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A Peaceful Pregnancy

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17K views 369 replies 46 participants last post by  pokeyac 
#1 ·
Inspired by a Sane 2WW created by zenquaker, this thread is a place for pregnant women at all stages of the process to come together to explore their emotions during pregnancy, particularly the unsettling ones such as fear, anxiety, and impatience. Together we can help one another frame pregnancy as a sacred time, offering compassionate suggestions and discussion to one another.

This is a place to prepare our minds, bodies, and spirits for what is to come. Let's not discuss nursery design or debate the merits of a favorite baby carrier (worthy pursuits, definitely, but better discussed in other places).

All religions, spiritual practices, and atheists are welcome to this discussion!
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Resources to help guide you through a peaceful pregnancy (listed in no particular order; most resources have been mentioned in this thread one way or another -- if you feel misrepresented, please ping OP)

(A work in progress!)

Trust Tending: Transforming fear with trust

Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful: Experience the Natural Power of Pregnancy and Birth with Kundalini Yoga and Meditation by Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa

Yoga with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa

Sheryl Paul: A psychotherapist on Conscious Transitions and Conscious Motherhood

Freebirth educator Jeannine Parvati Baker

An inspiring article about being absorbed in life: An Absorbing Errand by JANNA MALAMUD SMITH

Anji fertility meditations (this one is on healing after loss)

Mindful breathing meditation for pregnancy, and info on the book Mindful Motherhood: http://www.noetic.org/library/audio-experientials/mindful-breathing-meditation/
 
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#277 ·
Dai - I've never heard of Blissborn. I tried Hypnobabies with my second, though. Will you live in your home while refinishing your floors?

Pokey - I hope the full moon this weekend brings your baby for you!

AFM: I feel relatively peaceful about this pregnancy now that I regularly feel movement, too. I am 23 weeks, so I've almost reached viability. We have a lot to do at home, but instead I plan to go to a religious festival this weekend without the kids. I've never left my kids for a whole weekend previously, but I feel excited and trust that my partner, with his parents' help, will care for them well.
 
#278 ·
Dakipode- I've never heard of Blissborn either. Will definitely check it out since we are planning using Hypnosis during birth. You've been a busy girl! Bet it feels good to get that check list done
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Pokey- Wishing you a amazing birth soon!
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revolting- enjoy your weekend!

Me- Well I seem to be turning the corner with the morning sickness. I've had 3 good days in a row! Still fighting nausea but no more puking. My aversions to veggies seem to be lessening which gives me great relief! I actually ate a big salad yesterday. That was my first veggie in a month! Meat is still gross but I've been able to eat beans so I'm not as concerned with that.

We just got our floors done too. Ripped out nasty carpet and layed down laminate wood flooring. The previous owner had a leak and didn't take up the carpet. When it was pulled up it was COVERED in black mold. They had to cut out the subfloor and lay down a new one. Yuck! Glad its all done - its so much cleaner and neater!. Its my birthday Sunday so I'm looking forward to that too. Not sure what we'll do. That'll probably be centered around how I feel.
 
#279 ·
Glad you're feeling better, Jenny!

I'm placing my bets on the full moon too, Pokey, my OB ward nurse friend swears it really does get busier there. ;) Good luck!

Dakipode, we went to Ikea last weekend ourselves (along with Legoland for my son, it's across the street) and got a few things. We didn't need any big furniture, but we got some cute bibs! Mostly we got organizational-type stuff (what Ikea is best at, of course) so that my house can be more zen by the time the baby gets here. Now to install it all!

31 weeks here. Freaking out a bit about all the projects I wanted to get done (many of which are house related and not baby related), but with working full-time and still wanting to enjoy the summer with my son on the weekends - well, something's got to give. And I'm not giving up fun. :) I am kicking myself just a bit for not pushing on some of these things sooner, but procrastination is my middle name, so I'm also not surprised. I work better under pressure.

In that vein, I'm leaving the tent-hating hubby at home with a to-do list this weekend and going camping with my son and a good friend. So there.
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#280 ·
Thinking of you, pokey! So amazing that your time is approaching.

Jenny - 3 good days is great!

