now i am in week 37 and it is not as easy anymore. soon I will give birth to this new life. who ever imagined pregnancy as this huge nice round belly in all those happy instagram pictures as the only reality, i have to disappoint you… of course there are those happy moments, when this small feet are pressing from inside in my warm hand while massaging the belly and the movement of the baby is related to my lullaby singing in the evening. but this movement is also causing nausea when it is pressing my stomach. this baby in me is approximately 2,8kg heavy right now and carrying this extra weight leads to lower back pain. i walk like a duck and feel like a ball, far from sexy or sportif. as a help i am using a belly-hip-stretch-belt like this https://www.schwangerschaftsgurt.com/schwangerschaftsguertel/.
it distributes the weight from the belly to the hips and lower back and gives me support. also i know i dont have to run a marathon right now, i try at least to keep up a daily routine of going for a small walk. fresh air is needed to supply us with good oxygen. as the baby is pushing more and more on my lungs the breathing is quite shallow and getting taff.
another restriction is that it is impossible to lie on the back, as the weight of the baby presses on the so called vena cava and leads to circulatory disorders because the return flow of blood to the heart is obstructed. this causes giddiness and palpitations. so i use a big side sleeper pillow and put my left knee up to make space for the belly while sleeping.
not only physical aspects are developing, also mentally there are lots of questions and some worries. first of all i was wondering, where is the best place for me to give birth. I visited one birthing house in a city 25km away from here as an alternative to the hospital. it is quite a cosy atmosphere and the midwives seam to lead it well. but all in all i came to the conclusion, that i do not want to drive as far when the labour is starting. i choose the hospital in my city that is only 5 min to drive. for the first time i am experiencing this and i would like to have the security of a medical environment, if for some reason there are complications. but on the other hand i was worrying about, how much influence i will have on the process of labour in a clinic and how much the doctors decision is taking my free will away. the first encounter with one of the doctors was not a convincing one. i went for a routine ultra sound checking the bloodstream of the umbilical cord when suddenly i had real low blood pressure and nausea and she was not able to decide what to do, letting me lie with my feet up, but wanted to keep me at station and giving infusion. this made me question my decision already to give birth here. but i could also see that the opinion of the midwife was different and she made me understand that the doctor is only in real complicated situation present. the main work is done by the midwives who are willing to take me through a as natural as possible birth. as i met two different midwives of the team yet who confirmed this opinion, i am a little more relaxed.
how will the labour be like? as i never did that before i have no clue how it will feel. when is the best time to start going to the hospital? will it start while my partner is away? can i call him in time or do i need to call the ambulance? surly it can start from now on everyday. the development of this small life is almost fully completed. to learn more about all this me and my partner partake a birth preparation course. it is really good to be guided, not only in how this whole process looks like theoretically, what breathing and relaxing techniques are there to help but also we are doing lots of partner exercises to strengthen the bond and so that the companion knows how to be helpful and supportive.
at home i try to prepare myself mentally with a method from hypnobirthing by marie f. morgan . she developed an audioguide that helps releasing fear and strain. here one German example:
and physically i try to prepare with different kind of oils. against lower back pain i use sacrum oil which contains jasmine, tangerine, rosemary, juniper berry, marigold, almond, evening primrose, sunflower oil and jojoba wax. then also i use dam massage oil to prevent tear of the perineum. this one contains clary sage, rose, st. john’s worth, olive oil, evening primrose and wheat germ oil. both of them are from the brand bahnhof apotheke.
so far these are my methods to prepare. if you want to download this nice designed positive birth affirmation you can find them here. now i guess time will make the rest happen and i try to be happy, relaxed and excited for the upcoming event! is there any advise you want to give me and all other mommies to be, please feel free to comment down below! see you in a bit 🙂