Goodnight Mom

If, in the past month, you’ve asked me how I am feeling about the upcoming birth/labor of my baby I’ve probably responded that I’m pretty calm. That I know it will be difficult, perhaps painful at times, and could possibly end up going in a totally different direction, but that I’m preparing myself to * hopefully * have a successful vaginal birth at home in a birthing pool. So, it’s a surprise, even to myself, that I am non stop crying today as I read about spinning babies and consider the possibility of a planned cesarean-section. Photo credit: PhotoAlto/Anne-Sophie Bost/PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections/Getty Images Yesterday, I had an ultrasound at the hospital and discovered that my baby is breech. This means head up, feet and butt down. Apparently, I’ve since learned, there are different forms of breech (see image) but the technician didn’t explain what position mine is in. The idea of spinning, or turning your baby is to encourage them to move into a more, let’s say,...

OK, it’s time for the obligatory body image blog post.  Before discovering I was pregnant, I had been going to the gym regularly. I was motivated. The gym was close to work and I could go swimming on my lunch break. I used YouTube videos to guide my full body workouts. My husband Steve and our friend Greg joined another gym closer to home, and their activity encouraged me as well. I had put on nearly 10lb from a 3 week vacation in England (thank you Cadbury’s ). I was uncomfortable in my clothes; it didn’t feel great. I just wanted to reset my eating habits and my exercise habits to lead a more energetic life.  And it was working! In two months I lost my vacation weight. My arms were looking more toned and I really loved the curves at my waist and hips. Yes, I still had my belly. Til death do us part. I love that little squish (mostly!), regardless of what mainstream society tells me to think about it. After months of working out I felt confident to ride my bike aro...

In my second post , I wrote about how exhausted and nauseous I was during the first trimester.  There was a good reason for that: I was creating a whole 👏 new 👏 organ 👏. That’s right, I grew an organ. The placenta. I started learning more about this marvelous miracle organ when I read the first book I bought after finding out I was pregnant. I recommend it to anyone thinking about pregnancy: Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes. This book covers so many aspects of pregnancy, birth, and post birth. Garbes addresses cultural expectations on mothers-to-be/new moms and the science behind some of the “rules” around pregnancy. (No time for reading? Listen to her 30-minute interview with Terry Gross on NPR ) We often focus so much on the miracle of creating a human child during pregnancy that the placenta doesn’t get the accolade it deserves. This organ has a huge impact on fetal health, future health of the child throug...

I’m not the most traditional person, but I do enjoy being center of attention from time to time. So if there’s an excuse for a party in which all my friends gather around me, I’m totally down. Baby showers are a great time to gather friends and family for celebration in community. With family so far away, in New York and England, I think it's likely we’ll have a couple of baby shower events. My family always joke that I grew up having more than one birthday party. A lot of this was to do with my birthday being in late August. We’d often be on vacation in America visiting my grandparents and they would want to throw me a party (1). Then back at home, I’d have some kind of party or sleepover with friends (2), and there was always some kind of family only dinner (3). I kept this tradition alive by having three weddings. We got married in Oakland with 30 family & friends (1), and we had a second ceremony and party at a big lakeside house in Georgia the summer after with 60 extende...