It's April, Mamas!!!! - Page 5

[Mom2baldie]

greenbeing,

I dont think its ridiculous at all. I feel the same way. I do think that if you dwell on things - having an extremely long hard labor or something like that, you will bring it on yourself just because youve already been telling your mind thats whats going to happen.

With my last pregnancy I made a list of everything I was worried about and then wrote down what I could do to prevent that particular thing from happening and it really helped me stop obsessing about things.

I think I need to start making my new list now.

[banana girl]

ultrasound on Tuesday

We are going in on Tuesday afternoon. I am excited to find out some answers to our questions
1. Is it twins or not?
2. When am I due?
However I am worried that they will notice something that will be questionable, and then they will want more tests done and I'll get all worried about something that will prove to be nothing. also if it is twins i will be transferred to an OB and be labelled high risk and have to fight even harder for the birth i want.

If there is only one baby, then I think i might look into finding a midwife more seriously. So, I feel like I am just waiting now and can start making decisions once we know more.

Well Gotta run, work is calling
Anna

[adventuregirl]

I have to pick up Birthing From Within from the library again, I read it between pregnancies because I spotted it and had been wanting to read it. So I didn't go into any of the exercises really, but I would love to now. Is the ice exercise something about how you deal with pain? I would like to get into some of the art too.

Does anyone else find it strange that women who have never been pregnant don't understand that more than just your belly grows? I have run into this with a few friends, not understanding why I would need new undies if they are low enough to go under the belly. I just say something to the effect of, it ain't just your belly growing sister. I just find it odd because I already knew that, seems like I always have.

Hope your days are great. Its rainy and dreary here, but I am loving it, its actually a rare thing around here.

[chrissy]

hey mamas!
i had a great appointment with my midwife this morning. uterus is measuring 16 cm, which is just a tiny bit ahead of schedule. heard the sweet ba-boom ba-boom so that was nice too. we talked some about the birth and i got so excited. yee haw! my hypnobirthing stuff should be coming in the next few days and i am looking forward to starting in on that.

i have 'birthing from within' from my pregnancy with noah. i really enjoyed it. i did the ice thing and didn't find it too difficult, but truth be told pitocin induced labor was a totally different thing. i definitely will re-read the book though this time.

looking forward to my prenatal yoga class tonight and hopefully lots of gardening and being outside this weekend.

jen, a henna shower sounds like so much fun. i can't wait to henna my belly! i've never done it before but brian gave me a kit from www.dharmatrading.com for my birthday. you'll have to take pictures for us! and i'd love to see pics of your baby sweater too. did you like the pattern you used? if so, what pattern was it? i really need and want to start knitting some for baby.

danielle, congrats on your growing boy!! and what a great name you have for him too. i am sorry for the concerns you are now having. i have no idea what decision i would make in that situation. lots of and strength to you in deciding how to proceed. just know that whatever decision you make is the right one for you.

sarah, i am so sorry you are stuck in a job you hate. that is a really yucky situation to be in. thank goodness it is not full time.

blueviolet (and others who aren't sleeping), i'm not sleeping well either. i don't get it either but it sucks!

speaking of sleep, i need to try to nap with noah. happy thursday to all,
chrissy

[Mom2baldie]

Jen,

The shower you are going to sounds really cool! I would like to do that this time, but I dont know anyone around here that does it. Do yall think it would look okay to henna over a tattoo? I have a butterfly tattoo under my bellybutton and it might look weird... When you have yours done be sure to take pics and send them to us!

[Mom2baldie]

adventuregirl,

the book tells of several different "distraction" techniques or whatever you want to call them and I *think* that the whole point of the ice holding is NOT that its supposed to compare to labor (because it DOESNT!!! ) but it IS uncomfortable and you can practice the different distraction techniques while holding the ice to differnt parts of your body - in your hands, on your wrists (which was the hardest for me) and behind your ear. Its a really great book, my favorite. One of the artsy ideas they give is to make a special something out of clay to hold or look at while you labor. I think thats really neat and Id like to do that this time.

[Mom2baldie]

Anna,

Thats the main reason I wont be having a sono, even though I am really wanting to. I am on the ICAN list (Intl Cesarean Awareness Network) and am very active with the N TX chapter (chapter leader) and I read stories all the time about sonos showing things that were never really there but that lead to many more things and that leads to something else...... Ive gotten lucky with my last 2 pregnancies but I figure my luck with sonograms will run out soon so Id better avoid them.

But I can completely see why you would want them and I am excited for you! I am living vicarously through all you girls who are having them. AND I dont mean any of that I wrote above to scare or upset you, its just what I have seen being involved in that particular community of women. But I know that most people have no problems at all and I am going to be quiet right now before I shove my foot further in my mouth.

Anyways, GOOD LUCK!!!