Seems like home improvement projects are a real trend around here. We are moving in a few weeks, and while it can be stressful it is also such a relief to us both because we are moving back to the area that we really call "home", and even back into our house that we've owned for 6 years and rented out for the last two. Our tenants will be out at the end of this month and then DW is going to be working with my dad to fully renovate the bathroom and get some painting done before our stuff, our pets, and I arrive in mid-July. I'm usually the type that likes to be very involved in these kinds of projects, doing a lot myself so that I can control the outcome, but woah, has this pregnancy taught me how to lean on others! It's really such a gift to let people help and realize what a great support network I have. So between that and sailing past the magic 24 weeks for viability, I'm feeling pretty good these days. I'll be spending my weekend packing, cleaning, and smiling about it - who knew!
 
#281 ·
JustJenny, I'm so glad you're feeling better!

Pokey, so exciting that you are at 40 weeks!

Things had been pretty peaceful for me, until Thursday. I had my 28 week appointment complete with the 1 hour glucose screen. I failed it. The nurse and doctor were also giving me a hard time about being dehydrated. I had just vomited a couple hours before my appointment, and I hadn't rehydrated yet. Also, my hemoglobin is low. So I was all around feeling like a failure after that appointment. I'm feeling better now, but I have to take the 3 hour glucose test tomorrow morning. I am dreading it. I'm afraid that it will make me vomit. The doctor told me that if I can't get through the test without vomiting that they will diagnose me with GD.

On the bright side, I feel the baby move all the time, and I'm getting a lot of compliments on my bump.
 
#282 ·
I'm sorry things didn't go well coati! I hope the next test goes better. I feel like I have heard that people often fail the 1 hour but pass the 3 hour. I also know that when someone does fail the test they may be able to talk their provider into letting them track their blood sugar and meals for a few days to see if they really had GD. I would imagine if you had 2 glucose tests that were off because of vomiting and such, this could be a good option because fasting can make you feel sick. Take care of yourself and enjoy those little kicks and your bump!
 
#283 ·
coati- Ugh, that just sucks.
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You would think they would be a little more understanding since you had just vomited and have had HG. I echo what pokey said. Bring up the self monitoring option if it happens again. Meanwhile, FX'd that all goes well and you won't have to worry about it!
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I jinxed myself after my last post. I've been sick ever since
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Had a good birthday yesterday though...
 
#284 ·
Well, I vomited within a few minutes of finishing drinking the glucose solution. I'm pretty sure that would have happened even if it had just been water. My stomach just can't handle much first thing in the morning. I asked my doctor about self-monitoring for a week or so to see if I have GD, but she said no. They're just going to treat me like I'm diabetic. This doesn't seem right. I feel like I've been diagnosed with GD because I still have morning sickness. I'm really squeamish, so I'm pretty upset about having to stick myself 5 times a day.

I'm sorry you're feeling sick again JustJenny. I started feeling better about a week after my birthday myself. I hope your birthday brings you luck! :)
 
#285 ·
Coati - That's ridiculous! The 1hr is only a screening test, and you didn't even take the test if you couldn't keep it down. You need to advocate for yourself, mama. Either insist on trying again, or find a different practice that won't insist on you taking the screening or will let you try again.
 
#286 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by revolting View Post

Coati - That's ridiculous! The 1hr is only a screening test, and you didn't even take the test if you couldn't keep it down. You need to advocate for yourself, mama. Either insist on trying again, or find a different practice that won't insist on you taking the screening or will let you try again.
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That's crap. This can't be unusual for them, c'mon. Push again mama....
 
#287 ·
Revolting, they were willing to let me try again, but I'm pretty sure the 100 g glucose solution will make me throw up no matter what. I don't want to go through that again. Also, I live in a pretty rural area. I don't exactly have much choice in who my doctor is.
 
#288 ·
Oh Coati, how rotten! With my DD I failed the 1 hour screen (by 2 points!! I believe the cut off is 140, I was 142) and I actually had very low, like dangerously low, blood sugar by hour two of the 3 hour GTT. It just stinks to have to check blood sugar five times a day if you don't need to. But I also hear you on limited options for a provider.
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Hang in there!

JustJenny While I am sorry you've been feeling yucky, it is also SO reassuring, right? Mine let up around 12-13 weeks. I was never actually vomiting, just super nauseous nearly all the time.

Pokey I am SO SO SO excited that you are about to meet your baby!!! Wishing you a beautiful labor and birth. Please keep us updated.

