Today marks the beginning of Week 23 in this journey toward parenthood. Since about week 15 there have been faint, fluttering signs that something is afoot within my uterus. Intermittent bouts of barely felt movement to reinforce the notion that something has taken up residence in there.
I had been primarily feeling these sensations in the wee hours of the morning, shortly after midnight, in keeping with the long-standing tradition, passed down from generation to generation within my family, of night-owl-hood. There is something encouraging about that to me.
First off, it suggests that perhaps this little person will also inherit the remarkable 'Sleepy Gene' famous in my genetic line. A blessing and a curse, the Sleepy Gene ensures infants that sleep through the night from early on...not only sleeping through the night, but also waaaay into the morning--often into the noon-time hour, in fact. Past infancy, once attaining school age, this can often lead to difficulty making the school bus on time, and frequent tardy passes being accumulated despite best efforts to roust little ones from bed on time. And, of course, in later life, Vampiric hours are often kept by those of the Sleepy Gene, leading to all sorts of interesting life experiences and perspectives. The rising of the sun is a sight rarely seen by those of the Sleepy Gene--with the exception of those dawn times witnessed at the end of a long night, just before finally hitting the sack to fall into sweet slumber.
Well, in this past week, the sensations of movement have become more consistent, slightly stronger (not really packing any heft yet, but more definitely movement rather than potentially gas or some other internal gurgling) and a whole lot more frequent. This little tyke is quite busy these days, moving around all over the place, swimming up a storm and, apparently, enjoying a vigorous workout routine. We're not yet to the point where Ross can feel these movements from outside the belly, so for now I am the only one able to enjoy the action.
And, with this added activity, comes some insight into the fetal personality--the jury is out on whether these insights will have any bearing on the actual personality of our little person, as anecdotes fall on both side of the aisle on this one. But, I learned the other night that Peanut seems to dislike having anyone invade his/er personal space.
At bedtime, still one of Peanut's most active dayparts, Winston Pants likes to snuggle and give me big hugs, dogpile style. So, the other night he comes over and curls up against me, with his fuzzy little face in the middle of my belly. Almost immediately, Peanut proceeds to kick directly at the spot where Winston's face was. Hmmmm. Coincidence? Can Peanut tell that Win is there? (I do know, Winston was completely oblivious to Peanut's presence, as he didn't react at all to the barrage of kicks coming at his face from within my belly.)
I shifted around a bit, and sparked Winston to readjust as well. Now his face was snuggled against the side of my belly. Well, whadya know? Peanut starts a new barrage of kicking, aimed once again at the exact spot where Winston's face was resting. Very interesting! It'll be even more interesting to see what happens when Peanut gets a bit more heft behind those kicks. I can only imagine what Winston's reaction will be! ;)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Doula, Doula!
Doulas are some of the most wonderful women in the world, imo. Without exception, all of the doulas (doulae?) I met or exchanged emails with proved to be caring, sincere, compassionate women whose primary desire was to assist pregnant women in achieving an optimal birth experience. Often, these women found their calling following disappointing, sometimes traumatic, birthing experiences of their own.
I am so happy to have found a wonderful doula, named Kristen. She is vibrant, intelligent, and enthusiastically committed to the mothers' she assists. Not only is she well versed in the traditional doula skill set, but she is also studying to become a mid-wife, as well as taking nursing courses. She impressed me with her breadth of knowledge, wide array of skills, and dedication to providing a comprehensive and holistic array of services to women and mothers.
And, let's not forget the assistance she offers to the hubby's too! With her help, both Ross and I are confident that our birthing experience, and first few weeks with baby, will be smoother and better than without her.
I'm looking forward to taking advantage of Kristen's acupressure and massage skills, as well as her assistance in maintaining a nice zen-filled state of mind throughout the full experience. And, we'll see how she does in helping Ross find a similarly mellow mental state.
It's like we have our very own pregnancy guru! Om.....
I am so happy to have found a wonderful doula, named Kristen. She is vibrant, intelligent, and enthusiastically committed to the mothers' she assists. Not only is she well versed in the traditional doula skill set, but she is also studying to become a mid-wife, as well as taking nursing courses. She impressed me with her breadth of knowledge, wide array of skills, and dedication to providing a comprehensive and holistic array of services to women and mothers.
And, let's not forget the assistance she offers to the hubby's too! With her help, both Ross and I are confident that our birthing experience, and first few weeks with baby, will be smoother and better than without her.
I'm looking forward to taking advantage of Kristen's acupressure and massage skills, as well as her assistance in maintaining a nice zen-filled state of mind throughout the full experience. And, we'll see how she does in helping Ross find a similarly mellow mental state.
