It's been forever and a day since I last blogged, and now I'm nearly 31 weeks along. I've been blessed with a good pregnancy. To date, I still have no swelling and no stretch marks. I really thought I'd turn into a marshmellow, but somehow I'm staying stitched together at the seams.
The summer heat has suppressed my appetite some, but what's worse is that my stomach has barely any room for a regular sized meal. I don't try to eat 6 small meals a day, I HAVE to or else I get severely uncomfortable. The third trimester has definitely brought on the discomforts again. I'm winded, burping, hiccupping, waddling, squatting, and tossing and turning days and nights.
Yesterday I woke up after a sleepless night and found myself constipated and crying in the bathroom. With everything else a pregnant woman has to deal with, why constipation!?!? I felt like calling for the stirrups right there on the toilet! Enough said,...Now I have a hemorrhoid the size of a cherry.
Boston moves a ton. Yesterday I was actually worried that he was moving too much and that something might be wrong, like he's trying to unwind the cord from around his neck. Absurd that my mind should go there, but the worries just never end when you're about to become a mom for the first time. It's funny to me how many times a day he gets hiccups. He had them in bed last night too! That makes 3-4 spells a day for the past 2 days!
I'm thinking alot about my upcoming labor experience and have gone back and forth several times. Most women put alot of thought into it, drafting birth plans and all. But I come from the medical community and know that things never go the way you plan them to. What I've seen and learned as a nurse is that those patients who do best are those that remain relaxed and open. For the general public that takes a lot of faith! But fortunately, I have close connections to this hospital and group of doctors who will be delivering my baby and there is definitely a strong trust factor there, something most women don't have. So even though I still plan to educate myself about what to expect on D-day, my goal will be to stay relaxed and keep an open mind. Beyond that, there is no manner of control that can improve the odds of delivering a healthy baby, only good decisions and I trust myself, doctors and nurses to work well together on that.
I think you are going to feel much at home and at ease in the hospital setting with all those docs and nurses who you already know. And my goodness, Skyridge is like a fancy hotel! :) Labor is so unique to each woman but you have it right, trusting yourself to make good decisions at each stage -- both for yourself and your baby - is key. You'll just know what you need and what to do during labor, delivery, and caring for a newborn. Sure you need some good input, but ultimately a woman knows her body and baby - and you are very instinctual about this. You'll be a natural at both giving birth and caring for a child. You are a born nurturer... :)
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