Part 15, Trying for Another Blog Series
Woke up on week 18 with what felt like a much expanded bump, and belly pain/discomfort for two days. It felt a little concerning, but mostly felt like a lot of pressure and stretching of my uterus. I would guess that it was a growth spurt.
I had another baby dream. In this one baby was also a girl. In my dream I went in for a check-up at Kaiser when I was about 37 weeks and while checking me out they extracted the baby, without telling me what they were doing. A healthy baby girl suddenly appeared in my arms. I was at the same time elated and totally perplexed/angry. This dream must be a reflection of my anxieties around birthing at a hospital. I feel like this might be a little bit of the case of “it’s better to know less.” Both of my births did go smoothly at Kaiser before, so I can see how someone would think there is no reason for me to feel concerned.
I had a chat with Luc a couple of weeks ago about the idea of asking for donations to hire a doula, rather than baby gifts, from people kindly who want to purchase us things. In short, he does not see the need. His answer in the long run is to ask Dr. Jen the most common possible outcomes that would send me to a c-section, so that we can be prepared to advocate for ourselves. I know it doesn’t work like that. There are so many factors that can affect a situation, that even if I know in my head how I should advocate, I may not be able to, and same with him. Anyways, I’m just going to hope for the best, and hopefully I’ll have a similar situation to my last.
I looked back on pictures of me at 18 weeks when I was pregnant with Anders, and I am smaller than I am now. So, it’s true what they say: you get bigger with each pregnancy.
I think I have felt baby kick. I’m pretty sure, but it’s been so inconsistent that I’m not totally sure. Which again makes me nervous: is baby doing ok in there? I have my 20 week anatomy scan ultrasound in two weeks, so I’m looking forward to some reassurance.
I’m still playing tennis! Played a great singles match against my friend Christine this week and went two hours for one set! This weekend I have my first singles match with my team at Crane Park in St. Helena (.5 miles from the house I grew up in) so I’m really looking forward to that.
I’ve started the pre/postnatal classes in my backyard- on week two now, and it is going so well. I’m loving bringing these moms together and providing space for them to discuss all things mom and create friendships. Added bonus is that I’m also teaching them how to take care of their body, and be IN their body. I could just go on and on about how much I love it, and the women in it. We have a great mix of perspectives, which is SO great for moms to hear. I’m learning a lot from hearing their experiences as well. We have a Facebook group going where we share resources and experiences too.
I’ve started planning an event for them and other moms as well. Through my birth workers meet-ups, I’ve come to know some amazing women who provide fantastic services for moms in Sonoma County. So I’m going to offer an event where I bring a few of them in to showcase what they do! And we’ll have food and time to chat! I think it’s going to be fantastic.
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