Pregnancy #2, in which things get real

{We found out we were having a girl on Valentines Day - so pink cookies were easy to find.}

I love birthy topics, talking to pregnant ladies abouttheir birth stories and pregnancy experiences, all things birth related really. Some of this stems from what a great 9 months I had the first time around. I mean, there was the heart burn and the terrible months of July and August where any amount of clothing in this Southern humid air was instantly drenched in sweat, but for the most part I loved being pregnant with Becks. This time around, I am having a different experience altogether.
At about week 21 I was pretty much done, ready for my baby girl to be here, ready to have possession of my body once again. For those of you who aren't used to the 40 week scenario - that's about half way though. I won't complain too much, but from the moment of conception this pregnancy has put my allergies into high gear, something that apparently happens to some women and is officially called prenatal rhinitis. At this point it's been 29 weeks of nonstop sneezing and runny noses.

One thing people don't tell you very often is that the last trimester of pregnancy gives you a glimpse at what your geriatric days will feel like. I groan when getting up from or getting into most positions, my bones and muscles ache and I regularly pee myself a little when coughing, sneezing or laughing too hard.

I've decide a few things have contributed to my nonplussed attitude towards this pregnancy - having a toddler prevents me from napping much or sleeping in as often as I did the first time around. And while I would never trade in the 2 years that Beckett nursed, the last pregnancy was kicking off a long period in which my body, even after Beck's birth, was still not my own. So instead being at the beginning of an exciting journey, I'm at the half way point and I'm feeling a little homesick and worn out.

So here are some things I'm doing to get through this last trimester with my spirit in tact:

• Take long showers - it makes me happy and it's an indulgence because I know it's not good for the environment or our pocket book.
• Drink a cup a day - my first time around I had a cup a week, now with more demands on my time and energy, I allow myself one cup of coffee a day.
• Ask for foot rubs - I am lucky in that my husband offers these up pretty often, but if he doesn't and I'm feeling like I need a little pampering  I just ask. He has never refused me.
• Enjoy a glass of wine - so not doctor recommended, but very seldom,  usually when we have friends over, I will have a half a glass of red wine. Women in Europe do it and a whole continent can't be wrong.

There are, of course, things that are great about pregnancy number 2, like knowing that most every thing that made me worry the last time around is totally normal and not having too much anxiety about labor. We're much more prepared. I will not be packing my hospital bag in between contractions this time, that's for sure.

However, for now it's 29 weeks and counting until I have another birth story to share with all my birthy friends.

(You can read the first one here - Part 1 and Part 2)

Ina May Gaskin Movie

Last night I saw a screening of the documentary - Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & the Farm Midwives. It was so inspiring and amazing, not just because I'm a woman who happens to be pregnant, but because these women came up and into themselves in a time and place that let them bloom into exactly the people they were supposed to be. I think that's a hard thing for women, and men, today. Midwifery is such a calling and passion for all the women in the movie. It's a rare thing to get an in depth view of.

(I wanted to post the trailer, but free Wordpress won't let me. Watch the trailer here. Wordpress has many rules I'm finding. It's distressing. I will be moving the blog as soon as I can. But more on that later. )

As impressed as I was with the documentary, the midwives, the footage of all the different births and Ina May herself - she's a big time hero of mine - I was impressed with our birthing community. Woman and families of Louisville, you rock. I don't know the official turn out, but it had to be around 200 people. There were tables set up before hand with so many of our wonderful birth related service providers, from doulas to placenta encapsulation ladies, everyone was represented. After the screening there was a panel of local midwives, including two from my own birth team who answered questions and lead a very interesting discussion on the state of midwifery in KY today.

It's so heartening to be in a community that shares so many of the things I hold so dear to my heart.

New Digs - Changing from a nursery to a shared kids room

I entered my third trimester on Saturday and had a moment of how-am-I-ever-going-to-handle-a-toddler-AND-an-infant. Luckily, Hillary and I had plans to rehab Beckett's little boy room into a dual kids space for him and his soon to arrive sister. Nothing helps calm pre-baby panic like nesting. So off Becks went to stay with my parents, near Chicago, I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for them, and Hill and I emptied the room for painting.

I did an abysmal job at before photos, but you can see what we started with above. It's hard to tell in the photos but the gray in the before shots is much bluer than the gray we painted. Note the color of the dresser and changing table behind Beckett's percussion sesh.

As you can see my husband is a master at striping, he did the skate board hooks for Beckett's second birthday that you can see in the top left photo. These have been great for teaching him to hang up his coat and hat when he comes in the house. The yellow racing stripe goes up, across the ceiling and back down on to the other wall, so it touches all four walls. I'm very impressed with how it turned out.

The dresser and changing table were spray painted during some dude hang time on Saturday night while I washed and folded baby clothes. The white brightens up the room, but keeps it gender neutral. Beckett also gets a bedside table for his books and a reading light. I also have two small stools that fit under the table so it can be used for activities as well.

We desperately needed more closet organization, since I had almost nowhere to put infant stuff. I purchased that hanging cubby and a clothes rack extender, that you can barely see in the bottom right photo. This gave me a great space for hanging some of Beckett's clothes so he can easily reach them and start picking outfits out for himself.  Super easy closet upgrade and done for under $30.

 

For the final touch, we got a fun, fuzzy rug for playing on. We live in a ranch that's built on a concrete slab and the floors are super hard.   This addition is already enticing Becks to play in his room more often.

There are a few more things we need to do to complete the project - replace the light with a ceiling fan, hang the window treatments and do something cute over the crib to designate some space for our little girl. Hopefully it happens before she gets here, but I'm feeling pretty good at all we accomplished so far. 12-14 weeks isn't seeming quite as short a time as it did last week.