17 reasons I am tired of being pregnant and why I am thankful to feel this way

I am tired of...

1. ....wondering if things will work out the way I hope they do.

2. ....my belly and ribs feeling so stretched out.

3. ....not being able to sleep on my stomach.

4. ....stressing out about the foods I eat.

5. ....feeling guilty for eating a piece of chocolate or a brownie every now and then.

6. ....wracking my brain on how to make nutritious meals on a severely limited budget.

7. ....wondering if that miracle I keep hoping and praying for will happen in time.

8. ....not being able to eat cereal, especially for breakfast. I know it's terrible, but I like it. It makes me feel icky for the rest of the day but only when I am pregnant.

9. ....not being able to eat Cocoa Pebbles guilt free. For the record, I haven't had any, but I really want to.

10. ....sugar making me feel icky. I don't have gestational diabetes, but sugar is ick.

11. ....drinking water constantly and not feeling satisfied. This happens when I am not pregnant, but during pregnancy there is SO MUCH PEEING. Which leads me to...

12. ....having to pee every hour day and night.

13. ....not being able to bend over to cut my toenails, tie my shoes and other things that require one to bend in half.

14. ....worrying that every bite of food I put into my mouth is going to lead to a "big baby" even though I know I can push out a baby. Even a big one.

15. ....having certain limitations in the...well...AHEM...department.

16. ....craving deli sandwiches when usually I hate sandwiches, but just because they are on the "off limits" lists according to Dr. Google, I want them.

17. .... The Hemorrhoids. Oh the Hemorrhoids! (Reason number 4,683 why I don't believe that drinking lots of water helps anything.)

But...

I am so thankful I have started to feel this way. I am thankful to feel this way because it means that by the time I reach the end of this pregnancy, I will be willing to do ANYTHING to not be pregnant anymore. Including go through labor. Especially go through labor. I'll feel so tired of being pregnant that the thought of labor won't scare me anymore. Sometimes I have these freak out moments of, "Oh crap! I KNOW what labor feels like! Will I be able to do it again? I'm scared!" Which apparently means I am not TIRED ENOUGH of being pregnant. At 33 weeks I still have plenty of time to get TIRED ENOUGH.

Holiday Inductions

Image Credit: Robin Elise Weiss: pregnancy.about.com (used with permission)

The holidays are approaching, which means, if you are due during this time frame, you may start hearing about scheduling "your induction." I am not writing this to suggest that you not consent to having an induction, but I do want to share a few of my favorite induction articles so you at least have a starting point in making a truly informed decision for your baby and for your family. I will admit I am biased towards not inducing if there is no true medical need, but if any of my clients ever decide to induce, no matter what the reason, my response is, "Ok! Well let's make the the BEST INDUCTION EVER!" (Because I know that my clients are informed. :o) )

The Best Induction: 5 Tips for the Best Induction of Labor Possible by Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE

Induction and the Holidays, Part 1 by Cara Terreri

Induction and the Holidays, Part 2 by Cara Terreri

Induction, Encouragement, Eviction... by Nicole D.

Obstetric Lie #82-Induction is Risk Free by Sarah C. (Mama Birth)

As you can see, these are my favorite blog articles about induction. This is no substitute for doing your own research using the most credible sources available and consulting with your care provider. I appreciate the blog article by Mama Birth entitled "Becoming an Educated Natural Birthing Mother," which gives a few guidelines on how to do good research about birth.

And once you have all the research you feel you need and have consulted with your care provider, remember to trust your own instincts. They are there for a reason.

The elephant in the room: Circumcision

Since the beginning of my journey as a doula, I have felt it is not my place to offer an opinion on contraversial subjects such as circumcision, vaccines or various parenting choices. I feel that I need to stick with pregnancy and birth when it comes to sharing information, and even that has its limits. After all, I am a doula, not a medical care provider.

Thankfully I have never been asked my opinions on circumcision, but the topic does come up every now and then. I never thought much about sharing information with clients until a certain rather well-known and respected doctor in our community said something to my clients about it that was blatantly incorrect (at best it was a half-truth) right there in the delivery room shortly after the baby was born. I did not say anything about it because it's not my place, but I have thought a lot about it since then. Should I share information with clients? How do I share it? What do other doulas do? 

Tonight I am attending a class just for doulas about how to talk to clients about circumcision. I am looking forward to learning ideas that will hopefully help me better serve my clients and their precious babies. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Should doulas share information about circumcision with their clients? Did your doula share information with you about circumcision? How did you feel about it? 

Looking for a doula in Sugar Land?

It's been way too long since I have been able to blog! There are some major changes happening in our family right now which has led me to be without a computer to update my site. It served us well, but it just can't help us anymore. I am attempting to update from my phone at the moment. Hopefully it works. I just wanted to give an update about what is happening around these parts.

1. I am 30 weeks pregnant. We have not found out the sex of the baby, and I think I would like to wait. I haven't had an ultrasound at this point, and unless there are indicators that I need one, I'll do without.

2. I have an open calendar for November. Unless your baby is OUT, it is not too late to hire a doula.

3. I attended the B.I.R.T.H. Fair for the first time since learning about it as a vendor the first weekend in October. I had a great time and met some awesome families. My husband spoke on the Dad's Panel, which was super cool.

4. See # 2.

5. Yesterday I attended a Rebozo workshop taught by Gena Kirby. If you don't know who she is, find out! She is amazing and the workshop inspired me so much. Refer back to #4, get back to me, and I'll show you some of the amazing things I learned at the workshop.

6. It's not too late to hire a doula! See #1. I still have time before I pop.

7. I have a few things up my sleeve for 2013. I have high hopes that these things will come to pass. These things include: Birth Boot Camp training, placenta encapsulation training/certification and hypno-doula certification. But first, I need to have a baby.

8. November mamas in Sugar Land, hire me!

9. Did I share that I am now a certified doula? I should have, but just in case I didn't, I am certified! Woohoo! My certificate and name badge came in about two weeks ago.

10. November mamas in Rosenberg and Richmond, #8 applies to you too.


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