knew to create a baby shower register in Amazon.

Why Amazon? It is not limited to certain store's products and you can easily find variety of things, including enough simple items for low costs but also the ones, which are necessities but where it would be great help to the parents-to-be to get support in purchasing those.

Having gone through the experience as mother-to-be, I can only say that baby shower should not be seen only as "just another excuse to materialize everything" but it is good to keep in mind that it is one of the best way to take off some of the burden from the parents-to-be and help them to get some of the items needed/wanted for the new family member. Also nice way to give family and friends the chance to be part of the new comer's life in very concrete ways. To me the presents from baby shower make even more difference in daily life than e.g. wedding gifts. Because everything we received, which we are truly thankful for, is for a very important purpose and going to be part of the daily life after little Sisu is there.

I also like it that one is nowadays able to put the list together. There is lot of stuff....which you don't need and getting the hang of that is best done through a friend, who can advice (like in my case, my friend walking me through her baby shower list) or browsing the baby shower lists from others. Most of all using common sense, which can be tough sometimes when one is pregnant :)

Our baby shower was in the building my American parents live, where the facilities are great! We had the party room for this purpose and all guests were pampered with variety of drinks from the bar, one room further. After the official part of the baby shower was done, we moved outside to the pool. My role stayed in lying down in the cabana's shadows & socializing. While rest of the crew could enjoy the pool side fun and drinks from the pool bar.

It was a lovely day! Nice to spend time with family and friends. Thankful for their participation in preparing for our little Sisu's arrival.

As stated earlier, a very much needed injection of joy after few days in hospital and having, apart from my husband's & American parents visits, mostly just the doctors / nurses to talk to. I am so thankful to have such loving family around me, who all participated in making it happen. My sis and bro (this is how I like to call my sister-in-law & brother-in-law) were actively helping with the preparation. Also my bro is known for his photographic skills, thus he was the designated photograph. Dad was...as always taking care that everyone had drinks and fun :)

The best parenting guidance I got

One of my dear friends posted this Extra Space video to Facebook and I wanted to share it here too.
It is well made but also sooooo true! Enjoy the video!!!!

In many ways new experience - Pregnant in US

Rolling stone does not gather moss....

Laughing out loud! I am slowly starting to look I swallowed a good size stone. Also getting introduced to the US approach around pregnancies has been very mind opening and teaches me new each day! It is not just the pregnancy but learning about being pregnant in US, which keeps me well occupied.

I will get back to notes along the journey soon but some key things, which I have really appreciated since the beginning:


Medical checks / Doctor's visits
Due to insurance and health care being an area, where competition is hard, the customer service is accordingly.
For first time pregnant the best part has been having each visit including appointment with my doctor. Yes, my doctor...not some random doctor, who has a free slot but the very same doctor each time.

Being in Houston - the medical mecca. One has luxury access to plenty of doctors, who are true professionals. It takes some efforts to check the client evaluations and check which one accepts the insurance you have...but all I can say, it is time investment, which pays itself back!

Also having received my doctor's mobile number for his clients, has been a jewel.
When I have been wondering about something I was able to send a text message and got answer back in no time....and I had one thing less to think about.

Have been positively surprised also by the insurance company following up once a month as well of how I am doing and giving good tips / links. The pregnancy case responsible have helped a lot in gaining understanding what my insurance benefits include and do not include.

Among many other good things, it covers (thanks to Obama care) the free breast pump and lactation consultation. Both of which I am planning to fully utilize :) My thinking is, since I am in US and have access to these wonderful services...yes, I do want to learn how life can be different when utilizing those aids.

Support / Knowledge sources available 
One can really say that being born is business here. There are all kinds of different type pre-birthing classes available. Numerous books and videos, birthing centers and additional support and information sources available. If one wants to be prepared for the whole process, it is nearly a part time job to get first of clarity of all the options and then dive deeper to understand the pros and cons.

But as I am thirsty for data and prefer having access to data, I again appreciate it this way around.
So, I have read bunch of books and studied different topics in internet, watched videos. It helps to have few friends, who recently went through the experience in NYC (both originally outside of US). Their guidance has helped me and my husband a lot in getting the hang of what is important in the preparation.

Now with iPad/iPhone/Android etc. all the additional pregnancy apps, they are also adding to the fun. I will post later on list of my favorite books, links and apps.

Pregnancy is a topic & experience that bonds
The common rule at work is, nobody will ask you if you are pregnant. As it is violation of your privacy and not related to work. Of course, at some point you cannot pretend to be "just really gained a lot weight" once the bump starts to show.

In my case the little guy just pushed the abs wall straight out, so I really looked for a while like I had just gained weight. It took a while until the roundness came into picture. After I told my colleagues, it was amazing how colleagues approached me differently. It was like suddenly I was more one of them. I got e.g. from one colleague books, which she found useful when she went through pregnancy and the baby's first year. It was stunning to see how colleagues, who would not otherwise talk much on daily basis, were smiling each time they saw me. The fact that they were eager to share the joy melted my heart. Even male colleagues were glowing when they were sharing their experiences from their children's births.

