Week 18 Bumpdate

We'll get to the Bumpdate rather quickly this time, then I will share my thoughts about labor and delivery. I just had my 2nd Birth Centering Group session last night and I need to put my thoughts down before I forget.

Baby has also been doing some serious triple sow cows in my uterus the past 12 hours. I give you a score of 10 Baby. Every time. 

How far along:  18 weeks

Gender: 11 more days away I can hardly wait!  

Weight gain: 6lbs

Maternity clothes: nope

Sleep: When I actually sleep it's great. When I'm tossing and turning it's not so great. 

Best moment this week: Sharing baby's heartbeat with my Momma

Worst moment this week: Sleeping and heartburn are real buggers these days

Miss anything: At this point I cannot say that I do. 

Movement: mini flutters when I least expect it

Cravings: Lemon hummus. We had this at Group and let me tell you...it combines my love of lemon, with the healthy vegetable asset...I could eat a whole tub. 

Queasy or sick: No

Anything making you queasy or sick: no

Looking forward to: Our first and only ultrasound. Getting pictures and a gender to share with family, friends and coworkers 

Belly Button in or out? Oh the turn of events this week in the belly button department. It's getting flatter each day which I find hilarious and amazing. It's also a bit more sensitive at times. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

So this week in our Centering Group we talked about changes in our body during pregnancy. We were able to see a side cut out of the female body at 20 weeks, 30 weeks and 40 weeks about and oh the changes the body has to make to accompany Baby. We also talked about our grievances this far in pregnancy. Heartburn, back ache, swelling feet, acne, mood swings, itchy skin etc. And we talked about each one, why it happens and what we can do to keep discomfort at a minimum. I was able to add to the group discussion with my woes but I also found myself saying "nope not me at all" for some things. For instance, they say the first trimester is the most exhausting and in the second trimester you get your energy back but for me I feel it's reversed sometimes. I was barely tired in my first trimester but now at 18 weeks even washing dishes wears me out. The other thing that was asked is if we've gone up bra sizes or bought maternity clothes. Most of the women said yes, I said no. Some women expressed their cravings but I have yet to have the same craving for more than a day. (right now it's lemon hummus and I'm pretty sure that's going to stay a while but I'll probably forget all about it tomorrow. Let's be honest)

Towards the end of the group we started discussing next months topic of relaxation and preparing for baby. We talked a little about how to relax and a tiny bit of what to expect for labor in terms of what your pelvis goes through. During this whole point of discussion I felt like I was jumping up and down inside because right now and for the last few weeks the thought of labor and delivery excite me. Like super excite me. I'm excited to see how I cope with the pain. How I move through contractions. How I breathe and focus on breathing to get me through. Different positions I'm anxious to try during labor. The thought of contractions and being on deaths door in terms of pain does not, at this point scare me because I know in the grand scheme of things the time of labor is so short. You go through this miserable, painful, excruciating time but as my midwife put it "you get a prize at the end!" and I feel that if I know my body how I think I know my body, if you tell me to do something (push, breathe etc) that I will do it for as long as you tell me and exactly how you tell me as long as I'm promised a reward. I'm like a puppy I guess. Want me to sit for 24 hours straight and you'll give me a single treat? Done.

Growing up and spending 5 years of my life in the chair of my orthodontist was miserable. But I knew that if I brushed like he told me, avoided eating certain things and came in for my regular appointments I would get fabulous teeth. I was able to keep it up for 5 years because I knew the prize was bigger than the pain. In so that is my thought on labor, the prize is bigger than the pain. It's mind over matter completely. So on this day you can mark my words that the thought of labor excites me. But this does not mean I won't change my mind at hour 21 (ok more like hour one and my first contraction probably) when I'm exhausted beyond all means and want to give up. I probably will. Even the most prepared, strong and determined women are taken down a notch with labor. No one is above it. You can be trained in every aspect of it. Go through it more than once. Have tons of tricks up your sleeves but you're not above it. It will hurt but that baby has to come out one way or another. But it's worth it. It's so worth it.