10/17/08

Family Portrait

I'd keep them all if I didn't have a thermos phobia. Thankfully my chin has fully healed from my little accident with hot coffee and I've learned to figure out a new gadget before I assume where the spout may be. I've posted a few of these in PonyParty.

Went to a local show last night to hear our friend Lance Sitton play. They do a little SoCal/beach/reggae that seems to be influenced by Jack Johnson, Ben Harper and the like. It felt like home. The ringing in my ears for the rest of the evening was worth it.

I appreciate the many comments and congratulations on my pregnancy. I have felt so 'normal' that I have to remind myself every few hours that things are different now. The search for a midwife won't be so difficult as it would have been a few years ago as they are now legal if they have their license and are registered with the state as a practicing CNM. There aren't many, though. In Seattle we easily found a birthing coach that we loved. We took classes in the the Bradley Method and felt prepared but weren't able to have our birthing coach with us as she was in the middle of a major move. I had a back labor and didn't feel ready for the pain it brought. I still was able to avoid an epidural and have a natural childbirth but it was not the experience I was imagining after all that training. I'm hoping a midwife at this birth will do the trick.

We finally had to turn the heater on last night. I woke up once to make sure Sebastian hadn't kicked his blanket off and realized he wasn't in his bed! At 4:30 a.m.! I ran through the house and found him sleeping on the couch next to the laptop. We left the front porch light on and I think he woke up and came looking for us and then wanted to watch a DVD. It was sweet.


I hope your weekend is grand!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Rachel! Good to hear all is going well with your pregnancy so far. Keep up the great work growing that baby :)

I had back labour with my first baby too, also a boy. I was induced with a drip the day prior to my due date due to a tear in my membranes and subsequent infection risk, he was lying with his back down the left side of my belly instead of down the front, his head came out turned around the opposite way to how they are meant to with his hand up on his cheek so he got stuck for a while, and he was a BIG boy (nearly 9 pounds). I barely scraped through without a caesarean and it was excruciatingly painful, but I too managed to do it without pain relief and coped pretty well.

My second labour was so easy in comparison...although I was also induced one week early for the same problem, my labour was much less painful (all belly labour, very little back pain) and progressed quite quickly even though her head was still not engaged when I was induced. A few hours and she was born in a hurry with no problems :)

Just wanted to share with you that a lot of women have a bad experience first time round and that the second time is often a lot easier...like your body knows what to do so it goes ahead and "does it" without too many hassles.

Thanks for sharing your labour experience and I hope this reassures you, even if it's just a little :)

Karen xx

RachelDenbow said...

karen,
I really appreciate the encouragement. I was forgetting that usually the second one is a little easier for a few reasons. I guess the hormone changes are making me more worrisome than I normally am. I know every woman and every labor are different but it does feel great to be reminded of the similarities we share.

SO...THANKS!

Rachel

Anonymous said...

Oh, anytime - I am so glad I could reassure you a little :) And yes, to be more worrisome is totally normal! It might be easier said than done at times during your pregnancy, but try and trust your body and have faith that it knows what it's doing. You WILL be okay :)

P.S. Sebastian is cute doing that! I remember mad dashes through the house to find one of my two when they weren't in their bed in the morning :)

Karen xo

Sarah said...

Yay for midwives! I'm so excited to hear more people considering (and having!) natural childbirth. Are you considering delivering at home? I was present at my nephew's birth-at-home and it was incredible. Quite different from a hospital birth! Anyway, congrats on the pregnancy. I'm sure this one will be just as sweet as the first!

Lisa said...

hey rachel!! how are you doing? miss fresno yet? lol i am totally loving all of your eye candy...like always. this is a random question, but i was wondering if you could maybe give a list of craft books you recommend? i'm looking to purchase some sewing and or decorating books. and since i love your style i was hoping you could recommend some books that maybe inspied you? just thought i'd ask. hope you're having a great weekend!!

alittlebitofscrap said...

Adorable photo!

Mandi Johnson said...

I love that photo of Sebastian... and seriously, you have the cutest stories to tell about him. :)