Well, I never thought I would get here, but here I am: 34 weeks pregnant and excitedly looking forward to the birthing of our little boy!
As I said in my previous post- infertility doesn't end once you get pregnant. It ends once you hold your child in your arms.
We've been through a lot in this pregnancy journey- some bleeding/spotting that took us a couple of anxious and terrified trips to the ER and placenta previa that turned out just to be a low-lying placenta. I've been to visits with both a midwife and an OB and they both agree that I am low-risk. I haven't had any issues with blood pressure or gestational diabetes. So I'm low-risk. I actually feel pretty good at the moment, except for my swollen, Hobbit-like feet and ankles.
We've chosen to do a home birth. It's crazy how controversial that is here in the U.S.- mostly because our health care system doesn't support it like other countries do. I'm seeing a lay midwife because she is the only one in this part of the state that does home births. She works with an OB that I have also been seeing. Mostly everyone has been supportive of our choice- they probably think we're crazy hippies, but they support us.
The only issue I've had so far- and only in the last few weeks as we approach the last part of this pregnancy- have I experienced some pushback from my parents.
It's been frustrating, to say the least. On one hand, I completely understand their fears. I'm their daughter and they want me and the baby to be okay. On the other hand, they've been kind of passive-aggressive about expressing their fears and it's been hard to discuss openly with them. My mom gave me the 'it's really going to hurt if he's turned the wrong way' speech today after both she and my dad expressed misgivings about the position the baby was in (he's either LOT or ROT depending on the day) and my mom is worried about my swollen ankles being a sign of a big problem (ie: preeclampsia).
It's hard because I'm a biology teacher and I understand my own anatomy. I've done evidence-based research on the choices we've made. This is not a frivolous choice. I fully understand that birth is unpredictable and anything could happen. I trust my midwife and her training and instincts.
My ankles and feet are swollen because it's hot and I'm retaining some water. My blood pressure has been perfect every time I've gone to either the midwife or OB- no signs of eclampsia, which I have been monitoring myself for. I can't do a whole lot about it except put my feet up and drink a lot of water.
My baby has plenty of room to move around at the moment- he even flipped over during the exam yesterday as the midwife was trying to listen to his heartbeat. He has plenty of space to move around into an ideal position, and I trust that he will do so when it is his birthing time. I will do what I can to assist him into the ideal position using Spinning Babies techniques.
I am also using Hypnobabies to aid me in dealing with the challenges of birthing. Ok, I guess maybe we are hippies after all. But seriously, people have used hypnosis to quit smoking and to even have surgery when they are allergic to anesthesia (something I would NOT be willing to try!). It works for me. I have confidence that I will birth peacefully with minimal issues and pain.
So I think that I'm going to draft up an e-mail to my folks and let them know exactly what we've done to prepare. I hope that I can alleviate some of their fears and prevent their doubts from becoming mine.
Good wishes to all you folks out there in infertility land- may your journey be blessed and may you find success.
Namaste!
