I was at the hospital this morning for a standard blood draw, and decided to wander through the Labor & Delivery area. The nurses on duty were fabulous. One of them gave me a short tour and a stack of information about their policies, and everything looks good. The nurse was a bit confused when I asked her how they deal with excessive volume. I'm sure I'll be vocalizing quite a bit! I have no intention to curb it for their sakes, so I just hope they'll take it gracefully.
:)
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
How ya doing?
It's an innocuous enough question, one that Americans give each other every day of the year. The expected reply is generally something to the effect of "great, how are you?"
This doesn't work so well when you're pregnant. And it's a question that pregnant (particularly showing) women hear often. OK, constantly. I must have had 10-15 different people yesterday pass me in the hall at work and as how I was feeling, how I was doing, how I'd been lately... all of them women, and all of them clearly referring to my ever-growing baby boy belly bump.
Now I appreciate that they want to acknowledge my pregnancy and say hello, but this does create a bit of an awkward situation. When you both know that what they really mean is "How are you doing with your pregnancy?" it just doesn't sound right to answer "Great, how are you?"
This doesn't work so well when you're pregnant. And it's a question that pregnant (particularly showing) women hear often. OK, constantly. I must have had 10-15 different people yesterday pass me in the hall at work and as how I was feeling, how I was doing, how I'd been lately... all of them women, and all of them clearly referring to my ever-growing baby boy belly bump.
Now I appreciate that they want to acknowledge my pregnancy and say hello, but this does create a bit of an awkward situation. When you both know that what they really mean is "How are you doing with your pregnancy?" it just doesn't sound right to answer "Great, how are you?"
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Nerves
I've never been worried about the pain aspect, since I have a high pain tolerance. But I've decided that it's time to acknowledge that yes, indeed, there are parts of giving birth that cause me concern. There are two things about giving birth that make me nervous and worried:
Tension. I've never been good at relaxing my body. Mombi can make me go totally limp just by rubbing the bridge of my nose, though, so hopefully together we can manage to stay relaxed and loose.
Stamina. I'm afraid I'll get tired out and not be able to finish. What if I get tired out and just can't push?
I'm shifting into preparation mode now so I can be ready then. I'm reading the book "Birthing from Within" and it has a lot of great information in it on how to relax. I'm also starting to swim more frequently, which will hopefully help me to build up my core muscles, which will help with strength/stamina.
Tension. I've never been good at relaxing my body. Mombi can make me go totally limp just by rubbing the bridge of my nose, though, so hopefully together we can manage to stay relaxed and loose.
Stamina. I'm afraid I'll get tired out and not be able to finish. What if I get tired out and just can't push?
I'm shifting into preparation mode now so I can be ready then. I'm reading the book "Birthing from Within" and it has a lot of great information in it on how to relax. I'm also starting to swim more frequently, which will hopefully help me to build up my core muscles, which will help with strength/stamina.
Friday, December 22, 2006
About Weirdness
Meg asked me to post some more detail about the various weirdnesses of being pregnant. In no particular order, here are a few of the weirdnesses I've experienced. I've skipped the basic stuff that everyone knows about, like having to pee every 15 minutes.
Please, feel free to add your own in the comments section.
1. Feeling the baby moving. People describe it as feeling like butterfly flutters or gas bubbles. To me, it definitely feels more like muscle twitches. Have you ever had a twitch in your eyelid or some other muscle that was tired out? Imagine that sensation in your lower abdomen, and that's pretty much exactly how it feels, especially for the first few weeks that you can feel it. Griffin is now starting to pack a bit more punch, but most of his little motions still feel like that. Now, though, he's starting to direct his little spasms down at my bladder or up at my diaphram, so that's a whole new level of weirdness to consider.
2. Twinges. Everywhere. And according to Mombi, I make some pretty interesting faces.
3. Emotions. I've done my fair share of dealing with depression, ADD, etc. But this random crying stuff, especially when I can't even find a negative trigger as a source, is downright kooky. Luckily, Mombi has a good sense of humor about it and she usually monologues on the importance of releasing toxins until either I run out of steam and pull myself together, or she convinces me to let her turn on a Harry Potter audio book and tuck me in for a nap. (Random fact: we've fallen asleep to Harry Potter nearly every night for the past 2+ years. I have a feeling that, at birth, Griffin will recognize three voices. Mine, Mombi's, and Jim Dale's.)
