Preggo photos

Nah, these aren't belly shots, just some random pictures I've taken recently that involve pregnancy so I thought I'd share.

First, a picture of pregnant me with Andrew at a friend's wedding in March:

Next, something I found at the thrift store. No, I didn't buy it, though I support the message!

Andrew has this obsession with finding "pregnant parking." Even when I go to Babies 'R' Us the expectant mothers spots are taken (often by non-pregnant people, I might add...yes I'm watching you!), but the time we went together we scored one of the spaces!

Though originally we decided to get the Baby Bjorn pack and play because we'd heard amazing things about it, we got a really nice dividend from REI this year and found a pretty cool option there. It's inflatable and has a zipper, tent-like opening. Some moms who reviewed it said they would lie in the opening while nursing, gently lay the baby down when done, crawl out and zip it up. No leaning over to put the baby down! I had to test it out to see if I could not only halfway fit in, but totally fit...

Sherpa has become fascinated by all the baby stuff entering our house. 

And one final picture. We used some of the decoration from my baby shower in the baby's room:

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

It’s official! We will no longer be giving birth at Baystate. At 32 weeks I decided I would look into changing hospital delivery locations and therefore changing practitioners.

No I’m not crazy—well, that’s debatable, I suppose, and would be affirmed if you asked my husband. As I am 35 weeks at the time of writing this post, let me back up.

Our doula Lisa was at the house for a childbirth ed class at the start of my 32nd week of pregnancy. I mentioned that I had signed up for a breastfeeding class at Cooley Dickinson, not the hospital where we were giving birth. A friend took hers there, and it turned out to be cheaper than the one at Baystate, so I signed up. In doing so, I had the opportunity to read about giving birth at CD and about the midwifery center there.

I immediately felt at ease with everything I was reading—the support for the kind of birth I hope for seemed to be oozing out of every page. The hospital even has every woman, regardless of the type of birth desired,  fill out a birth plan! (This can take on very different forms, but basically it’s something you write to inform your practitioners of your wishes at birth—from no episiotomy or epidural to I want my baby immediately after delivery to I want to stay in my own clothes as long as possible.)

So as I was telling Lisa that I would be going to a class at CD, I said something about how if we were to get pregnant again while living in Western Mass, I would give birth at CD and use their midwifery center for my prenatal care. She said something to the effect of, “So switch.”

It never occurred to me that I could do that. She shows a video in her hospital education classes where a woman changed providers at 37 weeks, so me being 32 was definitely in the realm of possibility.

Andrew and I did some talking, thinking and praying following that conversation. I contacted the one person I knew who gave birth at that hospital, Lisa had attended a birth there and told me her thoughts, I spoke with the midwifery center and one of their midwives and we took a tour of the birthing floor of the hospital. Everything just felt right.

Now I wasn’t upset with my current midwifery clinic at all. But there were a few times where I felt like they weren’t as excited or supportive as I had hoped. For instance, I told my one of my previous midwives that I had hired a doula. She responded: “That’s good. One to two percent of our patients hire doulas.” I said that to one of my new midwives, and she said, “Oh we love to work with doulas!” Big difference.

Baystate is also a teaching hospital, and it’s the only hospital in our area with a NICU. They see all the high-risk patients, and it’s just bigger and somewhat more chaotic by nature. CD was really quiet, low-key and the vibe just seemed different.

Not only did my conversations put me at ease, but I also was able to compare the birth statistics for Baystate, CD and the midwifery center that delivers at CD. Those helped push me toward switching.

I started seeing the new midwives at 33 weeks, and I’m so glad I changed. The atmosphere is very different—more laidback—and I really feel like I’ll have the support I need to try for my birth goals.

To illustrate some of the atmosphere, think of every doctor’s office you’ve ever been in: that was true of my former provider. Now, picture a Victorian house. That’s the new office. After sitting with the receptionist (yep, sitting at her desk with her), she sent me to the bathroom “for my specimen.” Her instructions? “There are Dixie cups in the bathroom, and just leave it when you’re done.” No sterile glove handing me a plastic cup with my initials on it—I peed in a cup you could buy at Walmart that I picked out of a basket.

The exam room was also really large. And it had toys! Think about it—lots of pregnant women have other children and often need to bring them to their appointments. This office had play areas in the waiting room and in the exam room to occupy said children.

Finally, at my 35-week appointment, I was just chatting with the midwife (I’m seeing each one in the practice at least once to get to know them all), and she said, “You can do this. Your body knows what it’s doing.” Very simple statement, but it was nice to hear her encouragement.

