Full Term!!!...37 weeks.

I am feeling:

big.

huge.

beached whale-ish.

more tired.

like I have to pee constantly.

lots of movement way down low.

hungry.

lots of braxton hicks and pressure.

like my belly is running into everything.

excited to see my little babe.

motivated to birth.

but like I want to sleep for a whole day first.

ready.

:)

I am officially full-term: 37 weeks! Wahoo! I made it! Well with Will I went way over due so I am not expecting to much to happen soon, but you never know. :) I feel like we don't have as much stuff to get ready this time. No showers or gifts to organize. I just washed all the little neutral baby stuff that we own and set up the changing table in our room. Other than that I have the birthing supplies we need and the tub is coming next weekend! I am actually in shock that it is August already. This pregnancy has gone by really fast...and I am very thankful that I will not have two kiddos in diapers. Will is potty trained! I am so glad that I just tried it with him, even without him showing any "signs" of being ready. I just told him we were out of diapers and he was going to wear awesome new undies now. After 4 days of some accidents and some "hoorays!", he never had an accident again and just started telling us when he needed to go. That boy can hold it like a champ if he has too. I am so proud of him! :)

...oh yes, and the pregnancy post...

I have started seeing my midwife every week now. On Monday I took the strep B test and since she was already in there she checked my cervix to see if there was any progress yet..."nope, pretty closed still," she said. I was a little bummed, but really I still have three weeks so it's not that big of a deal. However some prayer for me would be great, for this baby is still posterior. I know there is nothing to worry about because that can be common at this time, and a lot of times the baby may not turn until active labor or pushing. I am not super worried about it, but Will was also posterior and it made for a very long, hard back labor. At least this time I am aware of it before hand so I am doing lots of exercises to help it turn before I go into labor. That is the hope. Other than that baby is doing great and I am doing great. Heart rate is good. I have gained 28 lbs. total so far and still having crazy weird dreams from time to time. :) Oh and here is a picture of me 37 weeks with Will to compare...

30 weeks preggo!!

Yep, I have been getting comments like..."due any day now, huh?". HA! People are shocked when I say I still have a couple months to go. :) ...but I am feeling great!! A little more worn out then usual when out in the heat at the park with Will, but really I have nothing to complain about. Since like 20 weeks I have been feeling lots of pressure and braxton hicks that have seemed to be a bit more uncomfortable now, but I am thankful to be able to be up and walking around more in this pregnancy. While pregnant with Will I had a desk job so I didn't get a lot of time in the sun to soak up that vitamin D that I need. I am soo happy to see the sunshine! :)

I have started seeing my midwife every two weeks now and last week everything looked great. The baby's heart rate was high 140's to low 150's, and I honestly don't remember what I weighed. I think I might be up about 18-20 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight. The only thing is that the baby's head is not down yet (and it was by this time with Will) so I am praying that soon this will happen. Wow...30 weeks. Suddenly this pregnancy is going so fast. I am just getting so excited to see this new little life! Below is a picture of me at 30 weeks pregnant with Will. I feel like I have carried both of them low, but this one seems even lower! Although in the picture they look pretty similar I think. What do you think? Any guesses yet...boy or girl?

25 weeks and feeling HUGE

Suddenly I am feeling like I have a lump in my lap all the time! This baby is sooo low! Actually there really is no lap anymore, it just keeps growing straight out. ha! I am loving it and feeling great and actually can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going. Everything seems to be going the exact same as my pregnancy with Will. I feel like I am carrying it the same and just feeling hungry all the time...except my belly photos of 25 weeks I feel like are a bit larger this time around. Although I have not gained quite as much weight this time. I am up about 15 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. The weight seems to be coming much quicker toward the end of this second trimester then it did in the first. No real cravings, but foods that taste really good right now include: baked potato with lots of Earth Balance, buckwheat soba noodles with stir-fried veggies and shoyu, and obviously any fruit because that never changes whether I am pregnant or not. I could eat these foods everyday!...I could also eat ice cream or chocolate anytime as well, but trying to cut out most dairy again as I start to approach the 3rd trimester. :)

I did mention last time that we had an ultrasound and everything looked perfect. So things are pretty uneventful with an exception of lots and lots of kicking and little spasms inside my belly. :) We also found a wonderful doula in town who is also a personal trainer who has taught me some good ab exercises for pregnancy. I never know what to with my abs when I am pregnant...so she has definitely been a blessing! humm..anything else I need to add...nope, just feeling HUGE! Peace.

