Baby Girl on the Move

Every time one of my friends catches me walking around they want to feel the baby move. Of course she never does when others want her to. So since she can't see me filming her, I caught some of her good acrobatics on video. So take that. This is what goes on with my belly all the time when no one else is paying attention. Here we are at 34 weeks.

Prenatal Visit #9 - 34 weeks

Chef got to come with me for this visit. We watched a video on hospital transfers, epidurals, and c-sections. I really didn't want to watch it because I already know that I need to be realistic about what could happen. It makes me sad to think about it, but I figure what needs to be done will be done, even if that includes being transferred to a hospital to ensure the safety of my baby.

We also had to check my iron levels again. WHOMP WHOMP. When they took blood for the glucose tolerance testing my iron came back at 10.6. The midwife pricked my finger to do an instant test and my iron came back at 10.4. I was floored (in a bad way). I looked at her like WTF is going on man, especially when I'm taking the most expensive supplement OF LIFE and have been sustaining myself on steak and collard greens. She calmed me down and said that this was very good. I think I mentioned before that I can't deliver at the birth center with an iron level of less than 10. She said that between weeks 28 and 32 your iron levels are expected to drop an entire point. So... in real life, my iron went up by .8.

I was also told by my midwife that she only expects me to make it another month. They check baby's position regularly now. She had to stick her hand in my underwear to find her head. That means the countdown is really on. Baby loves that head down position and she is sooooooo loooow. I am starting to feel pressure on my cervix. It doesn't hurt but it feels a little funny.

And because I haven't shared a real picture of me in a while... here's me and my belly at 34 weeks.

Pregnany Progression - I need to massage my what?!

DISCLAIMER: This post is pretty graphic and talks about fingers in vaginas and whatnot. Reader discretion is advised.


Apparently I'm a little late on this one, but starting at 34 weeks of pregnancy it is good to have you (or your partner) massage your perineum with something rich in Vitamin E. This is only important if you don't want to rip from front to back in case you have a large baby.  Essentially, this is stretching the space between the vagina and the anus now so it will be primed to do so once the baby decides to make its debut.

Chef has been gracious enough to do this for me every day for about 5 minutes. He calls it foreplay without the play. Our vehicle of choice is good old fashioned olive oil. So, I know you're wondering... how might one go about a perineal massage. Well, this is how Chef and I do it. *He has very large fingers so we start with one and work our way up to two.* He puts a good amount of olive oil on his index finger and inserts it into my vagina up to about his second knuckle. He then makes a "U" shape back and forth applying pressure around the sides and the bottom. Let me tell you... this does not feel great. The best way to describe it would be a slight stinging sensation. Feel the burn! It gave me the perfect opportunity to practice those breathing exercises and pain coping techniques I learned in my birthing class. I've done the research on it and women having their first child that practice perineal massage are less likely to tear than those who don't.  It doesn't matter whether you massage or not if you're having baby #2 or more. You can take my word for it, research it yourself or think I have really lost my mind, but when I don't have to get stitched up... don't be jealous. Either way I think it's worth a try. Based on how this "massage" feels, I can't possibly fathom how much pushing a baby's head out would hurt. Hopefully it would hurt little less now that I'm prepping for it.

Here's a little diagram on how it should be done if you're doing it yourself. I cant imagine doing it myself because my baby bump is in the way and it's like self inflicted pain. I would be so tense.

Friends Baby Shower

It's time to let you in on everything we got at the baby shower my friend threw for us at her lovely home. Chef was shocked that so many people came out. He said, "Wow, people really like you." Whatever that means. It was a couple friendly fiasco and Chef was his normal overexcited self. The baby shower was on Cinco de Mayo so we had margaritas, burritos and tacos. YUMMY! Once again I didn't realize how much stuff we got until I got home and laid everything out. This haul was full of registry items and I couldn't have been more excited. Take a looksee!

We got everything from bottles, bottle warmer, sterilizer, nursing pads, baby monitor, TONS of cloth diapers and inserts, cloth diaper liners, cloth diaper detergent, enough stuff to bathe baby for the next 3 years of her life, teethers, feeders, a doorway jumper, gift cards, clothes (including another bathing suit), pacifiers, blankets, burp cloths, wash cloths, hats, mittens, socks, and probably more stuff that I'm forgetting. Thank goodness my mom told me not to go shopping for anything until after this baby shower. The things we still need to get are small things like snappis for the cloth diapers and a diaper pail to put the dirty cloth diapers in.

All I know is these thank you cards better hurry up and arrive in the mail because I have a lot of writing to do.

I took pictures of the stuff we got from the family baby shower with my real camera (not iPad camera) as I was cleaning up the nursery so although a little out of order, those pics are coming.

