It's so cool to see her movements and to be able to see what I'm actually feeling inside; although, the feeling inside is so much stronger than the movements you see on the outside. She is so incredibly active, which I'm so thankful about. Each week she becomes so much stronger and what feels like even more active. Yesterday morning around 4:45am I rolled from one side to the other and I think I did it too fast because all of a sudden my belly started shaking vigorously! I think it was her flailing. I am reading a book about how babies develop and it says that they could have developed their Moro reflex at this point, so you can actually invoke it and feel it in the womb (Moro reflex is the flailing babies do when they feel like they are falling). So I think that's what I did! Once she was awake, there was no turning back. She was really active for a while and kept me awake, but I was okay with that. I'm so thankful that she is healthy and growing, I don't care if she keeps me awake letting me know she is okay :) Paul gets to feel and see her quite often, which is so nice. He really likes to be involved with her and is really excited when he gets to see and feel her.
So far my discomfort hasn't really increased this week much, but I was definitely uncomfortable last weekend in Chicago (my cousin got married last weekend). It was such an exhausting weekend, so I took Tuesday off to try to rest, but I've really been playing catch-up all week. Thank goodness that was our last trip out of town for the remainder of the pregnancy. It is so hard to recover from going out of town at this point. And I am happy to stay home and just relax and enjoy our pool and our Raleigh friends :)
On Wednesday night I took a breastfeeding class (Paul was supposed to come but he had to work late). I actually learned some really good things and it helped me feel better prepared for it and more motivated to make breastfeeding work. I have a lot of friends that weren't able to breastfeed for very long, and I'm determined to try to make it work for me for as long as possible. Thankfully, our pediatrician has a lactation consultant, and there is a local La Leche League chapter that meets regularly, so I am definitely going to take advantage of experienced moms who have been through breastfeeding experiences and can help with any obstacles I encounter. Hopefully it will be relatively easy and Brooke and I will figure it out quickly, but you never know so it's great to have support from other moms.
This week I started freaking out a little more. I am definitely getting a little nervous about Brooke coming. Don't get me wrong, I'm still extremely excited and wish she were coming sooner, but I'm also starting to get nervous about making sure we have everything we need once she comes (we still need so much more stuff!) and how those first few weeks are going to be. I know I have so much support from family and friends, so when I think about it rationally, I know Paul and I will be fine and will figure it all out, but when the emotional side takes over, I get a little freaked out :) But I know that's normal for soon-to-be-parents to feel that way, so I'm not worried, and the freak-outs don't last long and are infrequent, so that's definitely nice. My Mom helped calm me down yesterday, which was so nice (Love you Mom!!). It will be so nice to have her calming presence here with us when Brooke is born (and helping us figure things out before she is born!).
This week I had a regular OB appt and I actually saw a different doctor this time because my regular doctor was on vacation. My blood pressure was high again, but I brought my bp monitor with me this time to make sure it's still accurate and it was registering high too, so I guess I just get anxious when I go there. It's so bizarre! The doctor I saw this week was super nice and answered the billions of questions I had. She also suggested that I might want to transfer to their midwifery practice since I am so interested in a natural birth and using the Bradley method because that practice deals more with low risk births and so they have many more natural births and are more familiar with the Bradley method. So I am going to meet with a midwife at my appt that is in 4 weeks. In 1.5 weeks I will see my regular doctor because we are having another ultrasound, so I would like our doctor to verify that everything is looking good before we transfer to the midwives. I'm really excited about seeing the midwives though because I feel more comfortable that I will get the labor experience I want with them since they are so much more accustomed to natural births. I can't wait to see Brooke at our next ultrasound! It will be so exciting to see her so much more developed!!
So far I am still so amazed by this process. It still floors me sometimes that I have a baby growing inside me! And sometimes her movements are so bizarre that it freaks me out! The whole pregnancy and birth process is just such an amazing miracle. I just feel so incredibly blessed to be able to experience it and to have a healthy baby this time. Yesterday I was reading a discussion board on babycenter.com for birth announcements of babies who were due in September. Since they were already born, of course that meant they were early, and in many cases, too early to survive. It was so sad reading through them, but it reminded me of what we went through with Brady and of how truly blessed we are to have Brooke and to feel very confident that she is going to go full term and not have any problems. God has been good to us and we are so thankful!
So far I'm still gaining weight and belly size nice and steady. And so far no swelling! YAY!
1 comment:
I'm glad you are still feeling well, and I can definitely relate with you on the alien-in-the-belly feeling! You look great in your photo..what a cute dress! :)
Post a Comment