Adventures In Nursing My Little Guy

Mother and children, a photo by blmurch on Flickr...La Recoleta, located in Argentina.

I am irritated more than I would ever have imagined! Sometimes to the point that I just want to cringe and throw him off of me.(sounds bad, but true...eek.) It does hurt a little bit, but I can get over that. I just seem to be more irritated more than ever since I have been pregnant and nursing my toddler. I always thought that I would let Will self-wean when he as ready. Some days I get really sad at the thought of not nursing him anymore and other days I think it would be nice to prepare emotionally and physically for the next child. I know that some mothers would say," oh just tough it out for your child. He needs you"...and others would say," What?! He is still nursing?"

Well, after nursing Will for 2 1/2 years I can honestly say it has been so worth it!! It has been such a rewarding journey. Of course there have been a few struggles, mainly about what others in our culture say about extended breastfeeding, but I could not have imagined it any other way. Nursing Will has been the absolute best way to comfort him, give him nutrition and nourishment (especially with a dairy intolerance), it has been the best way to get him to sleep and a wonderful way to bond and provide security for him. But when does it end? It has to end sometime right?

There is not a timeline or a book or a person who can put a weaning date on the calendar. I have learned that nursing Will has become about a relationship and is not just something we do on a daily basis. And in relationships it takes two. My feelings matter just like his do, and at this point since I am pregnant I also have a second child to think about. I know many mothers who have successfully breastfed two or more children at a time. It is a beautiful thing!

Personally I have analyzed my situation...

-I sometimes think that my readiness to give it quits out weighs his. I just want to scream really loud, and he is not irritated, in pain, or uncomfortable. He is just doing what he has always done. This irritation is a result of tender nipples and being pregnant- not Will nursing. This is not something that I want to push on him if he may not be ready. Is this feeling just short lived? Will I mother better if I wean him? There would be less irritation and negative feelings.

When I think about it we have already naturally started the weaning process. At 10 months old he started eating a little bit of solid food. That is actually the first step in weaning. And right around when he turned two we made the decision to stop nursing him at night because it was making the bed (where we all slept together) very uncomfortable at night with him moving all over the place and waking up way to much with persistence to nurse when really all he needed at that point was comfort and love and knowing we were still there. That was actually pretty easy. I just told him that I would nurse him to sleep and then if he wakes up in the middle of the night I would cuddle him and not nurse him until the sun came up. After we moved and got settled last fall we also set up his own bed in him own room. We have always welcomed him into our bed when he woke up in the night, but stayed firm about not nursing him until the sun came up. Of course some nights he was more persistent than others, but usually telling him a story and giving him water and sometimes a few crackers would settle him back to sleep. We did this up until about 3 months ago when he randomly just started sleeping all night! wow! I did not think that day would ever come. He was one who would never sleep longer than 3-4 hours ever. Once he started sleeping all night it was kind of scary for me because I realized how big he was getting!

Also for a while now he has accepted other ways of being comforted and has realized that if we were in a place where nursing was not easy, grocery store, etc., he would be able to wait until we were in a convenient place. And then sometimes he would forget about it later and it left nursing for naps and bedtime and sometimes in the morning when he woke up. He really didn't ask to often other than those times...so back to recently while being pregnant and irritated. What we decided to do was to limit nursings. To distract him when he asked or to keep him busy so he would not ask. Thad started putting him to bed almost every night and in the morning we would get out of bed and say how about breakfast?! He is always ready to go down for breakfast and play with his cars and animals. So that really just leaves nap time. With out even realizing it weaning has really come along way. At that point I really had no other plan and the hurt and irritation started to go away! We just took it day by day.

