David called me today at work to tell me about the dream he had last night... apparently, he had a delivery dream. He said that I went into a coma because I didn't get an epidural, but the baby looked good. Apparently, The Cactus had a lot of hair. Brown hair. David decided that his dream was a sign that I NEED to get an epidural.
This got me thinking about some of the more granola things I'm considering. I'm not hard and fast about all of these, but I'm giving them a shot.
Natural Childbirth: I'm realistic. I know it's going to be tough, but I REALLY want to give this a shot without painkillers. It's totally a personal desire and I have no "issue" with getting help. Heck, I might get in there and completely change my mind...but I want to at least try. I've been doing Hypno-babies to prepare (and they tell me not to listen to stories about painful childbirth...but it's been hard to stop them!) and so far, so good. However, I mostly want a healthy baby...so if I end up getting an epidural or a c-section, I'll deal. But I want to try. I think David's more freaked out about it than I am :)
Prenatal Yoga: I love my prenatal yoga class. Everyone's preggo, so we bond over shared aches and pains, pediatricians, and gas. We spend the last 10 minutes or so in a "relaxation pose" which is as close to sleeping in public as I've ever been. We also thank our baby for loving us and thank ourselves for carrying the baby. Oh yeah, and I get a good stretch :)
Cloth Diapers: This is primarily a money-savings decision, but it's got some great environmental benefits. No stinky diapers sitting around for eons! Less garage! Go nature! Yeah, it will be slightly less convenient, but I'm ok with that.
Breast Feeding: Again, a money-savings decision, but one that is a little hippy-ish. I want to breastfeed because "breast is best" and all that great stuff. I know that it's hard to do, but I'm hopeful that I can make it work. I've attended a La Leche League meeting with my friend Rochelle, and I feel lucky that I have a couple generations of breast-feeding women to call when I feel like sobbing.
I'm sure there are more things that I'll decide later on--like I think it would be cool to make my own baby food--but we'll tackle those issues as they arrive.
What granola things are you planning on trying or did?
I'm 100% with you on the cloth diapers and breastfeeding stands. I too am going to shoot to labor for as long as possible without pain killer medicines, but I'm not getting myself set on anything because things can always change when push comes to shove.
ReplyDeleteDarci I am glad you are making these decisions ahead of time. Be strong on the things you are passionate about, and let David know about the things you are ok changing. If I can breast feed for a year and make all of my own baby food, so can you!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenny...all totally doable things on your list! I think as long as you go into labor with an open mind you will be fine however it ends up. The end goal is healthy mama and baby, whatever it takes to get there isn't important in my mind. As far as making baby food...it really is a piece of cake, at least for the first 6 months-1year. We made most of our own purrees, once she got older I kept making, but also started buying some, just cause there were things that were easier to buy than make myself. I have a cookbook, I will try to either bring it or send it with Mar.
ReplyDeleteI'm very happy for you Darci! I can't speak to not using pain meds....after about 12 hours of labor I gave in. But I did breastfeed Jacob for 13 months and made all of my own baby food. Breastfeeding didn't go quite as long with the twins (only 4 months) but I still made all of their baby food. I used to think of it as my hobby. I'm a sad person! :)
ReplyDeleteHave you considered a doula? Pretty granola and pretty awesome.
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