Countdown to Lauren: 6 weeks to go!

Okay so it's been another week already! If every week goes as quickly as this one did, Lauren is going to be here before we know it! I know I mentioned last week how I'm officially feeling like I need to get everything ready for my baby girl's arrival... that feeling has gone into overdrive, especially in the last few days. But rather than call it an all out panic- which is kind of what it feels like- can I just call it nesting? Nesting sounds a little less crazy. Really though, I NEED her room to be absolute perfection. NEED. Even if that means the rest of my house suffers because I have a kitchen/office and a bedroom/where everything else goes to make room for the baby. For some reason I just need HER room to be perfect. I found a spider in her room today and about flipped out. Not because it was a spider. Because that spider DARED entire MY BABY'S room.
And I think every time I cross something off my to-do list, I add something else to it. School starts a week from today, and that list is about to grow extensively. Deep breath.... I will be okay.

Now for what's really most important here... Lauren is just amazing! I had another appointment today. She's growing perfectly. She's head down and likely to stay that way, which obviously makes me quite happy! They're estimating she's somewhere around 5 lbs right now, and if she gains 1/2 a pound a week from here on out, which is average, we're guessing she'll be close to 8 lbs if she's born at 40 weeks.

Other than the crazy, I'm doing well. I wish I could say the swelling in my feet has improved, but I worked a lot this week. When I got home after the third day Robbie was actually afraid of my feet, lol. I don't blame him, pitting edema isn't pretty. And as most of my maternity clothes are no longer fitting (seriously...) I'm pretty much living in either dresses, or Robbie's basketball shorts and t-shirts. And can I just say, as much as I've always loved air conditioning, I looooove air conditioning now. Air conditioning is one of my favorite things ever :)

Oh and I promise next week I'll try to get a picture other than a silly one I've taken of myself in my bathroom mirror, lol.

HypnoBirthing: Part 2

So in my first HypnoBirthing post I talked about why I wanted a natural, medication-free birth and why I've chosen HypnoBirthing as a way to help me do that. But the biggest question I get really is, "So what exactly is HypnoBirthing?"

HypnoBirthing, also known as The Mongan Method, is both a philosophy and a technique. It is philosophically rooted in the belief that 1) Women's bodies are physiologically capable of birthing. Pregnancy is not an illness, and birth is a normal, natural event. And 2) Fear increases tension, and tension increases pain. The HypnoBirthing technique teaches you to let go of any fears you have associated with birthing, and to relax your body and release any tension that could contribute to pain. It's something you do yourself. I'm not sitting there in a chair looking at some watch being waved in front of my face or something ridiculous like that. I'm not asleep, and I'm not in some kind of daze. I'm totally aware and in control. What some people compare it to is that feeling of getting lost in a good movie or a good book- you're so focused on something that you don't really pay attention to anything else and time just kind of goes away. It involves a lot of imagery, deep breathing, and positioning. And Robbie has learned a lot of things he can do to help me stay calm and to help me help my body to relax. I practice everyday- I work on getting myself to let go and relax (well... at least I try to do it every day.)

If nothing else, HypnoBirthing has taught me a wonderful way of dealing with my anxiety. I still have what I call my "anxious days" but since I started doing this they've been fewer and farther in between, which I'm sure Robbie and my mom are both grateful for :) And I like to think Lauren loves HypnoBirthing too! She's often pretty active and bouncy when I start one of my relaxation sessions, and by the end it's like she's gotten all relaxed and fallen asleep. Gosh I can't wait to meet this girl!

Anyway! So that's HypnoBirthing. I hope I answered some of the questions everyone has had! And I hope you don't think I'm totally out in left field or a crazy hippie or something. Although you might be a little right about the hippie part ;)

Countdown to Lauren: 7 weeks to go!

The weeks are officially flying by! I feel like I just wrote my 32 weeks post yesterday! I'm 33 weeks and officially feeling the panic of wanting to have everything set up, decorated, and organized before Lauren makes her big debut. I know it's silly, but I'm already planning what meals I should make and have ready to go in my freezer for our first few weeks when neither cooking nor going out to eat will be on my list of activities I'd like to participate in, lol.
As far as how Lauren and I are doing... she is just perfect! We had another midwife appointment and she is doing wonderfully! I know I say this every time, but her heartbeat is the most beautiful sound in the world! And she's growing just as she should be! As for me, I'm fine. My feet are still enormously swollen, and my hormones went into overdrive this week, but I really am doing very well! (Oh pregnancy hormones... let's just say I feel like I've hit puberty all over again, physically and emotionally. bleh). And my one, solitary little stretch mark has turned into, well... more, ha ha. Really though, I think the most humorous/difficult part about this stage of pregnancy is how I can't get up off the couch by myself anymore, lol. Robbie has to help me up almost every time. It would be frustrating if it weren't so funny!