[banana girl]

In my easter bonnet

Hey y'all!

Today has been a hat day. I didn't want to shower, and my hair was loking pretty snaggly so I opted for the hat, but the funny thing is how many freaking compliments I have gotten today, ON MY HAT! Seriously, it is getting hard to even thank people who tell me they like my hat. Granted, it is a cute hat but geez, does every person I talk to today have to tell me so.... Oh man, what a ridiculous thing to complain about! Sometimes I am so silly!

Tomorrow is the 9th, which my hubby and I alway's try to celebrate (Day we met, our First date, our wedding Day... etc) Every 9th we try to do something special with each other. What can I say, Newlyweds!
So, i think we are gonna have a picnic tomorrow (weather permitting) Otherwise, we have a gift certificate at a fancy Steak joint we have been holding on to for awhile. And then we must do some re-organizing in preparation for getting that NEW KING BED! Gotta make some room.

Eventually, we are leaving this weekend to go see family and do the Easter dinner thing. Should be fun.

I can't wait for today to END!!!!! I do not have to work Friday or Monday!!! Horrayyyy! I will be draggin my sorry self in to work for a few hours on Saturday, don't have to... I volunteered. Didn't want to have all the mail from Friday, Saturday and Monday waiting to be sorted on Tuesday. This way some of it will be done, and Tuesday won't suck quite so much. And I get to make up for the day i was sick and came in a few hours late this week.

Trying not to get worked up about my upcoming u/s. Must admit that I am REALLY curious about the twins issue..... I can't say if I do or don't "want" twins. Pregnancy is really freaking awful at times and it would be kinda cool to get two kids for the price of one... but am worried about coping with everything that twins would mean right now. Yikes!

Henna belly art can be really fun, but remember, it will only look as "pretty" as the artistic ability of those applying the designs. At my sisters blessingway, we dyed her belly, and it ended up looking kinda stupid. Different people all tried their hand at designs and they ended up looking weird. Human skin is a weird canvas, akward to brace your hand against, etc. people seemed hesitant to be in "full contact" with the belly while drawing. Also the applicator wasn't very fine tipped. Maybe different kits have better applicators included. You might want to bring along a really fine tipped paintbrush in order to create any intricate patterns.

I'm thinking about trying a belly cast, anyone have real life advice on doing them? i seem to recall someone had a website that had a lovely image of her last belly cast... can't remember who.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, now get off the computer and go play outside!

Anna

[cottonwood]

Anna, here is my bellycast I did last pregnancy, and some directions:

http://home.earthlink.net/~eaglefalc...bellycast.html

Re: Birthing From Within, I really liked parts of that, didn't find the art therapy or ice cube thing helpful, and I really get put out every time I read her theory that pain is not only inevitable but necessary to giving birth : but I really loved the rest of it and often recommend it to friends.

[chrissy]

blueviolet, that is GORGEOUS!

[JenInMpls]

Well, it has been the day from hell in our house. Jo quit smoking today, for which I am TOTALLY proud of her, but I can't tell her so because she doesn't want to think about the fact that she's quit or she'll want a cigarette. She made it through today without one (but with plenty of pieces of Nicorette gum)... Keep your fingers crossed for her!!

We made the move from the 'green room' to the 'rose room' today... the green room was our bedroom, but now it's the den, and we are bedding down in the rose room. It's much bigger and will allow us to have Sprout with us in our room and still have some breathing space. Since I couldn't help with lifting and carrying futons and bed frames, a friend of Jo's from work came by today and helped. Although we cleaned a lot and I vacuumed and mopped a lot (first time I vacuumed since I got pregnant, I figured that we're probably beyond the miscarriage due to electromagnetic energy possibility), we stirred up a LOT of dust and Jo's asthma and dust allergies are really bad tonight, she's used two inhalers already. She bit my head off this morning, I cried, I've been short tempered, she's been short tempered, it's all-in-all been a lousy day. Plus I'm having my usual lower-back/bum pain from standing and doing dishes, vacuuming and mopping. Must. make. chiro. appt. !!!

Oh, and Sydney dashed outside between Jo's feet today, scared the CRAP out of me. She came right back inside, but I was still shaking 5 mins after the incident.

But now everything's mostly peaceful... the bed is made with clean sheets, there are 2 HEPA filters running in the bedroom, the cat is on my lap purring and Sprout is doing somersaults.

I'M GOING TO BED!!!

nighty night,

j

ps: I think the hostess of the henna shower is actually hiring a real henna artist. So keep your fingers crossed that she does a great job! I'll see if Jo can bring the digital camera home from work and I'll get photos of the baby sweater and the decorated belly

pps: anyone who wants the sweater pattern, pm me your address and I'll send it. It was ridiculously expensive for a pattern so I don't feel bad about making a few copies of it. Lazuli, I know you want the pillow doll pattern, our handwork teacher cannot locate her dollmaking book and I made the last one free-hand...