Of course I would do anything for my children no matter what it took out of me, but does my son need a little nudge? As a parent I feel like guiding my child to the next face of life is one of my biggest jobs. Maybe this is time and all he needs is a little encouragement and then maybe then I will know if he is truly ready to wean or not. That was the case with having him sleep in his own bed and with giving him solid food. It brings lots of tears to my eyes thinking about never bonding with Will again in this way. He is growing up so fast! sniff. sniff. My midwife who tandem nursed her children gave me some really good advice. Along with reading "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" by Hilary Flower.- To look at my child's needs, to carefully consider my own needs, get lots of support from others, and just start somewhere. Very simple.

I thought to myself that if he is ready to wean then looking ahead there is a new relationship for him and I to develop. Showing him love and security in new ways. And, well in the last 3 weeks things have been a little different. Will decided to stop nursing correctly. If you know anything about breastfeeding you know that your child must open his mouth wide...Will refused to do this. He was sucking on my nipple like a straw. This hurt soooo bad!!!! I made him stop right away. He instantly left me with sores and cracks. I am assuming that maybe the taste of my milk changed and he didn't want to taste it anymore, he just wanted to suck for comfort. :) This was so disappointing to me! I had to make a decision, but I didn't want it to be my own. Well he is old enough to understand, so I told him that it hurt mommy really bad when he nurses that way and he needed to nurse right or he could not nurse anymore. sad. :( He has not nursed in almost 3 weeks. I am assuming that he may be weaned. This has been an emotionally hard time for us, but also a time to look forward and grow and learn. I am glad I got to nurse him for 2 1/2 wonderful and challenging years. But I now look forward to having a new nursing relationship with the new little one coming at the end of the summer. For now Will and I have lots of cuddle time. :)

20 weeks

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20 weeks, a photo by stephanie_fever on Flickr.

20 weeks today. Half way! Wahoo! Feeling great, loving the fresh warmer air around here and clusters of flowers that have began to bloom. Suddenly feeling like my tummy sticks out a lot larger then a few days ago and definitely feeling some stretching. The heart rate looks great in the high 150's and I am now up 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. There really is not much else to say at this point; not a lot happening except that I have an ultrasound tomorrow...and no we are not finding out the sex. :) I had one with Will at 20 weeks to make sure everything was measured ok and in this case since I had a c-section the first time around to make sure that my placenta is in place. So we are praying that everything looks great! We are also meeting with a doula on Friday which I am super excited about!! I think that's about it. peace. :)

Starting on the Red Raspberry Leaf

This week I started drinking the ever so delicious red raspberry leaf tea. I went to our local health food store and bought the loose leaf Frontier brand in bulk. I was super surprised with how cheap it was!...and so much better than the tea bags. I actually just enjoyed the plain red raspberry leaf tea with out anything blended with it. Although I can see myself getting tired of it pretty quickly. I will probably add some peppermint or nettle to it and maybe change up between drinking it cold and hot. I also am loving my Teavana perfect tea maker for brewing up a lovely cup of this each afternoon. If you are a tea lover and have not heard of Teavava and their wonderful products you should definitely look into it. The picture above is the perfect tea maker in use. You just pour the loose leaf tea inside the maker and pour boiling water over top. Let it steep for the suggested time and place the maker over top of your mug and it strains out the bottom. Super slick!

...and about the red raspberry leaf tea...It is known as the herb for pregnancy. It helps tone the uterus for labor and helps reduce the pain during and after birth. It also helps give you more effective contractions during labor and can help prevent postpartum hemorrhage. It is rich in vitamins A, B complex, C and E as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. It also is a great treatment for anemia, leg cramps, and works as an anti-inflammatory. Not like this is already the most awesome tea for women, but it also helps with the production of breast milk!

If you are pregnant and wondering when and how you can start drinking it too here are some thoughts...

Some people who have had previous miscarriages or preterm labor should probably not drink it until they are in their 3rd trimester. Obviously consulting your midwife or doctor first would be the best, but I have heard of people sipping a small cup from the time they find out they are pregnant. So I think it just depends on you and what you are most comfortable with. I started a thread on Mothering in my due date club and got a lot of great ideas and stories. You can check that out here. I also read about someone who made a really strong infusion and mixed it with orange juice to freeze into Popsicle to enjoy during and after labor. Yum!

