Birth Story for Vera Basil

This is the birth story for Vera Basil Born at home Monday, March 11, 2013 at 4:50-53am...

Husband and I woke up at 8:50am Sunday morning, and took a few moments to ourselves before our daughter Sonja woke up.

Sunday is my yoga morning.  After our alone time, I got up and started getting ready for my 10:30 class.  I went to the bathroom and noticed a mucus discharge {with a tint of blood}  I thought it could be the mucus plug, but last time it all came out in one chunk and this was not as big and more gooey than I expected.

I decided to go ahead and go to yoga, although I noticed I was having contractions, much like the practice ones I'd been having in the evening for the past few weeks.  The only difference was this was not the evening.  I decided to continue with class and just took child's pose when I got uncomfortable.  I didn't want to miss the beautiful day outside nor the outdoor practice.

Bakasana at 39 weeks

Contractions or Surges, as I usually call them, were mild all day.  They ranged in the 2-4 pain range, on a scale from 1-10.  They were coming every 10-20 minutes.  I sat down and did our taxes while Husband and Sonja went to a spring training game with his father and brother.  I told him I'd call if they got real active but they stayed mild for a while.

Around 5pm I noticed more mucus plug (again slightly bloody).  My parents came for dinner after I told them I thought tonight would be the night.  I called my sister, as she was planning on being the photographer of the whole event.  During dinner and that evening the surges increased to 4 on pain scale, and I knew they weren't going to stop.  I just didn't know how long they would last.


I texted our Midwife at 9:41 and she called right after.  After talking with me she decided to come over and hang out until I got active. My parents ended up going home after 10pm ish, since our midwife was there and she was pretty confident it would be a little while.

While hanging out my sister and sister in law offered to help me make my postpartum yoni healing pads.

Around 11pm I decided to lay down with Sonja to get her to sleep.  During that time I had a few surges in the 5-6 pain scale.

Once she was asleep, {about 12 midnight} I headed out into the kitchen to talk to birth team.  There were more surgest in the 5-6 pain range but we talked through the fact I was scared for it to get real and once I just accept it's happening I could hurry the process up.  We agreed I could keep it pushed off for a while, until the birth hormornes really kicked in and forced it to happen.  I knew I had to just jump off that cliff but I was still scared of it.

At 1am ish I decided to get in the shower and use my birth ball.  Once I was in there, there was no pain. I thought they stopped! I stayed in there for a while, wondering if I couldn't feel them if they were still there... they were.  Once the warm water ran out I got out of the shower and laid down on the bed over a stack of pillows.  My sweet friend Diane rubbed my back and so did Husband.  They were both such a great support team.

Husband kicked everyone else out of room shortly after my shower.  He mentioned he wanted this sacred experence to be between the two of us.  And while I knew that was sweet, I really just wanted to not be in pain,  I didn't care who was rubbing my back as long as it was being done in the right spot at the right time.  It's really hard to explain to someone what to do when you're entering labor land and a fellow woman usually knows what to do better than a sweet husband.  But it was his birth too so I let him rub my back until about 3:30am.

The surges started to get so unbearable that I was screaming.  I woke up the whole household, many of whom had just fallen asleep.  My midwife's assistant, Danielle, came in to check on fetal heart tones and I rested as much as I could between surges.  It was probably a 7 on my pain scale and I noticed that my yell was primal with hints of grunting {indicative of pushing}.   Shell, my midwife, came in to check on me.  She laid beside me.  It started to become unbearable in any position.

She suggested Skylar check me. She said, I don't think he'll have to go very far, sometime like, "My thought is there should be a head in the vault."

He checked, and said he did feel a head.  But I asked her to check again because I felt like I was pushing without purpose. No progression. From pushing. She checked and said there was about a centimeter of cervix in the way. I was pulling it down with each push, instead of pushing it out of the way or waiting until it moved out of the way.  She helped to guide it out of the way, as I pushed and relaxed my abdomen I felt it slip over the baby's head.  There was a sense of relief/release.

