Beginning hypnobabies @ 30 weeks
Hypnobabies!
As I was researching different approaches to natural unmedicated childbirth I came across information about water births, home births, doulas and midwife deliveries, hypnobirthing, acupuncture or acupressure, massage and hot/cold therapy, visualization techniques, and much more. I am obviously giving birth at a hospital and while I would actually LOVE to have a water birth, it is not offered at Brigham and Women's (maybe next time! haha). But I do really want a midwife there and to prepare for labor and delivery I have decided to try out a program called hypnobabies. It is similar to hypnobirthing in that they both rely on self-hypnosis techniques, but it has it's own home study course and preparation methods. The home study program involves five weeks of listening to meditation-style hypnosis tracks every day and then rotating through each of the topics again from the end of the course until birth. I decided to try this method because I used to meditate a lot in my spirituality class in college and really loved it and miss it. I find it relatively easy to calm my mind and enter a meditative state to relax. I also love that the program helps women embrace the parts of pregnancy, labor, and delivery that are commonly feared by empowering us with knowledge and assurance that all of these aspects are natural. They even change the terminology to be more comforting- "pressure waves" or "birthing waves" instead of "contractions", "birthing time" instead of "labor", etc. I know the idea of this hypnobabies program might not be everyone's cup of tea, I'm actually really excited to see how it goes. I'm starting it this week to finish by my 35 week mark and then do the rotation until I give birth. I really think it will help put my mind at ease about anything I am fearing and help to keep me relaxed during my birthing time. :)30 week update.
My bouncing little roo is now the size of a head of cabbage!
Total weight gain? 20 lbs.
Belly size? I forget where I put that darn tape measure..... lol
Stretch marks? I think so, on the bottom of my boobs. :(
Baby's sex? Girl.
Size of baby? About 3 pounds.
Movement? Big kicks under my ribs and little punches in my lower abdomen, meaning she is head down!
What is your baby doing? Her eyesight is continuing to develop but will only be 20/400 when she is born (she will only be able to make out objects that are a few inches from her face).
What is your body doing? I've produce a pint and a half of amniotic fluid for my little one to swim around in for now, but that amount will go down as she gets bigger to make room for her before she comes out.
Belly button in or out? Flat!
Happy or moody most of the time? Definitely happy this week! I've become less focused on our housing situation, so I hope things work out soon.
Symptoms? Stuffy nose still, but a lot less severe than last week. Pelvic pain when putting my shoes on. Discomfort (but not pain) when baby is kicking behind my ribs.
Maternity clothes? Nothing new.
Sleep? I have noticed I do wake up almost every night now, once or twice. Still not to go to the bathroom, just to roll over or to throw blankets off of me because I'm too hot. Thankfully I'm usually able to get back to sleep pretty quickly.
Food cravings? Soda. Really? I barely like soda!
Anything make you feel queasy or sick? Still nothing.
Miss anything? Longer showers.
Looking forward to? My prenatal registration appointment next week with my new care provider.
Best moment this week? Switching my prenatal care from Dedham to Dorchester, going on a maternity tour of the hospital at Brigham and Women's, and setting up a time to see an apartment tomorrow (fingers crossed!).
I have really been trying to get a bunch of small but necessary things done this week including what was on last week's to-do list. So far I have successfully signed up for a breastfeeding class which I will be attending alone and an infant care & behavior class which Ashton and I will be attending together. I also had my second appointment with my Maternity Support nurse and have my last prenatal one at 37 weeks (and then one postpartum). I switched my prenatal care from Dedham Medical Associates to Dorchester House Multi-Service Center so I am all set to deliver at Brigham and Women's! And I have worked a bit on my little roo's blocks for her nursery. Phew! Time to make another list....
This week's to-do list:
- Continuing to work on Roo's block set.
- Speaking with my landlord. (The guy seriously NEVER gets back to me!)
- Seeing an apartment tomorrow with Ashton and hoping all goes well.
- Contacting my insurance company about breast pump options and cord blood banking options and notifying them of my change in prenatal care.
