Count Down to Baby #1 {22 Weeks}

For posterity sake I wanted to post this. I wrote out many more bump updates than I actually published for Cora. Usually because I was too busy or tired to take pictures of my growing bump in the first trimester and I usually wouldn't post if I didn't have the picture. It's been fun for me to look back at these posts from my pregnancy with her verses baby #2. 

 

 

Date: June 19, 2013

Due Date: Still set for October 22 - we'll get that confirmed when we finally get our 20 week anatomy scan in a week.

How far along?:  22 Weeks & 1 day!

Weight Gain: Overall, none - I've gained back all that I had lost from my 1st trimester vomit-escapades, but I haven't gained any over my pre-pregnancy weight!

My baby is the size of a:  Papaya (I can't get over how big that is?!? - they're really more referring to the length, but still!!)

Maternity Clothes: I can still fit into a few larger t-shirts but that's it for non-maternity clothes.

Stretch Marks:Yes - I have the same 3 that popped up out of no where early on in the pregnancy. :(

Belly Button In or Out: Out and quite uncomfortable when touched or bumped into things.

Wedding Ring on or off: On & loose - not too much swelling so far!


Symptoms: Some round ligament pain where baby is pushing really hard on my lower belly but other than that not much!! The second trimester is great! :)

Cravings: The other day I was certain that I would DIE if I did not have Ramen noodles & apples with caramel dip. I generally don't crave much out of the ordinary and am not eating too terribly much more than normal, so that was less than fun to feel like the crazy pregnant lady who HAD to have a food!

The husband was very sweet and stopped off for my food on his way home!

Aversions:Chinese food, granola bars, orange juice, milk... that's it off the top of my head - generally anything that I threw up a bunch in the 1st trimester.

Sleep:I'm getting a minimum of 9 hours a night, I prefer to get 10 but when it's time for bed I'm ready to crash!

I am loving: Planning out the nursery!!

I miss: Swimming in non-chlorinated water and being able to stay outside longer than .25 seconds without thinking I'm melting.

I am looking forward to: Moving in 12 days (but who's counting?) and getting to nest!

I'm freaking out about: Nothing comes to mind.

Best moment this week: John is really getting to feel the kicks when they're strong and we can predict where they'll hit.

Worst moment this week: I'm not yet accustomed to how big my bump is and the added weight it puts in front - so I got a little off balance and took a fairly hard tumble. I'm super sore but I was able to somewhat protect my belly in the fall. After 2 hours of laying still for kick counts I was confident that baby was okay and I went on into work (just very late!).

Emotions: Pretty stable - no random jags of crying. I get grumpy sometimes but I think that's more related to being tired than anything. 

Milestones: We're over half way!! 2 more weeks & we will have a viable baby!! :) :) :)

Movement: Yes! Lots! I can't quite distinguish general movement for rolling or hands etc yet - but can register the movement as the baby and not my tummy grumbling. Kicks are the most distinct.

It's a...:GIRL!!

Exercise: Nothing specific - but we're packing up the house like crazy and I like to think that I can count that as exercise.

Diet: Pretty normal! I generally eat as I did before pregnancy and I don't eat too terribly much more than pre-bump days.

Upcoming Goals: Get moved & start setting up the nursery. Sand down the dresser, paint and put on new hardware for baby's room. Baby Proof the house as we move in. Wash the clothes we have for baby girl and get them into her closet.

Nursery: We've gotten a crib, decided which dresser to use for her room and changing table, now to just move and start setting it all up!

Spring Plans

This spring we have lots of stuff to do around the house and in preparation for the new baby's arrival this summer. That list is really quite impossibly long but I also want us to enjoy this precious time as we enjoy the last days of being a family of three!

So far we're off to a good start on the list and I can't wait to check more off the list and share about all the fun!

World Doula Week (& an Annoucement!)

I have been planning out this post and wanting to sit down and write it for days. Long story, but we haven't had internet and my laptop (temporarily) died at the hands of a particular 17 month old... so blogging, or really much of anything has been quite the challenge of late. I will update more on life soon, but I really want to talk about Doulas! 

With only hours to spare we are closing out World Doula Week.
Ironically enough, we hired our doula for Baby Lewis 2.0 this week too!

Since Cora's birth I have become passionate about women making informed decisions about pregnancy and birth. I don't believe that my choices are right for everyone, they are just that - choices. I do believe that every woman aught to know and understand her options and risks associated with any and every intervention they are considering!

A Doula can be instrumental in helping a pregnant family to know and understand their options.
Doula's are not just for those wishing for an unmedicated labor and birth!
Doulas support the birth you want!

