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And She Pondered These Things In Her Heart, Part 2

2011 May 13
by Sarah

When I wrote Part 1 back in February, I fully anticipated many more pregnancy thoughts flowing out of me on a regular basis. I have been jotting down thoughts at random, but nothing that seemed particularly cohesive. That seems to be a theme in these later weeks of pregnancy: non-cohesive thought. Not all the time, but I definitely have moments of baby brain. (Yes, it’s true, baby brain does exist!) I feel more forgetful, and I have to concentrate harder on things that used to come so easily. Now that I’m in the third trimester, I’m missing that lovely second trimester energy and am generally more tired all the time.

But I’m getting ahead of myself now. Let me back up a little bit and fill you in on some of the thoughts and updates of the last couple of months.

  • Around 20 weeks, I really noticed a change in my appetite. Some days my hunger level felt fairly normal, while others I felt like I could eat everything in sight. Now (30 weeks) I feel like I’m eating all the time, partly because I’m always hungry and partly because I have to eat smaller more frequent meals because the baby’s taking up all the room where my organs used to be.
  • We have picked out a name for our little boy, but we’re not sharing it yet. We picked his first name pretty early on — Jeff suggested it and we both knew it was right. The more we thought about it, the more we loved it. His middle name was harder to agree on, but we’ve finally settled on that as well. I can’t wait to share it (and him) with the world!
  • Baby is head down and very active. He moves all the time, and it’s been fun to observe his patterns of wakefulness and sleep. I hear those patterns that start in the womb correlate to sleeping patterns after baby is born.
  • Speaking of sleep, I haven’t had trouble sleeping at all. Well, I’ve had like two nights where I’ve woken very early and can’t fall asleep again for hours, but I can’t complain. Maybe it’s just because I’m a deep sleeper, but the baby hasn’t kicked me awake yet, nor has my bladder insisted on middle of the night bathroom trips.
  • Speaking of bodily needs, my bladder seemed to shrink significantly around 22 weeks. I used to get really annoyed with all my extra trips to the bathroom, but now I’m just used to it.
  • Jeff came home from a business trip in March and announced that he wanted to start reading to Roo (who at the time was just beginning to hear sounds outside of me). His pick? The Chronicles of Narnia. We decided to shake things up a bit and go in chronological order, just for fun. Jeff’s been reading a chapter to us many nights before bed. I love it, and think he’s going to be a fantastic dad.
  • I hadn’t heard anything much about pregnancy congestion before I noticed always being a little fuller in the nasal region. Jeff told me I’d sometimes whistle when breathing and I had to start sleeping with my mouth open just to breathe comfortably at night. It’s just one of those weird things no one told me about ahead of time.
  • Mostly I love being pregnant and like this new temporary shape, but sometimes it’s still just weird to see my body this way. Sometimes I’ll catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and do a double-take.
  • I spent many hours in March and April researching and making lists of baby gear and accessories. There is a stinkin’ lot of baby stuff out there, people! I am a researcher by nature so I can’t just make arbitrary decisions. I need (okay, want) to find the best, most helpful baby things at reasonable prices. I don’t want to waste money and space on unnecessary “stuff.”
  • We’re sloooowly making progress on the nursery. The old TV and TV stand are gone from the room, as well as several pieces of old furniture that have been taking up space in the basement for quite a while now. A new-to-the-U.S. Bulgarian couple (from a connection at church) got our desk, matching bookshelf, and vacuum. St. Vincent de Paul (a local Catholic charity — they have the best thrift stores!) came and took five other pieces plus two bags of old linens. An old couch is still in the room, but it’s slated to replace an even older couch in the youth room at church.
  • I have to mention the moving guys from St. Vincent de Paul. They were both pretty big guys, but one was absolutely massive. He looked like he stepped right out of an action movie or used to be a strong man at the circus. He single-handedly carried our old, not-flat-screen, wide, extremely heavy TV down the stairs and down our front hill stairs. My mouth was literally hanging open watching this. Clearly this guy is in the right line of work.
  • We’ve attended four of our six childbirth class sessions so far. I signed us up for the unmedicated childbirth class through the hospital early on, and then sort of wished I’d looked into Bradley classes first. However, it’s been an overall beneficial experience so far and I think we’ll be in good hands with our doula and midwife.
  • I’m in the middle of writing our birth plan and researching pediatricians. Yes, this is really happening!
  • Remember how Jeff gave me a 3D/4D ultrasound package for my birthday? Well, we had it done just before 29 weeks. Roo only gave us a partial view of his face; apparently he didn’t want to give up his comfy placenta pillow. It’s hard to really tell what he looks like, but it was still a fun experience.
  • Just last night I felt gentle, rhythmic baby hiccups. I’d read in one of the weekly BabyCenter update emails that he could be experiencing hiccups and if so I would feel them too. That was weeks ago so I thought he just wasn’t going to get them. They are so cute though!
  • I bought an exercise/birth ball to sit on for better posture and to have while laboring at home. It is soooo comfortable to sit on! When I can’t find a comfortable position, I get on the birth ball and it feels fabulous.

