I’m having this problem today. It happened yesterday too. Every time I stand up someone stabs me in the hip joint, right near the groin. I really wish whoever it is would stop doing it. It’s starting to get annoying. I think the answer is not sitting for so long, but that’s kind of hard to do with my job. The best solution seems to be a good night’s sleep. I know this because by the time evening rolled around yesterday I could barely walk, but after a full night of sleep I woke up miraculously refreshed and no longer in pain. And now here we are again. My doctor tells me that all this is a phase and it may not last through the remainder of the pregnancy, so that gives me a bit of hope. It just gets kind of annoying, that’s all. I said that already, didn’t I?

But yay for babies! I’m super excited! I was given another batch of baby girl clothes last week and I bought a few fashionable baskets for storage and the room is coming along nicely. Also, we scored another baby carrier for the car for FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS from a neighbor down the street who was just finishing up a yard sale. It’s way cuter than the one we had. So now we have two carriers and we can give one to Grandpa so he can still take the kids on Wednesdays (it’s his day off, Luke calls it Dappa Weddy). Oh, and that same neighbor (who had twin girls, oh lordy) sold me a super cute crip bumper and quilt for another five dollars. I almost felt like I was stealing from her but she was just happy to get rid of the stuff.

Oh by the way, I’m 30 weeks today. Happy Pregiversary to me

I am now 29 weeks pregnant. That means next week I’ll be 30 weeks, which is three quarters of the way there! I’m gettin’ there. And I’m still enjoying it. I have my good days and my bad days, and they seem to come with no rhyme or reason. Last weekend I was feeling downright miserable with muscular pain in my lower abdomen and upper thighs. I was afraid that my uterus was giving out. This week I’m feeling much better, partly due to bringing out the ole’ Prenatal Cradle that I wore with Luke (thanks Joanie, for reminding me I even had one!). It’s kind of like a back brace but it holds up your belly. It’s fantastic.

(This is a pregnancy update, in case you were wondering.)

I have issues with my lower back and sciatic nerve, but I can keep the pain at bay as long as I am careful about my movements and move slowly (i.e. pretend I’m a much older woman). Light exercise helps so I’m trying to get in a 10 minute walk at least every day. I usually go during my lunch break but sometimes I’ll walk around our block with Luke after work as well. The only problem is he likes to run ahead and momma cannot possibly run fast enough (or at all) to catch him so we like to play a game called “Ready, stop! Ready, go!”. He thinks it’s fun. I’m sure it will only last until he realizes I’m just doing it because I really can’t catch him.

A coworker told me yesterday that my belly looks nice and round. I take it as a compliment, even though I have nothing to do with the shape of my belly. I did take a look at my pregnancy photos from Luke’s gestation and I look pretty much the same I did with him. Only a little less heavy in the face. Who knew losing 20 pounds before this pregnancy would make such a difference?

Other than the pain, everything has been going pretty smoothly. I am a little nervous that I will develop preeclampsia like I did with the first pregnancy, but there isn’t much I can do about it. Drink lots of water, keep the stress level low, watch my sodium intake, and hope for the best. I’m mostly afraid if I develop it towards the end that they will want to induce like they did with Luke. That was a train wreck. We don’t want to go there. I’m trying to go for a natural birth this time because I had such a bad experience with drugs the last time. I’ve done a lot of research and I feel pretty well prepared. Also, I have an OB who is very supportive of natural birth but whom I also trust to lead me in the right direction should there be any problems. As much as I want a natural, un-medicated birth, I am extremely comforted by knowing I’ll be in a hospital with supportive and competent medical professionals.

We haven’t settled on a name for this baby girl yet. We have a list and we have a few we each like, but to take the pressure off we decided to just bring the list to the hospital and choose a name after we’ve met her in person (Mike wasn’t really stressing about it, but I was). The only problem is that when we talk about the baby it’s just that: “The Baby”. We don’t really know what to call her. Mike likes to call her “The Deuce”.

I’ve been getting The Deuce’s room ready slowly, bit by bit. The room used to be our office so and I have most everything cleared out (with the help of some wonderful friends). The crib is in, the bed is made. Rocking chair is in, as well as many of the baby clothes we’ve already been given. There is still a lot of organizing to be done, but I hope to get that done during Labor Day weekend (with the help of another great friend… I have so many great friends, it’s overwhelming).