Preggo Update

ok so I definitely have not done as good of a job this time around taking pictures. I think this is my first one!!...I will be 16 weeks tomorrow. Feeling great! I have been a little more nauseous this time around for whatever reason that may be. We are thinking it could possibly be because my vitamins are much more absorbable than what I took in my first pregnancy and require me to pay more attention to eating lots of high protein foods around the time of taking them.

(Don't be fooled, I took this picture first thing this morning and by the end of the day my belly bulges out a lot more)... :)

Exciting things...I started feeling a little movement in there last week! And I have been sleeping a little better. Still having weird dreams and getting up to pee pretty often, but not as much as I did in the first trimester. That makes for longer stretches of good sleep. :)

Differences from last pregnancy...besides feeling a little more nauseous here and there, my hips have not hurt as much while sleeping on my sides and I have not gained as much weight so far. I think I am up about 7 pounds. That is a good thing because I gained A LOT my first time. :) I have felt much more irritated and emotional in this pregnancy. Some of that could be because I am nursing Will which has created challenges...(pregnant and breastfeeding post soon to come.)Feeling much better since I am still running and lifting weights like normal. Unfortunately I feel like I ate horrible in the first trimester, but in the last few weeks have finally consistently wanted what I know my body needs. I have a new favorite protein packed shake that I like to drink in the morning that really gets me going; my own concoction we will call it the Morning Mama Muscle... :)

1 Tbsp. hemp seeds

2 Tbsp. walnut pieces

1 banana

handful of frozen pineapple

splash of orange juice

1 heaping Tbsp. of Garden of Life raw protein powder

This shake is soo yummy and has approx. 15 g protein in just a small 12 oz. glass!!! I bought the raw protein powder when I first found out I was pregnant to get an extra boost, but I could not figure out how to use it because any smoothie I blended it in just tasted nasty. So i decided to use orange juice instead of water to add extra flavor and I also only use about half or a third of the amount suggested for a serving and added other protein packed foods instead. I could use the suggested amout of protein powder for higher protein content, but this works for me because taste matters. :)

We have decided on a midwife to use for birth and we absolutely love her! She is so knowledgeable and has taken extra time to get to know us. I feel really privileged since most of you know I am planning to have this baby naturally after my first being a c-section. I am not brave enough to do that in the hospital and if possible would like to stay away from the hospital so this midwife was my only chance for she is the only midwife in the area who will do a VBAC at home. I am sooo thankful for her!! I have had a few appointments with her, mainly to hear the heartbeat (high 150's-low 160's), get to know each other and make sure everything is going ok. Everything seems great so far and I look forward to meeting with her this Friday again. humm....seems like that's about it for now. I just want to record everything like I did with Will. Peace.

It's the Size of a Grape... :)

photo credit Tomas Sobek

This one inch grape is the size of the growing fetus inside me right now!...yep we are expecting baby #2 in late August sometime, and we are super excited about it! Which has resulted in me napping while Will naps and that may be the reason I have been neglecting to post here very often. :) sorry. and to answer a few questions...yep I have been feeling good. I have been a little nauseous, but really not much to complain about it was really just one hard week. The hard thing is that I have had no interest what-so-ever in eating anything green or vegetable like! eww! french fries taste the best of anything right now and apples and oranges. hummm...BBQ chicken too. :) But I think I am on the upswing! I actually ate a fresh colorful salad tonight and it tasted pretty good. :) I will probably track myself like I did with Will sharing some belly pictures and updates. It has been fun to look back and see how I changed with my first pregnancy. Also, we did have an appointment/interview with a midwife that we really liked a week ago and so far we are planning to stick with her. I am going to try my hardest to have a VBAC this time around so if anyone out there has any advice or thoughts of encouragement I would love to hear from you!

My Inspiration

I found this video on Mothering tonight and was blown away by its beauty! This is my inspiration, along with all the other wonderful homebirth stories I have been reading. But Lindsey and I have something in common. I have experienced a Cesarean (as did she) and I am ready for a VBAC! (I am NOT telling you I am pregnant...sorry) :) I am getting educated and healthy and if anyone has any good reads or advice as far as VBAC or preferably HBAC, please let me know. thanks!...and enjoy the video.