[Mom2baldie]

I am so excited today! One of my very best friends might be having her baby. Her water broke last night around 9 and I havent heard anything since. She is having her 2nd HBAC with a midwife and she has been my main support for my HBAC. She is a really amazing person, so sweet and very educated. Everyone please keep her in your thoughts!

[Mom2baldie]

Anna,

My husband and I did a belly mask with Paityn and it turned out really nice. I have it hanging in Paityns room on the wall. I really love it and would like to do another one this time. I think this time it would be really special to just do my belly (instead of boobs, shoulders, top of thighs...) with one of Rileys, Paityns and my hands on it. Dont know if they could keep their hand still for that long though...

My advice would be to buy the supplies from a craft store instead of buying a kit. It much cheaper that way. Also, we ruined a towel that I was sitting on to protect a chair - it wouldve been better if we wouldve used a drop cloth for me to sit on or some other plastic sheet. If I think of anything else I will make sure and let you know!

[Mom2baldie]

Linda,

That belly mask is beautiful! Did you decorate it yourself? It looks professional!

[cottonwood]

Thanks, yes, I did it myself.

Also, you can get the plaster strips even cheaper, usually, from a medical supply store.

Jen, oh my gosh, that is great that Jo is trying to quit, but I sure feel for you! If she keeps with it, just be forewarned that the real Jo will not be present for at least the next two weeks. You will have a grouchy, snippy alien being on your hands. This is the nature of nictoine withdrawal -- *don't* take any of it personally! I've told my husband that when he is planning on quitting to warn me so that I can take the kids and go on a two-week trip to visit friends. I do *not* want to be around! Ack!

[adventuregirl]

blueviolet, your belly cast is breathtaking, you did an incredible job! I want to do one too. I second the suggestion for the medical supply plaster strips, I did a huge casting project when I was an art student in college (my whole body from the waist up), so I used a ton of it, and that was by far the best deal.

Jen, hang in there, you will be so happy when its all over. I hope she can stick to it. I was just reading last night about how pregnancy can make you feel insane with all of the hormones, emotions and such just flinging around in your world.

I want to have dh henna my big belly this summer, he is a painter and a tattoo artist, so I think he'll do some amazing work, got to honor that big tum! Lynsey, I bet you could work your tattoo into the henna work somehow, you could even henna the lines of the tat to make it stand out more, I bet it would look really cool.

Happy Friday everyone, enjoy your weekends!

[JenInMpls]

HA Linda that is hilarious, I wish I could have scheduled the two-week vacation. As it is I am glad that she did not try to quite *while* we were on vacation, that would have been nightmarish. We slept surprisingly well and as much as I wish we could have tried something natural for jo's asthma I am glad that the inhalers help - she did not wake up coughing and we both slept well.

This may sound sad and morbid, but it always brings a smile to my face every year on Good Friday: my dad died on Easter Monday 5 years ago. He had cancer and had been going steadily downhill for 2 weeks before his death, after he learned that the tumor in his lung was growing again and there was nothing that could be done. He then mentally committed himself to dying, and proceeded to. It was incredible. When Good Friday came, he felt like it was time to say goodbye, and gave the reason that "if Good Friday was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me." His spirit died that day, but his body hung on through Easter. How and why my mom continues to celebrate Easter every year, I haven't yet figured out.

Gosh, if I were to dye Easter eggs this year, they wouldn't go to waste, I could legitimately eat them all!!!

j

[JenInMpls]

Whee hypnobirthing!

Wow, I got bitten by a productivity bug and made a chiro appt as well as signed up for hypnobirthing classes.

We saw a funny book today called "The Inappropriate Baby Book" - if you are ever in a book store, look for it - it's hilarious!!! A nice spin on the traditional first visitors-weight and length - first teeth - footprints - lock of hair baby book.

Greetings from Jen and her fluffy orange shadow with tail in the face *sputter* *cough*

[JenInMpls]

ok, you're probably getting tired of me posting repeatedly today... just had to say that Jo and I were out shopping (as you probably inferred from the bookstore reference) and saw batik wrap skirts at Nordstrom Rack, and when I told them how you wear them when you're pregnant (below the belly, rolled a bit maybe so they don't drag on the ground, as they would on me) - she said:

"Ooh. Sexy."

I may buy a couple just because I liked that reaction :LOL they are only $10 and not exactly my style but after such a comment I can hardly resist!!

j

[4under6]

Henna bellys, Batik-skirt bellys!

I LOVE pregnant bellys!!!!

I wish I were thinner and didn't have stretch marks SOLELY for the reason to show off my belly while pg! Tee hee!