My Pregnancy Journal, Page 4
Week 23: September 27, 2000
Had I mentioned the Braxton Hicks contractions have gotten Quite Intense? Well they have! Especially when I get up suddenly or when I first go to bed at night. Little Luke must be practicing for the Big Day. :-) I've been tired this week... low motivation... but keeping up the best I can. The girls are changing each day and I've been enjoying playtime in the mornings -- sometimes just watching them and chuckling when they see me Noticing their mischief. The hugs and giggles keep me sane! I'm thinking the change in weather has more to do with my fatigue than pregnancy... but friends tell me it's probably a combination of both! I went through all the baby clothes over the weekend and weeded out all of the "gender neutral" and some Actual Boy Clothes from the bags. (bags and bags!) Golly, my girls have a lot of clothes, from birth to now! So I found that I'm in good shape for some basics, like sleepers and t-shirts. Certainly not a lot of "boy outfits" for outings... but I'm working on that! I've heard from several friends with "wittle boys of their own" that some are on the way... I can't wait! Plus, I went to a thrift store on Saturday and bought one cute Mickey Mouse "2-piece sweats" outfit for a 3-6 mo. boy. Felt good to start the collecting!
My almost 2-year-old will be dedicated to the Lord this Sunday, the day before her birthday. Where has the time gone? I'm amazed she is two already!! And here I am preparing for another natural childbirth! Sunday will be special, sort of like a Christening, but no baptism. Our church is small, she is one of 2 little ones in the ceremony. Prenatal visit #5 is next Friday! Stay tuned! Anyone want to guess what we've decided on for Luke's Nursery Theme??? Hint: They came in two's (BIG GRIN!) HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!!!!!
Week 24: October 5, 2000
15 more weeks... or less! Wow. Luke is kicking and hiccuping more than ever, it's amazing even after 2 previous pregnancies. My 5th doctor appt. is tomorrow morning at 9. I don't expect any surprises... just routine: measurements and heartbeat. I'll be scheduling the glucose test for a couple weeks from now, I am pretty sure. Tonight we missed the first Bradley Method (of natural childbirth) class as we had no child sitter. The plans I made in July failed first because I waited too long to confirm, second because of my MIL's feeling under the weather. No one at church or in the neighborhood was available. So the instructor assured me that she would work with us over the phone this week and hope that next week we'll be able to attend. I pray we are, as I truly want this to be the best birthing experience possible, and I do need the training. Well... I am publishing the second newsletter today and adding more stuff to Sheramom's Internet Portal so I'd better get busy. OH! the nursery theme, in case you didn't know, will be Noah's Ark, with primitive country colors, like navy blue, tan, and brick red. I'm excited to get started with the decorating!
Week 31: November 18, 2000 I have been miserably absent here, and I apologize! October and November were the big birthday months here... Christa is now 2 and Hailey is now 4. With the parties and clothes shopping, doctor appointments and lots of activities with friends, church, and family I was just not on the computer much at all! My prenatal appointments have all gone well, the baby's heartbeat is ranging between 140 and 150 and all of my "stats" are normal/healthy. I really don't have any complaints other than some intense braxton hicks contractions occasionally each day, and the growing fatigue associated with the third trimester. Only 8 weeks to go! I am Quite Round now! Many of my maternity clothes are getting tight in the middle. Sigh. Darell has been supportive of my limitations, with a very good memory of this stage of pregnancy. We did attend one Bradley Method childbirth preparation class and it was very enlightening. We can't go often because of the lack of childcare, but I have read all three books cover - to - cover and I am feeling much more confident about this birth. The relaxation techniques alone are well worth the studying, I know this new philosophy of tuning into my body and knowing exactly how it works will carry over into other times when stress relief is necessary. I've had anxiety attacks in the past and I am hopeful that this new knowledge will be automatic any time that I feel the tensing up of muscles and mind. Darell is still studying and we are starting the daily practice of total relaxation. I am looking forward to putting this into practice. Our childbirth instructor agreed to be available for "D-day" as I do not have a midwife this time around and would like Darell to have someone VERY knowledgeable on naturalchildbirth available to help him be my labor partner/coach. My friend Kathie reminded me that in some ways Darell will be more of a guard than coach while I stow away in bathroom to labor in peace or when it comes time to decline interventions that are unnecessary or dangerous . I'll be writing my birth plan over the next week or so, and will report on how it goes over with my physician. She is very open to the Bradley method and also said that in terms of While in labor, I can have as many or few visitors as I wish, including my daughters, my sister, parents, etc. I suspect I will only want Darell and my attendant there with me, nbut if it happens that my sister and her husband are with us (caring for our daughters) at the hospital, I may want to have Hailey and Christa come in immediately after delivery to see their little brother. I pray that everything goes well and that we can include them as much as possible without compromising my focus and relaxation.
The tour of the hospital went well a few weeks ago, too! The labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum room is just as I remember it was when Hailey was born--- carpeted, warm wallpaper and a private bathroom. One new thing is a VCR for the TV. I'll have to pack something really mindless and non-distracting to pop in and listen to/ watch, or have in the background... in case I want it--- I remember being very annoyed by the TV selections the last couple times we did this!! Well, it's time to write the Thanksgiving Newsletter: Sheramom's Round Robin. Many Blessings for a wonderful Holiday!
Week 35-- adjusted to Week 37!, December 20, 2000:
It is week 37, according to our latest ultrasound 2 weeks ago. Little Luke
is approximately 5.5 pounds and all organs are mature enough for living
outside of me, Praise the Lord! I am getting bigger by the Minute, it
seems, and I am slowing down - unable to bend over or lift things easily
anymore. The nest is fairly well "feathered" for our little one's arrival,
with the exception of the laundry-- it is clean, just not put away yet! And
we have stocked up with diapers, groceries and odds 'n' ends that for a few
weeks will be difficult to keep up on. My childbirth instructor is still
planning to attend this birth, another Praise! And we are feeling ready to
try the Bradley method of relaxation for a successful Natural Childbirth.
The doctor says we can expect to labor any time after Christmas! This was a
surprise for us to hear, but hey, as my husband says... the sooner the
better... and a tax deduction to boot! <giggle> I am hoping to
soon post Luke's latest "portrait" -- the ultrasound scan shows very visible
Chubby Cheeks! It is truly an amazing image, and I'll prayerfully have it
scanned before he arrives! (my scanner is not working properly at the moment). I'll take this opportunity to thank my visitors here for your support and interest in this pregnancy. Soon, I'll have another birth story to post on another section of this vast website! Please visit my newsletter archive page to read the Christmas edition. More updates and lots of neat links are there!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
God Bless!
["Come to the Table" Hymn]~ [Apple Recipes] ~ [Christmas Recipes] ~ [My Tea Patio] ~ [Banner Exchange] ~ [Webrings] ~ [Guestbook] ~ [Sheramom's Fabulous WWW Links]
