- Burping. I come from a long line of burpers, but this is just ridiculous. They come out of me unexpectedly (many times in public places) and honestly, I giggle and love the fact that there's a really good reason for it. I think Rich has started to block out the disgusting noises coming out of my upper half that are brought on by spicy foods, lack of air and heartburn...speaking of...
- Heartburn. WTF? I have NEVER experienced such discomfort in my chest and esophagus in my life! They say that heartburn is a tell tale sign that you'll have a hairy child (um, have you seen my husband's chest wig?! This is pretty much a given...), but sleeping upright with tons of pillows has gotten out of control. Oh, and forget antacids--they don't really help all that much. (Although I do prefer the natural kind made by Nature's Sunshine, Papaya Mint.)
- Farting. Yes, I said it. Many women claim that they don't fart, but you do in pregnancy and you will clear a room. Unfortunately, Rich cannot block this out. Bless him.
- Wardrobe choices. Boots, leggings and a form fitting top? Hell yes. Would I have ever worn this pre-pregnancy? Hell no. There's a freedom that comes in dressing yourself each day because you just don't care anymore! Comfort rules.
- Desserts. Anyone that knows me well knows that I NEVER (okay, hardly ever) touched a dessert or sweet item pre-pregnancy. I was more of a salty/savory girl. Not now. Holy crap. If you have a piece of chocolate cake within 30 yards of me, I will tackle you for it. No joke. I've eaten candy bars for the first time in years...100 Grand, Snickers, Twix, you name it...I keep chocolate in the house at all times and am coming to grips with the fact that I may have a hot cocoa addition...(with whipped cream please!)
- Smells. I'm addicted to aromatherapy. Scent of choice? Pure essential lavender oil. I spray some on the bed linens before we go to bed each night (making sure I also spray a large dose above our dog, Milo...it relaxes him too!). Again, this was NOT a ritual pre-pregnancy.
- Other smells. Not so great smells. My sensitive sniffer catches everything and my gag reflex is in full effect. I actually throw up when catching wiffs of smells that used to never (okay, hardly ever) bother me. Perhaps this is why I've only gained 12 pounds this entire pregnancy...Despite this little hiccup, they say our little one is growing and developing just fine, but Rich and I can't help but worry about the strong possibility of me having vile, involuntary reactions to changing diapers. Will we need to have a receptacle on the changing table lovingly labeled as "Mommy's Puke Bucket"?
- Cat litter. Pregnant women can't go near it as we may contract toxoplasmosis. Not good for me or baby. The responsibility (and subsequent gagging) has fallen solely on my husband. (I love you, Rich!)
- Nesting. I've always been a big doer, but OMG...my pregnancy hormones have me (and thus Rich!) as productive as a meth addict scrubbing a bathroom floor with a Q-tip. Have you seen our backyard? It used to look like a scene from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and now it's an outdoor paradise. Painting all done in baby's room? Check. Stanley Steemer out to sterilize and steam our hardwoods? Check. Potting plants and putting out decorative gourds and pumpkins? Check. (Totally unnecessary, but if feels so important to do!) Honestly, even though I feel like a crazy person sometimes, I loooove how much shit we're getting done!
- Boobs. Having an abundance of them for the first time in my life really doesn't suck. (Right honey?! ;))
- No filter. As you can easily see by reading this post, I no longer have a filter. It is gone. I say whatever I think when I'm thinking it, no matter the environment or context. Work, home, in public places, you name it. I consider myself an honest person, but there are some things that just don't need to be said. I apologize to anyone I've offended or taken off guard, but I'm pregnant. Haven't you noticed?!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Pregnancy License
Being pregnant is awesome. Really. There are so many things that I find myself doing that I would have NEVER (okay...let's be honest...hardly ever...) done in my non-pregnant state. The beauty of all this is all you have to say is "I'm pregnant" or show your growing belly and all is forgiven. It's a universal get out of jail free card! For example:
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Babymoon
With the anticipated arrival of our little one less than ten weeks away (wow!!!), Rich and I spent three full days and four nights at our beloved Watercolor Inn next to Seaside, FL on Walton County Road 30 A. This is where we got married last year and we both recall that week as one of the happiest of our lives. We had a lot to celebrate-- a one year anniversary, Rich's upcoming 34th birthday and of course, our expanding family.
We spent time dining and noshing at some our favorite spots:
- Bud & Alley's Rooftop Bar in Seaside, overlooking the Gulf...Rich LOVES the smoked tuna dip!