It took me same way by surprise the amount of greetings I LINK). It felt really heart warming at the time, when otherwise the days were full of adventure.
got from just my project team colleagues, when I had to make hospital visit few weeks back (see more about it here:

So, it does not bond just with family and friends...but also in work community and even with total strangers. I have not yet had any unpleasant discussions around the pregnancy but have read in magazines that some people may take their enthusiasm bit far. One example given was that total strangers would come and want to touch you baby bump. Have not luckily experienced any of that, as being a Finn after all, that would go over my preferred limit :)

Did I mention that American-grand-parents to-be can be really amazing? More about that joy later. Must say though, my heart jumps out of joy each time I see my in-laws happiness around preparing for their 1st grand-child.
Also the welcoming gestures from the rest of the family, both core and extended, has been joy to observe and receive. Makes me and my husband feel that when needed, help is there and loving arms in several directions to welcome the child.

So, there is lot to learn still before I feel like I am prepared to know the US process but so far the journey has been more positive than anything else.

In the beginning there was.... a miscarriage

...but there is always hope!

I recently read a great article from the leading Finnish newspaper. It was encouraging people to speak openly about their miscarriage experiences. As it is very common but too often couples hide it under the carpets. Which may lead to longer healing time.

So, here I go...breaking the ice.
I had a miscarriage during the first pregnancy. And yes, it did hit me brutally. On all fronts; mentally, physically and emotionally. Especially after the initial joy of getting pregnant really fast (when taking into consideration that I am not twenty any longer, at least physically...LOL!).

It had happened during the 6th pregnancy week, I got to know about it during the doctor's visit in week 10. What helped a lot was the fact that my doctor really cares for his patients and treats them like humans. He sat next to me and took the tissue box out, and allowed me to cry it out. He was close by and gave me the comforting feeling of not being alone.

It helped also a lot that my husband came home from work immediately when he got the news. He has a golden heart and very beautiful mind. He gave me lot of positive energy and reminded me that we will try again...until we succeed.

The initial feeling I went though was disappointment and feeling of failure. I would describe it like having had the highest airline status with all the extras and suddenly, without any warning, you get downgraded back to the basic level. Just like that.

Having talked openly about this confirmed one thing....I am not alone with the experience. It is more common than not to hear people commenting back "happened to me / us as well". Yet all of them have happily children today. Speaking up about it bonds with people that you could not even imagine.

Pregnancy is a huge change to the body and getting 100% everything right from the first attempt is not always possible. It is like trying to bring a diesel vehicle to speed up from 0 to 100. It takes some time and patience. Thus having one or two set backs is not a reason to give up. Nor should one blame oneself or become hopeless. In today's world, there is always a way if there is a strong will. Thus there is hope!

With the help of my husband, family, friends and my own iron will I bounced back from it really well. Speaking about it and working through the hurdle but on the other hand moving on and looking towards the future. Understanding that it was not a change of plans, just a delay.

On the positive side, after that experience, I know to appreciate the pregnancy experience on a whole different level. About two months later I was pregnant again and am furthermore on that journey. Even though it has been a bumpy ride, each day further is a blessing and pure joy! I will come back to some of the bumps in later posts.

Welcome to the never ending journey ...to parenthood

There was a time that I thought having kids and family...naaa, I can easily do without. So, I focused on work, traveling, friends and family. I had my god-daughters and was happy to baby sit & support my closest friends with their kids.

Witnessing my sister-in-law's pregnancy from close and being there to support and witness the miracle of the birth of my 1st nephew....something made a click inside. That click pretty much changed everything and there was no going back to the old way of thinking.
So, I am what we would call in Finland "late wake-up" to parenthood. As they say though, better late than never.

I must say that I am really happy to be pregnant in US. Finland ranks top in many areas but one thing that just beats many countries easily is the US customer service oriented health care.
Of course it does not come fed in by the silver spoon but when going through first pregnancy, it is nice to have the same doctor taking care of me through the whole journey. Houston being also the medical mecca of US, allows a "later wake-up" mother-to-be like me, feel to be in good hands.

I cannot guarantee that all the posts will be super interesting or make much sense. But in those cases best blame the pregnancy hormones for everything :)

I have decided to write my blogs in English to honor my friends and family across the globe. Also, this gives me a good opportunity to learn to express myself in various topics and ways in English. I will still look like a rookie compared to my husband and his verbally well talented family, but at least I try. Also, now I know all the pregnancy related words in English but have no clue what they are in Finnish. Since this area of vocabulary was not in daily use during the years I lived in Finland.

So, welcome to the...bumpy ride (at least bumpy right now) with me and my soon to be a family to the never ending journey to parenthood and to our journey as Finnish-American family.