pregnancy update

I was just reading my blog from when I was 23/24 weeks with Julian and how I complained of how tight my belly was with pin pricks and Julian being stuck in my right rib.  Baby does favor my right side, but there have only been a handful of "stretching sensations" which felt like ripping.  Otherwise I feel like he has a lot of room and tries to make the most of it by rolling and stretching out.

My hair and nails have taken off in growth the past couple of weeks.

No stretch marks.  I only had a "Y" around my belly button with J, but I heard the second time can be pretty bad.

I have gained 12 lbs.

My next midwife appointment is on Monday with the back up midwife since mine is on holiday.  I'm excited to meet her.

A strange thing, my midwife is really into water births and as I thought about it and talked with Dan, we just didn't feel comfortable with them...but that was without any information.  My friend lent me a DVD since she had her water birth all planned, but her baby came at 29 weeks.  Anyway, I was sort of skipping through the DVD and trying to get real info from the doctor who made it, but just watched some of the births (as I have in the past) and I just don't like how long the baby is under water, even though they're in water in moms...I just can't see it for myself.

This took a toll on me tonight.  I couldn't watch much of the video because I was really emotional.  It says that water births cut any tearing or need for episiotomies down to very little and that was something that pulls on me emotionally, but overall, I'd rather my baby not have any aspiration issues and have a 4th degree tear.  I know the worst (in adults) with working in critical care.  The strange thing is that water births are used in the US and UK frequently and have great success rates, but the rates in the hospital that I'll be in are not good.  Unfortunately I know two NICU nurses and hear the worst stories and overall, being uninformed in the mechanics of the birth in water, I just feel safer to not deliver in the water, even though at first I thought it sounded perfect.

I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to the laboring and giving birth part.  Dan and I talked about it a few weeks ago and laughed at how unpleasant and ugly it is...but what an outcome!!!  That baby is worth it all and much, much more!