Week 38

Hello everyone! We are in the home stretch!! At least I sure hope so. We are so ready to meet our little buddy, our hearts are already exploding with love for him and we haven't even seen his adorable little face yet. 

I also am really looking forward to my birthing experience, I know it will be great and will be everything that I am envisioning.. what an amazing time! And my darling husband is such a great encouragement every step of the way. Any time he senses doubt in me, he quickly grabs a hold of me (lovingly of course) and makes me look him in the eye and he gives me positive affirmations such as, "it takes a champion to birth a champion, and that's what you are", "you are going to be amazing", "you have practiced your Hypnobabies techniques so well, you are a master at it and it's going to work so well for you" and so on and so forth. He really is the best! And anytime I hear something negative/scary that goes against the way I want to birth, he quickly deflects it and says nothing but positive things. What a treasure I have :) 

So I have begun to feel for certain good ole' Braxton Hicks. They really are no big deal.. it feels like like a blood pressure cuff that squeezes in on my middle to upper belly every so often. My belly feels rock hard when this happens. I also have period-like cramps off and on. I can say they've only been uncomfortable once thus far (at night of course), but they were totally manageable. I just breathe peace and relaxation to where I need it and it works! I know these are nothing compared to the pressure waves (nice name for contractions) that I will be feeling once labor really kicks off, but I am confident in my ability to handle them. I'm just ready for them to get serious and for labor to truly begin!

This week, the last of our friends (Nate and Amy) had their darling little girl, Arianna. She is a doll. Amy did great! Now Levi is all that is left of his little friends. 

At my appointment this week, the midwife said his head was really low and in a great position. Whoo hoo! It's crazy to know their head really is only like 6-8 inches away from the world haha, but such a crazy journey to get them here! My mom came with me to this appointment (she had never been to one with me) and it was really nice to show her around the birth center and look at the rooms, one of which her grandson will be born in! She cried when she heard the heartbeat.. can't say I blame her. I cried when I first saw it flicker at 7 weeks. It's just so incredible... God's handprints are all over pregnancy and fetal development. It is nothing short of His amazing work. After the appointment she came to my house and we organized and hung out. Went to the Dollar Tree to get some bins to organize my pantry.. got some Wendy's (dinner of champs!), came home and watched "Baby Mama", a must for when you're pregnant. The next day we cleaned my master bath hard core, for 2 hours!! It was such a blessing to have her here, I wish she could of stayed longer. She plans on coming out again this week, if I don't go into labor by then. We'll see! I'm crossing my fingers for him to be born on Valentines Day, that would just be so darn cute.. to me anyway. But I of course don't want him to come out til he's ready!

This past Sunday was our last Hypnobabies class :'( I wish they could last forever haha. But it worked out because we finished so close to our due date, I really don't have to wait much longer to use the methods... so it will be fresh on the brain! We had our "birth rehearsal" which was great. She walked me through different positions to labor in, some with Jake's help. She showed Jake how to put counter pressure on my back, how to squeeze my hips, how to do the abdominal lift on me (which can speed up labor and also help with discomfort). While doing all of this, I was in center switch (which is a state of "hypnosis" where I'm fully aware and awake.. it's basically just me deeply relaxed, but able to move around) and went through an "imaginary" birth experience. Such as me visualizing me starting to labor at home, and relaxing through pressure waves.. then I visualized me getting into the car and riding to the birth center.. and then me getting settled into my room and into the tub.. and then of course me pushing out the baby with comfort and ease. Basically instilling what is called the "mental law" which states, "what the mind perceives to happen will come to pass".. or something like that. I'm not saying I believe in the "speak it into existence and it will be" because ultimately God is in control. But I do believe by positively envisioning the birth I want, I am more likely to have a great experience that closely mirrors what I've always envisioned. If something goes off course and plans change, well I will handle it at that time, but I refuse to think that way until it was absolutely necessary to do so. If you've learned nothing else about Hypnobabies it's this.. positive, positive, positive!!! No negativity allowed, and if you do hear something negative, you learn to block it out and immediately have positive thoughts. Example: you- "my labor was so painful and hard" me- *after nodding and being polite* I say to myself "my birth will be comfortable and joyous because I have practiced so well with Hypnobabies". So while, yes, I'll listen to your stories or advice, but in my head I'm creating a whole other scenario. It's called your "bubble of peace", and I have to use it A LOT. To you this may all seem weird, but it's really not. I can't wait to birth this baby so I can write about how amazing this method is, because I know it will be! You ain't gunna bring me down or pop my bubble! Shoooooot. 

I also had a mani/pedi, which was a blessing from a dear friend! I got a Shellac manicure, which is a natural gel manicure that lasts two weeks. So my hands and feet are gunna be lookin' good for birth!

Haha ok, so I think I've covered anything somewhat eventful this past week. Hopefully my next blog post will be very eventful *hint hint, Levi*

Current belly shot.. hate this one, but oh well, didn't feel like taking more.

And let's not forget the belly button!

Total weight gain: 29-30lbs

Symptoms: heartburn was receding a little but it's now back.. that was short lived. Also my Braxton Hicks are actually noticeable now. 

Maternity clothes: no

Stretch marks: yes still the same few.. no new ones since

Sleep: Man I actually got like 2 good nights this week! But that's it, just 2 lol. 

Best moment this week: Having some mommy and me time.. loved having her over!

Miss anything?: not lugging around this big belly

Movement: occasionally, his foot was sticking out so much the other night, it was hilarious 

Food cravings: no

Food aversions: nope

Belly button: it's popped out, but not sticking out, you can see it through some of my shirts though

Wedding ring: gets a little tight sometimes

Mood: pretty good I'd say

Looking forward to: mom coming over again this week.. if baby doesn't come!

Baby bump: dropped I think?

Toodles!

xoxo