My Journey to a VBAC from Lindsey Meehleis on Vimeo.

Full-term!!

Well, I now am considered full-term. I only have 20 days until my due date!!! Wow, this last month actually seems to be going kind of slow now. :) So with less than 3 weeks to go I feel like I am definitely ready to have this baby. I pretty much have our house unpacked and put together and have everything ready for the baby. I am feeling huge and ready to give birth....but most importantly I am just so excited to see his/her face!!! It is so exciting not knowing what we are going to have. Thad and I go back and forth every week thinking it is going to be a girl and some weeks thinking it will be a boy...we have no idea!!! Most people think I am having a boy by the way I am carrying it all out front and low, but so many people have told me that they carry their boys and girls the same...so who knows?? Any predictions? The baby's heart rate is between 145-150, and everything is still looking great. The head is still down and my midwife thinks I will be having it right on time. My uterus is measuring average and I have now gained 45 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight!!!..wow! :) I have been feeling really good, just tired a lot and my hips have been hurting like crazy in the middle of the night as they have been loosening...but I know it will all be worth it soon. Many people have been asking me if I am anxious or scared for the birth with this being the first time, but I feel like the more educated I have been through out the journey the less nervous I get, and right now I feel very confident and ready for this birth. In our society we don't get to see people giving birth very often, or for some people they have never seen a live birth before, so we base what it will be like on what we see in the movies. After reading and watching many birth stories that are much more positive it gives me a more positive outlook when going into this. I still have no idea what to expect, but I feel very prepared(at least as much as I can be.) The best book by far that I have read during this time has been Ina Mae's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina Mae Gaskin. It has been the most honest and beneficial book to read as far as the mind/body connection in childbirth and also provided many birth stories from all sorts of different people. It really made it obvious that everybody is different, but how everyone got through it with a natural positive experience. It was really empowering. Also lately I have really been focusing on how God's power works through us. This is a verse that I have kept close to me to remember while in labor...
Isaiah 40:31 ...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
It is so neat to know that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to me on a daily basis!
So here is a picture of me at full-term (37 weeks.) I look pretty tired in this one; not the best picture... and hopefully next time you hear from me we will have our little one! yay!

p.s. At the bottom of the page is a sneak peak of the baby's room, I will show more pictures once it is all put together. Enjoy. :)

I was so excited about my Radio Flyer Goodwill purchase of $6.00!! Wahoo... that thing is probably a collectable by now. :)

Getting Closer.....

I know lately this blog has turned into a journal of my pregnancy....but I promise when we get internet again I will update more frequently about what else has been going on in my mind. For now, this is the biggest and most exciting part of my life right now, and I have been blessed with such an amazing pregnancy journey and I want everyone to know about it. :) So, here is the update... I am now 34 weeks and feeling like it should be coming soon! I am not sure how I am supposed to feel because I have obviously never done this before. My midwife seems to think I will be right on time (mid-late September)...but I am really getting uncomfortable. Sleeping is the biggest problem; getting up to go to the bathroom 4-5 times a night and achy hips while sleeping on my sides. But other than tiredness, I have been blessed with the most perfect pregnancy ever.(at least I like to think so) :) I still feel the baby moving lots, except it is definately running out of room...he/she will stretch and stick its butt up on one side and elbow me in the hips...ouch!!! :)
I had an appointment with Kim (midwife) today and she said everything is looking great. The baby has a heartrate around 145 and my blood pressure is normal. The baby's head is still down and the back is up, just like the last 3 times she checked, so he/she is in perfect position. She did say that today it felt like it had dropped a little from last time, so it is sitting much lower...so we are getting closer!!!! I just can't wait to see it's beautiful face. We also decided on having a doula attend our birth at home. I feel so blessed to have found a lady who is just getting her business started. She has been a doula for several hospital births, but never at home...although she has had all six of her children at home. So it is good to have such an experienced and trustworthy birthing team. I am at Panera right now and feel that I probably should not lift my shirt up for a belly picture, but here is a picture from this past weekend...my best friend from growing up, Liz, got married and I had the honor of being a bridesmaid...and wow, it was hard to get that dress to look just right...but it worked out ok, and doesn't she look beautiful!?