Somewhere during that time Sonja woke up, she sleeps in the same room as us and must have heard me screaming.  She was so sweet and happy to watch.  She was holding my hand and loving me.  But I had one really awful surge and I screamed a little too loud which scared her.  As soon as I saw the tears I apologized   The surge was over and I was trying to calmly tell her I was okay and that the yelling helped it not hurt.  I gave her a kiss and so did her daddy.  He asked her if she wanted to go play with her grandparents in the living room and she said yes.  Off she went.

Once the head was in the canal, I was able to relax for a second. Shell told me to take deep breathe for baby {after I asked why and she explained fetal heart tones dropped way low and I needed to relax and allow baby to recover after such a powerful surge.  This is pretty normal and it's how fast baby recovers from such a situation that indicates what actions need to be taken}. My surges slowed down but were intense. Baby's heart rate recovered fine.

The surges gave me a few breaks during pushing.  I was able to ask for coconut water. I tried to consciously eat and drink because I was so tired I wanted to keep my energy up. I drank on my "breaks" and allowed myself to fully relax.

I was pushing so hard I peed.  Like all over the bed, actually on towels on the bed.  I tried to control it but I ended up pushing so hard I was pooping and peeing each time.  My support team happily cleaned it up before Skylar took over.  With Sonja's birth I was well cleared from a day of slow labor, this time was slightly quicker.  After a few tries of controlling it, I told them sorry, but I was just going to keep doing it.  They grabbed extra towels to put under me and all was fine.  Sometime in that mess I felt a gush, not pee.  I was sort of bummed for a second when I realized my water broke {no caul birth for me}.  But I was just ready to be done, I didn't really care and I was impressed with my body and baby for holding on that long!

Shell suggested if I needed the encouragement, I could feel inside to find the head and see how close I was. I DID need that and I felt the head push to the surface and slip back in once but on the next surge I was able to bring it to the surface and hold and push through. I could feel the bones of cheeks passing through. Once the head was out, I relaxed slightly through the next break and slowly pushed the shoulders and abdomen out. Husband was catching the baby. he had this beautiful baby half out and she looked at him and took her breathe but she was still in me.  He said, "I still don't know if it's a boy or girl..."

I can't believe Husband is "letting" me post this photo, but you can see her half in half out!

Shell told him something and I said "Don't touch her!" I didn't want him to tug, pull or anything. But she was explaining how to remove the cord around her neck.

With the next push I was able to get her all the way out.  "It's a girl," he said.  The whole delivery from head to toe was 4:50-4:53am.  When asked, between first breathe or toes out, I decided toes out.  She wasn't fully born until ALL the way out so her official birth time on her birth certificate says 4:53am.

Once she was out, I yelled, "Sonja" and everyone came rushing in.

We allowed the cord to stop pulsing and I delivered the placenta.  After a while of establishing breastfeeding we clamped and cut the cord.

She weighed 7lbs 12oz and was 19inches long.  13 and 1/4 inches head {a whole inch smaller than Sonja's!}

And here I am after 19 hours of natural labor with my Blue Corn Hot Chocolate {and placenta-couldn't even taste it} made by my midwife.  And on that note, I felt much much better emotionally and physically than I did after Sonja's birth.  So as gross as it might be I highly recommend it!

-Jenn

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Pregnancy Round 2 {week 38}

Saturday is the day I've been counting as my weekly shift.  So, 38 Weeks started around 8 am when Sonja woke up.  My sister in law had already been awake long enough to get donuts {which I shouldn't have eaten, but did anyway, because who can resist a Boston creme donut?!} and once Sonja realized someone was up and ready to play with her, she let me rest in bed for another hour. We finally got up and ready around 9:30 am and headed to get coffee and the farmers market.  We ran into some sweet friends at my local coffee shop and enjoyed a breakfast snack.  As the day went on and we walked around the market I started getting upper back pain.  I know with Sonja all my pain was in my back and my mom experienced back labor, but the pain was too high up, although rhythmic.  So, another day of practice labor continued, low abdominal cramping and slight back ache, but nothing progressing.  It was definitely getting old.  I just asked my body to either get legit or quit cause, this whole, "Is THIS it?" thing is getting annoying.  But, to keep myself busy I painted the living room wall, which had recently been exposed from some ugly wall paper.  I've still got a few more tiny home projects to keep me busy this week. But I ended the evening with a prenatal massage {and requested ankle stimulation to allow my body the option of starting labor} and went home to see if anything happened.
Nothing happened.

