The Baby Countdown

Monday, January 4, 2010
By the end of January, my baby will be considered full term, so I'm going to say the countdown is now ONE MONTH until 'any time now,' though the official due date is six and half weeks away.

One month to go. It doesn't seem real. Sure, it feels real enough with someone constantly pressing on my bladder and lungs, reminding me she's in there. Looks real enough--no one can mistake the big-bellied waddle of a preggo. But, still...I don't know if I can truly believe it until she's all gooey and crying in my arms.

Last month, the hubby and I attended child birthing classes. Shudder. The first thing they showed us was "the video." Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. The live birth video. Except this showed FOUR live births. The hubby had watched Discovery Health before and he'd seen such videos. He might've even seen animals birth their young, but me... nope. I was raised on a dairy farm, and still...I'd never seen anything like this before.

I thought I was going to pass out. But holy cow, what they showed is supposed to happen to me?! My first thought was, "I can't do that. OMG, I CANNOT do that." Except...well, yes I most certainly am going to do that. I began to panic; think I scared my baby because she began to kick around in my stomach, which reminded me even more I wasn't going to get out of the whole birthing process. I think the only reason I totally didn't lose it was because everyone else taking the class watched the video without passing out; I refused to be the only one. So, I held steady, even if my husband lost all feeling his hand I was squeezing.

But don't worry. I've calmed down since then. I think (hope, wish, pray) I'm done with having panic spells and will be okay from here on out. I just keep telling myself, every other mother in the world has done this, plus I don't have to watch the process from the view they showed on the video, and DRUGS, lots of drugs will get me through.

The second week of class, when they showed yet another video, I didn't even think about hyperventilating; I actually laughed at the part when the woman looked down and said, "It doesn't look like a baby."

This month will be "baby shower" month. My family is throwing me a shower, a friend is throwing another, and my church is hosting a third. Whew. There's so many people to help take care of me, I can't even begin to show my appreciation. Still...I hope they know what I'm going to need more than I do, because I haven't got a clue. There are a couple Dr. Seuss posters on my wall for my nursery's Dr. Seuss theme, and I've accumulated some baby clothes, but other than than I need everything. Thank goodness someone is donating/loaning me a crib, bassinet, rocking chair, and changing table.

Little baby is doing good. The stubborn girl is still in "breech" position, but she has plenty of time to turn, so there's no need to worry yet. She's incredibly active in the morning, afternoon, and evening. She hasn't woken me in the middle of the night with her movements, so I'm hoping she keeps this pattern!

My check ups are coming every two weeks now, and my doctor--bless him--has told me I glow more than a lot of his other pregnant patients. I don't even care if he says that to all the women, I totally appreciate it. He gets an A+ for his people skills.

What I miss most now is being able to bend over. Honestly, this is getting out of hand. These days, if I drop something, I just kind of shrug and consider it gone forever. I'm also one of those slouchers. But if I want to breathe, I have to sit up straight (bluck), and that just makes my back hurt. Other than all that, I'm doing great. Any misery is totally worth it to get my hands on that gooey ball of screaming baby!

Okay, I think you're up-to-date. I have another ultrasound at the end of the month, so maybe I'll have more pictures to share come February. We'll see.

15 comments:

  1. Oh Linda! Blessings to you and your baby! What an exciting time! Looking forward to sharing this precious time with you as you count down to the beginning of motherhood! :)

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  2. What an exciting time! Both of my pregnancies were so different. It's magical what God does to bring life into this world, and I can promise that as soon as you hold your baby you'll forget about what ever discomfort was involved.

    I pray every blessings for this precious life growing inside you!

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  3. Awww! I remember those first-time mom fears. And second-time. And third-time. LOL! You'll do great. :-)
    I hope she turns soon and that you have some wonderfully blessed showers! :-)

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  4. Hahaha...when I had my 1st one, I told my hubby NOT to let me watch the natural birth film; I'd refuse to have the baby! For some odd reason, when they showed us those films in school, I'd come homw swearing I'd never have sex. And when I'd get myself psyched up to thinking 'okay, maybe one...', they'd show the damn films again!

    The funny thing though...I could watch the breech birth and c-section. But not the head-first. Even with my 3rd, I'd forgotten to tell the dr NOT to place the baby on my stomach until s/he was cleaned up. Subsequently, my 1st words to W were 'Ugh...I'm going to be sick' instead of 'Hi baby...' like the other two, who had been cleaned, measured, etc before I caught a glimpse of them!

    If you saw the FB pics of little Shaant, I added new pics earlier today.

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  5. Oh, I'm so excited for you. It's wonderful to be able to share this journey with you. I love the Dr. Seuss theme for the nursery. How clever. I'll be it looks great. You should show us pictures of that, too.

    Both my little girls were breech and they were stubborn about it. I had to do C-sections both times but it all turned out alright. Keep up what you're doing because it sounds like you're doing great so far. Keep us posted!

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  6. When you are actually there at the hospital it is like you are in an alternate universe. Things are going on around you and you are just listening to orders of what to do and going with the flow. It is actually a crazy experience. You will do fine. :O)

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  7. What an exciting time! I think the birth of my first baby was THE BEST day of my life. Savor it! Good luck with the last uncomfortable month of pregnancy!

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  8. Have a very happy New Year and I hope your Christmas was merry.

    What an exciting time. Your baby will be here before you know it.

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  9. It might not even seem real when you are holding her in your arms...(although I admit, it's hard to ignore the reality when they are screaming and you can't calm them!). Seriously, though...sometimes I still look at my son (20 months) with surreal awe...like it's some cosmic dream that I am the parent of someone so utterly cool.

    It's going to be fabulous, and as soon as you're holding that darling in your arms, all of the rest will fade away :)

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  10. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and wonderful advice. This is a blessed time indeed. I'm so glad I'm able to share it with you!

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  11. Such a tender and precious time. It all goes too fast. My baby is 8 and my oldest is almost 16. *sigh* no more babies to cuddle.

    Enjoy this wonderful time - and blessings to you :D

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  12. I remember the difficulty with bending over, but I seriously don't remember those prenatal classes. I think they scared the memory right of me. Definitely isn't as awful going through it as watching it!!

    Can't wait to see those early baby pics!

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  13. What a wonderful time in your life. Remember every moment. Record this for her to look back on someday. It is so special. I hope she decides to turn soon. But not to worry, God works everything out Linda.

    Dr. Seuss theme is so cool. I really wish I had done that. *she snaps her fingers* Why didn't I think of that? :-) Keep us informed. Inquiring minds...

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  14. Ooh! Congratulations on the forthcoming baby. How exciting. Hang in there!

    Carla

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