Third Trimester...busy...busy...busy...

Hello everyone! It has been way too long since I have blogged. A lot has been going on so I have not had much time for the computer(that can be a good thing sometimes) :) Thad was on a 4 week break from school so we got to spend a little bit more time together...we did a little traveling over the holiday, but most of that time was spent in packing and moving. He has been such a blessing of a husband. Since I was unable to do many of the hardships that come with moving he did a lot of it himself. He painted back over our walls in our old apartment,(I will definitely miss the color), and he ended up having to do a lot of the lifting and hard cleaning while I was at work. We did have lots of help for when the big moving day came, but it is just so different when I am not used to my body letting me do the hard work myself. We have finished our birthing classes, which we were very happy with. We could not imagine if we had not taken a Bradley Class, it has been so helpful! I might do a full post just on our class sometime because I think every pregnant women needs to know about it. Also another exciting thing is that I have finished training the new girl at work and next Friday will be my last day of work!!!I am so excited about this, for I feel like I still have a lot of getting settled and preparing to do before the baby comes. Third Trimester! Wahoo! Wow, it has gone by so fast. This weekend I will be 31 weeks pregnant and I definitely feel like it. My belly has popped out there and I can tell the baby is starting to have less room to move around in. I still have been feeling pretty good...the tiredness never went away for me, and with trying to get settled into our new place now that has made me even more tired. My midwife said that the baby's head is down, so at 7 months now it will probably stay down, which is always a good thing to hear. The heartbeat sounds good, my blood pressure is good, and I have definitely been gaining enough weight. I am up 30 pounds now from my pre-pregnancy weight. My midwife also said that she felt some braxton hicks contractions while measuring my belly. I was surprised because I could not feel anything at all, but now that she told me I think I may have noticed them a little. I am super excited because with our new place we have an extra bedroom for the baby, so I have been having fun dreaming of how I want to decorate it. Once I get stuff unpacked and put together i will have to post some pictures....but for now here are a few pictures of me at 30 weeks. It just sticks straight out!!!

25 weeks

This past weekend we hit 25 weeks pregnant!! Wahoo! Wow, it is starting to go really fast; about 100 days to go until our due date. We are looking more and more forward to it everyday. It has been a nightly ritual now when I get in bed to lay down and little baby Fever starts going crazy!!...kicking and punching, it almost feels like there should be 5 of them in there. It is so much fun feeling it move around so much during the day as well, and when I look down it is almost kinda freaky that I can actually see my belly popping around everywhere, but I love it! :) I have not been sleeping as well lately because I am starting to get pretty uncomfortable, and having to get up to go to the bathroom usually 3 times in the middle of the night. Other than that I have been feeling really good. Thad and I just celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on tuesday and we are getting ready to move in less than a month. So we have been pretty busy; I am really looking forward to more space and being able to get stuff ready for the baby. We started our birthing classes, and we absolutely love it! We are taking a Bradley Method class with Lakeisha Holloway, a childbirth educator and doula here in town and have been learning so much already. It is an 8 week class where we learn about proper nutrition, relaxation and breathing, exercises, positions in advanced first and second stage labor, how to handle pain, coaching techniques(for Thad), energy saving techniques, planning birth and postpartum, and also preparing for a new family, baby care, and breastfeeding. It is a small class with just one other couple who is also planning for a homebirth. It is such a blessing to have an opportunity and community like this to share and learn from. Here are a few recent pictures, taken at 25 weeks and 3 days. The belly is really popping out there...:)

One with the shirt...and a naked belly......and this is a scary one!!...you can see the mark above my navel is where I used to have my belly button pierced. I am definately popping out, and have lost my waist.

Half Way There!