I bought a Peanut Shell baby carrier. After growing to hate the two carriers I have (Luke hated them too), I did a lot of research to find a better one. This was one I read dozens of raving reviews about. So when Mike found a great deal on it ($25!) we jumped on it. It was such a great deal and I’m so excited about this sling I bought one for my sister too. She just had her third baby so I figured she would need one. I don’t think she thought she would need one, but OH, she needs one. She has a 3 year old, an 18 month old, and now a newborn. She told me it came in really handy with her recent shopping trip. I hope she gets a lot of use out of it. I’m looking forward to using mine. I tried it on last night but it’s just not the same without a baby in it

So that’s it, that’s the official pregnancy update. Kinda boring and void of horrid, scary details, but I’ll let you all know if something exciting comes up.

I had three fillings done last February and it went swimmingly. I know a lot of people have anxiety about going to the dentist but I’m not really one of those people.

Today I had to get four more fillings. Yes, I had a total of seven cavities. You can laugh. I’m not ashamed. Anyhoo, today’s visit didn’t go as well as the last. It started out fine. Other than a bit of discomfort at having to be six months pregnant and lie in a dentist chair at an angle that made it difficult to breathe, it wasn’t bad. At first. The dentist was done with the drilling and was just getting ready to put the last two fillings in when I noticed my vision started to get a tad blurry and I started to feel very warm. I know this feeling well. I hate this feeling. Since I couldn’t speak very well (you know how it is) I started rubbing my forehead to clue the dentist in that something was wrong. He took the hint right away. “Are you okay?” I shook my head to signal that no, I was not okay. He stopped what he was doing to lower my chair back a little more but that only made it worse. I was passing out, and quickly. (For normal, non-pregnant, that trick with the chair would have worked. ) As hard as I tried not to, I think I was panicking a little. I hate this feeling. I was clutching the arms of the chair and tossing my ipod to the side and trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible. They moved the chair back up and put a mask over my nose so I could get some good clean oxygen. The dentist could see that I wasn’t getting better so he took all the equipment and stuff out of my mouth to give me a chance to recover. There I sat, mouth all numb, plastic mask over my nose, just breathing in and out until the sweating stopped. The prominent thought going through my head was, “how am I ever going to survive childbirth? Maybe I’m not cut out for it after all.” But I think it’s a different situation. I wasn’t freaking out from pain or discomfort. Heck, the dentist was almost done! I just think that in the dentist’s chair I was not getting enough oxygen to the brain.

I remember having this same sort of problem when I was 6 months pregnant with Luke. I was in the hospital for my heart issues and they had problems running some of the tests, like the leg ultrasound and the cat scan. Every time I had to lay flat on my back I would start to pass out. Oh, it was miserable. And frustrating. And when you are passing out you just feel so out of control. Did I mention I hate that feeling?

I went to see my OB on Monday for a regular prenatal visit. Mike and Luke came along so they could hear the heartbeat and we could discuss with Dr. M my wishes to have a natural delivery. Dr. M is so laid back. I love him. He has been my OB since I first got pregnant with Luke. I was extremely happy with his response to my questions about a natural delivery. He is fully supportive, and actually stated that he would “do this like a mid-wife would”. Exactly what I wanted to hear. He agreed to keep me off an IV as long as I can at least have a plug put in so they can have quick access just in case. And he would still like to monitor the baby but they can do that while still allowing me to move around some. I just don’t want to feel chained to the bed. I can move around and adjust as needed to cope with the contractions. Oh, and I can deliver vertically or in just about any position I want. Dr. M said he’s completely flexible about that, in fact he’s delivered on his hands and knees before. They have birthing beds that allow you to push sitting up, they have birthing balls, metal bars to grab onto. So I have options. Dr. M and Mike are in full agreement: as long as mom and baby are healthy and safe, they will comply with all my whacky wishes. And really Dr. M didn’t think any of my wishes were whacky. He suggested I write them all down in a birth plan and he will sign his consent so that everyone knows “this is what Mindy wants, and Mr. M is in full support of it”.

My biggest concern is with Pitocin. From what I’ve read and experienced, I’m convinced it’s the devil. I want to avoid it at all costs. Dr. M was somewhat okay with that, he just doesn’t want me to go past 42 weeks. If I go any later than that, he said then we would need to talk about what steps to take. I think it’s unlikely I’ll go that far, I think something like 95% or more of women go into labor on their own before 42 weeks. With my first pregnancy I was induced at 40 weeks but it was because I had pre-eclampsia. I don’t want that to happen again so I’m bulking up on my protein intake this time around. I’ve been told that can go a long way in preventing pre-eclampsia.

