Talking about our feelings: The Bradley Method

There are SO many different birth classes that it can be really over-whelming. However, it was not even an option in my mind to go with anything other than the Bradley method. For those that aren't familiar, in a nut shell Mr. Bradley grew up on an animal farm, assisting the farm animals and watching them give birth. When he stepped into the field of obstetrics and saw how birth was handled in the medical field, it sickened him. He had grown up knowing birth to be completely natural and at a pace that was decided by the baby alone; whether it took 3 hours or 3 days. So he set out to revolutionize the way birth was handled.

Yesterday was the first class of our twelve week Bradley course. Unfortunately my husband was unable to attend. I walked in and there was only one other couple. I asked if the class started at 5 and where the other couples were. The instructor gave me a confused look and said that their classes only accept two couples per course. A twelve week, couple focused birth class. I am spoiled.

25 weeks and a picture

I have had GI issues for my entire life. GI issues + pregnancy are never a good combination and when I started waking up in the morning with a "tightness" in my abdomen I didn't think much of it. The other morning I realized - holy moly! They're contractions! Nick was up and in the shower already so when I walked into the bathroom and announced I was having contractions he freaked. I explained to him they were only Braxton - Hicks, but still! My body is practicing; gearing up already for the big day!

Keeping up with life when all you can do is waddle

The past two weeks have been crazy. So many things happened at once and I feel like I'm still stuck going, "WHAAAA?" I was offered another position at work which is fantastic and I love it but it meant different hours to allow for the training and so my schedule was thrown off (ever try to switch your sleep schedule at 6 months pregnant? Yeah, not pretty). We started the home buying process; getting pre-approved, looking at a few different choices, putting in our first offer, and then being outbid. Since I got another position at my full-time job I made the decision to quit my weekend job (pregnant me can't work 7 days a week anymore) which is a huge weight off my back but also felt like a huge weight until my two weeks were actually up.

How pregnancy can read like a prescription drug commercial

If you've ever watched television I guarantee you've seen at least one prescription drug commercial. Why they have these commercials I will never know; you either have the specific condition the medicine treats or not... but I digress.

You know how towards the end - right before the actor/actress says his/her, "talk to your doctor about (insert Rx here) and make the switch" line, there's that whole "talk to your doctor before taking (Rx) if you have a,b,c...z. (Rx) may cause a,b,c....z. If these develop, stop taking Rx and talk to your doctor right away." Well, I always thought it was funny because they usually start off with simple, expected, basic symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, dry mouth, rash, etc. but then...as the list goes on the symptoms get worse. So it goes something like, "headaches, blurry vision, some memory loss, numbness, and sometimes even death." And you're sitting there going "WAIT . WHAT?! DEATH?! WHY IS MY ALLERGY MEDICINE GOING TO CAUSE DEATH?!" Even though we all know the company has to put it in their commercial to cover their ass in case someone actually does just happen to die after taking the medicine, we start the mental freak and then calm down to the more rational, "yeah right... like ALLERGY MEDICINE really causes DEATH."

We're (more than) half way there!

At 22 weeks pregnant I can officially say that I have been pregnant for longer than I will remain pregnant...even if I go over by the max amount of time they let you (2 weeks)! That's scary! These past 22 weeks have gone by so fast and to think I don't have that much longer to be "child-free" so to speak is bewildering. After I came to this realization I started coping with the anxiety it left me with by some good, old fashioned, retail therapy. In the past two weeks I have spent more money on home and baby centered things than I'd care to admit. Where did this come from?!

"What to Expect" Makes Me LOL

To my darling family and people who might feel awkward about reading about sex:

Expectations vs Reality

When I first found out I was pregnant there were several things I automatically assumed/expected.

Just to name a few:

Hospital birth with an OB

I'd look like this at 6 months along:

I would no longer be able to sleep comfortably

The relationship between my husband and I would change

I'd crave really crazy things (common example and the ever so infamous being pickles and ice cream)