journey of life

Don’t forget to put in YOUR two cents in our baby pool.

This is the week that being pregnant hit me like a brick.  Over the weekend Matt’s parents came and helped us with a ton of chores around the house in preparation for baby.  We ran errands, did household chores, and assembled nursery furniture (which required MAJOR organization efforts to make room for such furniture).  It took me several days to recuperate, and I don’t know if I am ever going to get used to having such strict limitations on what I can and can’t do.

My swelling has progressively gotten worse, but my blood pressure still looks good, and no protein in the urine, so at the time there’s no worries about preeclamsia.  At the doctor’s visit this week, I measured 40 cm (FOUR centimeters bigger than last week), baby’s heartbeat is in the 150s, 1 cm. dialated, 50% effaced and squishy, so my body is making headway!

Guess again! Don’t miss the opportunity to vote in the baby pool.

I have fixed the baby pool survey so that it now works!

“How a woman approaches birth is intimately connected to how she approaches life.”
- The Birth Book

How true.  How true.

I have spent the majority of this week recouping from the events of last weekend.  With a baby shower, anniversary party and family visiting all at once, needless to say things were a little hectic.  However, a lot of preparation and planning made things flow fairly smoothly.

Another pregnancy symptom has hit in full force.  I’m having slight swelling in my hands and have started having numbness and some pain associated with it all.  Sleeping was rather difficult, but I believe that chiropractic care is helping relieve some of the pain and I’ve been able to sleep a little more comfortably since my adjustment.  Like a school kid, I’ve begun counting down the days until my due date.

I’m also getting in nesting mode and need to get on the ball on ordering some registry items that didn’t arrive, including cloth diapers and baby wraps/carriers.  I believe most people are intimidated by cloth diapering, don’t understand the new fangdangled ones, and since you can’t buy the in a store, they skip purchasing them.  I imagine that the cloth diapers will be the bulk of our baby expense in the next few months to come.  I think the same applies to wraps and carriers.  They are new and different, and need to be purchased online or in a specialty store.

As the due date grows closer, we started up a baby pool.  A winner won’t be chosen until after the baby’s arrival, but I figured it would be fun for everybody to play over the next few weeks.

It’s Independence Day and I am completely zonked.  This baby is on the move (possibly as a result of a growth spurt, see below for details) and hasn’t stopped tumbling for two days now.  I’m reluctant to get into crowds to see fireworks, so instead I think we will just stay home, listen to the rumbles and watch movies.

Last weekend Matt’s dad surprised Matt’s mom and we took her out to eat and to a small venue for a concert.  The food was magnificent, however, I ate too much, and we had great fun at the concert.  I seriously think Matt might want to go on tour, he’s practicing several of the songs! 

Our appointment went very well.  We met with the first of the midwives, Wendy, and really clicked with her.  Although changing practices this late in the game is not ideal, I am ever so relieved to have made the decision.  Matt and I are both anxious to meet with the remaining midwives (there are a total of four with the practice, but only three who currently deliver).  To those of you who are afraid to look into other options and are uncomfortable with your current provider, my advice, is that it is never too late to switch.  If you don’t trust the people attending your delivery, you might not have the birth you want.

Speaking of birthing the way you want to, over the past week or so I’ve reconnected with an old high school classmate who chose to have a midwife assisted homebirth.  It is SO exciting to see women taking back the power of birth in their own hands.  I’m finding it exhilarating to talk to educated, smart women doing their research so that they know their options and can come to their own decisions about what is best for them and their baby, regardless of what the mainstream public thinks.  But, I believe that it is a hard road to take.  Family and friends may not support your decision to choose a midwife over a physician or completely understand why a homebirth would be preferable over a hospital birth.  Going against the grain isn’t easy.  But, going into all of this is a topic for another day!

In the meantime, let’s celebrate Independence Day and be thankful that we DO have the freedom to choose!

Last week I took a trip to Southwest Virginia, in what may be my last solo trip for a while.  I visited with family, met up with my (also pregnant) friend Amanda for lunch, helped with food preparations for an impromptu family reunion, attended a small baby shower in my honor and met up with my friend Gwen who graciously brought a ton (literally) of baby loot for us.  Although I was overwhelmed and exhausted by the end of it all, I was very glad I went.  I did, however, learn the importance of pacing yourself and what my limitations are, which will be incredibly helpful when the time comes to prepare for our Anniversary party in August.  A big thanks goes out to my cousin, Alison, who helped me comprise a party menu that should be relatively easy to put together.

Also, this week I reconnected with a couple of old friends.  I had dinner one evening with a college accquantance that lives in the area.  She just happens to be pregnant also, and I think it’s been over ten years since we had seen each other.  I also learned that a high school classmate of mine chose to have a homebirth with a midwife and have spent the last week picking her brain and swapping resources and information.  Finding a kindred spirit about birthing is exhilirating, especially someone who gave serious thought to the process and made a concious decision to choose a path less traveled.

I’m anxiously awaiting my first appointment with the new practice next week and hoping that all goes well!

Last weekend there was a super small gathering of my family for an impromptu baby shower.  My cousin, Alison and her mom, my aunt Sissy, hosted wonderful low-key brunch for me, which couldn’t have been more perfect.

I also met up with a friend who gave me a TON of baby accessories.  I owe her a BIG HUG for delivering the goods AND for not being overwhelmed by the massive Montgomery clan who just happened to be gathered from all over the country during her visit.  I have been so blessed to have such great friends and family providing hand-me-down maternity clothes, bras, clothes, blankets, diapers, bouncer seats, swings…you name it.  I’m delighted to find/receive gently used items whenever possible, since most baby accoutrements are used for such a short period of time.

Our Bradley Method class is starting to get a little more interesting, and we are gradually getting into the good stuff.  We watched some videos this week and I’m eager to really dig into the meat and potatoes of the class (stages of labor, how to cope, partner’s role, etc.) which seem to be just around the corner.

I’m still a little worn out, but I’m wondering how much of that is related to the hot weather and how much is actually pregnancy.  Lucky for me, my grandmother found a maternity bathing suit (what a find for 50 cents!) so I can find some cool relaxation at a pool or in the ocean.  Look for me at your neighborhood swimming hole.  I’ll be the pregnant broad in hot pink (not my first choice, but, hey, how many times will I actually wear the thing?)!