- Fish Out of Water Restaurant at the Watercolor Inn...Chef Wayne and his team are amazing! They only use local produce, sustainable seafood, organic and grassfed meats, cheeses, etc.
- Bistro Bijoux in The Village of Baytowne Wharf, Sandestin Resort- French cuisine inspired. Emeril is a fan.
- Modica Market in Seaside- the best mimosas ever (Judgement Free Zone please-- Rich and I split one!)
- Smiling Fish Cafe-- ask for Mama T!
- Unfortunately, one of our favorite haunts, The Red Bar in Grayton Beach, was closed for renovations, so we'll have to hit them up next time we're in town.
We visited with some of our favorite people on 30A:
- Cheryl Walton- our Watercolor wedding coordinator extraordinaire and dear friend
- Grove Fischer and Jessica Porter- our wedding florists and friends (Grove, Jessica and Cheryl all gave birth to baby girls in 2010, so we appreciated every bit of infant advice they could give us!)
- The owners of The Studio Gallery, Sarah and Bill. We love their gallery and have decided to buy a piece of art each year we visit.
Next time we travel to this area of Florida that we consider a little paradise on Earth, we will be a family of three, living the minivan dream (we'll be the proud owners of a 2007 Honda Odyssey Touring next week!), loaded down with baby stuff galore, carrying tons of shit to and from the beach and we absolutely can't wait!
I absolutely adore my husband and thank him for carving out this precious time for just the two of us before our son arrives!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
More Business of Being Born!
There are is so much intellectual and spiritual nurishment that is inspiring major life decisions right now, but the two things I have found most influencial are 1) anything written by world-renowned midwife Ina May Gaskin and 2) the documentary The Business of Being Born.
Guess what?! There's a sequel to the documentary that's just come out called More Business of Being Born and the first part features Ina May Gaskin in the Eden that is The Farm in Summertown, TN! Two of my favorite things all rolled into one-- Yippee! A lovely soon-to-be Mom in my Bradley birthing class let us know that you can watch streaming video of the new documentary for a nominal fee, so I am all over this this week! (Thanks Kate!) I can't wait to see what's in store!
Check it out for yourself: http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/watch-now/
Guess what?! There's a sequel to the documentary that's just come out called More Business of Being Born and the first part features Ina May Gaskin in the Eden that is The Farm in Summertown, TN! Two of my favorite things all rolled into one-- Yippee! A lovely soon-to-be Mom in my Bradley birthing class let us know that you can watch streaming video of the new documentary for a nominal fee, so I am all over this this week! (Thanks Kate!) I can't wait to see what's in store!
Check it out for yourself: http://www.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
C-sections: eye-opening (and disturbing) statistics
One reason I feel so strongly about pursuing a natural childbirth is I want to put myself in the best possible situation to avoid a medically unnecessary C-section. While C-sections have become common place (1 out of 2 of my friends have had C-sections in recent births), it is major surgery and should not be entered into lightly. Of course, there are very valid medical reasons to have a C-section performed. I'm not talking about these instances. What I'm referring to in this post are those C-sections where women feel pressured into it by a doctor for no valid medical reason.
Did you know that C-section rates are at an all-time high in the United States? According to the CDC, C-section rates have risen from 5.5% in 1970 to 32.3% in 2008. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no higher than a 10-15% rate for all nations. In the state of Tennessee, according to statistics derived from the Joint Annual Report of Hospitals filed with the Tennessee Department of Health for 2008, of 80,791 births that year, 30,040 of those were C-sections, thus generating a C-section rate of 34.6%. The hospital with the lowest rate was about 20% and there was one with an outrageous rate of 85%! I haven't gotten my hands on the most current statistics, but by way of an educated guess, there's no reason to believe that these percentages have gone down in the last couple of years.
While not all obstetricians are characterized by convenience driven and defensive medical practices (i.e. doing whatever it takes not to get sued and rushing a laboring woman into a medically unnecessary procedure so that they can make it to dinner on time), this culture of medical care is clearly on the rise. I'm blogging about it with the hope that we'll not only start to educate ourselves about what's going on, but decide to take action to do something about it.
In light of these staggering C-section rates in the US, The Farm Midwifery Center's C-section rate is less than 2%...yes, that's right. I said less than 2%! This is a statistic generated over the course of thousands of births and 40+ years of practice. This statistic is one of the reasons The Farm Midwives are so well known around the world among cultures that understand the value of midwives and women-centered care--- their stats are literally some of the best in the world.
