Callie tagged me in a post to share ten facts about my pregnancy with Claire and it sounded like fun.

1. I gained about 46 pounds and have 5 more to lose to get back to my prepreg weight2. Toast with butter was my go to meal, I did not want any vegetables, like any at all.
3. Cooking meat disgusted me, the smell of it just was the worst.
4. I got really into hypnobirth and never trusted my body more then I did those last few months of pregnancy. I will forever be in awe of what it can do.
5. Taking baths and getting foot massages were a daily need, my body ached.
6. I only had a few bouts of nausea but I was so very very tired the first trimester.
7. At the end of my pregnancy all I wanted was spicy food, especially indian food. mmmm
8. I found out I was having a girl at our gender reveal party when I was 19 weeks pregnant, it was such a fun day.
9. I loved giving birth and if I had to do it all over again I would try it the exact same way.
10. I did boot camp until I was 29 weeks pregnant and I wish I would have gone longer but I am proud of myself.

The last few nights have included me hoisting myself into Claire's crib once she has already peacefully fallen asleep. She usually doesn't even notice that I have joined her until I give her too many kisses or fix her blankie. I just miss her. She is getting so big and even though we have been having a few very rough patches when she giggles it all just goes away. She is happy and healthy and we will work on helping her deal with her emotions
Have a great week!
Nikol

Lets start with belly pictures!!! These are ones of Claire & I that we loved from the baby shower a few weeks back :)
Isn't she so cute!?!
I cannot wrap my head around still getting bigger but I have seen it so I know it does actually happen. Pretty crazy!

Well, our 5 weeks of hypnobirth classes came and went [the whole time I thought it was 6 classes but sadly I was wrong] we did learn a ton over that 5 week period and I think it will be really useful  to us and once maternity leave starts I will have a lot of time to practice the breathing and listen to the affirmations while I walk around the neighborhood for hours.
In our teachers final packet to use she gave us these links to take a look at since we all had questions about positioning.

Optimal Fetal Positioning
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm
http://www.bellybelly.com.au/pregnancy/optimal-fetal-positioning
http://www.umatter.co.nz/uploads/90408/files/229664/OFP.jpg

Spinning Babies
www.Spinningbabies.com

Belly Mapping workbook
http://www.spinningbabies.com/products/belly-mapping-workbook


If you'd like to contact Roxana of Livy's Heart Birth Services you can email her at - roxana@livysheart.com She does hypnobirth classes, lactation consulting and doula services - we highly recommend her. Hopefully we do not need  much help with the breastfeeding but if we do we will be calling on her.

The final class was a good one, we watched an amazing birth movie about a midwife who delivered her own baby at home with her husband and two other children. It was interesting to see the trance she went into through the contractions and I am curious how deeply I will be able to relax through all of the pressure.
We practiced with our birth ball and Ryan learned some hands on techniques for how to ease any discomfort I might be having during labor. It was a nice little massage time and I am excited to continue practicing those, who knew how much my tail bone needed attention.
Bellow I have attached a handout on using your Birth Ball & a Comfort in Labor handout that has a lot of really great information for your labor time! Hope you like them and find them to be helpful.

Here we are at 34 weeks, only 6 weeks left to hit our due date but since we are trying to not get too fixated on a date we will see when she decides to arrive. Last week was a pretty good one, lots of new swelling and aches. Sadly my wedding rings no longer fit but I happen to have a thumb ring that does the job pretty well. Bath time is returning, I had taken a break for awhile because the thought of getting wet just did not sound relaxing at all but the past few nights they have been so needed and new bubble bath and my breastfeeding book have been great. 
Saturday I was kidnapped by a few girlfriends, they drove all the way to Long Beach from Santa Barbara and  took me to Glen Ivy! It was an amazing place and I totally have to return. I had a mud bath, got amazing pedicures and even a prenatal massage. They totally tricked me [with Ryans help] I had no idea what a wonderful day I had in store for me, it was needed and I am so grateful that I got to spend a whole day with Jaclyn & Dawn it had been much too long. Speaking of friendship I am curious to see how mine will change, I am sure they will. I will change so how could my relationships with people not have to adjust to that. I do worry that I will lose touch with a few and sometimes I even feel left out now. It could totally be in my head and pretty silly but I can't help it. I used to feel so much more involved and would try to make it to any and everything but now I am tired. In the evening if its not my couch and heating pad after a long work day it is hard to make it happen. I guess we will just have to see how that all unfolds.
Ryan and I are doing all of my crazy chores around the house, I am excited to hire someone to come in twice in July to get the house totally ready for Claire, some of this deep cleaning we just can't do or I don't even think of it. I might look into getting our carpets cleaned also, with our pets I am sure that would probably be a pretty smart idea. 