It's like we have our very own pregnancy guru! Om.....
Sunday, April 20, 2008
'08 is Great!
Every so often it strikes me that it is pretty cool that Peanut is due to enter the world in this particular year. Momentous things are afoot, and positive predictions abound.
For the first time in history, we have an election cycle with both a black man and a woman as truly strong, viable candidates. These were both things that we often questioned ever seeing in our lifetime--and here it is happening. I love the imagery of watching the face of politics shift with a newborn snuggled in a sling.
2008 is the year of the Rat. Now, on the face of it, that may not sound so appealing, I grant you. (Then again, few of the zodiac animals are particularly flattering, in my opinion. I would happily take a majestic lion figurehead over a brutish bull, y'know?) But, it's actually a pretty encouraging horoscope--hard-working, ambitious, successful, and loyalty inspiring. Not bad! ;)
Of course, the highly organized and perfectionist personality traits would be interesting in this household. And, it gets really interesting when you combine the Year of the Rat with the Virgo sign of the Zodiac (EDD of 8/23/08, if you missed early announcements).
Virgo personalities also display perfectionism, organization, and intensity. Not to mention they too are analytical and loyal. So, this baby gets a double dosage of these traits. Yowzah! It's gonna be interesting around here! ;)
And, depending on what actual day our little one makes an appearance, the Birthday Book suggests some fairly distinct differences that sway from one end to the other of the Virgo bandwidth.
Ross has August 27th in the baby pool...and it actually seems like those born on that day pretty much combine his and my personalities into one person. So, now we're rooting for 8/27/08.
But, back to 2008. It boasts a leap year, an Olympic event, the aforementioned Presidential elections, and, of course, the imminent arrival of a future over-achiever! It's all good.
xoxo
tara
For the first time in history, we have an election cycle with both a black man and a woman as truly strong, viable candidates. These were both things that we often questioned ever seeing in our lifetime--and here it is happening. I love the imagery of watching the face of politics shift with a newborn snuggled in a sling.
2008 is the year of the Rat. Now, on the face of it, that may not sound so appealing, I grant you. (Then again, few of the zodiac animals are particularly flattering, in my opinion. I would happily take a majestic lion figurehead over a brutish bull, y'know?) But, it's actually a pretty encouraging horoscope--hard-working, ambitious, successful, and loyalty inspiring. Not bad! ;)
Of course, the highly organized and perfectionist personality traits would be interesting in this household. And, it gets really interesting when you combine the Year of the Rat with the Virgo sign of the Zodiac (EDD of 8/23/08, if you missed early announcements).
Virgo personalities also display perfectionism, organization, and intensity. Not to mention they too are analytical and loyal. So, this baby gets a double dosage of these traits. Yowzah! It's gonna be interesting around here! ;)
And, depending on what actual day our little one makes an appearance, the Birthday Book suggests some fairly distinct differences that sway from one end to the other of the Virgo bandwidth.
Ross has August 27th in the baby pool...and it actually seems like those born on that day pretty much combine his and my personalities into one person. So, now we're rooting for 8/27/08.
But, back to 2008. It boasts a leap year, an Olympic event, the aforementioned Presidential elections, and, of course, the imminent arrival of a future over-achiever! It's all good.
xoxo
tara
Thursday, April 17, 2008
No News is Good News!
Well, I guess this is the relative bliss of the 2nd trimester I had heard so much about. However, if it is, it is sorely lacking in the 'return-of-energy' department that I have been repeatedly promised. Harumph.
Don't get me wrong, I am very happy to be in relative physical comfort--for the most part, anyway. I mean, let's be real here, nary an hour can pass without some kind of bodily reminder that I am basically an organic construction zone.
I've definitely developed intermittent crankiness. No point denying that, as Ross would be behind me, making faces and frantic hand signals to the contrary. (I've caught him doing it.) ;)
And, pregnancy brain has a fairly strong hold on me. It seems to be a combination symptom: part zombie-fatigue and part hormonal fog. Kinda fun, kinda frustrating--depending on the hormone of the moment, it seems.
Ross is proving to be Superman, and is leaving all other poor preggo-hubbies in the dust. He's upped his Personal Chef game to new heights, and embraced a newfound enthusiasm for nutritious menu planning. And, unbelievably yummy. I am completely spoiled...aaaahhhh!!!
And, we're learning cool things. For instance, did you know that heartburn can be alleviated with a couple of bites of papaya? It's true! And yummy. Note: not too much, or you undo the benefits and can make the heartburn worse!
Ross has baked digestion-assisting cookies--yummy and effective! Again and again, we've demonstrated that geekery triumphs over adversity. ha!