Coming Wednesday: I get off my labor and delivery soapbox and post about the first crafty projects I’ve done for my baby! (I’m sure y’all can’t wait, thanks for putting up with excess words and no pictures!)

Oh the decisions!

Some of you hear me talk about our birth plans pretty often, while others of you have no idea what we hope for other than we do indeed plan to have this baby come out of me! Even if you know some of our hopes, they may not make a lot of sense. I throw around words like “midwife,” “doula,” interventions and speak of private childbirth education classes, but what do those things mean and why did we choose them?

I had the opportunity to explain some of this to my brother recently and decided I would do the same for my adoring readers, i.e. the handful of you that are really just waiting for pics of the baby or for Andrew and I to throw in the towel on our never-ending renovation.

To begin, two definitions that will become important if you choose to read further:

midwife: it means “with woman.” There are different designations depending on education and licensing, but I see a group of certified nurse midwives, meaning each has “graduated from one of the advanced education programs accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwifery (ACNM).  In addition, nurse midwives must pass a rigorous national certification exam and meet the strict requirements of the state health agencies (from my care provider’s website).”

So yes, they know what they’re doing, which is  a question I get a lot. There are midwives that work with OB/GYNs in offices and hospitals, those who work in birthing centers and some who attend home births. In Mass, the latter are not under consistent regulation, but hopefully will be in the near future. In Alabama, it’s actually illegal to be a home birth midwife, so many do it under the radar.

I could say more, but in any case, I see CNMs who are very skilled in “catching babies,” and they also perform routine gynecological care.

doula: (from dona.org) “The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.”

Another way to think of a doula is a labor support coach. And they don’t catch babies.

So why did I choose a midwife? Mainly because I could. There are several options in my area for having a midwife so I wanted to give it a shot. Also, the nurse who confirmed my pregnancy asked, “What kind of birth do you want?” I said, “natural.” She recommended I definitely choose the midwives in the office, so I did.

The big difference I find in seeing a midwife versus an OB/GYN is that midwives don’t do surgery. OBs are trained surgeons. Many women who are looking to deliver with less medical interventions (these include but are not limited to episiotomy, epidurals/other anesthesia, continuous electronic fetal monitoring, induction) feel they have a better shot of achieving that with a midwife. That’s not saying midwives don’t use interventions—they do. (If a woman wants an epidural, she can certainly still deliver with a midwife.) It’s just that many midwives seem to be more patient and allow a woman’s body to do what it was created to do. The majority will give more time and try more alternative techniques. Some deliveries still end in C-sections. Some don’t. If a woman wants natural childbirth, with a midwife she may be allowed to labor for many, many hours before any interventions are suggested.

I’ve also just done a lot of research on labor and delivery in the last year or more and midwifery is the common practice in not only underdeveloped nations but in developed nations outside of the U.S. In many developed countries, women only deliver with OBs when there is an emergency.

And not to completely open a can of worms here, but through that research I really began to realize I wanted to deliver with the least medical interventions possible. I’ve always wanted natural childbirth, too. In the U.S. the national C-section rate is about 32-33%. The World Health Organization recommends it should be 15% or lower. Through my research (and even looking at birth statistics for various offices/hospitals in my area) I found that cesarean rates are lower with midwives. It all goes back to allowing a woman’s body to take the time it needs to deliver rather than trying to speed things up. Once one intervention is used, a lot of times things spiral from there and more follow. There are appropriate uses of all of the interventions—research just shows that many are used inappropriately in our country. (As my friends here know, I could probably talk about this for hours, so I’ll stop now. I can definitely recommend books and other resources to back all this up, though.)

So why did I choose a doula? To help me work toward having the labor and delivery I desire. A friend of mine in Alabama used one a couple of years ago and found it really helpful when approaching natural childbirth. I know very well that something could wrong with my delivery and it could end in the use of medication or even a cesarean. However, I’m preparing to do it differently. We hired an awesome doula named Lisa Beauchemin who also happens to be a childbirth educator, so she really knows her stuff.

Through our childbirth ed classes and prenatal doula appointments, Andrew and I really feel prepared for what will hopefully be a natural delivery. We’ve not only learned techniques to deal with pain and such, but doulas also help you advocate for yourself once in the hospital. In the heat of the moment, so to speak, you can’t be expected to remember everything, so a doula can remind you of questions to ask your practitioner and things like that. They also attend lots of births so they recognize when certain things may be happening that parents don’t because they aren’t in delivery rooms multiple times a year.

