Maybe it's because Jordan and I were off for most of the week, so we were able to spend lots of time together as a family.
Or, it could be because I can finally feel little flutters in my tummy and I love it.
We went yesterday for a sonogram, just to rule out placenta previa, and everything looked great! We got to see our sweet baby wiggle and squirm, and we got to see his/her little heart beating. I was a little disappointed in the picture we got. Apparently, since she was just checking the location of my placenta, she snapped a picture at a really odd angle. You can't see his/her profile and their poor brain looks all separated from itself.
It actually freaked me out a little bit, so I whipped it out of my purse and asked Dr. Daniel to take a look at it.
Can I just stop and say AGAIN (because I know I've said it a million times) how much we love Dr. Daniel and his nurses? I expressed my concerns (even though they were somewhat outrageous) and he took the time to go over every little aspect of that sonogram picture to put my mind at ease.
While I'm on the subject of Dr. D, I guess I'll go ahead an open this can of worms... warning... it could get wordy.
At my 12 week appointment, Dr. Daniel caught us off guard by asking us how we wanted to "have this baby". We were caught off guard, not because we hadn't been thinking or praying about it, but because he asked us so early. We'd already made a decision - to try and have a natural, unmedicated birth this time - but I felt that I'd need to "sell" him on it... especially because of my birthing experience with Ada.
Let me explain...
I was 22 years old when I had Ada. 22... Oh so young and naive. I had all kinds of preconceived ideas about pregnancy and birth, and I was (and still am to a certain extent) a control freak.
I wanted to have my baby when I wanted and how I wanted, and anything I could do to try and work that scenario out I did.
I chose to be induced. I don't like surprises. Anyone who knows me well would tell you that. I don't like not being aptly prepared for situations... at all. So, the answer for me was to be induced. To beg to be induced. Seriously... I begged. It was pitiful. We got our date... I was so proud. I fixed my hair, put on my make-up, and be-bopped into Labor and Delivery without a care in the world. Oh boy... naive I tell you.
Once we were all settled in, I asked for an epidural THE MINUTE I started feeling contractions. I didn't want to feel any pain. I was afraid of it, and I knew there was an option not to feel it. I was proud of my decision a couple of hours in. Tons of friends and family were coming in and out of my delivery room. We were laughing and talking... my brother and sisters were even playing a game with how high the "number" on the monitor went when I had a contraction. Things were great... or so I thought.
I'm not sure when it all started going downhill, but it did. Not dangerously downhill by any means (Ada was fine and her oxygen levels were beautiful throughout the entire process)... things just changed from my "idealistic" situation to one that was completely out of my control. I won't go through the entire story, but it consisted of..
a second epidural, lots of nausea and vomiting, pain (due to the fact that the 2nd epidural only numbed half of my body), and an almost c-section
I want to stop here and say this. There are too many young mothers out there who have all sorts of information shoved down their throats, and it's doing nothing but putting fear in their hearts and doubt in their minds.
What we should be doing is encouraging them to pray... to research. Sure, we can share our experiences and knowledge with them, but we should do it in a way that is loving and encouraging. We shouldn't try to scare them into making decisions by using cold statistics and scary experiences we've found on the internet.
I am in NO way anti-induction or anti-epidural. I've seen and heard of too many deliveries where things went great. Our decision to have a natural (unmedicated) birth came from my own experience and a desire to "try something different". Seriously... that's it.
After having Ada, I knew that my experience with induction meds and epidurals wasn't great, and so we thought "if that didn't work, let's try it another way".
I have done TONS of research over the last 3 years. I've read articles, watched documentaries, read books, talked to other mothers who've given birth naturally, etc.... but the biggest thing we've done is pray. We've prayed for 3 years that when God gave us another opportunity to bring a child into this world, that He would give us a peace about how to bring them into this world.
And He has. He confirmed it big time during our conversation with Dr. Daniel... he was SO supportive, and 100% on board. He even got excited and giddy talking about all the "new" options available to mothers who want to give birth naturally at RMC (the hospital where I'll deliver). He couldn't emphasize enough how much he thought this was a great decision for us.
I have to say, I'm excited for delivery. I have a lot more preparing to do. It's no joke getting ready to deliver naturally.
I'll leave you with a weekly "Ask Ada"...
1. What color hair do you think the baby will have? brown
2. How much do you think the baby will weigh when he/she is born? 10 pounds
3. What's the first thing you'll teach the baby when he/she gets here? Duck Duck Goose
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