Emotional:
I can't believe we're most of the way through October! I don't even
remember when October started- time is going by so quickly! The past week
has been very labour-focused for several reasons, and because of that,
I've had several dreams of giving birth, which seemed so realistic...
Week 32 started off on Wednesday morning with my hospital tour. My aunt
was supposed to come with me, but couldn't find a babysitter in time. This
has me a little concerned, since she is supposed to be my ride to the hospital,
but she has assured me that around my due date, she'll have many babysitters
lined up so she'll be able to come with me. The tour really freaked me
out. I first went in and walked past the nursery, where there were a few little
tiny babies. They were so so small! I couldn't believe that soon I would
be holding and caring for a little precious baby of my own! I answered a lot
of questions about my pregnancy ("No, I don't drink, smoke or do any drugs."
etc. etc...) and then we went over the procedures a little bit. I was very
happy to hear that they let you spend time with your baby right away. I
had read that it's best to introduce the baby to the breast soon after
giving birth so they can develop a good latch. I was happy to find out that
they had similar views. Right after the birth, they place the baby skin to
skin on the mother's chest, and put a blanket over both so they wont get cold.
Then they clamp the cord and cut it (I was thinking maybe I would get
Chris to cut it if he's able to be there...) and allow the mother some time
with the baby. When the baby looks ready to breastfeed, they have the nurses
there to help the mother with any questions, etc. I have a feeling that
Harmony and I will do just fine. I've done a lot of reading about breastfeeding,
and of course they showed us in prenantal class, so I'm very much looking
forward to that magical moment. It feels like through breastfeeding, I will
symbolically show my child that even though she is outside of my womb,
I am still there to care for her and provide for her. They gave me a sheet
that has space for me to put my birth plans, so I have been thinking
a lot lately about what exactly I want and what will be best for myself
and for Harmony. I have also been labour-focused this week because of
those contractions, which have stopped, thank goodness.
Also, my friend Rhonda Lee is due anywhere
from the 12th to the 22nd, which means she'll be having her baby any day now.
I think I would like to try a natural birth, but I'm not sure if the pain
will be too much for me to bear! I've never had a very high pain threshold.
I definetely want Chris there, as well as Krissie and Aunt Norma. I am going
to check and see if my other friends can be there as well, although I
wouldn't want a whole crowd the whole time. I was thinking perhaps Sarah, Jen
and Rhonda could do a tag-team sort of thing, coming for parts of the labour.
My father might be in town for the labour, but I wouldn't want him
in for any of the serious labour parts. He can wait in the waiting room :P
My grandmother also indicated she would be there, but I'm not sure if I'd
be comfortable about that. I might also be getting a birth companion. Rhonda
says her birth companion (Nadine) is really nice and I will probably be meeting
with her soon. I might also want to videotape it, but I don't want things
to get too crowded. In prenantal class, they told us to have our "labour
bags" packed by 34 weeks, so I think I will aim to have my birth plan
completed by then as well. Ooh, this journal entry certainly has been a
long one, see what I mean about being labour-focused?? :)
In other news:
I'm almost
finished painting the baby's room. All I have left to do are the teddy
bear stencils all along the top. The rest of it looks absolutely beautiful,
and I'm especially proud of the little dresser that I've painted purple and
stenciled little peach teddies on.
Some exciting news this week- Bailey learned how to say my name!
It just warms my heart and makes me so excited about parenting! I start
thinking about the day when Harmony looks up at me and saying "Mommy"
and I get all misty eyed.
And part 2 of my week (the weekend- Thursday):
Yuck! I'm so sick! It started a little bit on Saturday, and now I'm just dying! I've been sick right straight through since Sunday morning. I'm really sick with a cold, cough and killer sore throat! I tried to rest as much as I could, but it's so hard to do that when you live alone and can't pass off the regular chores to anyone else. Being sick for so long sure made me feel alone. I'm so used to going to my weekly activities that I really missed them! I haven't seen my friends (or anyone!) for days. I really wish Chris was here- you know when you're so sick you just want to lie in bed and have someone bring you juice? Yeah, that never happens when you live alone. I'm glad I at least had Harmony to sort of cheer me up with her cute little hiccups, but having her also meant that I had to try to eat decent food (no easy task when you don't even feel like getting up!). I really hope I'm better soon, this bug has lingered long enough- and there's almost nothing I can take for it! I saw the doctor on Tuesday and she said I could take Robitussin DM for the cough, even though it says on the side of the bottle "Don't take if you're pregnant or nursing, unless otherwise directed by a physician." But I did a bit of research, and everyone I've talked to has said it's safe. Still, I'm limiting my dosage, and I've only taken one dose so far, and only at night when I need to sleep. Tuesday night I was up the whole night (literally!) coughing, so Wednesday night I took it and I defintely feel better today (Thursday).
Physical:
I took most of the day off last Thursday, and my contractions finally slowed
down. I'd had 4 Monday, 5 Tuesday, and at least 5 on Wednesday! One of
the contractions on Wednesday night really freaked me out- I was scared
I would go into early labour! It was very strong, all across my lower tummy
and lasted at least 5 minutes. I went to the bathroom and walked, and that
seemed to help. On Thursday, I only had a couple, on Friday only one, and I
haven't had any since. It was a bit of a scare, and I had the hospital phone
number handy, just in case.