CBB Exclusive: Chantal Kreviazuk’s pregnancy journal: The sensitivities of a pregnant mother

This column is sponsored by Bravado, who is providing Chantal, now 22 weeks along, with a variety of nursing bras. They are sending duplicate products to her favorite outreach program, Villa Rosa. In her second column, Canadian chanteuse Chantal Kreviazuk, 34, who is expecting her third son with hubby Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace on July 15th, chats about confronting the reality of three kids, her sensitivity while pregnant, being shaken up by a taxi driver, and a special dolphin encounter. The LA-based singer/songwriter is also mom to Rowan Michael, 4, and Lucca Jon, 2 ½, who are pictured here with her in a CBB photoshoot.

For starters, I think our nanny gave the children a bit too much chocolate tonight. There was a bar of Toblerone looming around her in the play room that I noticed! The children were going absolutely crazy after she left this evening, and I couldn’t help but stop and ask myself, "A third!?" (as in, our third baby is on the way.) Then they fall asleep, and it is magic. Lucca fell asleep sustaining a bit of that little hyper-ventilating whimper in his breathing. It just about broke my heart. They were JUST impossible tonight, and I loved them so much. I just wished I could have fixed everything.

Continue reading for the rest of the entry.

I traveled a lot over the course of the last few weeks. I missed the boys a lot (dad included). I had hoped for them to join me for an appearance I had in the Caribbean. Sadly, Rowan’s asthma acted up with a cold, so it was nebulizer season over here, and house calls from our compassionate doctor etc. Not the time for trips all the way to the east coast on planes in what seems to be the worst flu season ever. While I was away, missing my brood, someone said something that I will take with me everywhere I go for the rest of my life. On children/family, they said, "There is nothing in the world like watching your children grow up, and do the right thing." I just thought that was a beautiful sentiment.

I already feel that, in the beautiful little acts of kindness that the boys display, whether it is in compromising or sharing, or in defending each other (or me, hehe) or in making nice comments about people; people they are close with or strangers. I can only imagine, as I carry a brand new little human in my belly what it feels like to see your child turn into an adult, and have morals, compassion, decency, generosity, charity, tolerance … my goodness, the list goes on!

I have been continually sensitive while carrying this little baby. I feel in tune with my personal little world, and with the world around me. I sometimes wish everyone was carrying a baby in their belly so that everybody’s senses would be heightened! Perhaps we would be kinder and more gentle toward each other. I don’t think it is just me … whenever someone is rude or behaves in a less than decent manner toward me while I am pregnant, I say to my husband, "Can you believe that just happened to me? I mean, I am pregnant for goodness’ sake! That is no way to treat a pregnant lady!"

I do feel like I am having to be a little tougher than I would like to be while pregnant with this baby. I found myself in a few situations this week that were not so comfortable, and where it did not feel good to have to endure what I did as a woman 5 months pregnant. In business, I found myself in the middle of a bunch of politics at the office, so to speak. I found myself just feeling so defeated, again wanting to wear a sign or something that said, "PREGNANT, CAN’T HANDLE ANY EXTRA SILLINESS RIGHT NOW!"

I also was in a cab coming home from the airport, and the driver got lost, on the way TO MY OWN HOUSE. He kept telling me he knew a short cut. I got really frightened for a bit there, actually. My cell phone was dead, and I was really quite helpless! Anyway, he in fact did not remember his little secret routing back to my neighborhood, and he ended up in a parking lot at a hospital, and he got himself frazzled, and he almost hit a car. He didn’t see the car, but I did, and I screamed, "LOOK OUT!!!" He slammed on the breaks, and my seat belt was not in a good spot. It was too high on my belly, and I got the wind knocked out of me, and quite shaken up, actually.

No matter what is going on – anxiety about how big my family is getting, and my ability to handle it, work politics, the coldness in the world that we can find ourselves being surrounded by – all we care about when we are pregnant is that precious little bundle in our bellies. I think that the baby in our bellies becomes the center of the universe, and we expect everyone to understand how that feels; for them to know that something so important is happening in our body right at this moment, but they cannot possibly know, nor can we expect everyone to know!

We had a dolphin encounter planned with the kids, had they been able to come to the Caribbean with me. When they were unable to come, I still went on the adventure, with my front-of-house engineer, Roger. The lagoon where the dolphins lived was an intimate setting for just about 20 people to come and experience this extraordinary mammal up close and personal!

We all sat around the area where the dolphins were located for the first bit of the encounter. The people who worked there were telling us about them and introducing us to them. Then, in sets of six, we all went into the lagoon to actually touch the dolphins, and be near them for a few minutes. The dolphin who was chosen to be between Roger and I was named Casique. He was 14 years old. He started leaning against my belly, pushing me. We were getting further and further from Roger.

Then he sort of slapped my belly with his flipper. The dolphin’s keeper then told me that the dolphin — with his sophisticated sonar equipment – detected the extra heartbeat in my belly, and was either letting us know he knew that the baby was there, or he was instinctively protecting the baby. I was so moved by this. I cried. Shocker.

Now, if only EVERYONE had that sophisticated equipment. That would just be fabulous, wouldn’t it? 

Click here for Chantal’s previous pregnancy journal entry.

Photos copyright Jennifer Parris/Gabbeli Photography, shot exclusively for CBB. Use elsewhere is prohibited. Hair and makeup by Douglas Martucci.

THE CHARITY: Villa Rosa has been serving the women of Manitoba for 110 years. It is a residence in Winnipeg for young, single, expectant women in need, that provides the opportunity to have a healthy pregnancy and to stay in school. They offer programs in decision making, anger management, prenatal classes, parenting programs, adoption support programs, as well as individual counseling and support. All this is offered in a warm and supportive environment with the assistance of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals including teachers, social workers, and early childhood educators. Please see their website for more information.

THE SPONSOR: This column is sponsored by Bravado! Designs, makers of fabulous bras and tanks fit for breastfeeding. Bravado! Designs is thrilled to be working with Chantal and Celebrity Baby Blog to donate over 200 nursing bras to Villa Rosa! Our bras are worn by moms the world over, including celebrity moms like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner and Christina Aguilera; and although many things have changed since our beginnings over 15 years ago, one thing never will: our philosophy of enhancing the self-esteem of all pregnant and nursing women. We’re so happy to make this donation to Villa Rosa; just one more way we live our philosophy and support all moms in our communities. For more on Bravado! Designs and the full line of maternity and nursing bras, tanks and bottoms, visit the site.