Nee's blog, Joys and rants of a new momma Options

[Nee-sama]

Well, until now I didn't really have anything interesting to blog about. I've tried keeping journals before but they never got more than a couple entries. But now I feel like there's a lot on my mind and my blog can grow as my baby does.

I'm 38 weeks preggo as I write this. I first learned I was pregnant Dec. 23, 2009. My chest was super tender, and my body felt all-around different so I decided to take a home pregnancy test. I was home alone that day, and after it showed a positive result I went stalking through the house in astonishment. Needless to say, this was unplanned and a huge surprise.

My husband was even more shocked than I was, and a little outraged at first. He kept asking me, "You're kidding, right?" But I'm not the type to joke or lie about something as serious as this. After his initial reaction, he sobered up and admitted he was happy, but stressed about the mounting responsibility he must have felt. Now that the baby is nearly due, I think he's going through the same emotions all over again.

My pregnancy has been good, and enjoyable for the most part. I was lucky to have only minor morning sickness, and my feet never got swollen (although they hurt like a b*tch when I was at work standing on concrete floor). I quit my two worst habits of smoking pot and drinking the day I learned I was pregnant from a home pregnancy test. I've never felt healthier in my adult life, and I can honestly say that I don't miss either vice and will never go back to using like I used to. Not that I'll never enjoy a drink or two again, but in moderation. I am still guilty of drinking soda and eating sweets, however, I counter that by taking extra iron and prenatal vitamins.

Tomorrow I shall rant my opinions about prenatal health care but for now going to do something fun.

Ciao~

[BlackLightning]

Well, congrats Nee-sama. Now we got 2 mommies in this board

[Nee-sama]

I've been doing some research on the difference between having a midwife help you deliver naturally at home, and seeing a doctor and delivering in a hospital. I think as long as there are no complications a midwife is actually better. They are certified to do all the prenatal checks a doctor does, and have to be present at a qualifying number of births before they are considered qualified to deliver on their own.

I watched a documentary called "The Business of Being Born" that compared the two in depth. Some things have changed in the few years since it's release, but it's still a pretty eye-opening thought provoker. It had some pretty amazing statistics that I never would have believed before, like the fact that the U.S has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world. Here's a clip, but you can watch the whole thing free on Netflix. Every pregnant couple should watch this!


Midwives are able to spend a lot of time getting to know you. They take the time to sit with you in your most comfortable setting, home, before anything else. The first day 15 minutes I met my doctor was the same day I had the pleasure of stripping for a pap smear. I've even heard that midwives are cheaper than going to a doctor, though I don't know if that refers to a person with or without health insurance.

The biggest thing that separates midwives from doctors and the women who chose between them is emotional. Midwives tend to believe that a woman is fully capable of bearing to term and delivering a healthy baby by virtue of being a healthy woman. Doctor's rely on strict routine and what works best on most women, but every woman and every pregnancy is different. They simply don't take the time to treat each patient as a unique case.
Here's one example of how a midwife will treat her patients differently because of how she respects the female human body. It's kind of long, but a great post, especially if you're pregnant. Cervical Exams: Who Needs Them?

Different doctors have different opinions on these cervical exams. Some wont do the first one until 39 or 40 weeks, or maybe not even until the woman thinks she's in labor. Mine just happens to be one of the most fun kind of doctor that starts at week 36 and checks every week after that. If you don't know what a cervical check is, it's basically what it sounds like: the practitioner uses a sterile glove and lube to handily feel the cervix to check for effacement and dilation. It is as uncomfortable and awkward as it sounds, and like that midwife blogged it's only for curiosity's sake. My doctor seems to do them to check for progress towards labor, at the same time he's talking to me about inducing labor after 41 weeks if no progress is made. I didn't have the balls to outright ask him why he feels the checks are necessary, but from my other questions it seems he doesn't expect me to know when my own body has started real labor. "I don't expect you to make that diagnosis yourself," He told me. I'm thinking, diagnosis? He obviously thinks he knows the female body better than I know my own. And that makes me feel like he has no respect for me or any woman. In his defense, there are a lot of women out there who don't respect their own bodies, and even more who think they've gone into labor when they really haven't. But I think I would prefer having a midwife believe in me, respect my body as being wonderfully capable, and boost my confidence by telling me I have this great potential to be as great a mother as anyone can be. After all, how many hundreds of thousands of generations have been born at home surrounded by comforting grandmothers and sisters and aunts, compared to a bland sterile hospital setting?

For now, since I have already paid this doctor, I will go to the hospital and expect him to be there to play catch. But I'm determined that if I ever become pregnant again I will do it the most natural way: At home with a midwife who's earned my trust.

[Nee-sama]

Well, congrats Nee-sama. Now we got 2 mommies in this board

Thanks BL!

[KonaKonaFan]

Congratulations! Do you know the gender yet?

[Nee-sama]

Feeling good today, even though my stomach feels like a cross between a bowling ball and a basketball. Woke up with a heavy pressure bearing down on me that went away after a short while, but it made me realize just how soon this baby is coming. My due date is the 27th, but I could go into labor at any time! It made me nest like crazy. I'm not much of a nester normally, and even the baby's room has been put together gradually, but today I had so much to do that I wished my husband wasn't going to work so I could put him to work instead.

