Part 7, Trying for Another Blog Series
I officially have a baby bump. Seems so early! But I guess that’s what happens when it’s your third!
My nausea may be getting a little better, or maybe not as consistent, or maybe I’m just getting used to it. Ha! Hard to tell yet. But I am looking forward to this phase being over. As much as I hate to complain about it, this is not my favorite part of pregnancy. Hopefully only three more weeks of this to go!
I’m listening to a fantastic audiobook called, Transformed by Birth, by Britta Bushnell. It gives deep insightful perspectives for viewing pregnancy, birth and postpartum. One of the many nuggets I’ve pulled from it is about how the process of giving birth is like taking a deep dive into the mysterious unknown. And it causes us to look deep within ourselves. She tells the mythological story of Inanna, who travels deep into the Underworld and is met with many challenges, stripped of all that she needs, or thinks she needs. The author likens this story to birth. This is just one of the many things I’m enjoying and taking note of from this book. Although I’m not in the birthing phase yet, I do feel called to already be looking deep within. Something about pregnancy causes me to be very reflective, intuitive, and sometimes very bitchy. Haha, what’s a better way to put that? I feel stripped of fluff and straight to the point. There we go.
I’m returning to a morning ritual that I love. Here’s what it looks like. I’ll share mine from this morning:
I am so excited to see what miracles unfold today!
I am so grateful for my health. I am so grateful for the health of my kids and husband. I am so grateful for our financial comfort.
My dominant feeling for today will be: GRATITUDE.
Thank you, Universe, for helping connect me with mamas who need my services.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if my classes got full and had a waitlist?!
Wouldn’t it be amazing if my business became so busy that I was able to rent a space and reach more mamas?!
Wouldn’t it be amazing if all of this success worked in the work/mom-life balance that I dream of?!
I have started advertising for two new classes to teach: one prenatal and one postnatal. There will only be room for six women in each class, as it’ll be held in my backyard. I’m so looking forward to bringing these women together to share in their motherhood journeys with one another! A lot of the nuggets I’m learning from the above book will be integrated into the classes. The classes are not just about exercise; they’re about mindset, looking within, breathing, community, and movement. This is Birthfit’s outline and I add my own spin on it. The first time I took a Birthfit class I just about jumped out of my skin with excitement. I had found what I had been dreaming of! Birthfit honors the whole mom: mind & body. I know it will take off, but it’s been a struggle to find the women for these classes. This is my second or third time advertising for these classes, and I still don’t have enough women. They’ve got to be out there! The question is just how to get to them.
This Thursday we resumed our Sonoma County Perinatal Meet-Up, and it was lit! This is where anyone who works in the prenatal/birth/postnatal field is welcome to come to meet each other, talk about our business needs, and learn from each other. I feel so blessed to be in this circle of people (thank you Dr. Adrian for being the only male who attended!) who are passionate about helping moms. It is totally where I am meant to be. This week we highlighted Jennie Murray, a pelvic floor physical therapist in Santa Rosa. All women should see a pelvic floor therapist after birth!
Back to my pregnancy, not much has changed this week. I’m still tired all the time, even after nine hours of sleep (I’m usually getting 8-9 hours). And I’m still mildly nauseous a lot of the time, but still not to the point of throwing up. I got a bunch of my Kaiser bloodwork “results” back, but of course they’re encrypted in doctor terms. I’ve had little idea of what they mean. If it weren’t for Dr. Jen (Acorn Chiropractic), I’d still be freaking out over some of them still: trace of ketones in my urine. Apparently that’s okay because I’m eating low carbs. They will go over it all at my appointment next week, I’m sure.
Second trimester is right around the corner! Which is comforting because the risk of miscarriage reduces. Here’s a little info about miscarriages. A miscarriage describes the loss of pregnancy in the first 20 weeks. 80% of miscarriages happen in the first trimester. 10-15% of known pregnancies result in miscarriage. After a heartbeat is heard, around 6-10 weeks, that rate drops to 10%. And after week 12, the risk of miscarriage drops to 5%. These stats are from Healthline.
Yes, miscarriage is always in the back of my mind. And even when you pass the first trimester, you’re never in the clear. There’s those stories of women who lose their babies at birth, and stories of maternal death as well. But what can you do? What can you do about it? Probably nothing. Nothing but try to keep yourself positive and healthy in mind and body. So I focus on breathing healthy nourishing energy in for myself and my baby, eating healthy, keeping my stress level down (for body and mind). I do what I can.