Sunday I went to yoga, although at this point, I'm pretty limited in my practice.  There's a giant uterus and baby in my way every time we twist.  After yoga, we headed to my father in law's to enjoy some lunch.  More practice labor, but nothing real.  again.

Mondays are my free day, I don't work or have any prescheduled activities.  Sonja and I went grocery shopping and ran some errands.  Nothing special to report on, just a lot of waiting.

Tuesday morning we went to my Prenatal appointment at my Midwive's office.  Baby was head down {very low!} and moving.  My pulse was high, probably from my sugar spike from my morning orange juice.  All other vitals normal and Group B Strep test results were negative.  We discussed how I'm actually unprepared, emotionally, for this birth.  I had a little anxiety during the week about going into labor and I realized I haven't said nearly as many positive affirmations or visualizations for this birth.  I just keep expecting it to be quick, but I'm not sure how to handle it, if it ends up being a longer birth.  There's really nothing I can do at this point except accept my birth will be exactly as it needs to be.
After the appointment we had to rush to my office job, Sonja joins me weekly, not sure what my plan will be once I have two kiddos.  Once we were done at the office we headed to Open Gym with my sister in law and the little girl she nannys.  If you have the opportunity to find an open gym in your community, I highly recommend it.  We paid $40 for a year membership, which allows various open gym sessions a week.  It's a great chance for kiddos to run around, get their energy out and interact with other littles.  The open gym sessions we go to is from 0-5yrs, so there are plenty of little kids to practice sharing with and such.

Wednesday, I met with an old friend for an interview.  She's in nursing school and one of their projects is to follow a pregnant woman for 4 weeks, complete with home visits and meetings.  I doubt she'll get a full 4 weeks out of me, but at least she'll get the full birth story!  I doubt anyone else in her class will be following a woman with a midwife team as opposed to a hospital.  Hopefully, it will spread some awareness at the normalcy of birth.  Plus, it was really sweet talking to her about the whole pregnancy.  After the meeting, I rushed home to get ready for work.  I can not tell you how DONE I am with teaching.  I am sick of answering questions and physically helping students with technique at this point.  I really hope I don't have to be there next week.  After teaching, my sister took my weekly {sometimes bi-monthly} maternity photos and  surprisingly, I could still do the yoga pose for this week's series.  After we got back from the walk, I cuddled up in bed with Sonja in bed and let her watch Dora on my iphone {usually a special treat for long distance car rides, air plane trips and the occasional visit to my office}.  Normally, I would have felt guilty for letting her indulge in useless technology, but for real! I needed to rest.  Once, I work up from my nap, I was greeted with my evening contractions and even some nausea   Has anyone else experienced nausea as a contraction?  I didn't notice the pain of the contraction, but the nausea came in a perfect wave like one, it peaked and then faded just like my contracts... Anyway, we headed to dinner for my Husband's Uncle's Birthday.  I knew it wouldn't go anywhere, so even though Husband offered to just get mine to go and bring it home, I decided to go.  The only thing worse than being in practice labor out and about is being at home alone in practice labor.  I splurged on my meal, ordering drinks, salad and an entree, because, who know's when the next time I'll get to go out to eat?



Thursday, I couldn't find the energy to do anything fun.  Sonja requested a trip to the bank with the drive up machine, and that was easy enough, since I had a deposit to make anyway.  After that, we headed to Whole Foods for a smoothie and pink apples {also her request}.  I wanted to go to the botanical gardens or children's museum, but the though of walking around anywhere amplified my shortness of breathe and all I could do was sit and rest.  We took an early nap around noon, and I headed to work around 3 when Husband got home.