In other news, movements are starting to get a little stronger--still tending to occur in the wee hours. They aren't to the point of being true kicks yet, though. Supremely weird & slightly disconcerting. Even weirder and more disconcerting--though oddly intriguing and appealing--is the preggo sport I've just learned of: Belly Poking! Ladies a couple of months ahead of me are indulging in highly amusing games of "Poke the Fetus." And, reactions vary, it seems. Some kick back at the point of poke-age. Some try to swim away from the source of poking. Still others seem to poke back. Int'resting. I'm not really into sports much--but this one may prove irresistable. And, it's a team sport! Baby Daddy can play too. :)
For some reason, we are more thrown by our last u/s prediction of "70% Girl" (*see previous post for details) than we would have been with a simple 'we can't tell what the gender is' pronouncement. So, we have been seriously considering going for a 'Uterine Glamour Shots' session at a retail ultrasound provider to get some clearer images and, hopefully, a more accurate assessment. Not to mention the 8x10 glossies and Memory DVD! ;) Truly tempting. We'll see. We've already narrowly resisted many such temptations. Like, for instance, the Doppler Fetal Heart Monitor that we could have rented for a few months to enable checking in on the heartbeat from time to time to make sure all was well in there. We weighed the pros and cons, and opted to pass. This time, the temptation--and addition to our ultrasound scan photo gallery--may prove impossible to resist.
So, there's a whole bunch of assorted non-news items to keep y'all up to speed on the slow and steady progress going on around here. We'll get to work on adding some new imagery soon--we still have the less-than-thrilling u/s scans from last time to load in. And, I'm thinking it's getting to be time for some belly documentation! ;) No promises that I'll share those though! We'll see how they turn out first. ;)
xoxo
tara
Don't get me wrong, I am very happy to be in relative physical comfort--for the most part, anyway. I mean, let's be real here, nary an hour can pass without some kind of bodily reminder that I am basically an organic construction zone.
I've definitely developed intermittent crankiness. No point denying that, as Ross would be behind me, making faces and frantic hand signals to the contrary. (I've caught him doing it.) ;)
And, pregnancy brain has a fairly strong hold on me. It seems to be a combination symptom: part zombie-fatigue and part hormonal fog. Kinda fun, kinda frustrating--depending on the hormone of the moment, it seems.
Ross is proving to be Superman, and is leaving all other poor preggo-hubbies in the dust. He's upped his Personal Chef game to new heights, and embraced a newfound enthusiasm for nutritious menu planning. And, unbelievably yummy. I am completely spoiled...aaaahhhh!!!
And, we're learning cool things. For instance, did you know that heartburn can be alleviated with a couple of bites of papaya? It's true! And yummy. Note: not too much, or you undo the benefits and can make the heartburn worse!
Ross has baked digestion-assisting cookies--yummy and effective! Again and again, we've demonstrated that geekery triumphs over adversity. ha!
In other news, movements are starting to get a little stronger--still tending to occur in the wee hours. They aren't to the point of being true kicks yet, though. Supremely weird & slightly disconcerting. Even weirder and more disconcerting--though oddly intriguing and appealing--is the preggo sport I've just learned of: Belly Poking! Ladies a couple of months ahead of me are indulging in highly amusing games of "Poke the Fetus." And, reactions vary, it seems. Some kick back at the point of poke-age. Some try to swim away from the source of poking. Still others seem to poke back. Int'resting. I'm not really into sports much--but this one may prove irresistable. And, it's a team sport! Baby Daddy can play too. :)
For some reason, we are more thrown by our last u/s prediction of "70% Girl" (*see previous post for details) than we would have been with a simple 'we can't tell what the gender is' pronouncement. So, we have been seriously considering going for a 'Uterine Glamour Shots' session at a retail ultrasound provider to get some clearer images and, hopefully, a more accurate assessment. Not to mention the 8x10 glossies and Memory DVD! ;) Truly tempting. We'll see. We've already narrowly resisted many such temptations. Like, for instance, the Doppler Fetal Heart Monitor that we could have rented for a few months to enable checking in on the heartbeat from time to time to make sure all was well in there. We weighed the pros and cons, and opted to pass. This time, the temptation--and addition to our ultrasound scan photo gallery--may prove impossible to resist.
So, there's a whole bunch of assorted non-news items to keep y'all up to speed on the slow and steady progress going on around here. We'll get to work on adding some new imagery soon--we still have the less-than-thrilling u/s scans from last time to load in. And, I'm thinking it's getting to be time for some belly documentation! ;) No promises that I'll share those though! We'll see how they turn out first. ;)
xoxo
tara
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