Placenta Encapuslation and Things of that Nature

Before I became educated when I heard people say or ask, "Do you want to eat your placenta?" I thought that meant in its raw, bloody, fresh from the uterus form.  At my last prenatal visit, the handout I received was on placenta encapsulation. What happens is you set up with someone before you deliver to come and pick up your placenta from the birth center and they will deliver your capsules to you within the next few days. It's a dried formulation that is still packed with all of the hormones you lost during delivery. I immediately became intrigued. The benefits of doing this are ridiculous. Since no two people are alike the hormonal composition of your placenta is unique to you. On top of that, why pay money for prescription hormones to combat postpartum depression when everything you need is right there.  Postpartum depression is a result from the drastic change in the drop in hormones once you have the baby. When you think about it... all mammals eat the sacs surrounding their offspring. That can't just be an evolutionary accident.

The benefits of placenta encapsulation or ingesting your placenta in any form include but are not limited to:

• Positive mood
• Increase in energy
• Counters depression symptoms
• Enhances breast milk production
• Facilitates postpartum recovery
• Aids in hormonal balance
• Facilitates healthy uterine muscle tone

There are three or so people in my area that provide this service for around $200.

What does Chef think about this?  He thinks we should do it ourselves, but instead of encapsulating it to take like a vitamin, he thinks we should leave it as a powder so that it can be more versatile. I can add a tablespoon to smoothies or sprinkle it over my food. This would also eliminate wasting some trying to get it in those small capsules. So after the birth our baby girl I will have a jar of placenta powder in my fridge. There are many "recipes" on how to do this on your own by the people that do it for other women. It is a little labor intensive which is what scares me the most. I know that I probably won't be up to doing this 2 days after the baby is born but that is why Chef said this is a project he would love to get involved in.  I know I've totally hippied out but it doesn't make me seem nearly as crazy when my husband backs me 100%.

Prenatal Visit #8 - 32 weeks

Chef skipped out on this visit because it was on his day off, and he had to prepare a surprise for me for our last Birthing from Within class.  At this visit I accidentally watched way too many videos. I was just supposed to watch a 15 minute video on pain coping during labor but I watched the videos that were planned for my next visit as well. Whoopsie. This time around my midwife was the owner of the birth center and I haven't seen her since my orientation. She's awesome.  She told me that my iron levels would be checked again at my 34 week visit as it takes a little while for the Floradix to work its magic. Then she wanted to check on baby. Her heartbeat was 148, but as usual it took a while to find because she wouldn't keep still. The midwife said, "I was going to ask you if you had an active baby but there's no need for that now."

The handout I was given at this visit was on placenta encapsulation.... say what? There is a post to follow this one on my thoughts about that.

 I've finally started to gain the weight that baby needs for her fat accumulation. Since my last visit I had gained a whole pound putting me at about 20lbs gained so far. With 8 weeks to go I figure I might be in the 30-35lb weight gain range and I'm not upset about it. I'm literally all belly right now and I'll take it.

Birthing Classes

With all of the different birthing classes available to those that want a natural birth, I found it very difficult to decide which one would be best for Chef and me. Ultimately, based on scheduling, we chose 'Birthing from Within'. I absolutely love it. I don't want to give away all the goodies about the course but you can check it out Here!  Our course mentor is also a Doula who has delivered both her children naturally at the birth center. Our class has only three couples, Chef and I included. It's a very intimate environment where we get to share our fears and funny stories. I would have to say that I've learned a lot about myself and what I want from Chef during the laboring part of this journey.  This class is also focused on our birthing partners (Chef) and gives them the heads up on what to look for during certain stages of labor because we most likely will not be able to tell them what we want. We do a lot of practice exercises: finding what breathing pattern works for us, and partner support/touching during breathing. We made birth art and do all sorts of other cool exercises. We have homework every week and I'm preparing a special surprise for Chef for our last class together. I really like the other couples too. They are down to earth and we laugh at each other a lot.

Here is a picture from our final day of class. We walked our birth laborynth outside of the birth center. Ironically enough, there was someone giving birth inside the center as we were walking outside. We did happen to hear one moan from the underworld as the baby made it's way out.

Pregnant ladies gestation from left (me) to right: 32 weeks, 37 weeks, 24 weeks

I promised myself I would keep up with these ladies because we are very similar minded in the way we want to approach a natural labor and birth.

Cravings...revisited

I broke down and made Chef buy me some popsicles. They most certainly hit the spot. In addition to that, I can't seem to get enough watermelon. I wouldn't consider the watermelon a craving, it's just a phase I go through every year when they're in season. I actually planted a garden this year that consists of mostly melons... watermelon and cantaloupe.  Since I'm on the subject of my garden, I would like to share with you what I dug up...all by my self in the hot heat of the south on a Sunday afternoon. There are cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, poblano peppers, melons and strawberries

Chef's birthday was the day before our baby shower and since I didn't want to steal the spotlight I made sure I got him something extra special... a GREENHOUSE!