Friday night we had dinner at Husband's Nonnie's house and enjoyed some family time.  I tried to stay at the table to enjoy the conversation but eventually the fully baby belly had me on the couch while everyone else enjoyed their wine.  After some dessert I finally suggested we head home so I could get some rest.

Saturday was a nice break.  Normally, we go to the farmer's market but my sister in law offered to pick up the veggies leaving husband and I at home with Sonja to relax.  After hours of trying to decide where to get brunch we gave up and headed to Press coffee at Scottsdale Quarter.  I wanted to use my walking for the day at Restoration Hardware, I really love their rooftop patio and thought it would be beautiful.  The drizzle of rain earlier in the morning had all their furniture covered so we didn't get to hang around long.  And Husband was super concerned about Sonja breaking something {her listening skills have been at their worst over the past few weeks}.  So, after a short but sweet outing we headed home for a lazy day. Little did we know it would be our last night as a family of three...

Birth Story coming soon!

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Pregnancy Round 2 {week 37}

I wrote a novel for this post.  Hope you don't mind...

37 Weeks was the week I was, finally, mentally prepared to give birth.  I didn't think I would be this early, but I was comfortable enough with the idea since Sonja was about 2 weeks early.  I wanted to make sure I was prepared by then.  I spent the last week or so getting everything together for a home birth, including all my labor foods.

Sunday, was a very uncomfortable evening.  I finally started having what felt like real contractions, and while I knew they were probably just practice contractions I kept an eye on them.  I tried to time them, but we were at dinner and it wasn't until half way though each contraction that I realized I was having one.  Making the whole timing thing rather impossible and actually a huge waste of time.  So, I stopped, ate my meal, drank my water and headed home with the fam.  They faded after that and I went about my normal bedtime routine.

Monday, was a busy errand day.  I went to Target to get the very last of the missing items for my birth.  After running errands Sonja and I headed home to take our nap.  When I woke up I felt like I was having uterine cramping and contractions.  Around 7pm they started getting uncomfortable and I was trying to decide if I should amp myself up to give birth or conserve my energy for another day.  After texting my midwife to see what she was up to {I didn't want to bother her if it was just practice}, I decided we should stop by just to get a feel for what my body was doing.  Husband ordered himself some dinner {which I did not want} and quickly tidied up the living room, in case the birth team would be heading by.  While doing so, he broke my water.  Literally, broke my glass of water all over the tile {which we couldn't help but laugh about}.  So, I cleaned that up while he went to get his dinner.  By the time Husband got home with his food, they had calmed down and I was starting to feel normal again.  I texted her to let her know we wouldn't be stopping by.  And, I ended up eating ice cream in bed with Hubs and The Cupcake.

Tuesday morning, I headed to my scheduled prenatal appointment at my midwife's office for my GBS test.  While I've declined most blood work and tests during this pregnancy, including the glucose test, I did not want to skip this one.  I know the likeliness of transmitting to baby are low, if present; but the complication if affected are totally preventable.  So it doesn't make sense, to set my child up for an issue, if I can easily prevent it from becoming an issue.

Wednesday evening was the first night I've worked out since the car accident.  I didn't want to push it before.  If I worked out and induced labor earlier it could have been an issue, but I feel comfortable at this point, working out because it's closer to my due date.  There's something liberating about running {even if only for a minute and a half} while 37 weeks pregnant.  I honestly can't think of anything more empowering at this stage of pregnancy.  I'm not a runner, normally; I always get short of breath a few minutes in.  But, to know my body can still sprint with this belly is reassuring, inspiring and comforting.  If my uterus is strong enough to run {and walk} it will be strong enough to birth this baby.  And the stronger ANY muscle is, the easier it can be activated.  Which can only help my quick birth vision, Quick, Pain-less {not a lot of pain, please} and in the Caul are my goals for this birth.

