March 14, 2006

13w1d, 136 lbs

Had our second prenatal on the 10th and got to hear the heartbeat. I cried. Such an amazing experience! The baby at first was directly below my bellybutton, closer to the pubic bone and we got to hear the heart - 144 beats per minute - for a bit, then the baby moved about an inch to the right. She chased him/her with the doppler so we could keep listening. So we have a happy, healthy & active baby in there!

I went to a "Preparing for Birth" workshop over the weekend. Our doula gave a talk as well as an obstetrics student who brought all kinds of scary instruments with her. There was a nutrition talk and some prenatal yoga.

I was quite freaked out by the scary instruments. I didn't realize how terrified I was/am about having anything put up inside me to assist with the birth. I'm also still scared of having a miscarriage, although at 13 weeks, the chances of that happening now are diminished.

I'm meeting with our doula later this week to talk about these fears. I know they will effect the pregnancy and delivery if they're not dealt with soon.

Our doula is really nice. I feel comfortable with her. She will be supposrting all of us - me, Jay & baby - during the labour. She will develop our birth plan and help ensure the doctor's follow it, if possible. She told us about something called the "Breast Crawl" - just after birth, the baby is put on the mother's stomach. Since the baby is covered with (and has been feeding on) amniotic fluid, s/he will recognize the same hormone that is secreted from the nipples during labour. The baby will then slowly sort of crawl up to the breast and begin to nurse.

This would be the baby's first out-of-womb experience with self-esteem and would be an incredible bonding time. Also, the motion of the baby's tiny feet on the stomach as s/he pushes forward would help the uterus contract to push out the afterbirth!

So cool!