I am having backaches galore, as well as round ligament pain. I have a support belt that I use, but I have no rear end to hold it in place. It slips down and I yank it back up. It's a vicious cycle that I do ONLY in the house since I don't want people to think I'm pulling up some wayward undies.
My baby is getting so big!!
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. (via BabyCenter)
I Am Pregnant.com
Discussion Question: Who will be supporting you during your upcoming birth? Will you have a doula? Your husband? A close friend or relative? Do you have any advice for other pregnant moms who are considering a doula, or trying to decide who they want to have attend the birth?
I had my mom present at my first two births. I didn't invite her for the third. And it was good that way. Number 4 was an emergency C-section (baby transverse in super fast labor).
Number 5 we used a doula. I loved her. V was the most excellent doula ever and made that first natural labor bearable. The Dr induced me because of gestational diabetes and the risk of stillbirth, but I did the laboring without pain meds and made them turn the pitocin off after things got rolling.
By the time number 6 was "cooking", V had become a midwife apprentice and we had her deliver ChickyPunk at home. That was my longest labor ever (16 hours! compared to my normal 4), the baby had her head tipped the wrong way, my sciatic nerve was bruised and I couldn't feel my right side toes for three months. But she came!
Now, expecting this new baby, I'm only planning on the midwives and the hubby. I could NOT do labor without him and I think anyone else would be so distracting. I considered inviting the older children who want to attend to view the birth, but I think it wouldn't work so well for me. Again, the distraction factor.
My advice would be to have a plan in place of whom you would like to attend, but make sure they are prepared to roll with the whims of the labor. You could have a large support team in place with you but then decide that you only want hubby, or someone else there. And since you are the woman at the head of the show, it's totally your choice. Don't let your mom bully you into attendance and then want to be the center of attention.
A doula is a beautiful wonderful fantastic addition to a birth and I would encourage you to consider having one. When all else "fails", they have ideas that make the contractions bearable, encouragement in the dark times, and they thrill at your success almost as much as you do. We used our doula as someone to run interference between us and the hospital staff.
Join me at My Jo-Filled Life: Pregnancy link up.
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