I am feeling much, much better this week. I don't know if it's because I have finally come to grips with the fact that I am pregnant, I am not feeling well, and it's just the way it is, or because our sweet friend Rebekah brought me goodies in the form of B-6, B-12, and Teas of red raspberry,ginger, peppermint, and milk thistle. Probably a combo of both. My morning routine is to get up, drink lots of tea or juice (water makes me want to barf until 6 in the evening) take my pre-natals and my anti-nausea vitamins, then get outside for a moment of fresh air. Even if that means standing on the doorstep and looking in at my kids, fresh air makes me feel good.
Last week I was really nauseous and depressed. I think the dip in hormones is the hardest because, through all the nausea, it's even harder to find anything good about my life. That, combined with changes in weather, is a bad combo for me. But, on the brighter side, it is passing.
We are going to have this baby at home in the water, again. If you haven't read Odin's birth story, here it is, again. I love reliving it over and over. I am excited for this next birth, because with each birth comes more knowledge, more experience, and more confidence. I think back to when we first had Zadok, and how nervous, and unsure I was about everything. Now, I know exactly what is happening to my body, and what to expect along the way. Both Micah and I feel at peace with everything we are doing, to prepare for this baby.
Our friend Rebekah is going to help with all our pre-natals. Since we don't know if we'll be here in 9 months, we were unsure about hiring a midwife. Rebekah, who is apprenticing with a local midwife, offered to nurture us with her loving hands, and be our "midwife." She will come over once a month and, all together, we will listen to the babies heart rate, and she will check size and positioning, and check blood pressure and proteins. That's all we really need. The rest of all that stuff people do, is hospital protocol, and pretty unnecessary. I am confident that if we do need extra medical help, that it will become obvious as we pay special, simple attention to our growing baby. We are grateful for Rebekah's loving support.
I am also personally grateful for Micah's loving support and encouragement. From day one, when we were first pregnant with Zadok, he always knew exactly what we needed to do, to bring our babies into the world the way they needed to come. He came armed with knowledge, and took time to educate himself on important issues. He thinks for himself, and doesn't let anyone tell him something is right, without thoroughly researching it, and coming to his own conclusions. He's able to avoid a lot of crap that way , and most importantly, make the best decisions for our family. I love my husband!
As we are preparing the boys for the arrival of their sibling, I happened across a wonderful book called, "How Was I Born?" It is complete with week by week pictures of the embryo and fetus growing larger, with kid-friendly descriptions. It is a book about a Swedish family who is expecting the arrival of their 3rd baby. The Mom's name happens to be Sally, and it is from the 4 year old little girls perspective. Zadok loves it, and we look at it every day.
At dinner the other night he exclaimed out of nowhere, "I SURE AM EXCITED FOR OUR BABY TO COME!"
It truly melted my heart.
Well, that's our growing baby report, week 8!
Some websites I like, with good info on low-intervention birthing:
I guess you have to copy and paste them, because the links aren't linking--darn it!
http://www.bradleybirth.com/
http://www.drjaygordon.com/alezav16/default2.asp?tree=545
http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/epidural.html
http://www.gentlebirth.org/format/myths.html#Should
http://www.childbirth.org/articles/pit.html
http://www.llli.org/ba/Nov99.html
