My birthing plan is to not have one. What’ s the adage? Plans are made to be broken? That being said, I do have some strong opinions that will not change. I do not want to be given an epidural. I do not want to be induced, artificially with Pitocen. I want an active labor, not tied down with tubes and monitors. I do not want to attempt to birth laying on my back. I want Adam to be by my side, as involved as he wants to be. I want to use natural, time tested methods; a birthing stool, chair, squatting, kneeling, walking about, a birthing chair, ball, and tub. I will expound on these thoughts in my next post.
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The Dog
Adam and I now share our home with a 2 year old, spayed, black lab mix named Coco. We found her through a posting on craigslist. What a joy! She is very smart and playful. And, although she was described a shy with men, has already formed a strong bond with Adam. Coco is adjusting to our life so well. We bought a Gentle Leader to walk her with, instead of the traditional collar. What an incredible difference! Walking her on a leash was a painful experience before, with Coco pulling like an Iditarod champion. I am so glad to have her with us!
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The Business of Being Born
Adam and I just watched the docufilm, The Business of Being Born. What a powerful movie. I think that it is a must see for any future (expecting, hopeful, or just fertile human) parent.
The fact that women are herded about and misled by the AMA is not some shocking news item, for me. But, the facts presented in this movie are unavoidable. We should be enraged, yes enraged, at the way that we are just expected to just take it laying down, as American women. It is time to educate ourselves on what the real options are! It is time to stand up the insurance companies and our doctors and remind them that the power lies within us, that we do not need them to tell us the right way to give birth.
Anyway…that is a must larger subject. I will continue on this rant on another date.
We had a scare yesterday afternoon/ evening. Contractions with cramps and backache began at about 1530. I drank two or three glasses of water and laid down on my left side (as instructed by my mid-wife at my last appointment), and tried to wait it out for the recommended hour. They did not subside. I thought that the “drink 24 oz. of water and lay down” instructions were particularly humorous…What I really did was drink the water, lay down, get up, go the bathroom, lay down, get up, go the bathroom, etc…for about three and a half hours. We finally decided to call in and get some advice at around 1930. The on-call doctor asked how the contractions were spaced. I told her they were about 20 minutes apart. She explained Braxton Hicks contractions to me. She told me that if there was no bleeding or uncommon discharge, that if I could rest/sleep, and that if the contractions were not more than six per hour, that all was normal. So, I am normal (in this department)!
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The Tumbler
Our child tumbles about within me. Reminding me of what is real, what is important. I love to “hold” this child. I can watch the movements beneath my skin, now. My belly bulges as the child rolls about.It responds to my laughter. Whether it can sense my joy, or is awakened by my belly laughs, I am not sure. I think that it already has a sense of humor. It will be bumping about, merrily. When I take Adam’s hand and place it over the movement to show him, it will become quite still…
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The Countdown
Adam has added a Countdown feature. What a great tool. We can track the progress of this pregnancy very easily now. Thank you, Adam for this sweet addition!
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A Beautiful Perspective
“In our lifetime we accumulate a lot of garbage: emotional baggage full of toxic thoughts, self-limiting and damaging notions, and negative scripts. The more aware we are of these, the more we own our own problem areas, the less likely we are to pollute our children with our mental poison. By the same token, the more empathic, caring, and nurturing we are, the more we instill in our progeny, from conception on, feelings of self-worth, trust, and love.” excerpt from http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/womb.html
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A Catalpa Bean
Our baby received its very first gift on Saturday. A catalpa bean pod from family friend, M.J. He told us that if I shook the organic “rattle” near my belly, the baby would be introduced, early, to rhythm. He also explained that we would need to be careful, because according to native american lore, mischievous spirits are attracted to rattled rhythms. So, if I continue to misplace things (keys, papers, and most recently a stoneware baking dish…) I will just blame it on some unsuspecting puck.
Today, Adam and I had our second glimpse (via ultrasound) at the blossoming life within my womb. I am both humbled and elated. I took the remainder of the day to contemplate my role in this child’s development, my role in the journey of a new life.
We have elected to keep the sex of our unborn baby a mystery. A decision that seems to boggle most of our friends and acquaintances. It seems as though we live in a time with so few mysteries. Our lives are lived in full exposure. We want to be able to hold on to the element of surprise in that one area.
I am 129 days (19 weeks) into my pregnancy. Our baby is 5-5.5 ” long and weighs about 5.25 ounces. When I lay down to sleep and when a wake up, I feel “fluttering” movements in my growing belly.