But, don't just take my word for it. Do your own research on this silent epidemic in maternal care that is affecting our friends, wives, sisters and daughters. I found this site to be incredibly informative and comprehensive with statistics and studies from reputable organizations to back up their findings: The Unnecesarean.
Did you know that C-section rates are at an all-time high in the United States? According to the CDC, C-section rates have risen from 5.5% in 1970 to 32.3% in 2008. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no higher than a 10-15% rate for all nations. In the state of Tennessee, according to statistics derived from the Joint Annual Report of Hospitals filed with the Tennessee Department of Health for 2008, of 80,791 births that year, 30,040 of those were C-sections, thus generating a C-section rate of 34.6%. The hospital with the lowest rate was about 20% and there was one with an outrageous rate of 85%! I haven't gotten my hands on the most current statistics, but by way of an educated guess, there's no reason to believe that these percentages have gone down in the last couple of years.
While not all obstetricians are characterized by convenience driven and defensive medical practices (i.e. doing whatever it takes not to get sued and rushing a laboring woman into a medically unnecessary procedure so that they can make it to dinner on time), this culture of medical care is clearly on the rise. I'm blogging about it with the hope that we'll not only start to educate ourselves about what's going on, but decide to take action to do something about it.
In light of these staggering C-section rates in the US, The Farm Midwifery Center's C-section rate is less than 2%...yes, that's right. I said less than 2%! This is a statistic generated over the course of thousands of births and 40+ years of practice. This statistic is one of the reasons The Farm Midwives are so well known around the world among cultures that understand the value of midwives and women-centered care--- their stats are literally some of the best in the world.
But, don't just take my word for it. Do your own research on this silent epidemic in maternal care that is affecting our friends, wives, sisters and daughters. I found this site to be incredibly informative and comprehensive with statistics and studies from reputable organizations to back up their findings: The Unnecesarean.
Meeting our midwife
Well into my sixth month, I called The Farm to check on availability for a January birth and it turned out that all the birthing houses were pretty much booked up. Nonetheless, the midwives seemed really committed to seeing what they could do for us (thank you for the putting in a good word for us Kari Jenkins!). About a week later, I got a call from Joanne Santana, one of the first settlers on The Farm and one of the original midwives that worked with Ina May Gaskin to establish The Farm Midwifery Center. It turns out that Joanne lives now outside The Farm in Hampshire, TN (about 15 minutes away from Summertown and a bit closer to Nashville) and has a birthing house right next to her own abode that was available in January. Hearing this news, we jumped at the chance to schedule our first pre-natal appointment with her. We had the privilege of meeting with her yesterday afternoon (after accidentally making a wrong turn, thus getting a tour of the quaint town of Mount Pleasant).
With all the reading I've done about The Farm and The Farm Midwives, apart of me was expecting this tingling, magical experience upon meeting our midwife, but I quickly discovered that Joanne and the other midwives are regular women just like you and me, but they possess extraordinary passion, knowledge, and commitment to giving women and their families choices about childbirth.
Joanne's home was very cozy with a wood burning fire place in the living room and it was there that we discussed her background, how she came to midwifery, and about our pregnancy. We also got to ask our questions. The biggest question people ask is "What if you had to have medical intervention? Where would you go? Who would take you there?" The Farm Midwives are very well-known at a county hospital that is less than 25 minutes away, so if for some reason, we had to transfer, Joanne would call ahead to let them know we're on our way and take us there. One thing I know to be true through all my research and in talking to other mothers that chose to give birth with The Farm Midwives is that they are vigilant in ensuring things are as they should be for a natural childbirth. Because they are so proactive, they will not be caught off-guard and a choice to transfer for the safety of mother and baby will be made sooner rather than later, if necessary. The care we will receive is world-renowned (literally!).
After doing an intake (looking over the medical records I brought and asking us a ton of necessary questions), she did the basics in terms of checking my vitals, measuring my belly (29 cm-- right on target for my 29th week!), and listening to our baby's heartbeat. Rich got to listen too and I just love the look of complete wonder he gets on his face when our little guy really makes his presence known. We made a follow-up appointment for the end of November and during that appointment, we'll go to the clinic on The Farm in Summertown to check my hematocrit, which is an indicator of iron levels in the blood.