We actually have co-doulas due to some possible scheduling conflicts, but if everything goes well, we’ll have two doulas with us for the birth. Soon I’ll post more about things we’ve learned from our doulas in relation to helping get our baby in the right position for labor…stubborn Baby Floyd needed some help. More on that later.

One other thing we’ve found to be not necessarily essential to working towards our ideal labor and delivery but super helpful is taking our childbirth education classes privately, in our own home. I mentioned that Lisa is also a childbirth educator—she teaches at a local hospital, but she also does private classes. We have loved this option.

I originally looked for it because my Alabama friend who used a doula recommended I take classes outside the hospital since I wanted a natural delivery. I feel like I know so much more from having done private classes. We spend more time on the things Andrew and I need and want to know about while still covering all of the material related to birth. We don’t have to wait while others have their questions answered, and if something doesn’t make sense or we want to know more, it’s just us so there’s plenty of time.

The added bonus: it didn’t cost us anymore to take classes privately than it would have to take them through the hospitals in our area. I would highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of the kind of labor you want.

Before I close out this enormous post, I will say that just because I want a natural birth with zero interventions doesn’t mean I think it’s the right way to go for everyone. I do think it’s important to educate yourself on these things regardless of what you want—you wouldn’t buy a house without an inspection or send your child to a new school district without checking it out, why deliver a baby without knowing all the possible things that could happen?

I do think our country has gone down the wrong road in several ways regarding childbirth, but I also know there are appropriate and needed uses for all of the things I don’t want in my delivery. In addition to mentally preparing for the birth I want, I’m mentally preparing for that to go wrong because no one can predict what will happen once labor starts. I don’t want anyone to break my water, but if all other options have been exhausted and it has to happen, it has to happen. The same for other interventions.

As Andrew continually reminds me: the goal is for mom and baby to come home. Period. 

Placenta: the other…red…meat?

WARNING: If you are squeamish, this might not be for you. If you are squeamish but intrigued, continue reading at your own risk. I can assure you there will be no pictures in this post, if that helps you make a decision!

A few months ago I stumbled upon a blog from this very put-together-looking woman. She wrote about being a stay-at-home mom and things like that. (If I had bookmarked the blog I’d share it with you, but I didn’t.) Anyway, attractive blonde with modern hairstyle who gave birth to adorable blonde daughter wearing equally adorable outfits (pretty sure they were Southern by the ruffles and bows) suddenly shocked me when searching her posts I found one about her wanting to eat her placenta!

If you don’t know what a placenta is, open a new tab and do a Google search. I can’t spell everything out!

I read these back when I was still semi-nauseated (i.e. second trimester; the first was super-nauseating), and I also happened to be eating lunch. I say that because I managed to research the subject pretty well without getting sick—go me!

Back to crazy placenta woman: she came home from the hospital with her husband, daughter and her placenta in a bag that promptly went into her freezer. She had been saving it to one day cook and eat it. Apparently, she found a friend who also wanted to do this with her, and they were going to dine on their endocrine organs together.

I never figured out what recipe she chose or if/when she finally went through with it. I was so intrigued (and yes, a bit grossed out) by the thought of this that I began Googling anything I could find on the subject. First I read a column from TIME by a man whose wife also took her placenta home from the hospital, but rather than eat it, she had it encapsulated—she took it in pills. You can read it here.

After discovering some people eat it and some people take it in pills, I had to know more. I’ll sum up my initial findings in list form:

1. Women do this as a way to help avoid postpartum depression, a mood disorder that affects some women following delivery. Many women experience the “baby blues” that can last for about two weeks, but postpartum depression continues and is more severe.

2. There are four ways I found people use placenta: they plant it under a tree, they make a print of it as art (it resembles a tree; the umbilical cord is the trunk), they (or someone trained in this) cook it and eat it or they hire someone to encapsulate it.

3. There is little to no medical evidence to show that this actually does anything at all for women in the postpartum period, only anecdotal evidence.

4. My initial reading also informed me women should consume only their own placenta…as if I would be so inclined to do this with another woman’s organ.

The curiosity continues…

I couldn’t help myself. I kept reading. I found someone in the valley (where I live is called the Pioneer Valley by the way) who specializes in this. Turns out, she holds informational sessions about placenta encapsulation, so of course I planned to go!

I took my supportive, non-pregnant friend Kristin with me, and to keep this from being super lengthy and super gross, I’ll once again sum up our findings in list form. Then I’ll give you my final thoughts on this crazy practice.

