Tuesday 12 July 2011

Waddler

It started yesterday, I stood up from my desk at lunch time and I couldn't walk, intense sharp pains were shooting through my lower back and I just couldn't seem to straighten up.  Figured a good night's sleep (ha!) would fix the problem and then this morning, I still couldn't walk.  It took me 15 minutes to walk the 3 minutes from the parking lot to work.  How am I going to get through two more weeks of work like this?  Is this pregnancy waddle?  I thought that was caused from the pelvis spreading, not from shooting pain.  The only place I feel good is in the water, need to get in the tub.

Wednesday 6 July 2011

35 Weeks!


So here we are, 35 weeks.  Up until last week I was feeling pretty good, thinking....I've got this thing under control..... i'm sleeping okay, eating, walking every day....well that all ended this week.  I haven't slept in days, between the heartburn, itching, peeing, heat and general discomfort I am almost delirious with exhaustion.  It's a struggle to keep my eyes open during the work day.  Back and rib pain make sitting all day pretty unbearable and daily walks are getting harder to handle.

There's a part of me that hates to complain,  after pregnancy loss and fertility issues I should suck it up and count my blessings right?  However the part of me that hates to complain is shrinking as quickly as the rest of me is expanding.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Baby blues during pregnancy?


Last night I found myself googling "depression in the third trimester" and was surprised by how many women were talking about their experiences with the pre-baby blues.  I've definitely found myself in a dark cloud these last few days and with a history of depression and the loss of a previous pregnancy it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am predisposed.  None of the baby books I read mentioned anything about antenal depression but I found this article from the UK Sunday times (2007) that does a great job explaining antenatal depression, the causes and what you can do about it. 

"Women undergo a barrage of tests during pregnancy to check their weight and blood pressure and assess the development of the foetus, but are rarely asked how they feel – whether they are coping emotionally with the prospect of a new life turning their own upside down." - The Sunday Times December 4, 2007

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin

Another one of those pregnancy side effects I never knew about.....facial hair....well just one hair really on my chin.  Who knows how long I was walking around with that long black chin hair!  However, the hair on my head is amazing, thicker than ever and growing like crazy.  I'll be devastated when it goes.

Thursday 23 June 2011

Tick Tock

The little ticker to the right tells me that I have less than 50 days left until my due date.  This brings me to thoughts of how this little sucker is getting out of me.  Based on a personal recommendation, and the highest Amazon ratings I've ever seen for a book of this type, I read Ina May Gaskin's book "Guide to Childbirth." Ina May is a founding member of the Midwives Alliance of North America and author who writes about natural childbirth, she has attended over 2,200 natural births.

The first half of the book is made up of stories of women who have been through the natural birthing process, I found them a little too granola and repetitive.  The second half of the book more than makes it a worthwhile read.  It walks you through the entire birth process and did a pretty good job of convicing me that my instinct to avoid epdiurals, pitocin and other interventions is the right thing for me.  Obviously everyone's experience is going to be different and you don't know what roadblocks you will encounter, but Ina May's book convinced me that with proper preparation and the right mental approach, this is something that I can do (or at least strive for).  I'm still scared but I'm more scared of medical interventions, as Ina May says "your body is not a lemon" and it will know what to do.

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Thursday 16 June 2011

Mama Natural



I've been watching natural birth videos on you tube looking for stories of women giving birth naturally in the hospital.  Last night I discovered Genevieve, aka Mama Natural, an amazing woman who chronicles her labour and the birth of her son Griffin in a three part video series.  It's amazing, terrifying, inspirational and yes, terrifying watching her 27 hour pain-med-free journey.  After watching all three parts I texted my husband to tell him that I cannot deliver this baby and we are just going to have to find another way to get it out.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

What to wear?

At 31 weeks into my pregnancy I finally caved in and bought "maternity clothing".  I've exhausted every tunic, forever 21 size large tee and wrap dress that I had.  In my quest for non-hideous, affordable maternity wear i was forced to the interweb where I stumbled upon Everly Grey.  Dresses I would actually wear, reasonable pricing and some cheap sale items.  The customer service was great, the items arrived exactly as described, only downside was the brokerage fees to ship to Canada.  I bought the Blair Dress and Marissa Embroidered Top.

Blair Dress


Marissa Embroidered Top
 

Monday 13 June 2011

Nursery

I've ordered a few things for the nursery, we are a little superstitious about preparing too much before the baby is born, so everything will remain in boxes for a few more weeks. Here's what we've got so far.


To Doula or not to Doula

Yesterday we had a doula come to the house for a private prenatal class.  There were lots of options for prenatal classes but I thought a private session would be best for us.  We have been through a previous pregnancy loss in hospital and I had a lot of concerns and questions that I felt were specific to our experiences that I wouldn't have felt comfortable sharing in a public class.  She was lovely and very informative and five hours (yes, five hours!) flew by.  I now find myself very confused about my plans, originally I was an epidural girl all the way, now I can't believe I am actually considering hiring a birth doula and trying natural childbirth.  Most of my friends have gone the epidural route so I'm reading as many birth stories as possible to get perspectives on both options.  Please share if you have a story of your own.

Friday 10 June 2011

Friday Summary

Weeks Pregnant: 31
# of times I was asked today how I'm feeling: 3
# of times I answered this question with "good": 3
# of times I lied in response to the question "how are you feeling?" 3
# of strangers who told me today that I looked "about ready to pop": 1
# of said strangers I wanted to push in front of the oncoming subway: 1
# of times my husband mentioned to me this week that pregnant women are supposed to want to have copious amounts of sex: 5
# of times this week I have wanted to have copious amounts of sex: 0