Bradley Class #5

Last night's class was very beneficial. Both Raj and I really enjoyed it. We learned about 2nd stage labor and then we practiced labor positions for almost an hour. Amber set up stations around the room where we could try out various positions during a contraction. We really liked the positions in the bathroom and the positions with a ball the most. I found out I like to "move" or "sway" when I'm in pain and they said that's good to realize the types of things you do to relax. We are also considering hiring a doula for the labor. Amber's friend and midwife, Pita, has been coming to our class, and Raj and I think we'd like to hire her as our Doula. She is a certified Mid-wife, a doula, and has previously been an EMT. So she's very knowledgable and we feel we can trust her, plus she seems really caring. We haven't decided quite yet, but that's what are thinking.

Baby dropping....

I realized on Sunday that my belly looked alot lower than it had. I asked Raj if he could noticed, and sure enough he said, yep. Monday, I started to feel pain in my anus and after some investigating, turns out I have hemorrhoids. Oh joy! Ironically I have never had them before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. So far they aren't too bad. Since I haven't been constipated and I've been drinking alot of water and eating fiber foods, plus a fiber pill, I believe I got them from him dropping further down and pressure is being applied lower than it had been. I emailed my Dr, to find out what she recommends for them. Basically, use Witch hazel, dont' stand/sit too long at a time, drink lots of water, and eat fiber, only use medication cremes for three days or less. I also researched them, and discovered that icing the area helps, so I've been doing that in the morning and at night. I'm hoping they clear up before I have him....

Baby Shower....

Last weekend, my sisters, Angela and Mandy threw me the best baby shower! I was really nervious to have a shower, because I didn't know if anyone would come, and I don't like being the center of attention...but because of tradition, I went along with it anyways. And I'm so glad I did, because we had such a good time, and Raj and I received some great gifts from our friends and family. I'll post some pictures of the day once I get them from Angela.

Bradley Class 3 & 4

Class 3 we learned about how we tense up and what our partners need to do to help us relax that part of our body. I tend to tense up in my face and shoulders first, but also realized I carry tension in my lower back. We also discussed circumcision. I had always been leaning towards having it done, while Raj was leaning towards not having it done. Our instructor is not a fan of it, and while she tried to give us both sides, she was pretty biased, but she did acknowledge that she is biased in this subject and encouraged us to do our own research on the subject. This has really been the only part in our pregnancy where I had wished we were having a girl for the meer fact that I wouldn't have to make this decision. So in our investigation, we looked online for research into the pro's and cons of this surgery. We also watched some youtube videos of the procedures, and I asked around both my family and friends on what they had done for their sons. Overwhelmingly, everyone I asked had had the procedure done. We finally asked our Dr, her thoughts on it, and she explained that it was elective surgery, and that there really was no medical necessity for it except in rare occations. For me, the tipping of the scale came when I actually saw a surgery being performed on an infant. I was almost in tears watching it being performed. I cannot believe they do not give the child anything for pain. We still have not made our final decision, but both of us are now leaning towards not having the surgery done.

Class number 4, Raj was not able to attend with me, he had to work late, I was kind of bummed by it cause we went over first and second stage of labor, but our instructor said we would go over it more at the next class, so that made me feel better. We learned alot, but even so, I still feel pretty unprepared of the various stages. I'm hoping next class will help it all come together for me. I have made up my mind that I will not have an epidural during the labor. This was a huge decision for me, one that took weeks to decide, but now that I have made my decision, I feel confident in it and feel like I am gaining the confidence to have a natural birth.

Surprise Baby Shower-Work

On Wednesday my co-workers through me a surprise baby shower. We had a lot of fun, had some great food, and got a lot of nice presents. Here are a few pictures from the party. One of the best parts of the shower was Julyla came for it and brought her daughter Allison, or Princess Alice as she's being called. She is so adorable and I loved getting to hold her!

The Potluck:

 Some of the gifts:

 Me holding Allison:

Week 30 Ultrasound

We had another ultrasound this week to measure how large baby is. They estimate his weight at 4.7 lbs. Still about a l lb over what they'd like him to be.  A few days later we had our pre-natal appt with our new Dr, Dr. Wright. I really like her, but am sad that Dr. Hicks won't be with us anymore. Dr. Wright talked with us about his weight and wanted us to prepare ourselves for a possible c-section if he's still measureing large when we deliver. I expressed to her that I do not want a c-section and would make a determination on that at the last moment if we were to run into problems during birth. I explained that we want to have a natural child birth with no medications and would like to labor in water. She was very receptive to our wants and signed our form for a water labor. Even though we are going to deliver at SW Washington, and they allow their patients to birth in the water, because we have Kaiser insurance, Kaiser will only let us labor in the tub, we have to get out and birth the baby on the bed. I'm okay with this, but don't like that there are so many restrictions on birthing in general.

Other than that, the Dr. appointment went well. We go again in 4 weeks, and then after that start our 2 week appointments.

Here is a picture from our ultrasound. It's he so adorable!

We are registered...

Last week, we registered for our baby shower. My sister's Mandy and Angela are planning one for me on October 22nd. We registered at Amazon.com, Baby's R Us, and Target. Raj went with me to Baby's R Us...it took us a long time to register, and I was compeltely exhausted after it. But it was alot of fun and I felt good at the decisions we made on the things we need for the baby. I am expecially excited about the stroller we picked out! Also a pretty cool policy they have is anything left on your register that hasn't been purchased, you can buy at a discount of 10% off! Pretty cool!

Bradley Method Classes 1 & 2

We started our Bradley Method classes series last week. I was really anxious to go to the first meeting...just curious what it would be like and wondered if I'd like the instructor and what not. After the class, I felt really good about it. I was surprized at how many couples are in the class...typically there are 5 or so couples, but we have double that! But it's been really cool to get to meet everyone so far, I hope at least with some of the couples we can stay connected after the class.

The first week we learned about relaxation techniques as well as exercises we should be doing and read an article on epidurals that was very informative. The second week, we focused on nutrition. While I was studying our homework on nutrition, I found myself concerned about how much weight I have gained, and wondering if I've increased my blood volume enough. In these classes, they concentrate more on the types of food you are eating, rather than the amount of weight you are gaining. I am totally fine with that, but I haven't gained that much weight, so it concerns me that my blood volume hasn't doubled like it should. The blood volume is important for many reasons, but mainly because it is providing nutrients to your uterus, a muscle that needs to grow considerably during your pregnancy (from 2 oz to 2 lbs). If this doesn't increase you can have problems during delivery with it contracting properly, which could hinder your progress in labor. Also we learned the importance of protein in our diet. I should strive to eat about 100 grams of protein a day. After tracking my food intake, it appears I do a pretty good job of this, but will try and concentrate more on eating protein from now on and less carbs.

I have all but decided I will not be betting a epidural for my labor. I am basing this on a couple of things. I want to experience the natural progression of labor and don't want to hinder it by putting drugs in my body. Also, I don't want to deliver a baby that is drugged up. A small percentage of me is worried about the side effects of the medication on me both temporary and long term. I am not completely confident yet to say I am doing it without an epidural. I am hoping that these classes will help me gain the confidence to say for sure that I will do it naturally, but as of right now, it is my wish to do it naturally.