Friday was a normal day, I went to teach, while Husband came home early to watch Sonja.  When I got home from work we took a family nap.  Which I really enjoy these last few weeks because I NEED my rest.  I'm so thankful Sonja is still a great afternoon napper.  I'm hoping that continues on for a few more years!  I have been craving salad {give me all the greens!} and while Husband made alfredo for everyone else, I made him stop and get me a salad from Postino's.  Their Italian Picnic salad sans bacon is my favorite.  We stayed home for the evening and relaxed, just what I needed to end the week.

Next update; 38 weeks!
-Jennifer

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Baby No. 2 Maternity Photoshoot

I've been documenting this pregnancy relatively well with my sister and loved my bump series, but these photos were taken over the past two weeks.  I wanted a natural, desert mama vibe and thought the mountain by our home would be the best place to take such photos.  We took some during the golden hour {5-6pm ish} and some in the morning.  Some before my henna and some after.  I hope you enjoy looking at these intimate images.  All images are credited to Brittany Lind Photography and copyright Jennifer Lind Schutsky.  Please do not steal them, remove watermarks or use them without linking back to me and my blog.  It's not just illegal and rude, it's extremely disrespectful to my baby and birth.  So, please don't suck.

Enjoy...

Thanks SO much to my sister for documenting my Pregnancy {and Henna} exactly as I wanted!

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Pregnancy Round 2 {31 & 32 Weeks}

31 weeks and I finally feel pregnant.  I'm huge.  I seriously can't imagine getting bigger.  So, I'm a little freaked out about that.  Thankfully, I've only gained about 20lbs. which is a huge relief {I gained over 50 with Sonja}.  I've also updated my wardrobe to include 2 brand new maternity pants.  And just when I ordered them an offer on my midwife's community facebook page showed up with an offer for 2 free used pairs as well.  So I grabbed those too!  Now, I've got almost a weeks worth of elastic banded pants!

This week, I woke up with my leg "asleep", which freaked me out.  I mean, normally, I wouldn't care, but I'm trying to avoid edema and I want to make sure my blood flow is awesome while I'm sleeping.  In my Pilates for Pregnancy book the whole 3rd trimester is dedicated to exercises to keep ankles and feet from swelling.  That and our nightly walks should keep me in the clear.  Last time, I swelled up right before Sonja's birth and I'd like to keep it away for as long as possible this time as well.

Oh an did you catch that?  WALKS?! We've actually been going these past two weeks.  And if we don't walk, it's only because I worked out or did yoga that day!  A huge improvement and something really important in preparing for birth.  So proud of our little family for making the effort with me.

Other noticeable differences in this pregnancy, compared to my last, are the showers.  I actually want to shower!  Last time, it was forced and I felt like I was going to pass out just being in the hot water, this time I need it.  I need to let my stomach stretch in the shower every night before lotion and oils in order to be comfortable for bed. Also, I've noticed this baby likes to spread out differently in my tummy.  S/he likes to push out on both my left and right side at the same time.  Sonja never did that.  It's not pleasant and I'm hoping that s/he is in the right position {we should know within the next few weeks, when the midwife feels for the head and such}

Week 32 has been a shopping frenzy.  I bought a bunch of stuff we needed for the house, and I'm blaming it on nesting.  I also finally created a "registry." Which is mostly just a list of the diapers I'd like to add to our collection.  With Sonja, we used cloth.  And I tried lots of brands, some organic and some not.  This time, since I've gifted most of her non-organic ones away to my new mama friends {almost everyone I know is cloth diapering! Yay, for the environment}, I'm asking friends if they're going to get us anything for our baby sprinkle {we already had a "shower" for Sonja} to get us organic diapers.  Best of all, I found a LOCAL baby boutique with tons of organic stuff and a huge range of cloth diapers.  Have you checked out Zoolikins?  Not only do they have a brick and mortar store, they have a super user friendly website!