1. This whole seemingly crazy thing comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is why it hasn’t really been studied in the West…yet. There are lots of alternative therapies that come from TCM, and many are growing in popularity in Western culture. In talking with my doula about placenta encapsulation, she said it wouldn’t surprise her to see studies on this practice in a few years as it continues to trickle into our society.

2. The benefits:

            - being an endocrine organ, the placenta regulates hormones and therefore contains hormones. During pregnancy, a woman’s hormones majorly increase (something like four times the normal amount), then plummet after delivery. Taking placenta pills, if you will, replenishes the body with needed hormones, possibly staving off any postpartum mood disorders.

            - the placenta contains prolactin, a hormone that stimulates milk production.

            - it can replenish iron in the body, supposedly needed due to blood loss during pregnancy. (I disagree with this point, but I’ll tell you why later.)

            - it provides an energy boost. Kristin and I think this is supposedly due to the minerals and hormones said to be found in the placenta.

3. Risks: none that are really known unless your placenta is infected, which should be known by the doctor/midwife, and they wouldn’t release it to you if so. By the way, if you ever wanted to do this, you need to make it known to everyone around you at the hospital that you want your placenta. Otherwise it’s labeled medical waste and thrown out. Some locations give it more freely than others.

4. In this workshop, we were told that there shouldn’t be any problem with consuming someone else’s placenta, though why would anyone want to? Apparently you can also order sheep placenta pills from some supplement websites, and they may also carry several of the same benefits.

5. The pills last, so if you really wanted you could save them for PMS/menopause.

6. There is actually an organization that trains people in this. It’s called PBi—Placenta Benefits.info.

One other humorous thing I learned, and only someone like me would ask this, is that all placentas have a similar smell. She couldn’t describe it to me other than say it’s sort of metallic-y due to the blood. Oh, and from most accounts I’ve read and listened to, the whole process is really sterile and not messy. People who encapsulate placentas use all their own equipment and do it in the mother’s home. The organ is cleaned, steamed, put in a dehydrator for a day, sliced, ground and put in capsules.

I’ve also read that you can hire people to cook your placenta if you choose to eat it. And yes, I’ve read several recipes—people do eat liver ya know.

So what are my thoughts on all this?

First, I haven’t read anything “bad” about it (except this article…I’m sure there are more stories out there like it, I just didn’t search further) so I’m not opposed to doing it. However, the $250 price tag on the particular service in my area will definitely keep me from doing it this go round. That and Andrew would never let me spend that much money on it. If it were 50 bucks or so, I might give it a shot!

Second, I said earlier that I disagreed with it replenishing iron after blood lost during pregnancy and the first weeks of postpartum. From my wonderful childbirth education classes taught by our doula, I learned that your blood volume increases 50% during pregnancy. Once you give birth, you don’t lose ALL of that blood at one time—your body couldn’t handle it. That extra blood slowly cycles out of you. This means you’re never below your normal blood volume level and therefore shouldn’t need the extra iron. Besides, GNC sells supplements for that!

Sadly, I will not be consuming my placenta following this pregnancy. I can’t say I wouldn’t ever do it, but I also don’t feel like the positive evidence overwhelmingly supports doing it. It’s not FDA-regulated (but then again, some things are FDA-approved that I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole), it costs money that I’d rather spend on a day at the spa (how’s that for postpartum pampering!) and there are several other ways to deal with the possibility of postpartum mood disorders. For instance, eating well, getting rest at every possible opportunity and taking advantage of a good support network are all ideal options.

I included a couple of links throughout this post, but this is one for the service near me. She also makes tinctures (research on your own) and has pictures of the art. Kristin’s blog-partner-in-crime Laura also sent me this article recently. I don’t watch Mad Men, but the fact that January Jones is currently consuming her placenta in capsule form may have more American women doing it. At least it could spur some medical research on the subject!

Things I never knew about pregnancy, part deux

If you didn't get a chance to read my first post on things I never knew about pregnancy, click here. If you did, I hope you were entertained! Without further ado, on to more things I've been learning...

Odd way of measurement

You may have noticed a few sarcastic Facebook status updates about the size of my baby or heard me talk about it. Lots of baby sites (babycenter.com, thebump.com, etc.) send you email updates each week telling you helpful and unhelpful information alike about where you are in your pregnancy. They generally start with telling you how much your baby weighs or how long it is, and they do so by giving you a fruit or vegetable to compare it to. For example, I'm 18 weeks, and my baby is as long as a bell pepper. Because that's informative. Ever think of having a whole bell pepper in your stomach? Me neither.

