29 Weeks, Baby Class!
29 weeks - O.M.G…still cannot believe it and all this seems so surreal. As I was doing my chalkboard last Sunday and I wrote a 2 as the first number for the very last time I may or may not have teared up. For me there have been milestones and countdowns the whole way. I would put a 7 day countdown on my phone until the time we could see Baby Wik again, I have countdowns on there for my first shower, my second shower, Baby's due date - all of it - I am totally obsessed with them - but for me 30 weeks was always a big one. We hit 30 on Friday so as I write this we are 30w3d - so 9w4d give or take until we meet Baby Wik and that is so amazing to me!
This week marked the beginning of February and the beginning of baby mania for us! We have Natural Childbirth classes on Thursday nights with our amazing doula and next door neighbor Rita at her adorable business Mother Me Inc. We also took the Great Expectations class at our hospital - Northwestern - yesterday. To give you a little background Chris and I are not big book readers - I used to read a lot when I was going to the gym and running but now I guess with working and trying to stay active and the pregnancy winding down - I just can't stay awake long enough to sit and read! That being said - we haven't read anything other than the weekly app on our phone. So we were feeling a bit unprepared when it came to what we are getting ourselves in to! It was great to take a hospital class where they focused heavily on all of the medical interventions that can come along with birth and also take Rita's classes which explore a more natural way to have a baby.
Rita asked us to draw pictures of our ideal birth situation - and Chris and I really haven't talked all that much about it so I was kind of lost at first. The only thing we are hoping for - although we know it's not up to us - is to be able to go into labor organically, on our own. So here's what I drew:
The most important thing that I've learned over the past 10 hours of class so far is that there isn't a right answer or a right way to have a baby. It's all about what feels right and natural and authentic to you and your partner, not necessarily what worked for your friend, or your mom, or you sister or anyone else. These classes are helping us explore all options, giving us the pros and cons of all those options, and really helping me understand the implications of all the different decisions that go into the birthing process. Another very important thing that both Rita and our instructor Rosemary has helped me realize if that if you are able to have a normal, vaginal birth - it's a pretty routine medical event. Women do this all day, every day all around the world - they do it in hospitals hooked to monitors, with epidurals to take the pain away, in jungles with absolutely nothing - our bodies were made to do this and I am starting to appreciate the process and marvel at it rather than be scared of it.
I always thought that I would be the person that would walk into Northwestern and be like "Hi, my name is Kristen, I'm here to have a baby and I'd like my epidural right. now." Then in listening during classes and learning that once you have that epidural you are sort of confined to the bed and a few positions and starting to understand that it may not be the first thing I ask for. I actually got very very nervous yesterday when they showed the video of the epidural and when we broke for lunch I talked with Chris and told him I'm just not sure that that's for me. I'm not sure if it's the huge needle in my back, or the catheter in my back, or the urinary catheter that comes along with it or the fact of feeling immobile - but it just sorta scares me. So right now, I am leaning towards - if possible - trying to go au natural. To be honest - I think it scares Chris because I'm positive he is worried I'll become a beast - but I'm sure he's up for the challenge!
No matter what we decide may or may not be best for us the one thing I keep reminding myself of is that at the end of the day baby is going to decide what it wants. Rosemary kept mentioning to us yesterday in class that the baby will tell the doctors what it will and will not tolerate and they will act accordingly - so I'm hoping to decide what we think is the best course of action for us over the next 9 weeks but then remain open and flexible that we may not get our wish.
Wow that was a lot of rambling - so sorry - but I'm just so excited and feel so empowered over the past few days that I just needed to get it all out! Other than classes we have got a TON of snow this week! I worked from home 3 days this week and by the end of the week had total cabin fever!! I think this week is supposed to be better so I'm looking forward to that! I also got my first baby shower invite in the mail - yay!!! My sweet sister in law (brother's wife) Ashley and my Momma are throwing me a shower in my home town on March 8th and I just cannot wait! The invites are adorable right? :)
I've also been battling some pretty bad insomnia - I have no problem going to be but staying there is proving to be challenging! Friday night/Saturday morning was the worst ever - I woke at 1:30 and when that happens it's torture! So I did what any normal person would do - eat peanut butter toast, paint my nails, and watch Locked Up Abroad. I also got my Tdap vaccination on Friday which is recommended for all pregnant women regardless of the last time you had it boosted. I forgot how much it hurts your arm muscle afterwards - I feel like I got punched HARD!!
