of the pregnancy part, that is! Only about another 3 weeks to go until Sprout is expected to make his appearance - then the fun will really begin!!
Things are going well with both the baby (hopefully porking up to large proportions, but not quite the 14+ pounder a lady in Mexico had last week) and me, and I really can't complain. Well, I could complain, but why? Now that I'm among the world of pregnant ladies, I can say without too much hypocrisy that all the griping about the tiredness, the aches, the peeing, etc. drives me insane. It may be true, but it just doesn't help. I find if I just kind of go about my business as usual - work, gym, friends, the piles of junk around the house - and don't stop to dwell on the other stuff, it doesn't really bother me all that much :0)
On the work topic, a few questions keep cropping up:
- When is my last day at the office going to be? I'm planning to work up 'til the very end (will cut back on the length of each day if I need to, but so far it's been fine), so the kiddo will determine this.
- How long am I going to take off? Assuming the baby is born around his due date (late February), I'm aiming to head back in early May. This works out to something like 10 weeks. Since I work for a small company, it's unpaid leave, so I'm not really looking to extend it beyond what we need. Besides, if I stay away too long, I might just decide not to go back!
- Am I going to return to work full-time? Nope. I'm aiming for 30 hours a week. Right now I'm thinking 5 short (6 hour) days, but that may be subject to change.
Shawn and I have been taking HypnoBirthing classes in anticipation of the birth of Sprout, and have also run into a lot of curiousity about that so I'll attempt to explain from my still-learning, but very-excited-about-it perspective (I'm going to rehash a discussion I mailed a friend recently, so Sarah, this is all a repeat!)...
HypnoBirthing is basically a labor and delivery technique that focuses on confidence in women's bodies and the birthing process so that you can relax and let things happen naturally. It's based on the idea that fear leads to tension, which leads to pain... and that most discomfort can be avoided by staying relaxed and focused. The hypnosis is a self-hypnosis, so practice involves listening to lots of CDs with affirmations/relaxation techniques and calm music. Don't think woo woo crystals and stuff or stage show hypnotists, just more retreating in on your body and avoiding stressing out about anything else :0) So far, Shawn and I are LOVING the classes, and I find the practice sessions really helpful. Will report back on how it goes (without any gory details), but have had friends use Hypno for a happy birth experience.
We've also hired a doula - kind of a labor assistant - to offer suggestions, help with general stuff, and generally take some of the pressure off Shawn. And yes, the baby will be born in the hospital. Shawn is going to take a couple of weeks off afterwards so we have some time to settle in as a family of three before the doors open to any guests. We're really looking forward to the bonding time together... not so much looking forward to the lack of sleep!!
That's probably all you wanted to know and then some, but that's the plan; now we'll see where reality takes us :0)
Amelia
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