So after meeting with Dr. M and also hearing so many great things about the nurses at my hospital and their support of natural deliveries, I’m feeling much more confident and don’t necessarily feel the need to hire a doula. I think I mostly wanted one because I was afraid I would get all this pressure from the doctors and nurses to take Pitocin and epidurals and who knows what else. But now I feel like maybe I was getting a little paranoid. Now that I know my Dr. is supportive and will sign off on a birth plan, I can just trust my labor support (Mike and hopefully my sister) to be advocates for me.

Oh and it was so nice to have Luke there. When I sat on the exam table he said “Mommy owie”. He thought I was there because I was hurt. Then when Dr. M found the heartbeat on the doppler we explained to Luke that that was the baby’s heartbeat and he said, “Seester?”. He doesn’t know what a sister is, but he knows that’s what the baby is called. Because of course we haven’t settled on a name yet.

Since I can’t think of anything else to blog about, I guess I’ll just do one of those “what I’m been up to” posts.

1) Working at my day job: I’m still enjoying it, still learning a lot, and it’s still feeding my family. Rock on!

2) Eating: I have no special cravings, and I can eat just about anything. Although I have been in the mood for a good steak most days. Must be the baby girl wants her protein. Which is good, because I’m told increasing protein in my diet can help prevent pre-eclampsia, which is what I had at the tail end of my pregnancy with Luke.

3) Researching childbirth: From what I’m reading, all signs point to “I can do this!”. I can’t really explain why this is such a strong conviction for me, to have a natural birth. I suppose this is my way of nesting. I’m not really into cleaning and decorating, but reading and researching is something I’m totally into. Yes, childbirth can be painful, but I have some experience dealing with pain and I am not afraid of it. It hadn’t occurred to me until today, but I believe the experience I had with my miscarriage has prepared me for this on some level. When I was feeling the contractions, as heart-wrenching as it was, it helped to know that there was a purpose for them. I’m not trying to be a superwoman or a martyr here, I just want to have a positive birth experience and be able to enjoy my baby without the effects of drugs and without the pain afterwards. Pain medication takes time to wear off, and surgery is hard to recover from. I don’t want to have to be dealing with those things this time.

 4) Waiting for my sister to go into labor: She’s due August 4th so it could be any day now! And when she starts those contractions, I’ll be getting a phone call so I can go down and support her and her husband for the birth. I’m super excited to be there and to meet my new niece. New babies are always fun. Especially when they’re cute, and my sister is known for making cute babies

That’s about it. I don’t do much else lately. Just enjoying the simple life and enjoying my family. We’re having a blast with Luke. He talks more and more every day. We’re starting to actually understand what he’s saying. He’s not fully potty trained yet but he is sleeping successfully in his big boy bed. And he’s just super cute all the time (even when he’s throwing fits) but we’re too busy enjoying the moments to remember to stop and take a picture. We’re terrible at that sort of thing. Oh well. Life is good.

I am five months pregnant now, so I’m starting to think more about the part at the end: the labor and delivery. I want things to be different than it was with Luke. My labor and delivery with Luke did not go the way I really wanted it to, but part of the problem then was I didn’t really know what I wanted.

My plan now is threefold: 1) talk extensively with my OB (whom I love and trust with this entire process) about my wishes to have a natural childbirth 2) educate myself as much as possible about the childbirth process and 3) be sure that the people I bring with me for support are properly prepared to help me cope and preserve my birth plan wishes. I think that last one is especially important. Mike will be with me of course, and I need to be sure he knows beforehand what he can to do help during the labor. I may not be able to effectively articulate my needs while I am in pain and trying to focus on getting through it. Also, if I have my natural childbirth goals clearly defined and documented Mike will be able to defend me against any pressure from the hospital staff that conflicts with those goals. I’m thinking about having one other person there to support me but I haven’t made a final decision on that yet. Whomever it is will need to be someone who knows me well and is able to help keep me calm. I don’t need anyone freaking out on me while I’m moaning and wailing

So that’s it. That’s the plan. Now on to the research – I have so much to learn!

