Sorry for the lack of posts lately - I can feel the third trimester of this pregnancy starting to tire me out and make me want to just sit on the couch like a beached whale (and I know it's just going to get worse).
As I enter the last trimester of my pregnancy, I am finding myself becoming more and more "crunchy" with my wants and needs as a pregnant woman and a soon-to-be mother. In the beginning, I had been set on a natural delivery, then I graduated to not caring so much and believing it inevitable that I will have an epidural during labor and delivery. Now I'm back to wanting a natural delivery, and I'm back in the big time.
I know that a natural delivery would be best for my child...and for me. Not only would I not be introducing her little body to unnecessary medications, but there are so many benefits to a natural delivery - including less risk of problems with breastfeeding right in the beginning. On a selfish note, a natural delivery would be best for me - I want something to be proud of, I want to know that I did this myself, and I want to feel like a super hero when I am holding my little girl in my arms. I've been researching different comfort and relaxation techniques to help me through labor and I've been talking with my crunchy mama friend, Ashley, about tips and tricks that she had researched while she was pregnant. Surprisingly (to me, at least) Seth is completely on-board with a fully natural birth - he is going to study our birth plan as well as the different comfort techniques that I want to try so that I won't have to worry about thinking on D-day.
Of course, this is all in hopes that a natural delivery is what is best for both me and baby. If medical intervention is what is needed to make sure that we both stay healthy, then that's what I am willing to do. If I decide (only after all other options are exhausted) that I need medication, then I am not opposed to it. I just want to know that I tried my hardest to do this the way that women have been doing it since...well, forever.
I've started writing out our birth plan and every time I look at it, I get more and more excited and pumped up. I know I can do this, and if I can't - that's fine with me too. I want to go in knowing that things happen and that I should not feel bad about myself if things don't go my way. You can't plan out every moment of life, sometimes things just happen.
In addition to a natural delivery, Seth and I are hoping for 2 hours of skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping, and delayed use of eye ointment on baby, in addition to a few other things. We are doing our research and hoping for the best results possible.
Before I became pregnant I had wanted to look into cloth diapering. Then I became pregnant and that went out the window. Now that Avery is getting closer to being here, I'm back to wanting to try out cloth diapering. Again, my friend Ashley is right down the road and willing to help me out with this journey as well (I seriously couldn't ask for a better crunchy mama bff!).
Cloth diapers are expensive. Like really. But they save so much money in the long run! Seth (surprisingly again) is on board with this too - I guess anything to save money works for him haha. I've heard of the good brands to use - bumgenius, Gdiapers, Fuzzy Buns - and they all seem awesome...just well, expensive. So I started to look elsewhere.
I've found a company that I'm seriously considering going with - Giggle Life, based in Canada - yes, they are a Canadian company, yes, their products are made in China, but for us, these may be the best option. I want the best for my daughter, but we need to do what is best for us too because we need to have money to give her the best of other things too. These Canadian-Chines diapers may not use the absolute best materials (hey, the have bamboo ones too though!), and they may not be the best quality - but from the reviews that I've read on different sites, they sure seem to measure up just fine to the more expensive brands. As of right now, if we get some cloth diapers, we may only use them at nights and on weekends or any time we are just hanging out at home. My mom will have Avery during the days after I go back to work, and disposable would be easiest for her and I am totally cool with that. I'm just so excited to begin researching these even more and to meet with Ashley tomorrow to learn more about cloth diapering!
And last, but definitely not least, here is proof that my baby is my sister's twin. It's cute, but a little creepy lol. I can't wait to see Avery (aka mini-Amanda) in real life!
As I enter the last trimester of my pregnancy, I am finding myself becoming more and more "crunchy" with my wants and needs as a pregnant woman and a soon-to-be mother. In the beginning, I had been set on a natural delivery, then I graduated to not caring so much and believing it inevitable that I will have an epidural during labor and delivery. Now I'm back to wanting a natural delivery, and I'm back in the big time.
Of course, this is all in hopes that a natural delivery is what is best for both me and baby. If medical intervention is what is needed to make sure that we both stay healthy, then that's what I am willing to do. If I decide (only after all other options are exhausted) that I need medication, then I am not opposed to it. I just want to know that I tried my hardest to do this the way that women have been doing it since...well, forever.
I've started writing out our birth plan and every time I look at it, I get more and more excited and pumped up. I know I can do this, and if I can't - that's fine with me too. I want to go in knowing that things happen and that I should not feel bad about myself if things don't go my way. You can't plan out every moment of life, sometimes things just happen.
In addition to a natural delivery, Seth and I are hoping for 2 hours of skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping, and delayed use of eye ointment on baby, in addition to a few other things. We are doing our research and hoping for the best results possible.
Before I became pregnant I had wanted to look into cloth diapering. Then I became pregnant and that went out the window. Now that Avery is getting closer to being here, I'm back to wanting to try out cloth diapering. Again, my friend Ashley is right down the road and willing to help me out with this journey as well (I seriously couldn't ask for a better crunchy mama bff!).
Cloth diapers are expensive. Like really. But they save so much money in the long run! Seth (surprisingly again) is on board with this too - I guess anything to save money works for him haha. I've heard of the good brands to use - bumgenius, Gdiapers, Fuzzy Buns - and they all seem awesome...just well, expensive. So I started to look elsewhere.
I've found a company that I'm seriously considering going with - Giggle Life, based in Canada - yes, they are a Canadian company, yes, their products are made in China, but for us, these may be the best option. I want the best for my daughter, but we need to do what is best for us too because we need to have money to give her the best of other things too. These Canadian-Chines diapers may not use the absolute best materials (hey, the have bamboo ones too though!), and they may not be the best quality - but from the reviews that I've read on different sites, they sure seem to measure up just fine to the more expensive brands. As of right now, if we get some cloth diapers, we may only use them at nights and on weekends or any time we are just hanging out at home. My mom will have Avery during the days after I go back to work, and disposable would be easiest for her and I am totally cool with that. I'm just so excited to begin researching these even more and to meet with Ashley tomorrow to learn more about cloth diapering!
And last, but definitely not least, here is proof that my baby is my sister's twin. It's cute, but a little creepy lol. I can't wait to see Avery (aka mini-Amanda) in real life!
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