I Watched a Video of a Birth Last Night, and I Don't Want My Baby Bursting Through My Stomach Like That...

oh wait...that's the movie "Alien". Thanks, once again, to "The Vicar of Dibley" for a hilarious quotation...we DID just finish our baby classes, though, and did watch multiple videos of various births. I don't really feel like we learned a ton in our classes, but it was nice to get a sense of where things are going to be happening in the hospital. AND, I was able to meet some of the nurses, so I've got my favorites. They said we could even ask for them, if they're on duty. So, it's not going to be a perfect situation for us, but our ability to advocate for ourselves and ask questions, combined with our doctor's general attitude toward intervention (which is, actually, NOT to intervene if at all possible), makes me feel fairly comfortable. My ideal situation would be a midwife in a birthing center, but seeing as how that's not an option in Sioux City, I feel this is the best I can hope for. We'll see how everything goes. The biggest thing we learned was to be flexible, but not afraid to ask why something is necessary. You're not going to find more informed people...or pushier questioners than Peter and me!


Here's our 32 week (plus a couple days - we forgot to do it on the actual day) photo!

So, I'm definitely to the stage where I waddle a bit more often, particularly after getting up from sitting or lying down for an extended period of time. It's amazing how one's center of gravity can shift, so much! So, to add to my list of surprising things about pregnancy:
1. Nose stuffiness and nosebleeds -- No one ever talks about this but this is like, all the time!
2. Leg numbness -- So, I wake up about two to three times a week with one thigh, depending on which side I was sleeping on, completely numb - as though it has a shot of novocaine in it. Apparently nerves get pinched all over during pregnancy...something that makes sense, but you don't think about.
3. This kind of goes with what I was talking about in a previous post, but I literally CAN'T bend at the waist anymore. There's a human being in there who absolutely won't let it happen. This doesn't change the fact that I keep THINKING I can bend at the waist still, until I try and it hurts, and I get another swift knee or elbow to the side. ("Sorry Mama, you're just going to have to have Daddy come and pick up the sock you dropped/put your socks and shoes on/pick up the dog poop on the walk/etc. I'm trying to grow here!!")

The baby is definitely running out of room in there, and I think will be settling into a more stable/permanent (hopefully head-down) position shortly. The movements have changed to be more fluid and rolling, as opposed to jabbing and kicking. That said, if I lay on one side for too long, the baby will absolutely protest with a very sharp knee or elbow to my side. S/he's on a definite sleep schedule now, at least through the night. There's a lot of activity for about an hour from about 8-9, 11-12, 3-4, and 5-6. I wonder if this will keep up when the baby's out in the real world.

I think my current favorite thing about baby is how s/he responds to Peter's voice. Peter has been reading our children's books to the baby at night, and the baby just starts moving and rolling. I think s/he likes his voice, because when he gets home from work now and we're talking about our days, the baby responds to him...and it happens most of the time when he's talking. I love it. It makes me feel like they're bonding, which is good, because I feel like I'm always bonded to baby, considering, you know, s/he needs me to survive, and I feel every single sign of life.