Also, Bees!  can we just take a moment to appreciate the bees?! They've been all over me this week.  They've been my pregnancy animal this pregnancy {with Sonja it was peacocks}.  While at the park this week, one landed on my hand walked around {and tickled me} before flying away, and the same day another one tried to kiss my ear while out back with Sonja.  I guess this would be more interesting if you all knew my baby sprinkle theme and or saw the invitations I just sent out, but I'm saving that for when I share the party in a separate post.

Friday, we had an appointment with our Midwife.  She says baby is in a good position, and "big" and sturdy.  And when I asked about breech {a slight concern I have this time around} she assured me after my birth with Sonja I could handle anything.  She also mentioned that she'd like for Husband to catch the baby.  And, that, you know? she'll be there, but she's probably not going to do anything.  {Unless I need her to}.  Which is cool that she has that confidence in me.  We talked about my hopes for having a new bathtub by the time of the birth, but now it's probably not going to happen.  I didn't know if getting a play pool outside was worth it, since I'd have to heat and change the water {or someone else would}, and would I really be outside all that much?  Last time, I stayed on the toilet when labor got really intense because I was going to the bathroom every few seconds {not exaggerating!}.  She laughed at me, and reminded me I'm not the type of woman to sit still in a tub and labor for a few hours anyway {which is SO true}.  So, we're still thinking about our "plan."

I told her my plan was to have the baby fall out.  I've been trying to walk more, I went to the gym and "ran" for a few minutes and since I know I can do that now. I'm going to keep adding sprints to my treadmill routine.  And maybe I can sprint this baby out of me.  I should clarify, when I say run, I mean go fast for a little over a minute, then resume walking.  I can't really run all that long when I'm not pregnant.  So, it's exciting I can still do even just a minute at a time.  Instead of running I've always been a brisk walker at high inclines.  I've also been doing my yoga twice a week.  Which helped so much with knowing what position my body needed last time I was in labor.

I was sort of freaking out that I had 8 more weeks to go, and that I feel huge and uncomfortable.  But, as I'm starting off week 33 I am feeling a little more accepting of 8 more weeks and using this time to prep. all the food and supplies for our birth.

I'll update you all again soon & thanks for following along on my second pregnancy journey!
-Jenn

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Pregnancy Round 2 {27-30 Weeks}

Week 27 was a normal and comfortable week.  The only change I noticed was when I woke up in the middle of the night to such extreme heart burn I thought I was going to throw up.  I was able to drink some water and take some papaya enzymes and fall asleep with several pillows propping me up.  The next night I did not take my garlic supplement before bed, rather with dinner and that helped a lot.  I also took papaya every night before bed just in case.  I now take my multivitamins and supplements with food preferably with lunch if I remember so I can go to sleep with only yogurt or crackers in my stomach to fill me up, but not aggravate anything.

Week 28 was the week of Christmas and I had too many sweets.  No noticeable complications from my sugar intake, but I know growing a baby is not the best time to splurge on sweets.  I don't want baby to get a taste for too much sugar, and I don't want complications from medical issues like gestational diabetes.  So, for the holidays I didn't control myself, but am not proud of it!

Week 29 New years was busy!  I tried to give up sugar for the month of January but found myself accidentally eating it in foods like bread after about a week.  So, instead of feeling guilty about being hungry and eating sugar when it was really the only option.  I decided it would be best to avoid desserts but to not judge or stress out if I ate something out of convenience, I need to keep my blood sugar consistent for baby so if that means eating a slice of toast because that's what's available that's what I'm going to do.  