We have a short week! Palm Springs baby moon is only a few days away and I can already taste the virgin smoothie drinks! Cannot wait to melt away in the sun and cool down in the pool. I am so excited to have a weekend away with nothing to do but relax, eat and shop. Our hotel is The Saguaro and it is looks really fun and festive. Hope you are all doing well and have an awesome week!
xo



Instagram photo dump.

Oh not so little Claire Olive, how are you? Your dad and I are doing really well and we are counting down to a weekend of just the three of us with no phones, lots of sun and pool time. I hope you enjoy the relaxation because I totally need it. Before we head out on Friday I get to hear your little heart beat at our midwife appointment - I have a new whole list of questions to ask her and if you think of any of your own please let me know. We want to be as ready for your arrival as we can be and any input you have would be wonderful. 
I just watched a wedding video at the same location as my girlfriend Erica's wedding, are you thinking you want to arrive a little early so you can go and party with us? I think you would have lots of fun so feel free to do so if you can. Or a few days late would be good too, just the day of I would really like to go and see them get married. I just thought I would put that out there for you babe. haha.
Lately you have been pretty quiet in there, I still get lots of nice rolling and kicking time with you so that has been lovely but overall I just am carrying you around and being your home. You are getting a little bit heavy, I am glad that you are growing and are healthy. In a few short weeks I will be getting to carry you around and introduce you to all the people who have excitedly been waiting for you. Your dad and I love that everyone is already calling you by your name, I am happy that choosing your name was so simple and it is perfect for you. I love you so. We celebrated your dad and grandpas last weekend, had lots of yummy food for lunch and walked around Santa Monica. You have to know how much it means to your daddy to be a father and I know he is going to love your to pieces. xoxo
Have a nice week lady face
Mommy

I am pretty sad that we have only one class left with Livy's Heart Birth Services, both Ryan and I have really been comforted and have really really enjoyed all of our classes. So much so that I plan on speaking to Roxanne after class tonight to find out what her doula pricing is, I would love to have her at the birth center instead of whatever doula is on call. She has a way of bringing me into a deep relaxation that I have not been able to achieve without her. Even Ryan can't believe how much her voice is now a relaxation trigger for him.

Class last week was just us two and we had it on a Friday and it was a perfect start to a full weekend, I really enjoyed it being just the 3 of us [and you can hire her to do personal classes to so if that is something you would be interested in I would definitely take a look into that]. We did the fear release that I mentioned in the last blog, it was pretty awesome, I have a little bit of trouble with the longer relaxation practices, even while totally into it and relaxed once it gets past a certain point my mind starts to bounce around in the scene. I would go back to the beginning or get lost somewhere in the middle, but by the end I was actually able to see what my fears were on the "stage" in my mind and I was able to move past them. Also during the guided relaxation we wrote down our fears in a notebook and slowly tore out the pages and got rid of them. Before this class I would have considered that to be a little silly but it honestly worked. I really enjoyed it. It may have worked more than planned though haha that evening I had dreams of so many more fears that I had not even considered yet! She said she would happily do more fear release exercises with us free of charge [which is so nice] I might take her up on it because dreaming about my baby as a puppy who falls in a pool, or getting in a car accident leaving the birth center and tripping over the baby and stroller the 1st time we go on a walk are very exhausting.