My OB/GYN (whom is a dear friend that I adore) was completely supportive of our choice to go with The Farm Midwives. The only thing that showed up in my 20th week ultrasound that we need to be cautious of is marginal placenta previa. Complete placenta previa is when the placenta is completely covering the cervix and this is nothing to play around with. Women with complete placenta previa must have a C-section to ensure the best outcome for themselves and their babies. With a marginal placenta previa like mine, typically, the placenta moves up to where it needs to be on its own, but we all agreed that another ultrasound somewhere between my 32nd and 36th week is a good idea to ensure that the placenta has indeed moved up and we're all systems go for a natural childbirth.
We wrapped up our appointment with Joanne by gingerly and respectfully checking out the birthing house next door. A couple had just given birth there the day before and when we walked in, the beaming husband was holding his tightly swaddled little boy, proudly asking us if we wanted to take a peek. Later when I talked with Rich about our experience over dinner, he said that seeing the joy on this new father's face solidified our choice in his mind to go this route. The atmosphere in the house was that of total calm....in how many hospital settings can you say the same?
I want to recognize my husband for lending his complete support in my decision and desire for a natural childbirth, guided by the expertise of a midwife. When most people automatically assume that you're going to have a baby in a hospital (because that's what's viewed as "normal" these days), it can really put a partner or husband on guard in defending or having to explain a different choice. Regardless of what resistance we may get, this decision is one of many that we will make together that others may not necessarily understand or agree with and that's okay. They have their own choices to make or they've already made their own choices. When it comes to how we want our son to enter this world, this is ours.
With all the reading I've done about The Farm and The Farm Midwives, apart of me was expecting this tingling, magical experience upon meeting our midwife, but I quickly discovered that Joanne and the other midwives are regular women just like you and me, but they possess extraordinary passion, knowledge, and commitment to giving women and their families choices about childbirth.
Joanne's home was very cozy with a wood burning fire place in the living room and it was there that we discussed her background, how she came to midwifery, and about our pregnancy. We also got to ask our questions. The biggest question people ask is "What if you had to have medical intervention? Where would you go? Who would take you there?" The Farm Midwives are very well-known at a county hospital that is less than 25 minutes away, so if for some reason, we had to transfer, Joanne would call ahead to let them know we're on our way and take us there. One thing I know to be true through all my research and in talking to other mothers that chose to give birth with The Farm Midwives is that they are vigilant in ensuring things are as they should be for a natural childbirth. Because they are so proactive, they will not be caught off-guard and a choice to transfer for the safety of mother and baby will be made sooner rather than later, if necessary. The care we will receive is world-renowned (literally!).
After doing an intake (looking over the medical records I brought and asking us a ton of necessary questions), she did the basics in terms of checking my vitals, measuring my belly (29 cm-- right on target for my 29th week!), and listening to our baby's heartbeat. Rich got to listen too and I just love the look of complete wonder he gets on his face when our little guy really makes his presence known. We made a follow-up appointment for the end of November and during that appointment, we'll go to the clinic on The Farm in Summertown to check my hematocrit, which is an indicator of iron levels in the blood.
My OB/GYN (whom is a dear friend that I adore) was completely supportive of our choice to go with The Farm Midwives. The only thing that showed up in my 20th week ultrasound that we need to be cautious of is marginal placenta previa. Complete placenta previa is when the placenta is completely covering the cervix and this is nothing to play around with. Women with complete placenta previa must have a C-section to ensure the best outcome for themselves and their babies. With a marginal placenta previa like mine, typically, the placenta moves up to where it needs to be on its own, but we all agreed that another ultrasound somewhere between my 32nd and 36th week is a good idea to ensure that the placenta has indeed moved up and we're all systems go for a natural childbirth.
We wrapped up our appointment with Joanne by gingerly and respectfully checking out the birthing house next door. A couple had just given birth there the day before and when we walked in, the beaming husband was holding his tightly swaddled little boy, proudly asking us if we wanted to take a peek. Later when I talked with Rich about our experience over dinner, he said that seeing the joy on this new father's face solidified our choice in his mind to go this route. The atmosphere in the house was that of total calm....in how many hospital settings can you say the same?
I want to recognize my husband for lending his complete support in my decision and desire for a natural childbirth, guided by the expertise of a midwife. When most people automatically assume that you're going to have a baby in a hospital (because that's what's viewed as "normal" these days), it can really put a partner or husband on guard in defending or having to explain a different choice. Regardless of what resistance we may get, this decision is one of many that we will make together that others may not necessarily understand or agree with and that's okay. They have their own choices to make or they've already made their own choices. When it comes to how we want our son to enter this world, this is ours.
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