Week 30 was the week I really felt pregnant. I mean I'm getting BIG and this baby is active.  Usually kicking me on both the right and left side at the same time.  Splits?!  who knows.  Anyway, it was a rough week in terms of physical comfort.  On Tuesday night, I had really bad back pain.  I mean bad.  Like the only thing I could do was walk around to ease the pain, if I tried laying on my left {my normal good side} or at all, it was excruciating!  It started around midnight after alone time with Hubs. and by 2 am I was ready to call the midwife and ask about my options.  I only experienced back labor with Sonja and this felt A LOT like this.  It was hard to differentiate between pain and contractions since the pain kept spasming and contracting my whole body.  BUT, I'm not really at any risks for preterm labor and my midwife appt. the day before had been normal.  After taking tylenol and magnesium, I started feeling nauseous and tried getting sick.  After waking Husband up, wondering if there was a such thing as braxton hicks for back labor or if it was something else I should be worried about, he offered to rub my back as a last attempt.  He said he could feel a knot on my mid-back, and after working on it for 15-20 minutes I was finally able to sleep.  I woke up fine.  I talked to my midwife a few days later and she mentioned my lab results contained a strep culture that could have affected my kidneys and gave me some tea recommendations to help with the infection.  Also, when I asked about possible braxton hicks back labor, she said that's not likely.  {After the back rub I assumed as much.  If it was labor sensations a back rub wouldn't have calmed the sensations enough}.  Anyway, we're monitoring my health, and drinking lots of tea to keep me and baby healthy.

Thanks for following along on this pregnancy, I'll have another pregnancy post in a week or two!
-Jenn


   

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Pregnancy Round 2 {21-26 Weeks}

I love this trimester.  I really do.  I'm more than halfway done and hardly feel pregnant {except for the sweet kicks}.  I don't feel heavy or tired.  I don't feel sick or achy.  I don't have to wake up and pee in the middle of the night... yet.

21 weeks went great.  We opted not to do an ultrasound for this pregnancy.  Last time we only did the first, 8 week, one; just to see baby implanted and get advice from an O.B. on finding a midwife {see also: most wasted hour of my life}.  So, although the baby does have a gender, we have no idea what it is!  It's weird because I'm the most impatient person I've ever met and yet when it comes to my babies I want to wait.  I want to meet them for the first time, when they look into my eyes.  I don't want to bond with a photograph or video.  I also think that because ultrasonic waves affect all oceanic creatures and it sort of freaks me out to think of blasting my baby with similar wavelengths while they're in the amniotic fluid.  I know everyone claims they're safe, but they also advice against unnecessary ultrasounds {and there has to be a reason for that}.

Week 22-24 all sort of blur together.  I'd been meaning to sit down and type something each week, but for one reason or another life just kept going and I didn't.  I can say that you didn't miss anything except some kicks here and there.  Everything is going really smoothly.  I have had some minor heartburn at night, when I lay down.  If I lay on my left, I can't stop burping, so it's been a right side of the body kind of month for me.  I also added papaya to my bedtime routine to help with the heartburn.  I'm trying to decide what else I can add because that seems to be less and less effective.

I was super sick most of week 25.  I caught a cold and a stomach bug.  So, I've been coughing {and threw up a few times} which caused some serious back pain.  Like the worst.  I couldn't move, breathe or relax and I kept having muscle spasms, I kept getting in and out of the warm shower and using an ice pack to control the pain.  After a day of agony I called my midwife to make sure it wasn't something more serious, and she suggested, a warm bath with 1/2 cup Epsom salt {I did a full cup just to be safe}.  Magnesium powder dissolved in water {thankfully I already had this} to drink and Tylenol for the pain.  Within 20 minutes I was comfortable.

I also stayed hydrated with a liquid diet {soups, coconut water, water, and yogurt for my tummy but not too much for my sinuses}.  Husband made me tea all day long and I rested in bed for about 4 days.  Whenever I get sinus symptoms I dry it out by not eating dairy, wheat {gluten} nor refined sugar.  By avoiding those foods, my body has time to focus on healing instead of mucus production.  So, if you're dealing with sinus or congestion during pregnancy you might want to consider cutting out those items.

In order to breathe through the congestion, I showered with eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils and added them to my baths.

By week 26, I was feeling good enough to run errands, clean the house and actually blog again.  Now, I'm just focusing on catching up on housework, projects and last minute holiday prep.

Thanks for being patient while I document this pregnancy, I'll be back with another update in a few weeks, so check back!

