Hugs & Dates

Wow, time has really flown by so fast....yet, sometimes not fast enough, lol  

The end of a pregnancy can be so grueling, uncomfortable, and just plain exhausting!  I only sleep 2 hours at a time right now because my body is equipped with a timer that goes off when my bladder accumulates approx 2 tablespoons. So then I hoist this tank-like body out of my bed to sleepwalk to the bathroom, step on a kid toy or a husbands shoe, curse a little...eliminate the 2 tablespoons and roll my eyes and go back to bed....oh wait, my body has realized I am trying to go back to sleep...cue the acid reflux...

In 2 hours I will do it all over again....I wish I could talk myself into just wearing an adult diaper, lol...but I just cant bring myself to do it.

2 times in the past week I've revisited the morning sickness stage (if you know what I mean) and I've also had a pulled muscle in my neck for the past 5 days....its been rough, I need a hug.

All of this has put me in a negative and depressive mental state and I want to turn that around asap... so for starters I will be reducing my hours at work to part time for the next 2 weeks and on maternity leave after that to get ready for the baby. Part time starts today and that has already lifted my mood tremendously....I can nap! Its time to take care of ME!

Oh yeah,  to get ready for birth i've been eating 6 dates every day...whaaa? I know it sounds weird but read this....

" a study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology which concludes that eating 6 dates daily during the last four weeks of pregnancy “significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labor, and produced a more favorable, but non-significant, delivery outcome”.  Some significant findings:

• Cervical dilation was significantly greater in the date-eating mamas upon arrival at the hospital

• 83% of mothers who consumed dates had their membranes intact upon admission at the hospital 

• 96% of the women who ate dates went into labor on their own

• Use of Pitocin (synthetic Oxytocin) was significantly lower in women who consumed dates (28%), compared with the non-date fruit mothers (47%)

• The latent phase of the first stage of labor was almost 7 hours shorter in the date-eating mothers compared with the non-date fruit eaters (510 min vs 906 min). Not bad for eating a few dates!
•  the study demonstrates a significant reduction in the amount of postpartum bleeding experienced by women who consumed date fruit compared to women who received synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin). 

So I thought...why not? 

Music to Birth by...

Isn't it funny how things go sometimes....

Last time I was about to give birth I dedicated a lot of time getting the perfect playlist together on my iphone...plenty of Enya, and a lot of instrumental relaxation music, sounds of nature like raindrops and a deer pooping in the distance....and then I dropped my Iphone in water the very night I went into labor....complete waste of time & money!

This time I have been searching around Pandora to see what kind of station might be right for me...I think I have settled on Alanis Morisette Acoustic...dont make fun of me!  Its a little girl-power but yet still on the softer side...Jewel, Sarah McLaughlin and Lisa Loeb all pop up..I know all the words so I can sing along in my head, I think it will be nice.  

I might throw on the Nelly station early on when no one is looking and put some ear buds in....
I love late 90's and early 2000's rap....with fun songs like "Let me see yo Grill", "PimpJuice"! Little Jon and Ludacris pop up on the station....Mystikal.......for realz...I'm kinda gangsta.  I almost named this blog "Birthin like a Boss"....

Could you imagine?  Too funny...am I that girl? I might be...I will let you know.

I was Jamming out to Foo Fighters "Pretender" at 5am this morning on the way to work   I think that would be a great "pushing the baby out" song....It really gets you going

Here's a better post than I can give you

Most days I am really proud of my blog and really feel like Im finding such good and useful info to put out there into the world.....info that may or may not sway your decision on how you birth, but it will make you think.  

I and then I find someone who does it better.....way better.....

I quit

she wins the internet...

I really hate that saying...

but really, do yourself a favor and read all of it...it really is so good.

Here is the best post ever on your 

choices during birth....

She says eloquent stuff like....

"It is interesting to note that experienced moms were almost twice as likely as first time moms to plan a natural birth. Many women leave their first births dissatisfied or disappointed with their experience and hope for something different the second time around. My dream is for women to know all their options before ever giving birth, so they don’t have to struggle with the emotional and physical recovery of a negative experience."

But she doesnt talk about lightning bolts coming out of your whoo-ha, like I do....so there's that.