Here, have some pregnancy update stuff. I'll put the pictures first, since that's what people want apparently. This is me at 34 weeks.
Now, some of you may feel that my shirt is too loose to adequately display my state of pregnancy. Such people will be taken into the woods and shot. Are you 34 weeks pregnant? No? Then you get no say and comfort wins.
Speaking of, being pregnant has gotten a lot more uncomfortable, just in the last few days. It sometimes seems impossible to cool off. Church is almost always so over air-conditioned as to be freezing, but today even that wasn't enough for me. I feel the unpleasantness of the first trimester (nausea, fatigue) has combined with the discomfort of the third trimester (big, awkward, constantly being pummeled from within, frequent trips to the bathroom). Sleeping can be rough--eight hours of sleep broken up into two-hr increments=zombie, but falling asleep can just as hard. (There is nothing good to do at 2:30 am.)
I suppose the upside is that the more uncomfortable I am, the more appealing giving birth is. Also, we've started birthing classes and an epidural looks more appealing every time. (Did you know they won't even give you one until you're 5 cm dilated? That's halfway!) Anyway, hopefully I'll be more chipper tomorrow. The juxtaposition of this post and the previous post is almost too much.
5 comments:
You crack me up. Everyone always says get sleep now before the baby comes and I was always like-how is that even possible? They let me get an epidural at 3cm because I was induced so it is not unheard of to get one sooner than 5cm. I cannot wait to see your little guy.
Do I get a say in your shirt if I'm 35 weeks pregnant? :D I think it's good enough. :)
Are you interested in not having an epidural? Just curious. :) And the "half-way" thing isn't as hard as it may sound - it's much easier to distract yourself and move around in early labor. Though an induction may be a whole different animal there, depending on how it is handled.
Yes, anyone more pregnant than me can have a say in my shirt.
Sometimes I am very squeamish about the epidural, but after actually seeing and handing the needles used, I feel a lot better about it. Mainly, I just want to make decisions based on what I think will be best for me, not out of fear.
And even if induced, you don't get an epidural until 5 because they want to see your labor will continue to progress.
Definitely don't make decisions out of fear. But also make sure you fully understand the decision you're making. An epidural has both benefits and drawbacks. For instance, it may help you relax and labor can progress better. But it also can lead to labor stalling, is often paired with Pitocin, and can cause distress in the baby. It's a tool, and is good to have available, but does need to be used wisely.
Personally, I've had one epidural that wasn't good (with Jonathan - linked to the c-section actually), one that was (with Emma - helped me relax), and one labor without it altogether (with Kathryn, obviously). It's a tool, but shouldn't be your only one. Especially when you know you'll be laboring without it for some time too. :)
And on the fear - I've seen many who make the decision to go with an epidural out of fear of labor. So make sure you're not doing that either. :)
By the way - water was a wonderful help for me before I got the epidural with Emma. A bath or a shower could work. Just something about it makes the contractions a little more manageable. I'm definitely planning to make use of that one this time around. :)
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