4. Stretching. Before becoming pregnant, I thought of it as being a bit like being a Transformer (TM). My body is designed to do this, right? So like a Transformer, I figured that some parts would flip up, some would flip down, some would pop out, and voila, the space would be there. Not so. Yes, things stretch and/or shift. But only when they have to. "Have to" means that there's something pushing on them too hard for them to resist. For example, I am now dealing with a back that hurts precisely where my floating ribs connect to my spine. They are floating higher and wider day by day, which means that all the connections have to shift. Similar events are occuring in my hips and among my internal organs. My abdominal musles are even starting to separate down the front of my belly. You've seen those drawings of where your organs go when you're pregnant? Honey, it's one thing to see the picture as a passive audience. Once you're experiencing it, those pictures get pretty scary. Looking at photos of beautiful full-term bellies? Terrifying!
5. Intense ambivalance. Sometimes, every food you hear mentioned sounds perfect. Other times, the name of the food sounds great, but when you think about it, you really have no interest in eating it. Other foods you can't stand the thought of, and then crave intensely as soon as they are no longer available. And it often seems that the hungrier you are, the more you hate the idea of food because you just know that it'll be impossible to be satisfied.
6. Dreams. See previous posts.
7. Society. Am I the only one who finds it odd when Co-workers call me Mommy or call me by my kid's name while looking at my belly? It doesn't bother me, but still, it's definitely in the "weirdness" category.
8. Time. It's worse than the week before a big vacation. Time goes so quickly, and so slowly. There's so much to think about and do, and yet there's nothing new to think about after a while, and not much you are "allowed" do.
Please, feel free to add your own in the comments section.
1. Feeling the baby moving. People describe it as feeling like butterfly flutters or gas bubbles. To me, it definitely feels more like muscle twitches. Have you ever had a twitch in your eyelid or some other muscle that was tired out? Imagine that sensation in your lower abdomen, and that's pretty much exactly how it feels, especially for the first few weeks that you can feel it. Griffin is now starting to pack a bit more punch, but most of his little motions still feel like that. Now, though, he's starting to direct his little spasms down at my bladder or up at my diaphram, so that's a whole new level of weirdness to consider.
2. Twinges. Everywhere. And according to Mombi, I make some pretty interesting faces.
3. Emotions. I've done my fair share of dealing with depression, ADD, etc. But this random crying stuff, especially when I can't even find a negative trigger as a source, is downright kooky. Luckily, Mombi has a good sense of humor about it and she usually monologues on the importance of releasing toxins until either I run out of steam and pull myself together, or she convinces me to let her turn on a Harry Potter audio book and tuck me in for a nap. (Random fact: we've fallen asleep to Harry Potter nearly every night for the past 2+ years. I have a feeling that, at birth, Griffin will recognize three voices. Mine, Mombi's, and Jim Dale's.)
4. Stretching. Before becoming pregnant, I thought of it as being a bit like being a Transformer (TM). My body is designed to do this, right? So like a Transformer, I figured that some parts would flip up, some would flip down, some would pop out, and voila, the space would be there. Not so. Yes, things stretch and/or shift. But only when they have to. "Have to" means that there's something pushing on them too hard for them to resist. For example, I am now dealing with a back that hurts precisely where my floating ribs connect to my spine. They are floating higher and wider day by day, which means that all the connections have to shift. Similar events are occuring in my hips and among my internal organs. My abdominal musles are even starting to separate down the front of my belly. You've seen those drawings of where your organs go when you're pregnant? Honey, it's one thing to see the picture as a passive audience. Once you're experiencing it, those pictures get pretty scary. Looking at photos of beautiful full-term bellies? Terrifying!
5. Intense ambivalance. Sometimes, every food you hear mentioned sounds perfect. Other times, the name of the food sounds great, but when you think about it, you really have no interest in eating it. Other foods you can't stand the thought of, and then crave intensely as soon as they are no longer available. And it often seems that the hungrier you are, the more you hate the idea of food because you just know that it'll be impossible to be satisfied.
6. Dreams. See previous posts.
7. Society. Am I the only one who finds it odd when Co-workers call me Mommy or call me by my kid's name while looking at my belly? It doesn't bother me, but still, it's definitely in the "weirdness" category.
8. Time. It's worse than the week before a big vacation. Time goes so quickly, and so slowly. There's so much to think about and do, and yet there's nothing new to think about after a while, and not much you are "allowed" do.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
All done!
