Changing Seasons

With the coming of fall comes our final stretch to parenthood. We've seen this pregnancy through all four seasons -- we started in February with winter and moved right on through. It's been a very blessed and happy time in our lives and as we now really turn to the big event our motto is one of confidence, strength and unity.

During our childbirth class two weeks ago, Rachel put out an array of postcards with different sayings on them. The sayings ranged from "I'm losing my sanity, send chocolate now" to Rosie the Riveter's bold statement of "We Can Do It!" Rachel had us both look at all of the cards and then say which one best represented our feelings about labor and birth. We didn't have to chose together or agree, we just each had to pick out the one that best represented our feelings. Scott and I examined all of the choices, looked at each other. I started with my response "I would say..." and we finished in unison "We Can Do It!"

Scott and I both feel like we are more and more prepared for the big day with every passing week. Of course we can't know for sure what the experience will be like, what sensations, feelings, emotions, etc. will happen upon us when the time is here, but we feel like we have a solid foundation of knowledge that will help immensely when the time comes. Right now we feel pretty strongly about doing everything we can to make this a drug-free birth. Knowing myself as I do, I know that all the medical interventions out there, though they may be helpful, are likely to cause me more stress and discomfort than labor itself. (Yes, I hear all you seasoned and new mothers out there laughing at me... trust me, I don't do well in medical situations!) I fear the unnatural medical world much more than I fear what nature itself has in store for me. So, our plan is to go forward assuming that we will have an un-medicated birth and doing everything we can to make sure that it is a positive experience for everyone involved.

Part of our preparations include finding a doula/professional labor assistant to work with us. We were hoping we would be able to hire Rachel (our childbirth instructor) for the job, however she is unavailable around the time of our due date. So, we did some research last weekend and found a group that is based out of Naugatauk, CT and contacted them. We are meeting with the doula they matched us up with today (in about 1/2 an hour) and if we like her, personalities mesh, etc., then we will hire her. We'll meet with her a couple more times before the baby comes to get very familiar and comfortable with her and then she'll be with us throughout the labor and delivery. She'll not only offer emotional support, but she'll help us remember and explore ways to manage the pain without medication, advocate for us with the medical staff, and hopefully just keep us in a calm and positive state of mind as we encounter all the unknowns of giving birth for the first time. She will also free Scott up from all the above duties so he can do what he does best -- shower me with love and affection!

It's hard to believe that we are so near the end now, and that very soon our family will have three members instead of just two. We couldn't be happier though and I think we are both definitely looking forward to the time just after the baby comes when we can just be together as a family -- no work, no outside worries, just us. It sounds wonderful. Especially right now as work has been a bit crazy for both of us with the start of the new school year and the end of summer schedules/vacations that tend to slow the pace of everything down. We're keeping up, but we're also starting to feel the wear and tear. It's funny, I'm just now feeling like I'm pregnant. My belly is stretched, the baby's presence is always felt, I'm getting tired more quickly again, I even think I'm starting to waddle a bit (though Scott claims I'm not...). I'm definitely feeling pregnant -- and that's a good thing. It's a nice feeling, it helps me feel connected to the baby and to remember that that's where my focus needs to lie right now, not anywhere else. Just my Hubby and my baby :).