a) booking a hospital. I think I did it about 12 weeks and then felt offended that no one saw me until I was about 18 weeks. I felt totally rejected after going through IUI and seeing a doc practically everyday! So don't feel offended.... it's just a sign the docs think you are 'normal' which is a very new and odd feeling!
b) yoga - as soon as possible for maximum benefit. I did it for two reasons: one, firstly the physical side - lots of squats and so on are shown to be really good in labour and the special focus on preg stops you doing anything too dramatic that might damage your ligaments. Secondly, the mental side. I have grand plans of avoiding pain medication well, other than a bit of gas and air and I hardly think that counts in the scheme of things : ) and yoga is really good for helping you read your body and get used to the constant adjustments you'll do in labour. And thirdly, just thought, I've met three ladies the same week as me, so it's a good network thing... I mean, you can't really ask your workmates, "Did your nipples change colour this week?" can you. So useful to meet other preg people in the area.
c) classes, yes I'm definitely finding them useful. There is obviously a problem in getting it at the right level - two people in our class seem to know more about child birth than the midwife and are insanely irritating with it; some people ask questions like "is that actually when the babies born then?" when she's been explain pushing and crowning for an hour... yeesh.... For me, a couple of tips that she's given us have made it worthwhile (even though I am a good girl and have studied my books comprehensively!) so for example one of the things she said that really struck me, was no matter how good your birth partner and or your husband is, and your medical team; ultimately this is a journey you are making on your own. You are pushing a baby out of your body. And to make sure that you do it the way you want it, and make sure you are number one, and if you can, take time on the journey to be on your own even for a few minutes. I think this was rather empowering (at the risk of sounding mushy) and made me think that it's not anyone else's strength you are going to rely on, but your own. The other thing she told us a lot about were the hormones in birth. In this instance, adrenalin is the enemy and can slow things down and is basically caused by fear. So a lot of what she talked about was identifying your fears, and working out ways to deal with them, and so on. For me, a key part is recognising that pain is not the same as fear. Personally, I think the "birth is like a butterfly landing on your fanny" school of hippy childbirth is a dangerous lie. Far better from my headspace, to accept that pain is inevitable and not part of some evil plan God has for my perineum. So, a long winded answer to your question but there's also many practical reasons to go - e.g. breastfeeding info, parking info (5 min contractions not the time to find out that the machine only takes 20c pieces or something), when to come to hospital (this bit was particularly useful) and a few stories of 'births I have seen' which were really interesting.
d) Listeria. Had a really long chat with my auntie over the weeknd. She's a food hygeine specialist with what used to be the Ministry of Agriculture in the UK. She said that listeria was once a very high cause of still births but that this was primarily in Europe where farmers were making soft cheese using wooden moulds that were first made in about 1250, then turning them by hand, on shelves that were last cleaned about the time Napoleon was invading Russia. She has a very high opinion of properly cleaned metal shelves and automated cheese turning technology that she has checked is used in most australian fromageries (I didn't ask her to check this, she just did it herself ha ha). So whilst she's certainly not advocating that we all go out and start scoffing the brie, it really depends on what sort of cheese you are eating. She says a baked (bubbling) cheese is completely fine (which was lucky as DH and I had just eaten a baked brie for dinner : ). Her main advice on whatever you are eating - cook it correctly, and eat things that are either hot or cold and never lukewarm esp when you are out.
e) Nutrition. I'm pretty useless on this... my new rule is that one meal a day has to have good nutrition... three is too difficult to organise. If the rest is chocolate well, baby will just have to survive on that!! Perhaps try a watercress salad with your dinner? I sneak good nutrition in - like tip half a punnet of raspberries on my cereal or something. Aunty told me that with most brands, there's as much nutrition in frozen berries as fresh ones and about quarter of the price.
f) heartbeats... ha ha I did exactly the same thing. The doc explained it to me on the last visit - there's three things to listen for: your own heartbeat, the blood in the placenta which sounds a bit like a water swoosh, and the babies heart beat which is much quicker and quite staccato, a bit like marching music if you know what I'm on about!
Sorry, that's a really long and waffley answer to your questions. Hope it helps, feel free to disregard some/ all of it!!
The good news is that DH has worked at home today and I haven't yet killed him, although I have glanced to check the size of the patio a couple of times just in case.... I hope you are all travelling well x
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