During class we went over the anatomy of labor. I had no idea what the stages of labor were, what efface meant and the stages of presentation. I loved it! I realized I have read about this in my books but learning about it one on one left me feeling much more prepared and ready for the day Claire decides she would like to join us. I am excited that I know how to tell how long I can stay at home before needing to head in to the birth center, I am feeling very calm about the birth and I think Ryan is going to be an amazing birth partner. He has really taken to learning how to anticipate what my needs will be, learning how to read my body and be able to tell when I am having a surge, taking control of the room in case I were to need something to change, always reminding me to drink and use the restroom and just being there for me as much as he can.

Above is our home practice for the weekend, we have talked about it a lot but I have yet to sit down and write everything down so I thought I might as well just do it here. It was really nice to sit back and think about when early labor actually begins how I would like to spend the time with my husband, staying calm and becoming ready to meet Claire. My first thought is when the surges begin and follow the 311/411 pattern [1 minute surges that are 3 or 4 minutes apart that last for an hour] I would like to go to the beach, I first pictures Seal Beach but maybe staying closer to home is a good idea, I think we would head to the Long Beach bluffs and watch the waves and walk the stairs. I would need to remember to use my calming breath and balloon breathing to work through the surges and be able to remain relaxed and work with my body. I started to visualize this last night and will continue to do that for the next 7 days.

Ryan and I will work on the prompt cards that I have attached below and we will continue to use the language we have learned, it has actually really helped with the thought process and I really am using them as often as I can. I should up the Rainbow Relaxation though and Ryan and I need to work on the guided practice more often, we still have about 8 weeks so we will load up on those soon.

I will let you know how our last class goes, have a great day!

I plan on doing this with Ryan on Friday, thought I would share it in case you might also be interested in giving it a shot, I am sure all mamas to be have a little bit of fear in them.

As I sit here listening to the Realxation Rainbow cd and remember that I am not supposed to be doing anything else while I listen, I remember that I am probably going to break some other 'rules' along the way and why not just enjoy it while I blog.

This last class was an interesting one to say the least. We learned so many new things, heard another couple argue during they're relaxation portion and I was actually hypnotized! I will touch on all of these but lets start with the part that has stuck with me the most. Claire's birth could not go as planned, of course I know this and have thought about this but this class we talked about actual reasons this could happen [she could be breech or traverse, she could arrive too early, I could get preeclampsia, and there could be a prolapsed umbilical cord]. Could these happen? Sure they could. Should I prepare myself emotionally for them? Of course. Do I plan on letting them take over my thoughts? No, not at all. My birth will be easy, natural, loving and exactly what Claire and I have been planning. Why? Because most births are able to be this way.
I know that if there is a drastic change in our birth plan that I will grieve, I am ok with that and Ryan and my family will be there for me during this time with no judgement. Obviously it is most important that Claire is healthy, that I am healthy and that she is born however she needs to be born. But I have been preparing, praying, learning and changing my life to welcome her the way I want to. It will be a 'loss' that I am sure I will need to grieve and move past and that is ok. I want to feel this all, I am not afraid of the feeling. I want it.

Hypnosis... I have had a lot of people ask me if what this class is going to do is hypnotize me so that I don't feel any pain during the birth. The short answer is no. If I didn't want to experience it I would just sign up for a epidural and all the pain meds they have to offer, maybe I would even see if twilight births are still an option. Hypnosis can be a part of the class, mostly just to teach us how to deepen our relaxation and to see what is possible when we focus. For me, I have learned that I am actually able to clear my mind and that alone has been a huge leap! Last class though she did a few relaxation exercises with us, where she lead us in and then we were listening to her voice but trying to deepen our own relaxation. These worked pretty well for me, I was able to follow along and feel myself relax and focus. She asked for a volunteer to do the 'Birth Companion's Deepening Exercise' [I have this worksheet if you would like me to share it with you] and I was the only one to offer. I was AMPED! I always try to get chosen at the fair and I never am. Very long story short [I could go on for days about this] it worked. She was able to relax me in a way where I actually was completely focused. When she said my left side of my body was relaxed, my cheek actually drooped [Ryan was watching and told me] when she said I could transfer the energy I was feeling in my fingers to my cheek, I could feel my tongue swell from the energy. As I type this I wonder if I sound crazy but then at the same time I could care less. If I can make this work for me this can be a lifelong skill that I will be able to call on any time that I am feeling stressed or just need to focus. I plan on having Ryan practice this with me often so that we can be a great team come Claire's birth day!