One day I posted something on Facebook about how I was a lime a week or two before but had moved on to a lemon and how that just seemed odd. Aren't those fruits really really similar? My friend Josh commented saying how funny it would be if we measured all things like that. Like going into the hardware store and asking for a shelf that is 10 apples long by 4 oranges wide or something.

While I realize the point is to help you connect with this thing growing inside of you, I can't help but laugh at the various emails. One week it was an apple--weight-wise at 2.5 ounces. Andrew was like, hmm...that must be a pretty small apple. That's no Granny Smith or anything. In the beginning I had a kumquat...never actually seen one of these in person so that was entertaining.

You also have to read what the comparison is for--either length or weight. Just because the baby is as long as a head of kale, doesn't mean it's as wide. Or if it weighs as much as a cantaloupe, that doesn't mean the baby is melon-shaped. I'm sure you're smart enough to know that, but when they send you a picture of a hot pepper, it's hard not to get fixated on that image. 

Hunger pains

I knew abut the nausea going into pregnancy, even that "morning sickness" is a misnomer, but I never knew about the excessive hunger. During my first trimester I was nauseated all day and also starving--at the exact same time! Eating was such a joy then!

Since about week 14 or 15 I've been feeling much better and no longer loathe all but five or so foods. But I still get really really hungry. Wicked hungry if you're from New England. It's sort of hard to satisfy that hunger because I run out of things to eat! I only want so many apples or bowls of cereal in a day, and eating extra helpings at dinner doesn't mean I won't be starving an hour later. I was hoping to learn this would get better, but in my week 18 email there was a note about how right now my appetite should be increasing...maybe they just didn't know how much it increased from the get go?? Doubtful.

Here today, gone tomorrow

Finally, I'll share with you the case of the disappearing baby bump. I alluded to it in my first post on things I've learned, but I said way too much about other things before I got to it. Like I said before, I'm not really showing yet. It's weird. I wake up in the morning, and there's not much to see. I go to bed at night, and wow, there's a baby in there! Wake up the next morning, and it's gone again. Andrew and I laugh about it, but I'm now at the point where I'd like a little consistency!

Some days I need to wear my bella band thing that allows me to wear my own jeans unbuttoned. Some days I don't. Or there are times when I don't need it in the morning, but you better you believe I need it at night. I'm really thankful I haven't had to buy maternity clothes yet (the list of must-haves to survive pregnancy on babycenter.com included several outfits that cost $300 and up...because I plan to buy my maternity clothes at Nordstrom), but since I keep expanding and...un-expanding...what happens if I wake up tomorrow and find the only clothes that will fit are my flannel pajama pants? Now that's gonna be a fun trip to Target. 

Things I never knew about pregnancy

There are quite a few things I never knew about being pregnant, and rightly so, as I've never been pregnant, nor walked through a pregnancy with a close friend or family member. I did know a lot though--but most of what I've researched in the last couple of years has been related to actual labor and delivery, so nothing that would be of much help in the majority of the pregnancy. And I recently found out I know way more than my husband. Again, rightly so, but I was somewhat shocked to learn that my husband had no idea what a C-section was and that he has never, ever changed a diaper. Never! I mean I can see that when I think about it, but I've changed hundreds of diapers in my life, so I was still shocked. I've tried to get him to change one since learning that, but he maintains he'll figure it out when our baby gets here. We'll so how well that works!

Because a lot of my friends who read this have never been pregnant, I figured a post of some of the things I have learned in the last few months would be helpful. Or at least humorous. So here we go:


Not quite the gestation period of an elephant
I'm betting if you ask most people how long a woman is pregnant, they will say nine months. (Maybe not most men, but I feel this is a fact many women have filed away in the inner recesses of their brains.) So nine months is how long you carry a baby for, right? Wrong.

For a lot of women it can actually be ten months. This is partly due to the math doctors and midwives use when confirming your pregnancy. I went to the doctor's office on Sept. 13. They asked me when the first day of my last period was, and I said Aug. 1 or 2. The nurse grabbed a little wheel, spun some things around and determined I was six weeks pregnant. If you know anything about a monthly cycle, you don't ovulate until somewhere between 10-18 days in. So there are roughly two weeks added to your gestation period when no baby was ever present! Now I realize this doesn't prolong any pregnancy symptoms since you hadn't conceived in that period, but still! It can really throw you off if you never knew that!

