as is true for most pregnant women, i am obsessed with myself and this baby right now. it's probably very irritating for those around me but everyone, at least, pretends to be as obsessed as i am!
i am officially into my third trimester now - at the end of this week i will be 30 weeks along. the baby is due at the end of june sometime. the pregnancy has been less than the idyllic, euphoric experience i'd expected . i've had all the usual symptoms - nausea, heartburn (oh, the heartburn!), backache, round ligament pain, swelling, tenderness, stretching... etc. despite the challenges, though, i have wonderful moments of such complete joy with this life inside me. i love it when he/she kicks. i love looking up names. i love it when strangers give up their seats or carry something for me. i love how biological this whole process it. i know it's certainly spiritual but i'm really into how animalistic it is, too. how wild and connected to the earth it is.
we are planning a home birth with 2 wonderful midwives. if you have questions on that, i'd be happy to talk more. we just started taking our childbirth classes and are enjoying the other couples.
so, here are some lessons learned :
-do not travel to europe (or anywhere) during your first trimester. just hearing the german language flings me into memories of hanging over foreign toilets.
-do not google anything. at all.
-do take time out every day to listen to and feel your baby, preferably with your partner.
-do find a birth team that you trust and that listens to you.
-look at your body every day in the mirror with gratitude.
-never tell a pregnant woman how big she is, or ask her if she is carrying twins. just tell her she looks beautiful.
in other news, although definitely related (because everything is now related to having a baby!), spring has sprung here in camden! planting lettuce, taking walks, hanging out laundry, sitting on the porch have all become daily practices. what joy comes in the spring!
so, that's my update. i hope it was worth the wait. here is a pic of my belly. apparently i'm carrying wide (no surprise there) which means i'm having a girl... or a boy. depending on who you talk to.