Well, my Solstice gifts for Mombi are all wrapped and under the Christmas tree. Now comes the hard part... trying to resist inviting her to open them right away! I'll be fairly free of temptation until she gets hers for me wrapped, but after that we're doomed!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
What a Great Weekend
I had such a fun weekend. I did a bunch of really fun holiday shopping, we finally got our tree up, my energy level is up and my emotional state is stable. I even finally got the haircut I've been needing for three months now. This is shaping up to be a great holiday week! I'll be working for the next two days, and then I'll have two days off to celebrate the solstice with Mombi. Then one more day at work, and three more off!
My family will be celebrating Christmas at my parents' house this coming Saturday, and that's always a lot of fun. My family all gets along very well, and we have a great time together. This year should be no exception. So far all the traditions have been adhered to. My mom has already declaired that this is the year that there will be less under the tree (she tends to go overboard,) and everyone will be in town, with the exception of my sister Amy's significant other.
The only tradition that won't be happening this year is that we won't all be spending the night at my parents' place the night before, since there won't be enough beds for all of us this year. That's fine, though, because it means we can leave the dog home and she won't be in the way while we're making a mess in the living room. It also means that I won't have to haul all my pillows over there. They'd fill up the trunk of our car, and we wouldn't have room for presents!
Griffin is now easily felt from the outside, so I have a feeling that some of the family (particularly my sister Amy) will be spending a lot of time communing with the kiddo. Which is fine with me! I totally get a kick out of it. Pun not intended, but I do love feeling it from the inside when Griffin kicks and it makes people giggle or grin. And I'm all about providing entertainment when I don't have to do anything other than lean back and relax.
My family will be celebrating Christmas at my parents' house this coming Saturday, and that's always a lot of fun. My family all gets along very well, and we have a great time together. This year should be no exception. So far all the traditions have been adhered to. My mom has already declaired that this is the year that there will be less under the tree (she tends to go overboard,) and everyone will be in town, with the exception of my sister Amy's significant other.
The only tradition that won't be happening this year is that we won't all be spending the night at my parents' place the night before, since there won't be enough beds for all of us this year. That's fine, though, because it means we can leave the dog home and she won't be in the way while we're making a mess in the living room. It also means that I won't have to haul all my pillows over there. They'd fill up the trunk of our car, and we wouldn't have room for presents!
Griffin is now easily felt from the outside, so I have a feeling that some of the family (particularly my sister Amy) will be spending a lot of time communing with the kiddo. Which is fine with me! I totally get a kick out of it. Pun not intended, but I do love feeling it from the inside when Griffin kicks and it makes people giggle or grin. And I'm all about providing entertainment when I don't have to do anything other than lean back and relax.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
He has a name!
We're delighted to announce that we've settled on a name for Skippy. Our little boy will enter the world as Griffin Alexander. We had a different name in mind, but we spotted the name "Griffin" on a kid's drawing while we were waiting to vote at an elementary school, and discovered that we both really liked the name. It took a while to find the right middle name to go with it, but we really like the result. It's a name that could sound equally appropriate for a business man or a hippie nature boy, or anyone inbetween.
So yeah, Griffin has a name. He also has a nice large home that rests directly on my bladder. Kegels don't seem to be helping at all. And I'm not even five months pregnant yet! I'm in such trouble. Any advice on how to keep things under control?
So yeah, Griffin has a name. He also has a nice large home that rests directly on my bladder. Kegels don't seem to be helping at all. And I'm not even five months pregnant yet! I'm in such trouble. Any advice on how to keep things under control?
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Getting a Nice Stretch
Life is good. There really isn't much to report on the pregnancy front, but we're having fun anticipating having a little baby boy in the house. It's all so exciting just to contemplate. Skippy is moving so much now that I feel him consistently throughout my waking hours. Mombi somehow always knows just where to put her hand to feel the next big kick. She and Skippy are going to be such a duo!
Apparently he's quite active during my sleep, too: Last night I dreampt that he gave a huge kick and stretched out to full length, and my belly took on the shape of his front side, all the way from his profile on my left side to his feet popping out on my right. Then he decided (in my dream) that he wanted to come out and hang around with us for a while, and suddenly he was there, perfectly formed and fully grown and super cute. He suffered his first "mommies don't know everything" disillusionment almost immediately, though, when we told him that we had no idea how to get him back inside me. Still, his immediate needs were met (he claimed to have come out because he was hungry) and it was a very happy visit all around. What a good baby we have!