Then you have the pros tell you that the average woman delivers between 38 and 40 weeks. The World Health Organization says 37-42 weeks. What does that mean? It means if you deliver at 38 weeks, congratulations, you carried a baby for exactly nine months! (Remember, subtract roughly two weeks for that pre-conception period.) But if you go over 38 weeks, you go over nine months! Make it to 42 weeks (which rarely happens in our country, by the way) and you've carried a kid for ten months! Nowhere near the gestation period of an elephant--22 months--but still! It's not like there's anything we can do about it; I just feel like the general population should be re-educated to know that a typical pregnancy lasts longer than nine months, that's all.


Unsolicited information
So I'm not really showing yet. I'm supposedly 18 weeks today, and I seem to have a case of a disappearing baby bump (see more on that below). I know from friends with children that once it is readily apparent I'm pregnant, I will get more advice than I ever wanted to hear. And mainly horror stories at that. However, I do have one story I can share that I find pretty funny.

Before we told anyone we were expecting, I had to visit the podiatrist. Note: it's always a good idea to tell your doctors of any kind that you're pregnant. I told my dental hygienist, not thinking dentist appointments affect anything, but they do. You shouldn't have dental x-rays when you're pregnant. Good to know. Anyway, back to the podiatrist. I shared with her I was a few weeks pregnant, so I could no longer take the prescription I had been on for plantar warts. She then congratulates me and asks how I've been feeling. Typical reactions, especially when you're in your first trimester. But it gets better.

I tell her I've been horribly nauseated--24/7. Very little vomiting, but major nausea that never ends. Not bad enough to land me in the hospital because I wasn't dehydrated or unable to keep food down, but just bad enough to keep from doing anything productive. Stop for a moment and think how you would react. I expect many of you would say, "Oh gosh, that's terrible! I'm so sorry!" or something like that. Here's what I got: she proceeds to tell me that she loved being pregnant and felt great with all four of her kids. Really?! She then says, "And I gained about 66 pounds with each baby. It was great! I ate everything!"

I'll let that sink in. Sixty-six pounds?! Not only should you not gain that much weight, but why on earth would you share that story with me after I just told you I've been unable to eat much of anything!

Wait...what can I eat?
Speaking of eating, I went to lunch with my friend Sarah a few weeks ago. During that time I was telling her about the foods I'm not supposed to eat. Things like deli meat, fish with high mercury contents, crab meat, sushi, soft cheeses. Before being pregnant I pretty much knew not to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or do drugs. No brainers. But I had no idea the extent of things I can't eat or should rarely eat, as well as other things to stay away from. Deli meat is a huge thing--I've had nurses tell me none at all, but one of my midwives said, go ahead if it's been thoroughly cooked first and you trust the butcher. Subway? Nope. Local grocery store? After a few months, I'm giving that one a shot. I never thought I would actually want to eat ham sandwiches as much as I do.

Along with deli meats, no hot dogs. No undercooked meat. Man, do I want to eat a hot dog right now! It's not just because of the risk of listeria crossing the placenta, but it's also the nitrates or nitrites or whatever that are in hot dogs and other meats. And I like to eat steak cooked medium. That has to go out the window. I need to become a "well" sort of person now. Boo.

It gets even more complicated. While you have to limit caffeine (not really a problem for me, but I do drink Coke when I feel nauseated. You gotta do what works!) you also have to limit herbal teas or nix them completely. There are some that induce contractions, some that do other weird things. How the heck am I supposed to know? My midwive said, just call us and ask. Yep, I'll be sure to put you on speed dial so each time I enter a coffee shop I'll know what's okay or not. Think I'll be sticking to my hot chocolate, black tea and cider.

Speaking of cider--you can't have unpasteurized things. I had a sip of unpasteurized cider the day before I found this out. And for those of you who know Andrew and I drink raw milk from a farm, I have cut that out, though I really believe in this farm and feel I wouldn't have any problems if I continued.

Other than that, you can't sit in hot tubs, ride bikes, ski, stand on ladders, paint things, on and on and on. And many doctors will say no baths. My midwive just told me I'm fine to do that if I can stick my elbow in the water for 15 seconds. That means the temp is below 100 degrees and fine for bathing. But what if my elbow is just way tougher than yours??

Being pregnant can be complicated.

Because this post is getting long, I'm going to break it into two parts. Check back for the second installment including fun stories of measuring shelves with fruit (what?!) and the case of the disappearing baby bump that I promised.