9th Week: Feeling Better

The week didn't start much different from last - more nausea, very tired and not much of an appetite. Just as our CNM, Cheryl, told us, these symptoms usually peak around weeks 8 and 9 so I wasn't surprised... But, as of yesterday I started to feel a little bit better! Less nausea when I wake up at night and, if I keep something in my stomach, the nausea has been a lot more tolerable during the day. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't disappeared all together, but it's definitely getting better :-) Food still doesn't look/smell very appetizing to me so keeping myself from getting hungry hasn't been the easiest thing to do. I'm still tired, but I've kept that at bay by heading to bed somewhat earlier than normal :-)

According to the experts morning/all day sickness sometimes starts to lessen around this time because the placenta starts to take over the hormone production for the baby. This means mommy's body can cut back on the extra hormone production, occasionally leading to a decrease in nausea - yeah!

The night-time nausea has gotten better, but sleeping hasn't been that much easier... I've always slept on my side, but the past few nights I've woken up with quite a bit of pain in my hips. I flip over and try the other side for a while, but the pain just seems to get worse as the night goes on. Once again the experts have an answer for this too: during pregnancy (sometime as early as the first trimester) our bodies release hormones that help relax and soften the joints and muscles, causing discomfort in some pregnant women... well, that would be me - I'm so lucky!!!! I guess I'm just going to have to experiment with different things (pillows, etc.) until I find something that works.

We had our second prenatal visit on Friday. It was a long, but very good appointment. Cheryl let me ask a ton of questions and she answered every one of of them. I really like the way she talks with me instead of just spitting out a bunch of medical numbers and statistics. She really listens to my wants and concerns. I feel like she is really trying to get to know me as a person rather than just a patient. I think this is so important, especially when trying for a natural birth. She encouraged me to find a supportive doula and said that in her experience having a natural birth had a lot to do with mental preparation. She said that preparing physically was definitely important, but that the mental preparation is what she has seen hold others back in the past. She suggested taking a few yoga and other prenatal classes at a place called Blooma not far from where we live now. This was very encouraging because I had already planned on going there - I've heard nothing but great things!

The appointment came to an end with a search for the heartbeat. It took quite a while, but we finally heard a couple seconds - what a wonderful sound! It didn't last long, but finding the heartbeat with an external doppler at this stage is still a challenge with most pregnancies (the baby is just still so small!). Our next appointment, in 4 weeks, should give us a better listen :-) Cheryl left me with a hug and a lot of confidence - how many doctors would do that?!?!?

This week I also started my search for a Doula to be by our side during labor. Back in February I met an amazing woman, Jen, at an ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) meeting who had just given birth to her beautiful daughter just days earlier. She had a successful, completely natural, VBAC - my hero! Anyway, I bumped into her again a few weeks ago at the screening of the birth film that I attended. Once again I was inspired by her story and she said that her Doula had been amazing and highly recommended her. After a few e-mail exchanges I got in contact with her doula and found out that she herself was due with her second child any day! I asked if she was going to be taking on any new mommies next year and she said definitely! I plan on meeting with her some time in November after she's had her baby and her life has settled down just a little. I don't know if she'll be right for us, but it's exciting to begin our search :-)

As promised, you can see my first belly shot in the new slideshow above. I'm really going to try and get a new picture posted every week!