Doula's help you deal with the unexpected!
the unexpected is just a reality during labor and birth! Change is almost constantly happening and it isn't at all a far fetched idea to have a care provider walk in and say that suddenly something has to change, they want to introduce a new technique, intervention, who knows what. You may or may not have read up on whatever your care provider is suggesting and what the risks may be. Your Doula however, this is what she does! She is around birth professionally, she is in your corner. She will help you translate all that medical-speak and help you make an informed decision about what is best for you and your baby!

Doula's help to keep Active Labor Progressing
(aka shorter labors!)
When I was in labor thing seemed to be progressing fine but I needed to keep my pelvis open for baby to continue descending and labor to progress at a good rate. Sure, I would have had a baby eventually regardless of the techniques we used but by keeping labor progressive we shortened labor! I wasn't interested in any of the positions that opened my pelvis because it made contractions so much more intense. My doula made a great suggestion on positioning that opened my pelvis and coping techniques so that I could not only handle the intensity but I was actually able to sleep between contractions! 

Doula's can help you have an unmedicated birth!
I have run into so many women who say something along the lines of "I really wish I could have an unmedicated birth but I just can't deal with the pain". Women who have unmedicated births aren't extraordinary. They are just like you and me! One of the big things that makes a difference is knowing how to cope and deal with the pain, and a doula is educated and can help with that exactly!


These are just a few things that doulas do!
I am so excited to announce that this fall (after baby Lewis 2.0 arrives & we settle into being a family of 4) I will start training to become a Doula!

I can't wait to share more about my journey to becoming a Doula!
I couldn't be more excited to start on this path of serving pregnant and laboring mommas!

Finish This #62

 

  

This week's prompt for Finish this with Nicole -   

I have $250,000 to spend as I wish, so I purchase …

 Well this is actually something that I've given a ridiculous amount of thought to. 

Not specifically what I'd do with $250K, but what we'd do with a large sum of money in general.

We're pretty boring, I'd pay off debt. I'm pleased to say that $250K would more than pay off all of our student loans, car and medical debts at this point today with money left over!

The remaining money I'd put towards building our dream home! Our "dream home" isn't what most people think of when they say "dream home". I feel like it is really quite practical and in this hypothetical windfall of money after paying off debt we would have enough to build this "dream home" with cash or very close to a cash-build (yay for not adding any debt!)!

If we were being a little frivolous and rather than simply paying off debt or just building the house, if I wanted to splurge a little I think we'd purchase a travel trailer. That's been on our list of things that if money were no issue we'd make an investment in. It just seems like such a wholesome family activity that one purchase can span a decade or more of use! We love tent camping but it's just such an undertaking to prepare all the gear and get it packed, we generally only make a trip once a year. I really think a travel trailer would allow us more freedom as everything could stay packed in it except clothes and you pack those for any trip, so no big deal!

 What would you do with a large sum of unexpected money? 

Our Snow Bunny!

I'm seriously hoping that winter is quickly finding it's end.

Really we haven't had a bad winter, but by March I'm always ready for spring and in Texas that is usually the weather we're getting! 

This year winter seemed to reserve all of it's snowiness for right at the end.

Cora thought she would like to play in the snow. She saw all the fluffy white goodness out the screen door and couldn't wait to get outside but the joy didn't last long once she learned that snow is cold!

Finish This - Week 60

 

  

This week's prompt for Finish this with Nicole -  

Something that has impressed me this week...
This is really a something and a someone... John told me he wants to go to the upcoming Mens Conference at church. Guys, this is BIG! I pray daily for my husband and his walk with God. He didn't grow up in a Christian home and he really doesn't know what a traditional marriage, household looks like or how he as a husband should be head of household. I'm not bashing my hubby here, because really he does very well! As a Christian I do my very best to exhibit a faithful Christian lifestyle and walk with Christ and use every opportunity I can to teach him about a Christian household (not that I'm perfect or my background is perfect) but sometimes it's hard to find the balance between guiding him and showing him verses becoming belittling about the way he was raised and therefore sees his roles now.
If you would, please be in prayer that God works in his heart at the Conference!

Someone who has impressed me this week... 
 Well if it wouldn't be horribly redundant I would list the first one again because I'm that excited about it...
I'd also like to mention that it's been kind of a slow week since I haven't been out of the house since church on Sunday. I'm not generally a big fan of cold/ice, but especially not when I'm pregnant and there is a risk of falling & hurting myself. I'm seriously lacking in all things human exposure this week!

