We’re down to the last few weeks and I’m feeling the
pressure to get things done before this baby arrives. (Hence the reason why
I’ve been silent for the past several weeks).
Top that off with the holidays, birthdays and the end-of-year chaos at
work and all of a sudden, the excited, motivated, pregnant momma that I once
was has been replaced with a stressed out, bug eyed, pregnant momma who wants
to do nothing more but cower into a dark corner and hide until the New Year
arrives. Not healthy I know. So in order to tackle the stress, I decided to
name December “All About Me” month.
Yes, you read that right! During the most giving month of
the year I have become self-centered and selfish. It sounds completely
Grinch-like, but I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds. I don’t think….
See, the past 36 weeks I have spent my days being supermom,
leaving very little time to take care of myself. This, of course, is a personal
issue since I have a hard time saying no and an even harder time asking for
help – even from my husband. As a result though, I have become extremely
stressed, tired and behind on my duties to prepare for the birth and arrival of
my baby. With only 4 weeks before my due date, I decided to take back control
of my life and focus on me. This meant saying no to parties, no to
volunteering, no to gift buying and yes to help, sleep and preparing for my
birth. Again, I know it sounds very Grinchy, but if you had to live with the
Grinch that I have become, you wouldn’t argue one second with my decision. Wouldn’t
you rather have a lazy, happy, healthy, slacker for a momma then an angry,
grouchy, always yelling, super busy, gift-giving momma!? Exactly my point. And I have to say, so far,
so good. More sleep, more help, and more time to myself has resulted in a
WAYYYY happier, less stressed me. In my opinion, it’s the best gift I could
give to my family, my friends and most importantly, my baby this holiday
season.
Besides all that, the past several weeks have been quite
eventful and quite busy as we continue to prepare for our new journey to begin.
The nesting stage has finally kicked in. I have been feeling very motivated to
thoroughly clean every inch of my home and the nursery is as prepared as it’s
going to get. All newborn clothes that have been generously given or donated to
us have been washed, folded and organized. I have been prepping my body and
mind for delivery by drinking my NORA tea, massaging my perineum, practicing my
hypnobirthing and watching videos of home births in and out of the water. While
I’ve gotten a lot done I still have a lot to do. However, as part of my “Me”
month, I’m just focusing on one thing at a time. I figured things will get done
when they need to be done. :)
So to catch you up, here are a few highlights from the past
several weeks:
Week “30”
This week I attended a henna tattoo event with my midwife
and neighbor (who is also my birthing assistant) at Ten Moons Midwifery in
Front Royal. It was my first “girl’s night out” in years and something I
totally needed to unwind and relax. Not only did I get to hang out and chat
with several acknowledgeable midwives and birthing assistants, but I also got
the wonderful opportunity to have my baby bump henna’d; something I’ve been
wanting to do for months!! The results were BEAUTIFUL. The talented artist and
midwife, Desiree, did a fabulous job on making one of my “pregnancy dreams”
come true. It made me feel more confident, more at peace and my belly felt
beautiful for once. If you’re pregnant and ever get the opportunity to have
your belly henna’d I highly recommend you do it (as long as the paste that is
being used is safe!). The only warning I do want to give is that the dry paste
does stick to your belly hairs and hurts like hell coming off. Haha!
Week 31
Nothing much happened this week. I did attend my cousins 21st
birthday party which involved lots of eating and dancing. All I have to say is,
it’s quite hilarious to try and dance, especially the Cha Cha Slide, when
you’re THIS pregnant. Let’s just say, getting down low was not an option!!
Week 32/33
This week I had my second appointment with my midwife!
During this appointment I had a chance to meet my second birthing assistant, a
midwife in training and also the maker of the delicious NORA tea that I am now
drinking. As part of my daily routine to mentally and physically prep my body
for delivery, I’ve been drinking several cups of NORA tea as recommended by my
midwife. This delicious tea is a
wonderful combo of nettles, oat straw, raspberry leaf, and alfalfa. It is
loaded with nutrients, such as iron, that supports the body pre-pregnanyc,
during pregnancy, during birth as well as post-partum. It is highly recommended
and loved by midwives and natural birth enthusiasts everywhere! Just wish I
knew about this sooner! There are many ways to prepare it but right now, HOT is
the best!
As for my appointment, as you might have recalled from my
last appointment, I had a mission to turn my baby from the breeched, OP position to
the head down, AP position. During the weeks in between my appointments I had
been doing inversions in order to get baby girl to flip head down. Well, it
worked! When my midwife checked baby’s position, she was head down, but still
in the OP position. One down, one to go. My next mission: get her OUT of the OP
position. That means no leaning back and tons of forward leaning!
Other Stats (33 weeks, 4 days):
- Blood Pressure: 127/75 <-- Need to work on that!!
- Heartbeat: 100/min (??)
- Weight: 147lbs (Not too bad!)
- Urine: Good minus the trace of proteins. Goal: Increase protein intake!
Overall, the appointment went very well. We have a lot to
think about the next few weeks, but I’m confident that things are going to go
well.
To Do List:
- Lean Forward and move baby OUT of OP position
- Drink NORA Tea
- Massage Perineum
- Practice hypnobirthing
- Research and make sound decision on several newborn “procedures”
- And as always RELAX!!!
Weeks 34 and 35
I totally lost track of weeks 34 and 35. Work became so
overbearingly busy that all I could do every night was sleep. Stress was taking
over every part of my body and all I wanted to do was shut down. It’s super sad
but it is what it is. Thankfully it only lasted a couple of weeks. Whew.
PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS
Mostly back and pelvic pain, some swelling in my ankles and Braxton
hicks contractions.
DIET
My diet the past several weeks has been all over the place.
Breakfast is usually fruit with yogurt or oats, nuts and seeds. Lunch is either
a salad or a quinoa salad which I have totally fallen in love with these past
few weeks. I find a favorite combo and stick with it for multiple days in a
row. Some yummy combos include quinoa, cukes, tomatoes, olives, and green
onions with a delicious lemony vinaigrette. Another combo I adore is quinoa
with bell peppers, green onions, cilantro, corn, tomatoes and a little lime.
It’s a great way to boost protein intake and it’s super filling too. As for
dinner, I’m still chowing down on muh greens. I seriously cannot get enough.
Snacks: kombucha, hummus, veggies, fruit, nut butter, dates
and dried edamame beans
Cravings: Chocolate, seafood
EXERCISE
I’m still walking with my big pup.
It’s only 20 minutes or so but it’s super refreshing to get outside and stretch
my legs…even if it is only 30 degrees out.
As I said, things are pretty chaotic, but I’ll try my best to
send weekly updates until BIRTH DAY arrives! It’s down to the last few weeks!!
Exciting!!
Beth
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