AFM My apologies on my absence. My DD and I were involved in a serious car accident almost a month ago. She and baby bean are totally okay (for which I am so very grateful!) but I've been having back/neck pain and headaches since. Another car ran a stop sign and smashed into my driver's door. VERY scary. The chiropractor has been helpful but it doesn't seem to last, I get relief for a day or so only. I'm seeing my GP tomorrow. I suspect she'll refer me to physical therapy. Just so glad that DD was not hurt and that baby appears unaffected. I had my anatomy scan two weeks ago, confirmed our little one is a boy. He looks perfect and is measuring a little ahead (which he was at 9 weeks as well). And the subchorionic bleed has resolved, thank goodness. I may have a Hallowen baby!! For Halloween I was thinking of painting my belly or wearing a shirt to make my belly into Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. and maybe making myself into Boo, with pigtails, riding on his shoulders. DD and I were Mrs. Incredible/Elastagirl and Violet from the Incredibles a few years ago and were both Princess Leia two years ago. last year I was Mrs. Potato Head. I love to dress up!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!!
 
#289 ·
revolting, I was hoping that getting the floors refinished would make a good excuse for a baby moon and we could use money that my mother would send for my birthday in July to fund that little trip BUT now it looks like the floors will have to wait (probably for the next ten years...)

How was the festival over the weekend?

JustJenny: funny story about what's underneath our carpet: in our guest bedroom, which will eventually become the kid's room, DH started ripping up the carpet because he thought we would be doing that ourselves and we found this absolutely horrendous linoleum! Seventies style, brown floral pattern on a white background, ugly as sin linoleum! Who puts that stuff in a bedroom?! We haven't seen the other rooms so now I'm totally curious...

Did you end up doing anything fun for your birthday? I hope your nausea clears up soon. I seem to remember mine went away gradually starting around 12 weeks and was gone by 16 weeks.

GISDiva, you talk about procrastination and I can relate. I think I'm still in denial that there is a kid coming. At the same time I feel like there's only so much you can prepare for. We're getting the house sorted out, we're buying the essentials (crib, carseat, stroller, diapers)... what else is there to do but wait?

SparkleMaman: glad to hear you're (mostly) okay! Sounds like that could've been a lot worse! Speaking of Halloween: I'm so lazy and unimaginative. I'm going to be that mom who pulls a sheet over their kid's head with two holes cut out and says: Here, you get to be a ghost!

Coati, I hope your diabetes test turns out well. How long would you have to check your sugar if you are diagnosed? Till the delivery? And how would a diagnosis change things for you besides the checking? Would it result in more frequent appointments?

Pokey, thinking of you and sending you lots of good birthing vibes!

Sphinxy, sounds like you're doing well. Your DH and dad getting your house fixed up sounds lovely.

AFM: Our trip to Ikea was a success and I was impressed with the cargo capacity of DH's car! We got our crib, that was by far the largest package, and a storage solution for the dining room. We also hit up BuyBuyBaby and checked out strollers and we decided on one so that's done. The carpet samples came in yesterday but they all looked very dark so we're ordering new ones. I've got to start a to do list and prioritize, I think the diaper situation is probably one of the next big things that needs to be addressed. A lot of the women in my DDC seem to have stash already built up and I've made two wool covers and one t-shirt prefold and that's it so I better get on that.
 
#290 ·
I think my issue with procrastination is that a lot of projects I see that "need" to be done around the house will only haunt me further when I'm actually home all day every day looking at them. I want to feel like I can just hang and chill with the baby, not wonder how I can get an hour of painting done during nap time.
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I literally can't sit down in my own house (or my garden for that matter), I try and it doesn't last. Good thing I like to wear my baby!

So glad to hear your kiddos are OK, SparkleMaman, I hope you find some relief for yourself soon! How scary!

Coati, that just stinks about the test. I'm sorry. :(

Pokey! Soon! *squee!*
 
#291 ·
Sparkle- So glad that you and your DD and bean are all ok! I wish you a speedy recovery with the aches and pains. Hope those headaches go away soon.

Dakipode- Lovely lino.
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We've had tacky green and yellow lino in a home before. Nothing you can do to make it better but get rid of it!
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My birthday was low key. We went to dinner and had the best bbq ribs ever! Then I went shopping and got a new pair of shoes. What did you think about the quality of the crib you bought from Ikea? They have some decent deals for sure.

Me- Each day seems to be a little better. Yesterday I didn't have to take any unisom at all. I'm soooo happy its starting to go away. I actually felt the joy come back into my body! What bliss it is to be pregnant and feel normal for a day!! Also I'm very excited to be hitting the 12 weeks milestone in a few days
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#292 ·
Dakipode, we are planning a trip to Ikea ourselves. That's where we are going to get our crib.

