Memories (old video of Lucy) + Appointment Update

Pete and I had a sweet time a few nights ago night looking through old pictures and videos of our kids (after our kiddos were finally asleep in the same room!). Our hearts just melted and we were reminded of how cute they were and how much we enjoyed them at that stage. Looking back and remembering makes us want to be more intentional about enjoying them now.

My prayer request yesterday at my church Bible study was for patience and wisdom for me and Pete in parenting. As I think about another baby joining our family, I eventually want to look back on this next year with the same sweet memories.

I had my almost-33 week doctor's appointment yesterday. As usual, thankfully, everything looks good. He said my personal glucose monitoring numbers looked good, and even confirmed that the head was down!

Here's a video of Lucy when she was Adam's age:

Go U NU!

Some pictures from our homecoming game day today!

The only one when Adam smiled.

 

Throwback to Fall of 2006. I was a junior, Pete and senior.

This is when NU wasn't very good at football, but we had fun going to games anyway.

Friends

Before a bowl game when I was 6 months pregnant with Lucy.

At the bowl game. I think it was new years 2010.

32 Weeks

Now that the first six weeks of the university schedule are over with and we have our Fall Getaway checked off the list, it seems we can finally start to prepare for this baby. Its been a whirlwind past few months and this week has been one of recovery as we battle sickness and try to catch up on sleep.

 One of our goals for October is to move Adam out of his crib and in to the toddler bed in Lucy's room. They both seem excited about this prospect but their parents are less optimistic that it will go smoothly. We expect less sleep, and much more discipline... but hopefully only for a short time. We've already moved things around just to prepare them for the change.

By the way, if anyone has any advice on moving kids into the same room, or transitioning to three, please send it our way! Any feedback is much appreciated!

The "new" bed is a fun place to play, read, and wrestle.

Baby Wise: Our Survival Plan

We love the wisdom that is found in this book and know many other families who have followed the advice and been so thankful. On Becoming Babywise is sort of a "how-to" on feeding and facilitating sleep for your baby. It offers guidelines for scheduling naps and feedings, always with the notion that you have to be flexible with a newborn baby and constantly evaluate what his or her needs are. This is not a "feed the baby whenever he cries" philosophy. You wouldn't do that with your two-year-old, or yourself.

I can say we did this really well with Lucy, and we were a little more lenient with Adam, but it works, and we got sleep, and so did the kids. They both grew and ate well as infants.

In my experience, the people that criticize the book haven't actually read it.  It was recommended by several family members and friends, and Pete and I think its pretty logical. It contains a lot of good practical advice from baby's first day through over a year old. I will be referring to it quite a bit, once again, in just a handful of weeks. Nine more weeks til due date!

The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth: What It Is and Why We Chose It

{This post is in no way meant to look down on anyone who hasn't done birth this way or isn't planning to in the future. When all is said and done, a healthy and alive mama and baby is the goal. There's a lot of different information out there about childbirth and everyone is entitled to research and make her own decision about it.}

What is Natural Childbirth?
 Laboring and delivering your child without the use of any drugs and with little to no interventions. Basically, it's letting nature take its course and working with your body.

What is the Bradley Method?
Natural Childbirth with an emphasis on 1) Relaxing (or trying to) during labor through a variety of ways, 2) Having a coach (husband usually) to support you and coach you through the labor process, and also be an advocate for you in a hospital setting, and 3) Knowing whats coming, or education. Knowing what birth will be like and what the options are to relax or work with the pain during labor was so important to me in my last two births.

Knowing there would be pain, and that I would want to quit, was also very helpful. Its important for Pete to know that I will say to him at some point "I can't do this, I can't do this" and him saying back, "yes you can, its almost over, you're in transition, keep breathing, it's almost over..." He reminds me of why I chose to do it naturally, and coaches me through the hardest parts. And once the baby is born, probably only a short time after I want to quit, I am SO thankful I didn't give in to drugs.

Why we chose this route:

• The recovery is better for the mom.
• The baby is alert after birth and there is no risk that drugs have reached him or her.
• I want to remember the labor and be fully there as I experience the birth process.
• Labors are usually faster when done naturally.
• Less intervention in labor usually means a healthier mom and baby (obviously there are exceptions.)
• There are a lot of things we still don't know about pitocin, epidurals, and other drugs, namely the long-term effects. I'd rather not take the risk if it's up to me.
• Woman have given birth naturally for all of time, save the last century and a half. And the usual problems didn't go away when drugs came along. In fact, when doctors and drugs came on the scene in the 1800's to replace midwives, a whole host of new problems arose, according to the birth history books I've been reading.

But we still like our hospital:
Many people who are for the natural childbirth are against hospitals, preferring a home birth. I actually had two great experiences at our hospital and enjoyed my time there. The nurses and doctors listened to me and didn't pressure me to take drugs or change my wishes. The environment was actually restful... kind of like a two-day vacation. Other people clean up after you and bring you food, and are constantly there in case you or your baby need anything, which is reassuring to me. I know hospitals aren't for every woman who's having a baby, but for me, I thought it was a great experience overall. My doctor and pediatrician are both very obliging and worked with me to let me have the birth I wanted as well as forgo (usually) unnecessary treatments to the baby after he or she is born, like the prophylaxis eye drops.

Plus, there is always the possibility that there will be a true emergency and I like having the reassurance of already being at the hospital.

If you're considering doing natural childbirth I highly recommend you and your spouse doing a Bradley Method class together and both read "Husband-Coached Childbirth" by Bradley.  You can say you'll "try to do it naturally" when you go in to labor, but you'll probably give in because it really hurts and you and your coach are not prepared adequately. I was tempted to give in both times. Or at least I had the thought, "Okay, I know why people beg for the drugs." But my education and research helped my stay strong and cope with the pain, along with Pete, and God. Prayer is definitely important too.

This is such a short post on such a huge topic. I felt is was important for me to write my thoughts down not only for my own sake, but also for others who are thinking about and doing research on how they want their births to be.