Well, this past weekend was the 20 week mark. Yay!...but I also was sick...boo. Just a bad cold, but at least I had a three day weekend to catch up on sleep and get better. A couple adjustments and I was feeling better in no time. In the past few days I have really started to feel like I am popping out more, and my belly button has never looked like this before. :) Everything is still looking great and it is hard to believe that I am half way there to seeing our beautiful baby!! I can't wait! We have a super busy schedule in the next month...a couple graduations to attend, bridal showers, and my sisters wedding. We are traveling so much, so the next month or so should fly by. For now, here are a couple 20 week pictures. I promise soon I will start taking some with my face in them. :)

Ultrasound!!!

Yay! What an amazing thing it is to see our baby through an ultrasound!...and such a blessing that the baby is normal and healthy. It weighs half a pound right now and has a heart rate of 160. All its organs are there and I am in love with him/her already. :) So there is only one baby in there, and I am still due on September 21st. The nurse who did my ultrasound said that the reason my midwife thought my uterous was a bit taller than usual was because I am a little thinner, making my uterous a little taller rather than wider...she said it is completely normal. Thad and I could not describe how wonderful it was to see our baby on that screen for the first time.

18 Weeks

Hello! Finally I am updating my blog....our internet has not been working at home so I am at Panera using the wireless. :) My body has been changing a lot, and I definitely have a major baby bump now. I am now up 15 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight!! Numbers I have never seen before! :) The most exciting thing is that a couple weeks ago I felt the baby move for the first time! At first it was hard to distinguish between baby movement and gas... :) It felt like butterflies in my stomach; just a little flutter. Wow!...It just still amazes me that there is such a tiny, but detailed human that has been created to form inside me. It makes me smile everyday. :) I can now distinguish pretty well when I feel the baby, and Thad got to feel it for the first time last night. He was so excited!...and very smiley. I love how excited he gets about everything. I have been feeling really good, and have been able to get out an exercise a lot more now that the weather is warming up. I also found a wonderful prenatal yoga DVD that I have really enjoyed. We had an appointment with our midwife on April 2nd (which seems like a long time ago), but she said that everything is going very well. She said my uterus felt a little taller than normal, which could mean many things...It could mean that I am growing faster at this stage, that I may be carrying extra fluid, that my intestines were puffed up a little bit that day, that I may be having twins, or that I may be further along than we think. Humm...lots of options. Well I have an ultrasound tomorrow so I am very anxious to find out. If I get to a computer with internet I will let you all know how it goes. For now here are a couple pictures of my belly at 18 weeks.

Whoa!....this one looks really big!

Homebirth and 13 week update

Many of you may know by now that Thad and I are planning for a homebirth. I thought it would be appropriate to explain our reasoning for this and why we believe that giving birth in our own home is what is right for us. Before I begin, I want to include that I am not against hospital birth and neither is our midwife. I believe that many people have had wonderful experiences in the hospital. We know that unexpected complications could arise at any time and our certified nurse midwife knows how to handle those situations. If it is something beyond her reach she has no problem with transferring us to a hospital and sticking through the entire thing so we feel as comfortable as possible.

Many people in our country think of homebirth as unsafe, generally because we are uneducated about it and don’t know what other options are available. We personally feel more comfortable in our own home where I can relax. I am able to labor in whatever position I need to do with out having to worry about who is going to walk in the room next. I will be able to sleep in my own bed afterwards next to my husband. I can eat or drink whatever I want and whenever I want because it is immediately available. It will also be less likely for me to pick up an infection. A mother is used to the bacteria in her own environment and has built up immunities to it.

Giving birth is a very normal and natural condition. For me, I feel that in a hospital we are treated as more of a medical patient. In the hospital a baby being born is a daily occurrence and treated like it is a medical condition. Essentially the mother is the only one who really knows what her body needs. It is also less likely to have unnecessary intervention with a midwife attended homebirth. There are many people I have talked to that feel they were unhappy with the way things progressed in a hospital setting. For instance, the doctor does not feel like the labor is progressing and they do not want to be there all night so they call the shots and bring the patient in for a c-section when maybe the baby was just not ready to come out yet.(In some situations; not them all.) For women having their first birth in a hospital the c-section rate is now up to 40%! For women having their first birth at home the c-section rate is at 1%. Crazy! Wow, it seems like most of the time a c-section is pretty unnecessary, and opens the door for more complications. I do understand that for some people there is no choice and that is the way it goes, but I do know that I would want to stay away from that as much as possible.