JustJenny, so glad you are feeling better! And also exciting that you are able to eat ribs. I wasn't able to eat BBQ until 2 weeks ago.

I've kind of come to terms with being "diagnosed" with GD. It seems the alternative methods for diagnosing it all involve monitoring my blood sugar for a week or two anyway. I'm starting to get used to it. I have had one high blood sugar and one low blood sugar in the past week. I'm going to see a dietician next Monday. That should be the only extra appointment this causes. What worries me the most is that this diagnosis might make the doctors more likely to want to induce me. They've scheduled me for an ultrasound to check for "big baby" next week, which seems pretty silly to me.
 
#293 ·
Dakipode It definitely could have been MUCH worse. I am SO grateful for that!!
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And a ghost will be perfect!!

Coati Sounds like you're in a good place. I think part of the process of pregnancy and labor and delivery is helping us adjust to accepting things beyond our control. So much of parenthood is just that!!

JustJenny Yeah for almost 12 weeks!!
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So glad you're feeling that pregnant bliss again!

Pokey Thinking of you, mama!!

AFM Checking things off my own to do list. Officially hired my doula (I met with her weeks ago but I finally sent in my contract and deposit) and signed up for childbirth classes with DH. I chose Peaceful Beginnings (which is supposed to combine elements of Hypnobirthing and other natural methods, like Lamaze and Bradley). We took Bradley Method classes with DD. I also scheduled our birthcenter tour/orientation. Our center required two visits before labor and a birth plan at your second visit.

So much more to do!
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#294 ·
Sparkle - Your Halloween costumes sound awesome. Last year we moved right before Halloween, and I didn't have it in me to make a costume for anyone but the kids. This year, the baby will likely arrive right before the holiday, so I'll miss it again. I can't wait to dress for Halloween again! I interviewed one doula, but I still need to interview a few more. Now that my oldest finished school for the summer, it's hard to carve out time to do an interview! I'm very curious about your childbirth class! I took a childbirth class for teen moms with my first, did a homestudy for hypnobabies with my second...this time, I'm doing group prenatal classes which has pregnancy/homebirth discussion...but I have no idea what to expect other than hoping to meet other homebirthing mamas in my area!

Daki - The festival was wonderful! Thanks for asking! We went to Ikea, but they were out of stock on several things we needed so we'll have to go again. I have nothing but incredible admiration for mamas who make their own cloth diapers. Newborns pee constantly so that even with practicing (a relatively lax) EC, I still washed diapers every other day having 3 dozen prefolds, and with the huge babies I have, the smaller size prefold only fits for a few months before I use the larger size. I keep looking at patterns for longies, because this will be my first cold weather baby, but I don't think I knit well enough for them. I also have vague plans to sew split crotch pants, but we'll see. I have pretty limited sewing skills, too.

coati - What will happen if they decide the baby looks big? Ultrasounds suck at estimating weight; I certainly wouldn't want to induce based on what weight an ultrasound said a baby would be. Plus, some mamas with big babies have easy labors. I had a precipitous birth with my 9lb firstborn.

AFM - I try to stay zen, but I feel kind of anxious after my last prenatal appointment. With my second child, my care provider never weighed me. This one weighs me every appointment, and she worries about my lack of weight gain. Then, she couldn't find the heartbeat with a fetoscope (we found it easily last appointment but with a tilted uterus, it can be hard to find), and I got kind of stressed by her encouragement to check with the doppler (which I declined). I feel lots of movement. My belly continues to measure on schedule. I've had large babies that came after their due date in the past. Intellectually, I don't see a reason to worry, but it's like I catch her worry, if that makes any sense. I'm trying to work on shielding better for my next prenatal appointment. Because of how the group prenatals work, I will end up seeing her in only a couple weeks, rather than a month like I would normally. I kind of wish I hadn't done my prenatal last week and just waited for the group to start!
 
#295 ·
I just wanted to update on my classes, which I am SO happy with! I'm not sure that it's the Hypnobirthing aspect that I find so compelling. I love our teacher. The class my DH and I went to on Monday was AWESOME! I LOVED it. It really made me think about so many things and DH and I have talked so much since then about things it brought up. The most mind blowing piece was when I was describing myself. I'm rather anxious and I like things planned and orderly. I also try to be more flexible and flowing and was describing how I regularly lean into discomfort in my attempts to be more how I imagine I should be. Our teacher asked why? She pointed out many positives in who I am and asked why I would want to change myself. She asked, shouldn't that (who I am) be enough? I was all, why has no one EVER said anything like this to me?! I mean yes, I still would like to be open to new experiences but wow, I am who I am and I shouldn't have to change that. I've been chewing on this since. Seriously, mind blowing!

