2010 September 10 | Soupbelly

It seems as though my photos are getting worse and worse quality-wise. It’s probably because I’m wearing all black and my stomach isn’t facing the window. And that I’m too lazy to try to produce a decent photo. And that I’m a freaking cow.

BTW, I don’t dye my hair. It looks brown because it’s more brown than black. I’m blaming it on all the sunshine here.

Stats (the boring stuff):

Weight Gain: Ha. You really think I’m going to announce this now, after denying you this fact for 38 weeks? Ok, well I won’t say how much I weigh, but I will finally give you the amount of weight I’ve put on – 25 pounds. That was from 6 months of sensible, healthy eating and 2-3 months of ice cream, cupcakes, frosting, butter and fried batter. I noticed that whether I was eating healthy or eating junk, I was putting on the same amount of weight each month. Except the one month I decided to drink soda and lemonade. But once I stopped the sugary drinks, it was a steady 2-4 pounds a month.

Basically for me, I think I was meant to put on the weight I put on, and didn’t have much control over it. I heard other women say they exercised like crazy for one pregnancy, gained 28 lbs., then didn’t exercise at all (or very little) the second pregnancy, and gained 28 lbs. again. Of course, I think exercising during pregnancy helps you lose the weight more easily after the baby comes, plus gives you more strength for labor and delivery.

How I physically feel: Aside from looking like a cow, I don’t feel much pain or discomfort. I noticed that I only get sciatic nerve pain if I don’t walk enough, and I only have mild backaches when I’m trying to sleep. I don’t have heartburn or acid reflux, I don’t have the infamous swelling everyone complains about. So my tip is, walk ALOT. It seems to make all these annoyances go away (at least in my case). And drink tons of water. I think that prevented me from swelling up like a balloon.

Belly Button: Hasn’t popped out. Told ya so!

Last Doctor’s Appointment Update: Baby is still head down. Heart rate in the 130s. Lost a couple pounds this week (which is normal towards the end). Blood pressure normal, temperature normal, everything’s normal. Still qualified to delivery at natural birthing center.

Natural Birth:

Yes, that was my segway into my next topic.

Fortunately the center is located in the hospital, which is nice, in case intervention is needed, I can get wheeled into the labor and delivery unit a floor down. I don’t plan to chicken out and beg for intervention, but in case complications arise, it’s good to know everything I need to get the baby out safely is conveniently located. It’s also nice to know that our hospital has a NICU so she wouldn’t need to be flown anywhere in case of emergency. I liked the fact that our hospital has given us all the options possible and that we get to choose our own birth plan. Plus, the midwives at the birth center work with the doctors, so it’s not necessarily one or the other.

One question you’re probably asking is, “why the heck would you want to deliver natural if you can get drugs?”

It’s not that I’m afraid of needles (seriously, how could I be afraid of needles if I’m pushing a watermelon out of my body? priorities…) or that I’m trying to be all ‘empowered’ and stuff (what does that even mean? I still don’t really get it…). I want to be conscious of everything that’s going on, and if pain is part of the process then so be it. Sounds easy to say that, I know. Sure, birth is painful, but knowing that the pain will end is enough to get through it. And at a birth center, with midwives supporting you and telling you that you can do it, is far better than most hospital horror stories I’ve heard. Where they convince you that you need the epidural, that you need pitocin, that you’re too tired to push on your own, that you need a C-section (sometimes for convenience, not for emergency). I don’t want birth to be treated like a life-threatening emergency if it isn’t.

Of course, I don’t look down on anyone who wants epidurals, or needs C-sections, etc. We all have different pregnancies, complications, and pain thresholds. I feel grateful that I was able to choose this option for myself and I’m going to take it.

There will be a few downers who are smirking and saying,” I bet you’ll beg for an epidural”- Well, that’s why I’ve surrounded myself with people who tell me I can more than how I can’t.

In the end, this birth plan is only a plan. Complications can always come up and in the end our Plan A might turn into Plan B and then into Plan C. So send positive thoughts our way.

Miscellaneous Thoughts:

I’ve been having contractions for the past few weeks; unfortunately they are irregular. Every morning I wake up wondering whether today is the day. Then I feel overwhelmingly unprepared. I woke up in the middle of the night panicked because I haven’t been to Dim Sum in so long, and thought, what if I don’t get to have a har gow, or siu mai before the baby comes? What if I don’t get Dim Sum for months because I’m stuck in my apartment with the baby? I know, crazy thoughts. Then I woke up panicked because I want to pack towels in our cars in case my water breaks and I cause a flood as we drive to the hospital. I actually thought of putting towels in our cars at 3am. Psycho…

Some pictures of our mini nursery, located in our bedroom. We’ll be moving into a bigger place a month after the baby comes (I know, great timing, right?) and all this will be in disarray soon (i.e. covered with poo).

Our crib. I know I said I didn’t want anything pink, but this pink came with magenta, purple, green, blue and red. It’s gender neutral. AGREE WITH ME.