Welcome to Week 22. It shall forever be known as the week I had bronchitis and felt like death.
My little buddy has had a cough and cold for the past week, but I normally don't catch what he has. Well, that was before pregnancy effed up my immune system. Apparently, not only did I catch whatever he's had, but my body decided to turn it into something even worse. Let me tell you, bronchitis during pregnancy isn't fun. I feel like every rib has been broken and my back has been repeatedly beaten.
Luckily, I had my monthly checkup today anyway. The doctor said I could take some OTC meds to get some relief at night... but not the "good stuff" if you know what I mean. Like I can't chug a bottle of Nyquil, which is all I really want to do right now. So sad. Oh well.
Despite the sickness, baby is doing well. His heart was beating just fine, and he's been moving around in there. He's probably annoyed at me for hacking constantly. Poor kid.
Since I had the day off today due to me being a gross sickly mess, I tried to be productive after my appointment. I got some important things done, including meeting with doulas! I've talked about doulas before, but if you don't remember what a doula is, you can think of her like a birth coach. Doulas aren't medical staff. They are more like counselors for women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I might be biased, but I believe a doula is a valuable asset during this time and wish their profession was more widespread common knowledge.
You might think it's a hippy-dippy thing, but the truth is that, for the vast majority of the existence of the human race, women have been helping other women give birth. Our bodies are made to do this. It is only in recent history that giving birth became a medicalized process. I'm not saying that medical interventions are never necessary during pregnancy and birth. Sometimes they are. But sometimes, some doctors jump the gun on medical interventions, and it can cause more harm than good.
The benefit of having an experienced, certified doula present is that she will be there to help, inform, and support no matter what kind of birth you end up having. Since I want to do things as naturally as possible, a doula will be there to help me focus, give encouragement, provide natural pain management techniques, support Eric, help him help me, and advocate for as natural a birth as possible. And if it comes down to an emergency or a need for intervention, she will help me process that and let me know that it really is necessary. In addition, some doulas help with lactation consultation and do a postpartum checkup to make sure you are doing well and check for signs of postpartum depression.
The doulas I met with today were actually recommended by my doctor this morning, which is great, because they were my number one contact anyway. The ladies actually told me that my new doctors and hospital are completely fine with moving around and limited monitoring and have a super low c-section rate. They work together frequently, and work well. This is a huge relief, seeing as a dueling doula and doctor (alliteration, woah) is the last thing I want when I'm in pain and trying to push out a baby.
So basically... I feel very good about this matchup. :)
How far along? 22 weeks
My little buddy has had a cough and cold for the past week, but I normally don't catch what he has. Well, that was before pregnancy effed up my immune system. Apparently, not only did I catch whatever he's had, but my body decided to turn it into something even worse. Let me tell you, bronchitis during pregnancy isn't fun. I feel like every rib has been broken and my back has been repeatedly beaten.
Luckily, I had my monthly checkup today anyway. The doctor said I could take some OTC meds to get some relief at night... but not the "good stuff" if you know what I mean. Like I can't chug a bottle of Nyquil, which is all I really want to do right now. So sad. Oh well.
Despite the sickness, baby is doing well. His heart was beating just fine, and he's been moving around in there. He's probably annoyed at me for hacking constantly. Poor kid.
Since I had the day off today due to me being a gross sickly mess, I tried to be productive after my appointment. I got some important things done, including meeting with doulas! I've talked about doulas before, but if you don't remember what a doula is, you can think of her like a birth coach. Doulas aren't medical staff. They are more like counselors for women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I might be biased, but I believe a doula is a valuable asset during this time and wish their profession was more widespread common knowledge.
You might think it's a hippy-dippy thing, but the truth is that, for the vast majority of the existence of the human race, women have been helping other women give birth. Our bodies are made to do this. It is only in recent history that giving birth became a medicalized process. I'm not saying that medical interventions are never necessary during pregnancy and birth. Sometimes they are. But sometimes, some doctors jump the gun on medical interventions, and it can cause more harm than good.
The benefit of having an experienced, certified doula present is that she will be there to help, inform, and support no matter what kind of birth you end up having. Since I want to do things as naturally as possible, a doula will be there to help me focus, give encouragement, provide natural pain management techniques, support Eric, help him help me, and advocate for as natural a birth as possible. And if it comes down to an emergency or a need for intervention, she will help me process that and let me know that it really is necessary. In addition, some doulas help with lactation consultation and do a postpartum checkup to make sure you are doing well and check for signs of postpartum depression.
The doulas I met with today were actually recommended by my doctor this morning, which is great, because they were my number one contact anyway. The ladies actually told me that my new doctors and hospital are completely fine with moving around and limited monitoring and have a super low c-section rate. They work together frequently, and work well. This is a huge relief, seeing as a dueling doula and doctor (alliteration, woah) is the last thing I want when I'm in pain and trying to push out a baby.
So basically... I feel very good about this matchup. :)
How far along? 22 weeks
Total weight gain/measurements: Up one more pound from a week ago
Maternity clothes: I BOUGHT THE JEANS, GUYS. I did it, and they are SO great and worth it. Thank you for the birthday gifts! :D
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep: WHAT. IS. SLEEP. I do not even know anymore. All I do vacillate between trying to doze while sitting up and coughing my lungs up.
Best moment this week: Boat day! I didn't feel like complete shit yet on Saturday, so we joined friends for a little outing on the boat. It was the nicest day ever with good company, and we even saw a manatee!
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| Feeling a bit self-conscious in my bikini these days. |
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| Floppy hat and zinc oxide SPF 60+ is necessary for sun protection! |
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| This isn't edited. It really looks like that here. Please come visit. PLEASE! |
Miss anything? Yeah... NOT COUGHING.
Movement: He's an active little guy! I feel him most in the morning and at night.
Food cravings: Not really. I'm waiting to crave pickles or burgers or something I typically hate, but nope.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Still just chicken. I've been eating peanut butter EVERY DAY again. I'm baaaaaaack!
Gender: Boy
Labour signs: Nope
Symptoms: Not really anything physical, but I have noticed that everything must be clean and tidy or it drives me nuts. I am getting really into organizing things. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT a tidy person. I thrive in chaotic environments. They say this nesting thing happens when you're getting further along... I guess this is it?
Belly button in or out? In, but not for long :(
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Well when you're hacking up your lungs and feel like you've been in the ring with Muhammed Ali, you're bound to be a little moody.
Looking forward to: Going home in early June! That's right. The doctor gave me the go-ahead to fly home one last time before baby is born. It'll just be for a long weekend, but at least I'll have more of a bump for you all to see this time. :)
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