Family Reunion Baseball Game

Robbie's family reunion was this weekend! It's been a lot of fun to see everyone! Saturday night was the annual family baseball game. Seeing as how I'm not exactly in sports playing condition, I decided to take pictures instead of play. All of the pictures were taken on my iPhone though, so try to ignore the grainyness.

I really, really tried to get a picture of Robbie and his siblings all looking at the camera. Thank you, Jana, for cooperating!


Zann is the cutest kid- I love that he played in his Mariners jammies.



What is it about a man playing sports that is so hot!? Even if it's with his family, lol. Love it!

HypnoBirthing: Part 1

My entire pregnancy people have asked me about my plans for the birth of our baby. Usually the question is "So where are you having the baby?" or "You're getting an epidural, right?" From before I even got pregnant, I knew the answer to that second question: no. No, I do not want an epidural. And no, by the way, I am not crazy. "Well you wouldn't have a dental procedure without laughing gas. Why would you want to have a baby without an epidural? What's the difference?" I laughed when someone said this to me. Mostly because when I had my four impacted wisdom teeth pulled, I declined the laughing gas. And second, because there is a huge difference. You generally have a dental procedure done because something went wrong... I'm giving birth to this baby because something went right. As my decision to have a natural birth with hypnobirthing has become a little more well known, the question has changed to, "So what's this hypnobirthing thing I hear you're doing?" This is my attempt to answer that question. I hope it makes sense to everyone, and I hope it's not offensive.

A few things about me: First, I like things that are natural. Second, I like to be in control. Third, I don't like drugs. It takes a lot for me to even take an ibuprofen. I know it's weird coming from a nurse, but I just don't. like. drugs. So when people ask why I do NOT want an epidural, those are some of my reasons. I don't think it's wrong to get an epidural. I don't think it's necessarily bad for you or for the baby. I don't think any less of people who make a different decision than I am. It's just not for me.

I want to give birth to my baby medication-free, and I don't doubt my ability to do it. My mom did it, her mom did it, millions of other women have done it. I'm not naive enough to think the experience is going to be anything remotely easy or pain-free. But it's my decision, and I feel like this is what's best for me, and my baby.

So! When I got pregnant I decided to start looking into various "childbirth methods."
(Again, I'm not naive- I know if I'm going to do this without drugs, I'm going to have to prepare myself for it). The two I looked at the closest were The Bradley Method, and HypnoBirthing.

I chose HypnoBirthing for a few reasons.
1. The philosophy behind HypnoBirthing is so much like my own. Pregnancy is not an illness, and birth does not have to be a medical procedure.
2. Rather than focusing on NOT having an epidural, HypnoBirthing focuses on HAVING a natural birth, and helping you gain confidence in your body's ability to do it. May not sound like much of a difference, but it's just so much more positive.
3. At the heart of HypnoBirthing is a method of teaching yourself to relax. And anyone who knows me knows I could stand a few lessons in relaxation.
4. The Daddy is so involved in the whole process. It's not just about me, it's about him too. Okay... it's mostly about me. I am, after all, the one who will be pushing a baby out of her hoo-ha. But it's not ALL about me. Robbie has to do the relaxation program right along with me. There are actually a lot of things in the relaxation methods I can't do WITHOUT him. And it teaches him so many things he can do to help me while I'm in labor. So he doesn't need to feel powerless or like there is nothing he can do but stand by and watch me suffer.

So there you go! Those are the why's behind my decision to have a natural birth using HypnoBirthing. This post has gotten really long though, so I think I'll save the whole "So what exactly is HypnoBirthing?" part for another day.

Countdown to Lauren: 8 weeks to go!

Oh my goodness it has been such a busy week! As evidenced by the massive amount of swelling in my lower extremities, 36 hours on my feet at work every week is becoming a little challenging. I woke up Thursday and didn't have a single pair of shoes that I could fit my hugely puffy feet into. So off to Target I went to find some shoes that hopefully would be somewhat comfortable. Thanks to all that water, my feet are a whole size AND A HALF bigger than they usually are. My mom thought it would be funny if I took a picture, but I promise you... no one wants to see that. Feet are gross, and my puffy pregnant feet are no exception. Haha!

And might I add, bending over to pick something up has officially become the most difficult thing I do now. Although, getting back up might be worse. I dropped something the other day and almost cried at the thought of bending over to pick it up, haha.

And... it finally happened. I have my first stretch mark. Sigh. Most surprising thing about it though is how totally unbothered I am about it. It's just part of the whole having a baby deal. And I've wanted her for so long; stretch marks are really nothing to complain about if it means she's growing and on her way here!

Baby Shower in Washington

While I was in Washington, Jenny and Grandma Susie and all of Robbie's aunts threw me such a fun baby shower. I absolutely loved it! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! And thank you to EVERYONE who came or dropped off gifts. Lauren is going to be so well dressed! It was so fun to see so many people that I rarely get to see. Love you all! (and thank you to Julie and Colleen who took pictures for me!)