31 Weeks!

Well here we are - 9 weeks away from my due date. This week flew by, and I know the next 4 will as well since they are my last 4 weeks of work and busy as ever! I am getting increasingly excited/nervous about the labor since it is every single day now that someone asks me if I'm nervous or when I am due. I can't say that I'm scared of labor; I am definitely nervous though. I have been trying lately to do a lot of reading about birth and labor, and the labor process so I can be familiar with what is happening. I am really, really looking forward to Tuesday when I have my 31 week appointment (hopefully - I still need to book it..oops!) and we start our antenatal classes. I hope to learn a lot from the classes and I'm looking forward to meeting other preggos!

I was thinking today, I should probably weigh myself. Do most pregnant people actually keep track of how much weight they've gained? Because I have NO idea. I don't think I am above average or anything so it just hasn't concerned me, but I suppose I would like to know. I think I'll weigh myself tonight. My main concern is that my bellybutton is definitely an outtie. It sticks out of my shirt and I feel so silly.

I'm excited because I've found this website about natural childbirth and it's been really helpful and interesting. While I am not necessarily all about having no pain relief, just reading about the process of labor and ways I can prepare myself has been awesome. I am increasingly adamant about not having an epidural, and I do believe that the more I emotionally prepare myself, the chances get slimmer. I think a major part of childbirth (from my inexperienced uneducated guess) is believing that my body can handle it. I am not being arrogant about it: I do believe people when they say that it is the worst pain of their life. But I also believe that it is okay to be confident in what my body was made to do. I will probably be writing something a bit different in 9 weeks time, but we'll see. I am just trying to think positively and confidently while still trying to educate myself in any way I can.

Oh, the website is http://www.birthingnaturally.net

A lot of people lately have been telling me over and over again not to be dissapointed or feel guilty if the birth doesn't go exactly how I plan it. I think my response to this is that I do have a way that I want things; but all I care about is holding my little boy. I am sure that there will be inevitable dissapointment if something goes wrong or doesn't go as planned - but from what I have learned from others is that the only thing that matters is my little guy getting here safely.

I was reading on that website about how the birth is not about me. It's not my birth, it is the birth of my son. The goal isn't for me to look like a super-woman or a trooper, it's to get my little boy here as safely as possible. I liked that. I hope to keep that attitude throughout my labor - that the point is not about how I look or how I feel, but about him and making his entrance into this world the best it can be.

I am so excited to hold him. He's keeping me up at night a lot lately, kicking wildly and for long periods of time. I love sleep and sometimes I wish he would just stop, but nothing is better than just knowing that he is in there and he's moving like the healthy little guy he is. It is very reassuring.

I keep trying to get video of him kicking and rolling around, but it seems that whenever I get the video camera out he just stops!! Stubborn already :o)

Well, I think that is all for now - I plan on updating again in a couple days, after my 31 week appointment and our first antenatal class!