Okay, this might just be a weird Sarah thing, but I noticed very early on in my pregnancy that people started asking me how I was feeling rather than how I was doing. It’s a subtle shift, yes, but for some reason it has really bugged me, probably because it seems like almost everyone I know has made this shift. Yes, I’m pregnant, but I’m still me. A lot of women struggle with morning sickness and other annoying symptoms during pregnancy, but I’m not sick — pregnancy is not a disease or disorder. Especially during the second trimester, most pregnant women feel pretty great! So why do people have to keep asking how I’m feeling? I feel great! If you ask how I’m doing and I’m not feeling well, I’ll probably tell you that. But that’s a question I can answer in a non-pregnancy sense as well. I know the people who ask do so because they care about me and mean well, and I’ve learned to relax about it. I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else has noticed this or had this same reaction? Like I said, maybe it’s just me being weird.

I cannot wait to meet this little boy! Just 10 more weeks, give or take a week or two. That’s just crazy. So far pregnancy has been an amazing journey, but I’m looking forward to the even more amazing journey of parenthood. I’m not under the illusion that childbirth or parenting will be easy — quite the opposite in fact. But I hear the rewards outweigh the difficulties and make all the hard work totally worth it.


22 Responses
  1. Megan permalink
    May 13, 2011

    Oh girlfriend, the congestion … it stunk big time! I couldn’t breathe for those last 10 weeks or so. It was awful!!! And, as soon as B was born, it was gone! Another big hurrah for actually having the baby out on the outside!! :)

  2. May 13, 2011

    We ask how you are feeling because a) we remember it so well and want to relive it through you; b) we can’t remember how it felt and want to relive it through you; c) we haven’t gone through it yet, but are researching how it feels; d) we had kids and are now experiencing kid brain (or empty nest brain, or. . .)

    By the way, how are you doing? That baby brain stuff never goes away. It just has a different name. Sleep now . . . while you can!

    • May 16, 2011

      I’m doing really well – thanks for asking. :) Feeling well physically and enjoying preparing for this little guy. I’ve heard from multiple sources that baby brain never really goes away. Poor Jeff! 😉

  3. Katie Harms permalink
    May 13, 2011

    I second you on the “how are you feeling”? I feel great! Much better than when I was pregnant with Abigail. In church last week, the couple behind us asked me how I was “feeling”. He asked me twice because I guess I didn’t sound convincing enough the first time I answered him with, “Good!”. I had to reiterate, “No, I’m really feeling good.” I’m not just saying that because we’re at church and I’m trying to keep up appearances. Now “doing well” is often another matter entirely:) Love you, friend.

  4. Dani permalink
    May 13, 2011

    Awesome thoughts Sarah! I love your honesty! It’s funny- we did the bradley classes and they were ok, but I kind of wished we would have done one through the hospital instead, Mike was not impressed with the medical soundness of the above and had a hard time sitting through them. But learned a lot too- I did at least- and that helped a lot with the labor process. Although I got to the hospital a bit late lol

  5. Dani permalink
    May 13, 2011

    Awesome thoughts Sarah! I love your honesty! It’s funny- we did the bradley classes and they were ok, but I kind of wished we would have done one through the hospital instead, Mike was not impressed with the medical soundness of the above and had a hard time sitting through them. But learned a lot too- I did at least- and that helped a lot with the labor process. Although I got to the hospital a bit late lol

  6. May 13, 2011

    I loved reading this! And I’m so excited for you that you have a doula and midwife!

  7. May 13, 2011

    with baby pressing on my lungs, it got so I couldn’t take deep breaths and would get winded easily.

    Ah yes, I desperately wanted to know what would be most helpful. Here’s a piece of advice. For bouncers, swings, bumbo seats, exersaucers, baby jumpers, etc…. don’t buy them new. First… borrow. Then, if there’s something your baby loves, buy it (or in my case, craigslist it!).

    There were just so many things like that that the baby may or may not like and they are quite expensive new, AND the baby is only in them for a few months. If you have other young moms your age, create a little borrowing circle and it’ll be better for all of you! My baby wasn’t interested in the swing at all, but lived in the vibrating bouncer. The bumbo and play mat are great but only for a certain amount of time and then they grow out of them.

    I thought I would LOVE the moby wrap… but I don’t. :) Too complicated to put on and off.

    • May 16, 2011

      Thanks for the advice! I love hearing from a multitude of moms what worked and didn’t work for them. Garage sale season is just kicking off around here, and I’m hoping to find some bargains on cheap baby gear. I love craigslist too!

      Interesting about the Moby. I just ordered a Sleepywrap (similar to Moby, but slightly different fabric) so we’ll see how I like it. At first I thought it’d be too complicated — then friends convinced me it really wasn’t. Ha! Have you tried any other baby carriers?

  8. Rae permalink
    May 13, 2011

    This is giving me warm fuzzies all over!

  9. Jaimie permalink
    May 13, 2011

    Yeah, when people ask how I’m feeling, it is just the worst. 😛

    • Jaimie permalink
      May 13, 2011

      You know I’m ribbing you because I’m the king of analyzing stuff like this.

      • May 16, 2011

        And apparently I’ve been analyzing it too much! Like I said… I’m weird. :)

  10. Lisa permalink
    May 13, 2011

    Baby brain never goes away. Just sayin’.

    The stability ball will be your best friend after delivery, too. Baby will LOVE being bounced on it.

    • May 16, 2011

      Yeah, I’ve heard that about baby brain. Poor Jeff. 😉

      I never thought about using the ball with the baby. Thanks for the tip!

  11. Arielle permalink
    May 13, 2011

    Sweet thoughts.

  12. Carrie permalink
    May 14, 2011

    This is great Sarah! I’ll remember to ask you how you’re “doing.” :)

  13. Carrie permalink
    May 14, 2011

    This is great Sarah! I’ll remember to ask you how you’re “doing.” :)

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