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October 7, 2003
Prenatal Yoga and Doulas
I finally signed up for the prenatal yoga class a couple weeks ago. It was wonderful! I have done yoga before, just basic levels, I take a class about twice a year to keep in practice, although I am never as diligent about doing it at home as I should be. So, I knew I wanted to try prenatal yoga. For anyone who might consider this, I highly recommend it. You don’t have to have yoga experience. For those who have done yoga before, it is like yoga for wimps. The instructor really pampers all the women.
The second week of class was a little different, as it was offered through Community Education. So the instructor did more teaching and explaining rather than just leading us through stretches. She also had a doula come and tell us about what she does. In case you don’t know, they provide support for the mother during labor, can help with different labor positions, and can advocate with doctors and nurses for you. They provide both physical and emotional support and are there during the whole labor.
I talked to my husband after the class and he agreed it would be well worth the money to have one. We both tend to be kind of nervous when going through new experiences, so having someone trained in childbirth there the whole time sounds really comforting to us. My husband is sure how he’ll react to seeing me in pain either, so it will be good to have someone to coach us through it.
So, now I have to start interviewing doulas, and start thinking about a birth plan. I want to avoid as much intervention as possible (especially c-sections, forceps, vacuums, etc,), but I’m not against a little pain medication. I’ve been very busy at work, so once I’m done with a couple more projects, I’ll start delving into the birth plan stuff more heavily.
The Transformation of the House
So far this is my favorite part of pregnancy. I guess I am truly going through the nesting phase. Everything we’ve been putting off on the house we are now trying to get done before the baby is born. I’ve always loved having an older house, and can’t wait until January when everything is done and organized before the baby comes. (I’m sure it will change once baby is here!) Just to record them so the baby knows some day how much work we’ve done, here’s a list. Also I’ll keep it on record for when we sell the house. J
• Upgraded the electricity to 100 amp and grounded the service to the house
• Had a new water heater installed (this was somewhat of an emergency last week since the laundry room flooded after my husband took a shower.)
• Dismantled and removed a giant desk that had been left in our basement by the previous owner.
• Moved an old carpet remnant from the baby’s room to the laundry room, so I can now walk across the floor barefoot if I want. A big improvement over trying not to trip over 6 miscellaneous rugs laid over uneven concrete. I also organized all my craft stuff and a utility table in the laundry room, so now I can just go down and do projects whenever I want instead having to make a space to work.
• Rearranged the basement with a new entertainment center, which has doors that can be baby-proofed. All the cords for Jason’s video games are now inside doors instead of hanging out. Safety locks will come later when baby starts crawling.
• Moved the dogs’ crates from the kitchen to the basement, to free up the kitchen from lots of dog hair, and to make room for eventually having a high chair, and a dishwasher (hopefully we’ll install in December if all goes well). The dogs are adjusting okay. By the time the baby gets here, the basement will seem routine to them.
• And of course, the nursery itself—painted walls, put up wallpaper border, got new carpet installed, will get new curtains too.
• A bunch of little stuff my dad is going to help us with next weekend—putting in an extra outlet, trimming the doors so they can be closed over the new carpet, whatever else I can get him to do while he’s here.
My Still Tiny Belly
For the first time this week, two people (my neighbor and my boss) noticed that my belly is showing! I still don’t look pregnant to anyone who doesn’t know me. But I am wearing maternity clothes because all my regular clothes are too tight, and I think I did actually gain a couple pounds. (I go to the doctor next week so I’ll verify then.) And if you knew me before, I really did used to wear pants with buttons and zippers and shirts that tucked in. No more! I love long shirts and knit pants with stretchy bellies now. I am 23 weeks along, and the baby is still growing. I’m tall so there seems to be a lot of room inside me. Hopefully it will mean less weight to lose after giving birth.
Talk to me: Have you ever used a doula? What were your experiences?
Becky
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