Comments on: 37 Weeks: Crystal Ball

By: Heidi Howes

Heidi Howes — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:15:22 +0000

Beautiful tips, thank you for always bringing it to a calm perspective!

By: Practical Mommy

Practical Mommy — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:22:07 +0000

Those are really great tips… especially the one about forgetting your due date. If I could do it over, I would definitely pay more attention to what my body was telling me than what I was wanting and expecting to happen.

As I overhead one of my tango teachers tell a lead… “You can’t help where her head is.” True. (Dontcha love how I can tie everything back to dancing?!)

But all you can do is do your best to stay in your body… because that is the one thing that cannot help but be in the PRESENT MOMENT! See? I’m learning something from Yogi Parenting?

By: suzanne Miller

suzanne Miller — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:42:33 +0000

Since I had a difficult and physically painful pregnancy, I was induced at 37 weeks. Would have gone at 36 weeks but the amnio showed that the lung development wasn’t satisfactory-so that last week was a little tricky-but I found meditating not only helped with staying present, it helped me deal with the horrendous pain that the docs surmised was a gall bladder issue. Because there was so much concern, there were lots of calls. The pain was such that it was hard to even speak. But quite accidentally, my husband bought a cordless phone system that ‘announces’ the calls. In other words, it SPEAKS caller ID. I could then text whomever when I felt up to it having known who had called. When the slightest move induced pain, I found that was miraculous! The second thing I would recommend is physically removing oneself to a v. relaxing place. Everyone knew that I was checking into the hospital at 8:00PM and I anticipated loads of calls, so I went into a cocoon called a SPA, where I spent the entire day. I got a pre-natal massage, slept on a lounger to the sounds of a trickling fountain and enjoyed the opportunity to breathe in beautiful surroundings. I would highly recommend staying OFF the scales in the spa

By: Zen Mommy

Zen Mommy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:15:42 +0000

what a cool perspective to hear from amy. it sometimes takes having an opposite experience to value the experience we find ourselves in.

such a miracle… the connection we share with our babies inutero. each movement… each hiccup… whole-y fully connected.

we will always “be one” with our children, but sharing the same blood, oxygen… thoughts even? feeling their body(s) inside mine? this time is special. and like you, amy, i am all too aware this will most likely be my last pregnancy… so wanting to savor each moment all that much more.

i hope this post is respectful to anyone struggling end or past due date as i do not want want to minimize this challenge… i hope it helps us expectant moms slow down and breathe, connecting with baby inside and enjoying the moment…

like you say so well amy, these moments are fleeting and could be over before we know it!

By: Amy Slapshak

Amy Slapshak — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:26:12 +0000

Love hearing what’s going on in your world Suzanne! I thought I’d share a viewpoint from a mother of ALL EARLY deliveries and how I would have given anything to be ‘going stir crazy’ with uncomfortableness and anticipation! My four children were born 1 week, 3 weeks, 3 weeks and 6 1/2 weeks early respectively. I was thrilled the first time around without having to wait for my due date to arrive. The second baby surprised me 3 weeks early, but it is what it is. The third baby I was prepared to have come early (if there is such a thing as preparedness!) It is my fourth and final baby that took me years to get over the fact that he was born over 6 weeks early. It was not any medical issues at all nor any question on my part that I did anything ‘wrong’ that put me into labor. What took me years to overcome was the fact that I had ‘lost’ the last weeks of my pregnancy – that I knew was the last I would ever have – enjoying and cherishing the miracle of the growth of a baby inutero. That was it – chapter closed, with an unexpected slamming of the book of my childbearing experience. I would NEVER again get to fell to movement of a baby inside me and aww at this greatest miracle of all. I personally would re-do the labor itself if possible and take it all in (it was way too fast and over with in a blink of an eye). You may be thinking “This woman is crazy and obviously time has erased all the discomfort she is forgetting she had.” I WAS uncomfortable in the final months of pregnancy, but immediately in the days following delivery I began mourning its end. And it seriously did take me several years to get beyond it. I never craved another baby for myself ~ it was purely a craving for the experience, the pregnancy itself. So for all you pregnant moms out there counting down the days, I say start SAVORING the moments. You will spend the rest of your life with your child in the world we live in, but the state you and he/she are in right now is so magical and fleeting. I would be shouting out to everyone “THIS baby is here inside me now, and for such a brief moment in time, I am in no rush for it to end:) ” ENJOY!

By: Zen Mommy

Zen Mommy — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:38:36 +0000

hey! wow!!! a 10# baby! that’s alot LIKe carrying twins. lol. i’m really ok though. feeling good and getting lots done… like TAXES! loving everyday with them inside me. no skin jumping yet!!!

i did a little research on twin delivery dates and although 38+ weeks is advised as “safest” for babies development, only 8% of the some 200 sets in the study i looked at were born 39 or > weeks of age… the average was 36.5 weeks.yes, some people do go 40 wks but is is FAR from the norm. i could fall into that group though. depends on what my doctor says as we go to checkups week to week.

the more alarming thing is of 200 sets of wins, almost 48% were elective deliveries… with maybe 52% or so being spontaneous deliveries. i WILL be in that 52%, i am certain.

i had reilly 9 days early and morgan 5 days early

By: JanetinDC

JanetinDC — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:07:24 +0000

Suzanne – Thank you for the update and I know you must just want to jump out of your skin at this point.

The only patterns seem to be with 2nd, 3rd, etc. kids and women I’ve known have similar experiences to the 1st baby. For example, I’m one of the ones that has NEVER gone into labor, my water never broke, etc. (for all 3 of mine). My first was 42 weeks and she was 10 pounds. So I was induced for next two babies when came time to deliver.

So I would think to look at when you first 2 girls were born (Morgan and Reilly) and was similar number of weeks when you went into labor, etc.? Then again this time you are with TWINS so does any pattern even work?

If you haven’t seen this video then check it out and MANY women with twins and triplets went the full 40 weeks…

NATURAL CHILDBIRTH WITH TWINS AND TRIPLETS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-wULAaD50&feature=player_embedded#

Enjoy this time to relax and prepare and sleep while you can! Janet