XOXO
K
This week marked the beginning of February and the beginning of baby mania for us! We have Natural Childbirth classes on Thursday nights with our amazing doula and next door neighbor Rita at her adorable business Mother Me Inc. We also took the Great Expectations class at our hospital - Northwestern - yesterday. To give you a little background Chris and I are not big book readers - I used to read a lot when I was going to the gym and running but now I guess with working and trying to stay active and the pregnancy winding down - I just can't stay awake long enough to sit and read! That being said - we haven't read anything other than the weekly app on our phone. So we were feeling a bit unprepared when it came to what we are getting ourselves in to! It was great to take a hospital class where they focused heavily on all of the medical interventions that can come along with birth and also take Rita's classes which explore a more natural way to have a baby.
Rita asked us to draw pictures of our ideal birth situation - and Chris and I really haven't talked all that much about it so I was kind of lost at first. The only thing we are hoping for - although we know it's not up to us - is to be able to go into labor organically, on our own. So here's what I drew:
Of course pink and purple right! :) The first part of the picture is Chris and I sitting on the couch watching a movie with the fur babies blissfully unaware of what's about ready to happen. Then we realize holy smokes, we are going into labor and we head to the hospital. Then there is this sort of black hole surrounding the whole birth process and I just see us at the end with a happy and healthy baby. So the black hole is what we are hoping to figure out in the next 9+ weeks!
The most important thing that I've learned over the past 10 hours of class so far is that there isn't a right answer or a right way to have a baby. It's all about what feels right and natural and authentic to you and your partner, not necessarily what worked for your friend, or your mom, or you sister or anyone else. These classes are helping us explore all options, giving us the pros and cons of all those options, and really helping me understand the implications of all the different decisions that go into the birthing process. Another very important thing that both Rita and our instructor Rosemary has helped me realize if that if you are able to have a normal, vaginal birth - it's a pretty routine medical event. Women do this all day, every day all around the world - they do it in hospitals hooked to monitors, with epidurals to take the pain away, in jungles with absolutely nothing - our bodies were made to do this and I am starting to appreciate the process and marvel at it rather than be scared of it.
I always thought that I would be the person that would walk into Northwestern and be like "Hi, my name is Kristen, I'm here to have a baby and I'd like my epidural right. now." Then in listening during classes and learning that once you have that epidural you are sort of confined to the bed and a few positions and starting to understand that it may not be the first thing I ask for. I actually got very very nervous yesterday when they showed the video of the epidural and when we broke for lunch I talked with Chris and told him I'm just not sure that that's for me. I'm not sure if it's the huge needle in my back, or the catheter in my back, or the urinary catheter that comes along with it or the fact of feeling immobile - but it just sorta scares me. So right now, I am leaning towards - if possible - trying to go au natural. To be honest - I think it scares Chris because I'm positive he is worried I'll become a beast - but I'm sure he's up for the challenge!
No matter what we decide may or may not be best for us the one thing I keep reminding myself of is that at the end of the day baby is going to decide what it wants. Rosemary kept mentioning to us yesterday in class that the baby will tell the doctors what it will and will not tolerate and they will act accordingly - so I'm hoping to decide what we think is the best course of action for us over the next 9 weeks but then remain open and flexible that we may not get our wish.
Wow that was a lot of rambling - so sorry - but I'm just so excited and feel so empowered over the past few days that I just needed to get it all out! Other than classes we have got a TON of snow this week! I worked from home 3 days this week and by the end of the week had total cabin fever!! I think this week is supposed to be better so I'm looking forward to that! I also got my first baby shower invite in the mail - yay!!! My sweet sister in law (brother's wife) Ashley and my Momma are throwing me a shower in my home town on March 8th and I just cannot wait! The invites are adorable right? :)
I've also been battling some pretty bad insomnia - I have no problem going to be but staying there is proving to be challenging! Friday night/Saturday morning was the worst ever - I woke at 1:30 and when that happens it's torture! So I did what any normal person would do - eat peanut butter toast, paint my nails, and watch Locked Up Abroad. I also got my Tdap vaccination on Friday which is recommended for all pregnant women regardless of the last time you had it boosted. I forgot how much it hurts your arm muscle afterwards - I feel like I got punched HARD!!
That's about all the excitement we had this week! I hope that you are having a great weekend!! I'll leave you with this week's bump pic!!
K
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