-Jenn

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Pregnancy Round 2 {19 & 20 Weeks}

Week 19 started off with a prenatal potluck.  As if anyone needs another reason to use a midwife!  Mine hosts potlucks to help get expecting parents together.  It allows her to see us each for a few minutes for our personal weight, blood pressure, fetal heart rate and such.  But instead of sitting in a waiting room until your turn, you're sitting in a cozy space with people who are enjoying a good time and healthy food.  After all the individual check ins, our midwife sits with the group and chats along with her student midwives.  The Midwifery model of care is really the only way I can image recieving prenatal care.  I will never go to an O.B. and that's not to say some Midwives don't have O.B. tendencies nor O.B.s have Midwife tendencies, it's just MY midwife does things this way and I can't see why anyone would choose a different approach to a normal healthy birth!

At the potluck I weighed 132lbs which is a 14lb increase from my starting weight.  I think that's a good place to be at 19 weeks.  I feel healthy, I know I'm eating what I want and staying hydrated and I don't really care how much I gain in terms of numbers.  But with Sonja I gained 52 pounds and felt HUGE by the time I delivered (finishing weight was 176lb).  This time I started smaller and there has been a slower gain, which I think is more textbook approved {the normal recommended gain is about 25-30lb for my size} and like I said, I don't care about numbers but I know if I'm closer to that range I'll feel better and it will be easier to move during the labor.

Speaking of weight gain, I feel like my thighs are huge.  It's weird how it went there first.  I don't mind and am totally happy with my body and any and all changes it needs to make for pregnancy.  It's just interesting for me to observer and notice these changes in certain spots.  I'm also surprised the weight seemed to gravitate there first, I guess, because with Sonja it all went to my core; abs, hips and chest.  I think I expected my body to act the same way this time, but it's true each pregnancy is different.

Week 20 went by rather quickly and I have been keeping myself busy.  My workouts have not increased but stayed the same.  Yoga is getting harder and I have to make more modifications but I love how limber I feel after class.  Like someone rang me out like a towel, all my toxins are gone and my muscles warm, it's the best feeling.  I notice myself getting light headed after cardio though and that's not great, but I'm working though it.  I weighed myself at the gym and I was 127lb a 5lb decrease from the week before.  I guess I'm still fluxuating as I gain this pregnancy weight. 

For some reason, week 20 was an emotional week.  I started missing old friends and thinking about how I couldn't even reach out to a few of them because I'd lost phone numbers, or too much time has passed, or things ended badly and I don't think they'd want to hear from me... anyway, it started bothering me and I found myself in tears more than once.  Why can't I just tell someone I'm happy for them?  Why can't we just forget about the past and be friends?  ugh.  pregnancy.  So when I forgot my coffee punch card and accidently ordered regular milk in my latte and found myself in tears, I knew it was time to see my midwife.  Luckily, I was already headed over there to drop something off and when I got there she instantly knew I was emotional {even though the tears were gone}.  She made me tea, recommended passion flower, B complex, magnesium powder, and acupuncture 3x a week.  I'm feeling much better and not fixating on the things I can't change.  I am trying to push out any thoughts of people I can't {for various reasons} reach out to and focusing on my family and friends.  

Besides the homorne induced emotional episodes the past few weeks have been very smooth and I'm trying to hold on to this easy phase of pregnancy.  Baby has been kicking and flipping and Sonja loves talking to the baby.  She loves "feeling" baby, even though she's usually in the wrong spot.  Other than that, we've been bonding as a family and starting to think about names.

Speaking of names I can't believe how much I don't care what we name this baby.  I had one name I liked and when Husband said no, I just didn't care.  I mean, I also told him no a few times, but I don't have that nesting urge to pick a name, like eeh, whatever, we'll decide when he gets here {or she gets here... huh, wonder if that was indicative of the gender...}.

Thanks for following along with our pregnancy, I'll be back in a few weeks with another update.  Happy Monday.

Jenn

You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr!

p.s. if you have a moment, I'd really appreciate your vote. Click the banner below and then the owl on the left. {No email required and no spam generated! promise}