Revolting Thank you!! I do just love dressing up. I am glad DD still humors me and usually goes along with me, at least for now. And I agree, I am amazed by mamas who make their own cloth diapers. I am not that skilled, I admit.

Cloth Diapers - I had an amazing CD stash that I mostly gave away to a very young new mama ~ three years ago (I had sold a few outgrown things earlier). Sadly, I don't think they were used much
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and I've gotten some awkward responses when I've asked about them or suggested I could use them again . . . So I am back to square one! I've purchased some newborn Kissaluvs http://www.kissaluvs.com/fitted-diapers.php# (which I loved for DD) and a variety of other fitteds (just to check out some new to me things). I also have a few dozen organic cotton prefolds and G diaper pants that a good friend has lent me. I found some cute CDs on Etsy that I splurged on http://www.etsy.com/listing/98081772/custom-spot-for-two-newborn-organic?ref=shop_home_active I plan to use the same Motherease CD system again, with mostly one size fitted diapers (which lasted us from about 4 weeks of age until DD decided she was done with diapers, around 22 months old) http://www.mother-ease.com/cloth-diapers/OneSizeDiapers and some of the Sandy's Diapers http://www.mother-ease.com/cloth-diapers/SandysDiapers for overnight. I essentially made one big investment with the newborn diapers and one sizes, bought Sandy's (for night) twice and bought 3 sizes of covers. And I was very happy with my choices, both the quality and price (considering how awesome they were) . Any CDs I bought and didn't love or were outgrown resold on Ebay for nearly what I paid new!

I am hearing some interesting feedback on differences between boys and girls with CDing. My good friend who lent me the prefolds/G diapers didn't like fitteds with her DS. She said they got too wet all over (fitteds) and the prefolds did not. Any thoughts here?
 
#296 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by SparkleMaman View Post

I am hearing some interesting feedback on differences between boys and girls with CDing. My good friend who lent me the prefolds/G diapers didn't like fitteds with her DS. She said they got too wet all over (fitteds) and the prefolds did not. Any thoughts here?
I guess I could see that happening, but wouldn't that be the same for either a boy or a girl? I only have experience with boys so far and we only used fitteds as a newborn (Kissaluvs lover here too.) But honestly, I can't remember how wet they got five years back...I wonder if it was just a difference in her own kids and how much they could "produce" at once? I think the difference I've heard and seen has to do more with where the diapers get wet from front to back (for obvious reasons).

Your teacher does sound delightful!

Under six weeks to go for me. Definitely losing my zen.
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It's mostly over silly things though, and nothing important. Hormones! Gah!
 
#297 ·
JustJenny and Coati: we bought the Sniglar(?) crib, the cheapest one, $70. It's still sitting in the box in the garage and we probably won't put it together until next year since we plan on keeping the kid in our room the first six months. At the store it seemed like it would hold up well enough for two years and that's all I need, after that we can go to a twin with a rail (which will also be bought at Ikea) and still end up spending less than the $400-600 you would spend on one of those "convertible/lifetime" cribs, most of which don't have very contemporary designs anyway.

Sparklemaman, you reminded me of that line in "I heart Huckabees" where Jason Schwartzman's character says: "How could I not be myself?"
I will chime in and say that what I've liked the best so far about our hypnosis class (we just attended the first one last Sunday) is the hypnosis part. To me it's the same as guided meditation and it seems that this particular method (Blissborn) focuses on teaching yourself how to get into that deep meditative state fast because you've practiced it over and over and over.
Weird about the cloth diapers, maybe she gave them away too and doesn't want to tell you?
I've decided, as a first time CDer that we're going to start with the most basic option: flats and covers. It's also the cheapest option and I figure we can always spend more money from there. I'm definitely tempted to use disposables overnight. A lot of women seem to use them that way since they hold more liquid and thus baby will sleep longer.

revolting, that's tough if your careprovider makes you nervous rather than eases your fears and worries. I seem to gain in spurts, I'll be the same weight for a month and then suddenly the next week I'll have gained 4lbs and then weigh that much for the next 4 weeks...
I saw a link to making longies out of old wool sweaters so you wouldn't have to knit them: http://sewingdork.blogspot.ca/2009/08/how-to-make-wool-soaker-pants.html I haven't tried this but I've got a couple of sweaters I can use.

