Author Archives: Chantel

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Coppin’ a squat

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Do you know how hard it is to squat with a huge preggo belly?

Blake and I have been reading up on the Bradley Method of natural childbirth. It basically sums up to:

  1. Husband is the coach during labor
  2. Use specific breathing methods depending on the stage of labor (not the hee-haw of Lamaze which causes hyperventilating)
  3. Use concentrated relaxation to ease pain, like intentionally relaxing the abdomen and uterus instead of tensing up (using a lot of “mind over matter”)
  4. Use specific body positions to ease pain, speed up delivery, and avoid interventions

The squatting position is recommended most by the Bradley Method because:

  • Shortens the second stage of labor (pushing phase)
  • Decreases the need for forcep deliveries
  • Reduces the need for episiotomy
  • Shortens the depth of your birth canal
  • Works with gravity
  • Increases pelvic diameter by 10+%

Throughout my pregnancy I’ve been exercising or getting at least some activity every day, including weight lifting and strength training. I’ve been doing squats like so in prep for labor:

However, it occurred to me that you can’t actually have a baby from that position. Apparently, I should be doing these kind of squats:

Do you have any idea how much those kind of squats hurt?! 🙂 So I guess I need to work on that…

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34 Weeks

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I’m huge!

At my doc appointment on Monday, everything’s fine. I’m negative for the Group B Strep so I won’t need antibiotics when I’m in the hospital, which is good because I really want to have the baby with as little medical intervention as possible. My next appointment is in two weeks and then my last sonogram to estimate the baby’s weight, how he’s positioned, etc. Lately he’s been nudging my ribs so it’s been uncomfortable to sit straight up or lean forward. I get it now why women are so eager to get this over with! Everyone’s telling me that it looks likely I’m all of a sudden pregnant, like “Where’d the huge bump come from?!”

At Target earlier this week, I think I experienced a Braxton-Hicks contraction, which was a little unnerving. If that was any indication at all of how Blake is going to react to me going into labor, I’m one lucky gal because he was really calm and sweet. Ah hell, I’m lucky anyway because he’s been so great throughout this whole pregnancy, although I do maintain he’s had it a little easy because I haven’t really been too moody, no late night food cravings, or anything demanding like that. 🙂

From BabyCenter.com {she changed to he}:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he’s born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you’ve been nervous about preterm labor, you’ll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

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Baby shower #3 – 10/8/10

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Last Friday, a visual impairment support group I know from work threw me a baby shower. I received some really nice gifts and it was a lot of fun!

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Looking for a pediatrician

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Apparently, unlike grown-ups, babies need to go to a doctor fairly often. It’s no surprise to those who know me but I really don’t like doctors – nothing against them necessarily as people but in my experience they tend to be abrupt, unfriendly, pill pushers.

However, the search is now on for a pediatrician. I was given a list of docs who are affiliated with the hospital I’ll be birthing at and from there I’ve called them all to find those accepting new patients and those with office hours on Fridays.

Next step is interviewing those docs who meet the cut. First docterview (get it – doctor + interview) is this Friday.

Things important to me:

Selective about immunizations – I’m not a fan of injecting oneself with a disease to gain immunity from a disease. It’s totally illogical. And I’m also prone to believe any and all conspiracy theories, like the one that says vaccines cause autism. However, it’s basically required by all doctors and the government that you vaccinate so I guess we’ll be pricking Ben with needles full of measles, mumps, reubella, chickenpox, Hep B, and many more! What I’m looking for in pediatrician is a doc who understands my hesitation.

Circumcision – doctor must be supportive of the decision not to circumcize.

“Circumcision is not an ethical medical procedure,” said Georganne Chapin, executive director of Intact America, a Tarrytown, N.Y., advocacy group. “You are removing a perfectly normal body part. We don’t allow people to do that to their daughters. We should not let them do it to their sons.” – Washington Post

Diet – I’m looking for a doctor that encourages a healthy diet and exercise over medications, and either encourages or is at least ok with a plant-based diet.

Selective about medications – for many, many ailments, diet, exercise, socialization, and homeopathy can be the appropriate cure. I don’t want a doc that thinks the first route is prescription drugs.

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33 Weeks

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How I’m feeling at 33 weeks:

Pretty much the same stuff — heartburn, fat feet, ninja-like movement, beautiful hair… The weather has taken a wonderful turn for the better and I’m loving the lower temperatures. As I mentioned I’ve watching my sodium intake, as well as my calories, to try to figure out how someone can gain 6 pounds in one week. Eating less salty stuff and drinking more water has helped me shed nearly the whole 6 pounds which is crazy that it really is just retaining water.

Update from BabyCenter.com:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He’s rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren’t fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don’t entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

{Note that even BabyCenter.com thinks Cleetus the Fetus resembles an alien so boo-yah!}

Countdown: 41 days!

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Fat feet!

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You can see the outline of the opening of my shoe along the top on my foot where it began to swell.

Jenna found it funny my foot was swelling out of my shoe so she took a photo. That’s been an unpleasant yet really not major pregnancy issue, the foot and ankle swelling. I’ve been trying to watch my salt but as it turns out everything I like has too much salt in it andsalt makes everything taste better. Oh well. Fat feet it is. If that’s the worst thing I have going on considering how bad some women have it, I’m very fortunate.

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Baby Shower #2 – October 2, 2010

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Last Saturday my mom threw me a baby shower. Thanks Mom and everyone who came! And thanks to my aunt Debbie for these photos!

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32 Weeks/8 Months

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From babycenter.com (she changed to he):

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You’re gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he’ll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

How I’m doing:

I had a baby doctor appointment this morning. The baby’s doing good. My blood pressure, glucose, and all that is good. Gained more weight than I should have, which I’m blaming on water retention/fat feet and constipation – by no means was it caused my constant hunger and gorging. 🙂 We’re getting closer and closer. Sitting in the waiting room, I was reading a magazine with it resting on my belly. Ben starting kicking/punching/exercising so much that he actually knocked the magazine from my hands. My little ninja.

Due in 7 weeks!