Breathe

Hello everyone! We are at 35 1/2 weeks, and I just had my latest doctor appointment this morning. Baby is doing well- the heartbeat is still around 130 and he's growing at the rate he's supposed to. He's still moving a lot, even though the movements are slowing down a bit now since he's getting bigger. No more giant flips, just jabs and kicks and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s. Big stretches. Andy has claimed that he can hear his heartbeat just by putting his ear to my belly. Dr. H. is skeptical, but Andy loves to listen for it. He's also getting more comfortable with talking to Baby and he's even starting to sing to him a little. At first Andy was claiming that just his interactions with me would be enough to have Baby learn his voice, but since all of the guys he knows are telling him it's actually OK, he's switched from using the weird Darth Vader voice he was using to actually talking to him. I think it's harder for guys in that respect- I'm constantly talking and singing to Baby, and I even have to make sure that I'm not talking to him when I'm in the grocery store or somewhere where it looks like I'm talking to myself!

We went to our childbirth class last weekend. We decided rather than taking the 6-night class to do a crash course Friday night/Saturday all day one. The nurses said Friday night that we would hit the wall at approximately 1:00 on Saturday. Sure enough, at 1:00 on Saturday I was in the middle of a panic attack and wanted to run for the door. Pain medicine, emergency c-sections, all of that- it's enough to make me crazy! Getting ready for Baby is so much more than buying cute clothes and coordinated crib sheets at this point- I actually have to start preparing myself for all of the possibilities of what could go wrong and for the actual BIRTH. Of course everything could go smoothly and be just fine, but the butterflies of not knowing what to expect have caught up with me. People aren't exactly helping either. I'm not sure what it is, but everyone feels the need to share horror stories this week. One woman at work who seemed to mean well at the beginning of our conversation somehow transitioned into the story of her ruptured uterus with her last child rather quickly. Before I knew it I was not able to breathe again. I feel like wearing a shirt that says "No Trauma Stories PLEASE". I don't know if I could take much more- I already have nerves as it is.

But I do continue to take deep breaths and remind myself "It's all Been Done Before". Andy and I are also starting to practice our breathing for labor (the "hee-hee-hoo's). We were in our childbirth class and were sitting down on the floor Saturday afternoon to practice for the fifth time. The lights were all turned off, the relaxing music was on, and everyone closed there eyes and began rhythmically "hee-hee-hooing". The instructors were telling the coaches to really get in close, to lead the rhythm for mom. Of course, as soon as Andy got within 6 inches of my face I realized what he had done- "You had onions on your sub at lunch, didn't you????" And jalapenos and banana peppers and about a thousand other things that make my stomach turn right now. The instructors were looking at him and saying "No- GET IN THERE" and I was like "Get AWAY FROM ME!" Maybe breathing may not be as easy during labor if Andy gets close to a Subway for lunch anytime from now until the end of October!