GISDiva, are you eagerly anticipating the arrival of your little one or rather bursting into angry rants because of hormones? I keep wondering if it'll happen to me, so far I'm staying my usual "meh" self.

I finally finished reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and while the birthstories are fun to read the second part gave me a whole new understanding and appreciation for the birthing process. I can't find the direct quote but I really got it when she mentioned being grateful during labor because it's the process that will result in you meeting your baby. It's the culmination of a labor of love. I will use that and remind myself when I'm in labor.
 
#298 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by dakipode View Post

GISDiva, are you eagerly anticipating the arrival of your little one or rather bursting into angry rants because of hormones? I keep wondering if it'll happen to me, so far I'm staying my usual "meh" self.
I'll take Angry Rants for 1000...I don't know if it's the heat or if it's the fact that I have two "men" in my house that are driving me batty...if I felt like the house and such was more ready, I'd be on the "eagerly anticipating" end of it, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by life at the moment. I'm finally coming to the realization that tending the overgrown garden will be much easier after the baby is here and I can just plop her in a carrier, so it's those little realizations that are starting to help bring me off the edge of the cliff.
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#299 ·
revolting, I am quite aware of how bad ultrasounds are at estimating baby weight. I read a whole article about it on evidencebasedbirth.com. My ultrasound showed that the baby is right on track, so I don't have to have any arguments with my doctors over that at the moment. I did have a nurse tell me that I'm a "tiny little girl" and my pelvis size might put me at a high risk for a c-section anyway. I know that I'm small, but I don't appreciate her particular choice of words. Lately I feel like the doctors treat my like an adult, but the nurses don't.

dakipode, we decided not to go to Ikea after all. It's a 2 hour drive, and I have reached a point where that trip just sounds miserable. Being confined to sitting is very uncomfortable for me now. We still got a relatively cheap crib though. We will be using our crib from the start. It will be in our bedroom.

GISDiva, I am losing my zen too. My anxiety is back in full force. It's as bad as it was when I was writing my dissertation, and that was bad.

Things have been hectic for me lately. We made one last trip to visit family. That was fun. The heat and humidity there turned my ankles into balloons. It was pretty crazy. I have new wrinkles on my feet now. We also celebrated our anniversary on Sunday. Last one without a baby! :)

We had our appointment with the nutritionist and our sizing ultrasound. The doctor said that my GD is pretty mild right now, and the ultrasound looked good. Baby is breech right now, but I guess that's not so uncommon at this point. I feel quite sure that I really do have GD at this point. I had a high blood sugar incident yesterday. I could really feel it. I knew my blood sugar was high before I tested. I am learning to control it with diet. It's not so hard most of the time, but I messed up yesterday. I feel like my body is my own personal science experiment. (And I mean that in a good way, since I'm a scientist.)

We went to a 6-hour long childbirth class taught by a Lamaze instructor at the hospital on Saturday. It made me much less afraid of labor. I really enjoyed it. It also made me better prepared to ask my doctor questions.
 
#300 ·
Hello everyone! Baby Charlie was born on June 26th after 31 hours of labor. I was calm for the first 24 hours but then my water broke and the contractions got stronger and closer together and tough to handle. My plan was not to get an epidural, but I changed my mind. It was a good choice for me. I didn't want one because I wanted to avoid any possible interventions that can come with it, but I think I had a best case scenario. Baby was sunny side up, and that is the toughest to push out. I think he turned over during labor. I was able to push him out on my own in a relatively short amount of time, and all of the women around me were very supportive and telling me that I could do it on my own. We were very happy with our whole birth experience and the care we received at the hospital. Recovery and breastfeeding were tough at the beginning, but at 3 weeks everything is much better. The baby and I learn every day together. We are very lucky that baby will sleep for about 6 hours at night. I encourage all of you to make sure you have lots of support at the beginning to get you through the first few weeks. Food is helpful, but make sure you know who to call when you are having nursing issues and someone to watch the baby so you can sleep when the baby does. I wish all the best and plenty of peace to those of you who are expecting soon. You can do this! You are so strong!

Thank you all for your support.
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Baby's first bath in the bucket.

AppleMark
 
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