Not this week, but within the last week... on Saturday we toured a birthing center in Argyle (a nearby town) and I was so impressed by the midwife, the birth center and their approach to birth! We have talked at length, prayed and prayed and even though I can't imagine how hard it will be to leave my current care and not have Kathy as my midwife we are going to change care to this birth center.

 

Interviewing Potential Doulas

 Pregnancy tests from Cora... we had to be *sure*! 

When we were pregnant with Cora we interviewed one Doula who we hired to help us with the birth. Just from reading her website and the variety of her own personal birth experiences I knew that she was right for us as soon as I saw that we clicked personally at our first interview (she also came highly recommended by a friend from high school! I didn't just randomly find her online).

This time around we realized we weren't going to be able to work with her (this was seriously a really hard decision that had a lot of emotions involved!), she is now a Midwife and, rightfully so, her fee as a Doula rose to reflect her knowledge and education. It just wasn't in the budget since we were paying everything upfront and not using insurance this time. :(

We had come full circle back around to needing to hire a new Doula. The first time around, I literally printed out a generic online questionnaire. Some things we'd talk about more than others and went off on some great tangents that really let me get to know her, her style and her personality. If you're a first time parent or even if you're interviewing a doula for a subsequent birth there are a lot of great questions out there already, a quick Google search will help you!

This time around while those generic questions are certainly important, I had some really specific questions about their work and style of helping laboring moms that I wanted to ask. These were things that I wouldn't have known about myself if I hadn't gone through labor and delivery once before. I wanted to share the questions and reasons behind them and hopefully it can help someone out there!

□ Name:

□ Why did you become a Doula? Tell me about your birth experiences and birth philosophy.
(I don't think a woman necessarily has to have given birth or have a similar birth experience to what you're planning to be a great Doula, but her experiences will shape how she views birth.)
□ What certifications do you hold? How and where were you trained? Are you a member of any doula associations?
(Do some google searches, some certifications/associations require yearly renewals. The different certification and associations have different birth philosophies. I don't put much weight on this question but it's good to know)
□ How long have you been a doula? How many births have you attended as the primary Doula?
(I think 30-40 is a golden number for a doula with experience, but if you're doula shopping on a budget fewer births attended generally mean less expensive)
□ What additional training have you done since you became a certified doula?

□ What techniques will you use to help me through labor? What do you bring in your Doula Bag?

□ Do you use Essential Oils and Aromatherapy to assist in Labor? Favorite Oils?
(Essential Oils were really helpful in my last labor. I use them now but am not familiar with them enough to feel confident that I would have an oil on hand that would be useful for particular issues in labor or how to use the oil properly for my symptoms)
□ What is your favorite relief measure to use for a laboring mom? (Rebozo, Ball, massage, EO's, positioning...?)

□ What types of births have you attended? Any unique or difficult situations have you dealt with?

□ How will we communicate before the birth?

□ Are you available to answer questions before you go on-call for my birth outside of our prenatal appointments? If so, what form of communication do you prefer?

□ How do I get in touch when labor begins?

□ At how many weeks do you go on-call for my birth and how long after my due date do you stay on call? If I were to go into pre-term labor before that point would you be willing to join me?
(Some doulas don't go on call more than 2 weeks before your due date, you could be out of luck if you go into labor before that! Same rule can apply to going more than 2 weeks past your due date, some care providers will let you go past 42 weeks!)
□ When and where will you join me? Do you have a rule of thumb about how frequent/duration my contractions should be before you join me or would it be when I feel I need the support?

□ How do you want to be notified when I'm in labor? A heads up text/call when I think I'm in the early stages or would you rather just get the "I need you" call?

□ What if you are unavailable when I go into labor? Do you have backups? Can I meet them?

□ What is your policy if something unexpected arises, such as a really long labor or you have a personal emergency? 

□ Do you have any clients with due dates close to mine? How many births do you schedule per month?

□ Do you have any other commitments or black-out dates near my due date? What happens if I go into labor on one of those days?

□ What are some of your favorite ways to involve my husband in the labor and birth process?
(It is a myth that a doula replaces your partner! A doula should complement and help your partner support you!)
□ How do you work with the Midwives and assistants during birth? How do you view your role, as compared with theirs?

□ How long will you stay with me after labor? Do you offer nursing/lactation support during this time?

□ Have you worked with my Midwife or Birth Center before? What was the experience like?

□ What happens if I need a transfer or a c-section? Have you attended c-sections as a Doula?

□ Do you provide any postpartum services? If so, when do you start and how long do you stay on?

□ What is your fee and refund policy? What does it cover?
(What if they don't make it to your birth?)
□ May I review your contract?

Have you ever hired a Doula?

Any must ask questions you have for interviewing a Doula?