Apparently he's quite active during my sleep, too: Last night I dreampt that he gave a huge kick and stretched out to full length, and my belly took on the shape of his front side, all the way from his profile on my left side to his feet popping out on my right. Then he decided (in my dream) that he wanted to come out and hang around with us for a while, and suddenly he was there, perfectly formed and fully grown and super cute. He suffered his first "mommies don't know everything" disillusionment almost immediately, though, when we told him that we had no idea how to get him back inside me. Still, his immediate needs were met (he claimed to have come out because he was hungry) and it was a very happy visit all around. What a good baby we have!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Our Active Child
We had a check-up this morning (21 weeks, wow!) and Skippy was a very active little boy! He kept squirming around and kicking the doplar monitor thingy. His heart rate was 155, my BP is nice and low, and everything is looking good!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Time sure flies...
I've been such a neglectful blogger lately. Busy at work, worn out by the time I get home... there just isn't enough time for everything, and work and sleep usually win.
Life is good. Skippy is happily pinging away at my lower abdomen for a good portion of each day, so that's very cool. It's still more like little muscle twitches than heavy duty thumps, so it's a pleasant accompaniment to my daily routine. Energy level and all that are good, although I don't know how I'll get done all the things I want to do before Christmas. It's just so satisfying to crash on the couch as soon as I get home each day!
Life is good. Skippy is happily pinging away at my lower abdomen for a good portion of each day, so that's very cool. It's still more like little muscle twitches than heavy duty thumps, so it's a pleasant accompaniment to my daily routine. Energy level and all that are good, although I don't know how I'll get done all the things I want to do before Christmas. It's just so satisfying to crash on the couch as soon as I get home each day!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
How safe is your baby right now?
A study looked at the cord blood for 10 random US babies, and found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and polutants per baby. At birth, these kids already had major toxins in their bodies. Check out this website, and look up the skin/hair/etc products you use:
http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/
If you look at nothing else, check out the list of the most dangerous (i.e. toxic) baby washes. Johnson & Johnson and Gerber both have products right up there at the top. We sure won't be using them!!!!!
And surprise surprise, almost all of the stuff in the shower at our place contains chemicals that can cause cancer, developmental problems, etc. I guess that's what we get for shopping based on packaging and fake fragrance.
I'm going shopping for new shampoo tomorrow. Hey, I've missed reading the labels on Dr. Bronner's anyway.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/
If you look at nothing else, check out the list of the most dangerous (i.e. toxic) baby washes. Johnson & Johnson and Gerber both have products right up there at the top. We sure won't be using them!!!!!
And surprise surprise, almost all of the stuff in the shower at our place contains chemicals that can cause cancer, developmental problems, etc. I guess that's what we get for shopping based on packaging and fake fragrance.
I'm going shopping for new shampoo tomorrow. Hey, I've missed reading the labels on Dr. Bronner's anyway.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
20 Weeks and 2 Days Down, 138 Days to Go!
Wow, we're over halfway there. Of course that's counting the first two weeks when I was on a bunch of hormones, and assuming that I won't be significantly late delivering, which I very well may be. Still, the magical 20 weeks has been achieved.
It really is amazing how much the sensation of pregnancy can change from week to week and month to month. I can still remember how amazingly exhausted I was for the first few months, and the mild nausea I felt constantly. Those are gone now apart from the occasional gag reflex due to smells. Currently the main "symptoms" are: tickling from the boy as he thumps the sides of his swimming pool, and continued nightly dreams involving food. It doesn't seem to make any difference what type of dream it is, my subconscious manages to get food in there somewhere.
Mombi bought me some fabulous flannel pajamas with a retro snowflake pattern in red and lime green, so I'm sitting pretty. And they've got plenty of room for a growing belly, so I'll probably be wearing these very frequently until April at least!
It really is amazing how much the sensation of pregnancy can change from week to week and month to month. I can still remember how amazingly exhausted I was for the first few months, and the mild nausea I felt constantly. Those are gone now apart from the occasional gag reflex due to smells. Currently the main "symptoms" are: tickling from the boy as he thumps the sides of his swimming pool, and continued nightly dreams involving food. It doesn't seem to make any difference what type of dream it is, my subconscious manages to get food in there somewhere.
Mombi bought me some fabulous flannel pajamas with a retro snowflake pattern in red and lime green, so I'm sitting pretty. And they've got plenty of room for a growing belly, so I'll probably be wearing these very frequently until April at least!
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