Bring on yoga

Before falling pregnant, I was terrified of giving birth.  Absolutely and utterly terrified.  Most of what you hear are the horror stories: how it's the most painful thing you'll ever go through; how excruciating it is; how unrelenting it is; how no man could ever survive it; how it takes you above and beyond your limits.

Not exactly supportive or inspiring stuff.  No wonder I was terrified.

Once I fell pregnant, however, I began to develop a different attitude and have nurtured this attitude over time.

One way in which I am nurturing this is by attending active birth yoga.  It's absolutely brilliant.  I went last night and gained so much from the session.  Our teacher doesn't glorify or gloss over birth, she acknowledges the pain and the difficulties you will face, but she provides you with tools to manage that pain and those difficulties the best you can.  It is such a positive attitude towards birthing, and so supportive of our role in the process and our ability to birth.  Of course we have the ability to birth - that's what our bodies are made for.  That's what billions of women have done before us, and choose to do again.  Yes we can do this, yes it will be painful, but yes we can manage it and we don't have to fear it.

I came home and dicussed all the tools I had learned with my husband, and how he could help me access those tools when I needed them during labour.  It was a great discussion, and I look forward to expanding my tool kit to give me the best chance possible of managing labour positively.  I came away from that session looking forward to birthing our daughter and having faith that I could do it, without the need for fear.

Today, in the lunch room, a co-worker asked me if this was my first child.  When she found out it was, she put on a crooked smile, a knowing gaze, and a half laugh as she said - "just wait til the birth".  What a way to undo the fabulous attitude my yoga teacher left me with - just one sentence, so full of inference.  I refuse to listen to birth as negative, something that's going to be the worst experience in my life.  I just can't see how that is going to help me through the process.

Bring on yoga.

The Teddy Bear

Big W were having a baby sale yesterday, and as I am in the last days of my holidays before I return to work, I thought it would be a good idea (not to mention fun) to go and buy up.

It was great fun - I'm so lucky to be able to do it.  I bought a heap of clothes for the first 3 months or so, a swaddle, some muslin wraps, and Huggies had bulk boxes on sale so I bought some of them too for before we switch to MCNs.

When I got home, I washed all the clothes and popped the nappies in the tray under the change table.  Now, having been a child care worker and special educator, I have changed a gazillion nappies in my life (including my nephew's very first - how did I get lumped with that?) but it occurred to me that hubby has never changed a nappy in his whole entire life.

I thought it might be a prudent time to start.

So I dutifully rummaged through my teddy bear basket until I found one roughly newborn size. 

When hubby got home, I showed off my purchases and then let him know that I had a teddy bear the perfect size for practising putting on nappies.  He was in denial.  But the gorgeous man had a go anyway.

And what a natural he is!  The nappy fitted pretty much a dream - not even a big gape at the back and the bear was still in one piece.  He'll kill me when he knows I've blogged about this - I'm sure no-one was ever supposed to know.  He he he.

Worry

Hubby and I recently returned from our babymoon... it's a strange name really, as the honeymoon comes after the wedding, but the babymoon comes before the baby.  Hey - it's just an excuse for a holiday really.  Our last holiday as a couple.

We headed off to Tasmania and had an absolute ball - what a beautiful island it is with so much to see and do.  We stayed 10 days but could have stayed 6 weeks!  We will revisit one day with our kid/s.

I'm now almost 30 weeks pregnant.  And pretty relaxed and excited.  I didn't realise how much I still read signs though.  Whilst on holidays, I noticed that I wasn't feeling bubs very much.  I had never actually noted exactly when she was active or for how long, but when it changed, I knew.  She still seemed to be active at about the same times each day, but instead of getting movement over a good 20 minute stretch, I would get one poke and that was it.  I would feel a poke and think - "ooh, is that her?" then wait for the next poke that never came.  I sometimes doubted if I had really felt her at all.  After the first day of noticing this, I mentioned it to my hubby, then after the second day I mentioned it again.  I think we had three days of very few movements, and we were far away from my obstetrician.  I started to consider what I might do and when I might do it.  I decided after another day of quietness, I would just go to a hospital emergency department.

Luckily, it didn't come to that.  That night, she started kicking up a storm.  It was bliss.  Hubby confessed that he had been really worried, and wanted to let me know he was worried, as support, but didn't want to show too much worry as he didn't want to freak me out.  He hit the nail on the head - I knew he was worried, which was wonderful, but not enough to freak me out.  Wow, I got lucky with him.

Since that quiet time, I have been soaking up all the movement and activity I can get.  And lucky me, she's getting more active.  She stays awake for two hour stretches now so I get lots of fun!  I know it will slow down again soon as she gets too big to move much.  But I'll be expecting that.