We also chatted a lot about birth plans and the like. I won't go into it but if you want to create your own and don't feel like typing it all out they suggested this website because you answer lots of questions and it creates one for you: EarthMamaAngelBaby silly website name but its a great resource.

When I got home she had also sent me all of these resources that you can check out if you would like to.
Class 3 Resources:
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/

http://www.choicesinchildbirth.org/

http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/

 http://www.marchofdimes.com/

http://evidencebasedbirth.com/

Books:
Goer, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth

Gaskin, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach

have a great and relaxing day!
xo

2 down, 4 more to go!

Last night was a lot more about relaxation, we practiced our breathing techniques and learned a little bit about soft touch massage. I really liked having Ryan do the massage on my back and arms while I practiced the calm breath. If you want to do the calm breath I find that it is really nice while driving but during Claire's birth I am supposed to use it during early labor and for in between surges. CALM BREATH - To a count of four, mentally recite “In-2-3-4″ on the intake.  Feel your stomach rise as you draw the breath up and into the back of your throat.  As you exhale, mentally recite “Out-2-3-4-5-6-7-8″.  Exhale through your nose, direct the energy of the breath down and inward toward the back of your throat, allowing your shoulders to droop into the frame of your body.  Release all tension and let go.  To determine if you are doing this exercise correctly, place your left hand on your stomach and your right hand on the lower part of your chest.  As you inhale, you should feel your left hand rising as though your stomach were inflating like a balloon.  As you exhale, you will feel your hands fold into each other, as your chest and stomach create a crevice. 

The breath that I am struggling with and will definitely need to start practicing now that we are getting so close is the surge breath, I read somewhere that because I am usually so low on iron that that could be a reason why this one is a toughie for me. I have done this one at home while watching tv but they suggest I practice it during kicks, pre-labor warm ups [Braxton Hicks], and any time I am feeling any type of discomfort. I haven't actually felt any pre-labor warm ups so once I do we will see how this helps me out. If you wanted to try this breath it can help to think of it as balloon breathing. SURGE BREATH - While resting your back against pillows or lying in a lateral position, place your hands across the top of your abdomen so that your fingers barely meet.  Exhale briefly to clear your lungs and nasal passages.  Slowly and gradually draw in your breath to a rapid count from 1 to 20 as though you were inflating your belly.  Exhale in the same slow manner.
While breathing in visualize filling a balloon inside your abdomen as you draw in.  Slowly exhale to the same count breathing downward and outward.  Visualize the balloon slowly drifting off into space.  Give your breath to your baby, gently and slowly exhaling down. 

I am really enjoying these class and sometimes while in the class I wonder if this is something that I might even want to get more into? I could really delve into this and then have my own type of hypnobirth class set up. No, I havent looked into exactly what that would entail but I do find it to be super interesting and I am totally surprised at how much it has helped me with my relaxation. Listening to the affirmations in the car has been really helpful and at night I can either listen to the cd or Ryan read the hypnobirth script to me as a bonding time and it really is nice. 

Making time for more practice is my goal for the week. I think that if I listen to the affirmations once each time I get into the car [it is about 16 mins long], do the breaths while driving/watching tv and take time to bond with Ryan/Claire in the evenings while doing soft touch massage and having Ryan read the Rainbow Relaxation Script. I am really looking forward to this I think it will really be a big help.