Looking forward to today's H&E fantasy football league draft!

@Konakonafan It's a surprise!

[BlackLightning]

@Konakonafan It's a surprise!

fyi, my wife said that she think you gonna have a daughter.... she won't tell me why she think that though ._.

[Michi]

Waaaaah~!

CONGRATS~!

There's a mommy in the forum!!!

How exciting! :DDD

BABY SHOWEEEEEEEER!

Can, I be one of the baby's aunt?!

Yeah, yeah?!

...

I'm not gonna be one right? ;~;

This post has been edited by Puni~Chan(:: Aug 22 2010, 07:18 PM

[Cupcake-chan]

^LMAO

Congrats Nee! I think it's gonna be a girl too ^^

Are you nervouse? Being a new mom and all?

I'm so happy for you!

This post has been edited by LadyCupcake: Aug 22 2010, 10:30 PM

[Nee-sama]

Lol sure Puni~chan, you are now an honorary aunt of the baby. I'll be expecting a gift for the little one around Christmas

It is a little nerve-wrecking, especially now that I could go into labor at practically any time, but I've had 9 months to get used to the idea. I think as long as the three of us stick together we'll be ok. The first couple days at home with the baby will be the hardest, I think. Getting used to all this stuff I've never had to do before like swaddling and changing diapers and comforting her when she cries. I never got to do those things with my nieces since they live so far away. Also, really looking forward to breast feeding.
Yeah... all the close cuddling and bonding... and dry, cracked, bleeding nipples.

Yesterday we put the carseat in the car. I've got a bag halfway packed to take to the hospital, just gotta smuggle some foodstuff in there when the day comes. Looking at lists people make online of what to take with you makes me feel like I'm packing for a three night stay in a hotel. I've got the awful feeling that I'm forgetting something and I'm going to have to run to the store with a newborn for something so DUH obvious that I should have gotten during these days of having nothing to do.........

Speaking of which, I still need to wash all the new clothes and blankets from the baby shower. And can a newborn sleep in a crib or do I HAVE to have some kind of bassinet? I know someone who made a makeshift bassinet out of a dresser drawer... Eh, Maybe I'll just kick Dad to the couch and have her sleep next to me.

[TheBerserkMoogle]

You could always use formula instead of breastfeeding.

[Nee-sama]

We might use formula if we have to, but I still want to give breastfeeding a try. Some things just can't replace nature's best.

[Nee-sama]

Well. This is it, I guess. At my doctor's appointment today he examined me and discovered (with confirmation from ultrasound) that the baby is breached. Her feet are literally dancing around in my pelvis which explains a lot of my discomfort lately. My choices of dealing with this were cesarean, trying for natural labor anyway, or this thing called aversion where he would try to flip her about by pushing in on my uterus. I talked it over with my husband who just wants for both of us to come out of this safely and healthy, and we decided the cesarean was the way to go. Right now I'm just waiting for the aide in the doctor's office to set up my appointment at the hospital then call me back.

[tricksie]

Congratulations! Just saw your sig and thought maybe you'd already had the little one! Breach can be scary, so yeah, I'd do the c-section too. Recovery is a little longer but I don't think it matters in the end - as long as you both are safe and healthy!

Hang in there!! The first month is the hardest. You don't know where you end and the baby begins. I've even heard it called the 10th month because momma and baby are pretty much inseperable.

Get lots of sleep. When the baby sleeps, you do too. Don't look at clocks, just be on 'baby time' for a while. And babies can sleep anywhere, crib or your own bed is fine. (If sleeping in bed, just remember do without tons of covers and pillows, and no smoking, drinking or meds. Anything that would stop you from waking up immediately. You probably know this, but just in case someone else is reading and doesn't know it or thinks it's totally crazy!) And the sleeping-in-bed/breastfeeding thing works like a charm. I think it's been shown to give both momma and babe the most amount of sleep. But really, whatever arrangement gives the most people in the house the most amount of sleep is the one for you!

And don't listen to anyone's advice! Including my own (ack! I just can't help myself!)! lol lol lol! Everyone's got loads of advice! Especially about babies. Just do what you are comfortable with! You know yourself and will know your baby better than anyone else ever will. So what's good for the two of you is the best parenting choice you can make.

So are you going in for the c-section tonight? The next time you post, you may be a momma!

Congrats! I'll be thinking of you!

This post has been edited by tricksie: Aug 24 2010, 10:05 PM

[Nee-sama]

Thanks Tricksie ^^ Operation time is 7:30 Thursday morning! I'm so nervous!

[tricksie]

Thanks Tricksie ^^ Operation time is 7:30 Thursday morning! I'm so nervous!

I'll be thinking of you! Happy early birthday, baby Nee-sama!

[KonaKonaFan]

Good luck with the c-section!

[Muffins?]

I'm not a huge fan of babehs they don't seem to like me. Anyways good luck hope nothing goes wrong with your c-section.

[afro261]

Good luck with the operation, don't freak out! I'll be sure to wrap up a big present. Now, cookies or cake?

[Michi]

REALLY?!?!

THANKIES~!

PIMP DANCE TIME~!

hahahahahaha. xD

& don't worry! I'll make sure to give presents to my dear niece!