week 25

My usual source for "baby size vs fruit/vegetable equivalents" has suggested that this week, the baby measures about the size of a Rutabaga. I had to look up what a Rutabaga was and having seen it, it was clear that the people at babycenter.com must've been smoking some funny herb to have come up with this obscure root vegetable - a RUTABAGA as a baby analogy?!! Go figure.

So this week I am straying from my source and will adopt my own measurement and thus formally declaring this week - Asparagus week (although I have yet to see an asparagus that measures 13.5 inches and weighs 1.5 lbs). :-)

3 more weeks of my second trimester and then we're headed for the home stretch. I have noticed lately that my energy levels are significantly higher. I seem to need less sleep and want to remain as active possible. I have finally got myself up and doing some exercise and have visited the pool a number of times in the past 2 weeks. It is the one activity I can do where I actually forget that Im pregnant. Its wonderful to feel weightless, able to move freely and "quickly", and amazing that the minute my body is out of the pool, I am shocked at the sudden feeling of weight. Swimming also seems to be helping a tad with the back so I definitely plan to keep it up as long as possible.

At my visit to the pool last Friday, I met a lady who is a Doula. For those who don't know (as I didnt pre-pregno), a doula is a person who is trained to coach you through labor, delivery and sometimes the postpartum period. When my friend Monica first told me about doulas and said that she was glad she had one, I admit to having been a little skeptical at whether I wanted a complete stranger with me during this very personal experience, and thinking that overall a doula would be nice to have but probably also a bit of a luxury.

As my pregnancy progresses, and I begin to think more practically (rather than just fearfully and anxiously) about labor and delivery, I have learned that the U.S. has a frighteningly high rate of using invasive delivery procedures eg: C-sections. Ive heard that the rate at Huntington Hospital is as high as 45-50%. That sounds absolutely ludicrous to me, and although some will argue that modern medical science and healthcare has increased birth rates dramatically, I cannot help but be extremely skeptical and my suspicion is that greedy doctors (who make more money from C-sections) and fear of law suits, also contributes to this alarming rate.

When I first started thinking about labor and delivery, I read about "elective cesareans". Yes many women who have pre-diagnosed complications may elect to have a C-section and thats fair enough. But there are also women out there, who are simply, as U puts it.. too posh to push. Now dont get me wrong, when I say this, I am not intending to be judgmental. I admit that when I first thought about the pain of labor and delivery, it seemed much easier to simply get knocked out and have the baby delivered to you when you wake up. But what you learn if you choose to know, is how difficult and painful it is to recover from a C-section - a serious surgical procedure, that there is a chance of injury to the baby, and that there are often potential problems you could have in future pregnancies as a result (eg: severe uterine scars may cause infertility/miscarriage).

Having educated myself a bit more, and being blessed with what has been a very healthy pregnancy so far, I have every reason to plan for a natural vaginal childbirth. When it comes time to bring Baby Bi to the world, I want to have the confidence to trust my own instincts and assessment of my own body. I don't want to be bullied by nurses who push drugs on me (if I dont want them), which then delay my labor, and then gives them good reason to suggest invasive procedures. I want to know that I can determine whats best for myself and my baby, while balancing and considering sensible advice should there, god forbid, be any problems. But what I have been thinking is that I can plan all I want to be strong and confident in my abilities to make decisions, but having never experienced labor and childbirth, I feel uncertain that my judgment can remain clear and unclouded whilst Im in what I call "unchartered-pain-territory". Although I know that U will be by my side offering all of his love and support and doing his best to make sure everything goes well, I feel that it is his love and therefore potentially fear and desire to relieve me of pain, that may lead his judgment to be clouded as well. And this is why a having a doula to provide sensible clear headed advice, makes a lot more sense now.

Im still not sure I would like to have a near stranger with me during this private experience, and I feel a bit sad that I dont feel I can trust healthcare providers. But alas, I want whats best for my child and to give him the best from the moment he joins us in this world. I now believe that doing it the way I was meant to, ie naturally, would be optimal, and if Im lucky enough be complication-free, I should be able to do it my/nature's way without being subjected to those who dont have our best interests at heart.

Im looking forward to learning more in our childbirth classes in the coming months.