I’m having apparent balance issues. It must be a pregnancy thing but I can’t prove it. I fell last week and then I fell again on Wednesday. Although this time was a bit worse. I was walking down the stairs with my son and I must have taken a wrong step. Totally bit the dust. I’m just thankful I didn’t fall more than a few steps and that I didn’t take Luke with me. The ironic part is that I hurt the other side of my butt, the side I did not fall on the baseball with last week. My brother says at least I’m thorough. I was feeling a little lopsided. I apparently banged up my entire right leg because I’m having pain all the way through, especially around the ankle. I don’t think anything is sprained or damaged but the pain keeps threatening to put me in a bad mood. You could say my pride is a touch bruised but I’ll get over that. At least I was with family when it happened so they could have a good laugh

On the up side, I’m noticing my investments are creeping back up. They’ve been dropping value so much lately (as everyone’s has) so I had to do a double take to be sure I was interpreting the numbers right. “Yup! Three is higher than two, and seven is higher than six.” Awesome. I’m not retiring or sending any kids to college soon but for those who are, I hope it means that things are turning around for the better. Good news is way overdue.

(I realize those are two completely different subjects, but we’ll just call it a two-for-one deal, shall we?)

They say that pregnancy screws up your sense of balance. Something about all the fluid that surrounds the baby. I suppose that makes sense. Whatever the reason, it is SO TRUE. And I am constantly coming this close to injuring myself because of it.

Thursday night I had a fall. It didn’t result in actual injury per se, but I do have a nasty bruise as a result. On my bum. I was squatting in front of Luke at a t-ball game and I lost my balance. I think the wind knocked me over. Anyway, I fell backwards and a baseball caught my fall. Oh my goodness I was in so much pain. I couldn’t even move to get myself off the stupid ball lodged in my left cheek because I was seething with pain. Mike had to grab my hands and pull me up. Of course I returned the favor by clutching his hands so tight that I’m sure it took a few minutes for the blood to return to his capillaries. The pain eventually subsided but for a day or two I was really wishing we had a padded toilet seat.

To make things worse, that night I helped Mike move a desk out of what will soon be the baby’s room. I should not have, I realize this now, but who was going to help him? Our Buster cat may have thumbs but he’s not terribly strong. Or focused. Plus it had to be done that night because I was having friends over the next day to help me go through all the rest of the crap in the room. They came over and we worked all day and got a ton of work done. With their help, I was able to fill up my trunk with donations and find a place for everything else. But it turned out that working all day was the last straw for my lower back.

After my friends left I started to realize something was very wrong. I was walking around and every third step or so resulted in enormous shooting pains through my lower back and left leg. I could barely walk. I knew I wouldn’t make it through the weekend like that so I called my chiropractor’s office to see if they were able to get me in for a quick adjustment. They were. They even put me on the special hi-low table so I could be on my belly despite the baby bump in front. The doctor looked at my back and confirmed what I already knew: I screwed it up bad. He said my sciatic nerve, SI joint, and sacrum were all screwed up and that’s a bad combination. No wonder all the pain. I don’t know what he did exactly but whatever it was worked. I just thank God they couldn’t hear me from the waiting room cuz dang. I was doing some serious yelping on that table. No matter, I was walking out of that office with a bit of soreness but absolutely no sharp shooting pains. It was a chiropractic miracle.

That’s right, folks. We had an ultrasound today and found out we’re having a girl! So now I can stop calling it “it” and we can start mulling over possible names.

In addition to that exciting news, Mike got to feel the baby, I mean her, squirming and worming around for the first time today. She certainly is a mover and shaker!

I have been in second trimester lately. Eating great, feeling great, it’s everything I had desperately dreamed of while I was in the throes of first trimester illness. However, I do have ONE issue. I have been having a lot of problems with my sciatic nerve. It’s pinched and it’s causing a persistent sharp pain in my right butt cheek. It also causes numbness and tingling in my legs and feet but that is so minor I don’t notice it much anymore. It’s just that sharp pain that’s driving me crazy. When it gets especially painful I start to feel like Keri Russell’s character in Waitress - “This damn baby is a pain in my ass. Damn baby.” (That’s a fantastic movie by the way, you ought to rent it.) Four months in utero and already giving me grief! What do we have in store with this baby #2? I can only imagine. I suspect he/she will be a bit of a spitfire, based on what it’s put me through so far.

I have employed stretching techniques to help relieve the paint and it does help. I was stretching today after my workout and I must have had a particularly painful look on my face because two women were standing nearby and asked me if I needed help. They had been eyeing me as I stretched, poised to call 911 if necessary.

Ah, the joys of pregnancy.

To quote my sister, who is 7 1/2months pregnant with her third baby: “I don’t remember this much pain.” Amen, sister! How do we so quickly forget? I say it’s God’s little tricky design to keep us procreating. Clever, indeed.