What a whirlwind of a day we had yesterday! C picked me up for our appointment, only for me to realize that I had left my list of questions on my desk in my rush to get out of the office. Great start to a busy afternoon!
Well...let me tell you...the appointment was by far the best one that we've had to date! Some facts and figures for you...
Weight Gain: 3.5lbs since February 2nd (that's a whopping total of 4.5 lbs gained in total...which makes me giggle)
Bug's heartbeat: 140bpm
My blood pressure: considered "good", no figure given but as long as it's "good" I'm happy!
Great information to get, and I really like our new resident - Dr. Lesley. She actually went to high school with C and his brother! Small world!
I asked about kick counting. Since Bug is such a little ninja for almost the entire day, I've been worried that perhaps he's too active and if there is anything I should be doing to get him to calm down. I counted his kicks last Friday, and when I got to 7 kicks in one minute (rest for a few minutes, repeat) I realized that he kicks approximately 200-400 times per hour. That's alot of kicking!
Thankfully, Dr. Jordan was very happy with Bug's activity and said that it's actually a good thing. If at any point it's less then that, I'll at least notice and be able to be monitored right away. Apparently, 6 kicks per hour is considered "normal", so Bug's doing just fine!
Off to prenatal class we go...
Last night, we learned how to have babies, what different comfort measures are available, birth plans, what to pack for the hospital and viewed the birth video (wasn't ready for that one!!).
It was good and I definitely learned alot. Did you know that the placenta secretes a hormone called Relaxin that helps the pelvic bones and joints to relax so that they don't get broken when the baby is bring born? Hmm! Good to know!
And that for back labour, a tennis ball can be used to apply pressure while Mommy is sitting on a "birthing ball" (aka yoga/exercize ball)? Fantastic! I was even able to sit on one last night to see if it was comfortable, it took just that little edge off my back...I think we may have a winning coping strategy for back pain and contractions! Thankfully, we have one at home so that I can practice doing squats against the wall, centreing my gravity and rocking back and forth to find a comfortable rythm!
3 comments:
Sorry to burst your bubble but I had crazy back labour with Andrew (unlike uterine contractions, back labour contractions never let up) and I didn't want to stand, sit, bounce, be rubbed or anything else I'd read or practised. It was absolutely horrible and the only relief came in the form of an epidural. Thankfully with Ella I didn't have back labour and was able to labour on my hands and knees until I was fully dilated. Reading and practising is important but, in the end, I think you'll find that what works for you will come naturally if you are calm and listen to your body. As with most things in life, labour is different than you think (and perhaps worry) it'll be like. Healthy baby + healthy mommy is the only goal.
That's the goal! I actually just wrote on our birth plan from the hospital that my goal is to deliver our son as safely as possible.
I know it's good to have a plan, and that plans can change. I think that writing out what I'm comfortable with and go with the flow of things.
My goal is to stay calm, be as relaxed as I can be and to lean on Colin for support since it really is both of us going through this. Thankfully, I've been practising meditation and relaxation for a couple of years and will be employing alot of those strategies when labour hits (and have been throughout the pregnancy)
I'm sure Colin will be a great coach but have you considered having a doula? Dylan wasn't comfortable with the idea for our first delivery b/c he wanted to be the coach and didn't want to get pushed aside but I had a doula with Ella and instead of pushing Dylan aside it actually allowed him to be more involved b/c he didn't have to think about coaching me (i.e. "do you want to try this position", "can I rub your back", etc.) and it allowed him to fully attend to me & my emotional needs. The doula focused on the physical part and gave me a lot of support through each contraction. There's no doubt in my mind that the reason I had Ella naturally and handled the labour so well was b/c I had a doula & my husband supporting me. Just something to think about.
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