Here is a bit of information I found interesting while reading a fellow bloggers thoughts...
"At homebirths, babies are usually immediately placed on the mom’s stomach or breast, providing security, warmth and immediate bonding between mom and baby. This contact provides security for both mom and baby. In the rare case when the baby has difficulty breathing on its own, midwives are fully trained in infant CPR. Usually, putting the baby right to the breast and having mom talk to her baby will encourage it to take those first breaths.
Putting the baby immediately to the breast helps reduce any bleeding the mom may have. The sucking action stimulates the uterus and causes it to contract. This closes off blood vessels and reduces bleeding."-Amy.

I really enjoy our midwife. She comes to our house for my prenatal visits and spends over an hour with us each time. I feel the more time spent with us the more we get to know each other and will feel more comfortable with each other on the day of. She is a certified nurse midwife who was a nurse first and then went to midwifery school. She has 8 children of her own and 6 of them were born at home. She has also attended over 350 homebirths and hospital births in the Quad cities area. After meeting with her for the first time we felt very comfortable with her and realized that this is exactly what we want to do. She has a website for anyone who wants to look more into it. It provides questions and answers, service information, and other resources to look at. I found it to be very helpful. Her website is http://www.homesweethomemidwifery.net/.

We are still thinking about hiring a doula to assist in the laboring. I will attend a series of birth classes taught by a trained Bradley Method doula in our area and from there we will decide if we want to have her attend our birth as well. She will teach us plenty of positions that will help the labor progress without using pitocin. If she were to attend our birth she would also provide us with specific message that can help ease pain and progress labor as well. I don't have much information about doula services yet, we are learning as we go. If anyone has had a similar experience and has any advice for me, let me know I would love to hear about your experience.

And here is an update...I am 13 weeks and 5 days along...or 96 days along...or you could say I have 26 wks and 2 days to go...or 184 days to go. hehe, kinda fun :) The fetus is said to be about the size of a peach right now. I have still been feeling pretty good, and am now entering into my second trimester! Crazy! It feels like this has all just started, but I am now a third of the way done! So exciting!...but I am still tired all the time. Hopefully that will start to get better as I progress into the second trimester. I have really started to have an opinion about what foods I want to eat and which ones I CAN NOT STAND! I kind of feel like a kid, with certain foods (depends on the day), I will start to chew and have to spit it right back out or I feel like I may get sick. Eww! But for the most part I am feeling pretty good. Our next prenatal appointment is April 2nd. Here is my 13 weeks and 5 days belly picture...

I'm Pregnant!

Ok...I feel a lot better! I have been wanting to get that out for a while now. It is hard to blog while knowing that I am pregnant and not being able to share it! So yes... it is now out. Some of you know already, but for those that do not, I feel so blessed to announce that I am officially 10 weeks and 5 days pregnant and so excited! This is the first for Thad and I and we don't really know what to expect. We were a little surprised by the news of being pregnant. Thad is a student right now and we did not think that we could do it with out me working full-time, but we quickly realized that God had such bigger plans for us. I was reading in the messege between Phillippians 4:10-14 somewhere it said,"Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the one who makes me who I am." That was so encouraging to know that God has control over this, and when God has control over this I have complete trust that everything is going to be okay. We feel so blessed that God has given us this gift. Everyday we grow more and more excited to see our little one and his/her's beautiful face.

So far I been feeling just fine. No morning sickness, just the normal 1st trimester fatigue. A little achy in the hips and I have to go to the bathroom all the time! It is just so amazing that such a little thing inside me can cause so many changes. At 10 weeks it is now called a fetus and is the size of a medium sized shrimp. humm...kinda wierd to think about. :) Our due date is September 21. Last night was the first time Thad and I got to hear the heartbeat!! We both heard it and looked at each other with smiles. I can't wait until I can feel the baby and then better yet see the baby! Thad recorded it on his cell phone so we can listen to it over and over again. :)

I will update frequently with new pictures and info. Here is a picture of me at 7 weeks, just a bloated belly...



And here is me at 10 weeks...sorry its a major close up view.