Hey ladies, did you want to talk about pelvic floor exercises [aka kegels]? No? How odd I just LOVE talking about them haha ok I don't really but in these classes they do and it is really important so I won't go really deep into it but I'll fill you in on how I am handling these and hopefully it will help you out and if you have never heard of this before don't worry about it, a few months ago - it was all new to me too.
Baby Center does a good job of explaining but in short: "Kegels are exercises you can do to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles – the muscles that support your urethra, bladder, uterus, and rectum. The exercises are named after Arnold Kegel, a gynecologist who recommended them back in the 1940s to help women with urinary incontinence, or diminished bladder control, which can happen after childbirth.
If you're not already doing Kegel exercises, start them now. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles may help prevent or treat urinary stress incontinence, a problem that affects up to 70 percent of women during or after pregnancy."
If you are pregnant right now then you totally understand that these could help you out, especially while laughing and/or sneezing and please God don't do those at the same time if you haven't been practicing ;)
I like things to be pretty simple so instead of trying to remember to do this at every stop light or even have to think about it I decided to purchase Lelo Luna Beads and have them do all the work, the biggest thing that I have to do is remember them - this can be hard enough with the baby brain I have got going on. Feel free to ask me any questions but I think that is as much as I plan on sharing via this blog.

Now go enjoy your day and try not to concentrate on your pelvic floor too much.

xoxo
Nikol

Last night Ryan and I attended our 1st hypnobirth class and we both went into it a little bit blind, of course I read about it online and shared it with Ryan but actually going to our birth center and sitting on the floor with 3 other couples was going to be all new to us. I  have decided I will share with you everything they share with us, not only can you learn a little bit about it but it should help me with the birth journaling that I need to start doing for the class.

These two things I want to share with you before I forget -
1. I was the only one to cry during the birth videos!?!?! How can I be the only one who is so emotional. I am so moved by them, it was nice to watch them with Ryan and hear him describe the water birth as "beautiful"
2. They had us all speak about why we decided to look into hypnobirth, after giving my very basic answer [it sounded very interesting and I want to be able to go inside of myself and relax during the rushes] it was Ryan's turn and he is just amazing. To summarize he told everyone that he was proud of me for deciding to take the midwife route and he liked hypnobirth for us because he knows that if I put my mind to something I can be really good at it so he thought that this would be a great way for me to birth Claire in a calm way. I cried again, these women must think I am crazy haha but oh well, I love that he is so supportive and that we are being a team.

When I heard about the affirmations cd and the relaxation music it all sounded a little new age to me and I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into it. Boy was I wrong, I have already listened to the affirmations portion about 4 times and my favorite one is, "your baby is the perfect size for your body" This one really hits home because I have heard a lot of people talk about the babies weight and how it can make everything so much harder to have a natural birth. I have decided I will not allow any more negative talk, so if you are reading this and you had a negative birth experience or someone you know did please do not share it with me, I have heard a lot of those and I know that things can happen, my birth plan can change and as long as I have a happy,  healthy baby at the end of my journey that that is what matters. But I want to go into this with a positive thought process, unafraid of what my body goes through - it does not have to be painful and I plan on working with my body [which was made to do this] and I know Claire also plans on working with me, she wants to join us all just as much as we want her too. So thank you in advance for your support.

We also learned some new vocab! Ryan and I plan on practicing the breathing techniques, the vocab and listening to our cd at least once a day. I love some of the word changes, since I started to read Ina May's Guide To Childbirth I have started to use rushes or waves instead of contractions and just in the last week I can feel myself getting excited about them. Thinking of it like riding a wave with Ryan there to hold and support me until I get over the wave sounds exhilarating and I think it will really help my thought process. I am sure all the other language will also help in the same way.

Now for our home practice [instead of homework - see isn't it working already haha]
I don't think I will be sharing my journal unless it is something that I think you would like to read about these mostly seem like reflections and as long winded as I can be I don't think you need to see it all :)

Well if you have any specific questions or anything let me know, so far the 1st class was really great. Some things were just review  but I really liked seeing Ryan get so absorbed into it. Looking forward  to our next class.