Jack bonding with JP... he looks so calm, don't let the pictures fool you!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
to Doula or not to Doula, that is the question
actually, there's not much question about it. I am pretty set on having a doula present during labor for support. so far, I have met with two... one is training to be a midwife, so she has more of a holistic/medical background. the other started as a doula after the birth of her 1st child (she has 4 now... the littlest one was adopted from china). I will probably meet with at least one more before I make a decision.
so why do I want a doula? well, as you know by now, I am pretty set on having as natural/normal of a childbirth as possible. with labor, one intervention leads to another, so the longer I can put off or avoid interventions the more likely I am to have the style of birth that I envision. induction/epidural lead to IVs and continuous fetal monitoring which restrict movement and make laboring more difficult, which in many cases leads to a c-section. yes, guy is going through the childbirth class, but since he's new to all this too, he might need a little extra support once we get to the hospital. and the nurses aren't there to cater to my needs only... they have all their patients to focus on. so a doula will help us both get through labor and childbirth as comfortably as possible.
so why do I want a doula? well, as you know by now, I am pretty set on having as natural/normal of a childbirth as possible. with labor, one intervention leads to another, so the longer I can put off or avoid interventions the more likely I am to have the style of birth that I envision. induction/epidural lead to IVs and continuous fetal monitoring which restrict movement and make laboring more difficult, which in many cases leads to a c-section. yes, guy is going through the childbirth class, but since he's new to all this too, he might need a little extra support once we get to the hospital. and the nurses aren't there to cater to my needs only... they have all their patients to focus on. so a doula will help us both get through labor and childbirth as comfortably as possible.
Latest Stats
Went to the doctor yesterday for a quick checkup...everyone got a clean bill of health
so far, I have gained 25lbs OMG! and I still have 14 weeks to go...
his heartbeat is still going strong - between 140-150 bpm.
fundal height measured 27 cm, so still within range (should be within 2cm of gestational age)
my next visit is at 28 weeks and after that I go back every 2 weeks...and the real countdown begins when I have to go in every week. whew! that's a lot of doctor appointments!
so far, I have gained 25lbs OMG! and I still have 14 weeks to go...
his heartbeat is still going strong - between 140-150 bpm.
fundal height measured 27 cm, so still within range (should be within 2cm of gestational age)
my next visit is at 28 weeks and after that I go back every 2 weeks...and the real countdown begins when I have to go in every week. whew! that's a lot of doctor appointments!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Should I stay or should I go?
wow. what a week.... as many of you know, harrah's has been contemplating what "to do" with the memphis office. we've been anticipating a decision, and yesterday it was made to completely close the memphis office. there are just over 300 people here in memphis, and about 20% are being offered relocation. i guess i am lucky - i am only of the 50 or so with the opportunity to move. the alternative being stick it out through september (after the data center moves) and take severance.
so on top of a new baby, guy and i have another huge decision to make in the coming weeks.
i guess it could be worse - i could be at citibank where they are laying off fifty thousand people...........
so on top of a new baby, guy and i have another huge decision to make in the coming weeks.
i guess it could be worse - i could be at citibank where they are laying off fifty thousand people...........
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Back to Class
To get ready for the birth of our baby, Guy and I have signed up to take a Bradley method childbirth class. The class is 12 weeks long and meets through the end of January. Last night was just the second class... so far so good. There are 3 other couples in the class ~ small world, the husband of one of the women in the class also used to work at Harrah's.
Anyway, the class is all about preparing for a natural childbirth and what it takes to get there. I have a series of exercises that need to be done daily (which I will do as soon as I am done with this!), relaxation (which for some reason seems to be difficult to make the time for) and for the next four weeks I need to track what I eat for the quantity of protein. I am supposed to have between 80-100grams of protein a day - wow!! Making sure that I eat and drink enough is somewhat difficult at times. I haven't had any funky cravings yet and I'm also not a place where I feel hungry all the time.
The class isn't all about me though. One of the focuses of the Bradley method is that Guy will act as a "coach" to get me through labor. Some of the classes focus strictly on the coaching while others will go through techniques on getting through the first and second stages.
In addition to the class, I am thinking about hiring a doula to assist with labor support. I have a list of recommendations - just need to start interviewing and get that out of the way.
Not much else going on in babyland - I don't go back to the doctor until next week. We did sell the TV stand - my first foray onto Craigs list! and I've bought the paint for the nursery - no VOCs! Guess its time to get down to business before I get too big...
Anyway, the class is all about preparing for a natural childbirth and what it takes to get there. I have a series of exercises that need to be done daily (which I will do as soon as I am done with this!), relaxation (which for some reason seems to be difficult to make the time for) and for the next four weeks I need to track what I eat for the quantity of protein. I am supposed to have between 80-100grams of protein a day - wow!! Making sure that I eat and drink enough is somewhat difficult at times. I haven't had any funky cravings yet and I'm also not a place where I feel hungry all the time.
The class isn't all about me though. One of the focuses of the Bradley method is that Guy will act as a "coach" to get me through labor. Some of the classes focus strictly on the coaching while others will go through techniques on getting through the first and second stages.
In addition to the class, I am thinking about hiring a doula to assist with labor support. I have a list of recommendations - just need to start interviewing and get that out of the way.
Not much else going on in babyland - I don't go back to the doctor until next week. We did sell the TV stand - my first foray onto Craigs list! and I've bought the paint for the nursery - no VOCs! Guess its time to get down to business before I get too big...
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Baby Steps
Finally decided on a theme for the nursery... Kidsline "Play Ball" - teddy bears & sports. Its cute but not too baby-ish. Went ahead and bought the bedding today so that we could find paint that color coordinates well. I think we got it figured out! Blue, of course. The bottom half of the room will be a dark blue and the top will be a couple shades lighter. Instead of a border, we're going to put up a chair rail (Guy has something against wallpaper...) Now we just need to sell that TV Stand and get it out of the way...
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