Terra’s Ramblings and Thanks!

I went to a labor and pain relief workshop today, organized by my midwife unit. Being there made me so glad to have been involved with the helpful group of women at yoga class who have a positive and natural attitude toward birth! If today’s workshop had been the only one I had attended about labor I would have come home completely worried! There was no attention to different positions or using gravity to help you in labor, very little about breathing, and everything was framed in such negative wording. I actually feel bad for some of the women there today who are clearly terrified of birthing – this class clearly did not help them feel equipped to handle the experience.

The attitude of the group, overall, was confounding. Some people were so pessimistic about pregnancy. The midwife asked us to go around the room and introduce ourselves and say one thing we had enjoyed or not enjoyed about being pregnant. Some women said the best thing about being pregnant was being able to eat whatever they wanted and not worry about weight gain! Others said the best part was that all of the sudden they had a lot of attention from everyone, or that they could use being pregnant as an excuse to get others to do things for them. Husbands grumbled about their wives needing to get up too many times in the night or snoring and disturbing their sleep. I kept thinking, ‘people – get some perspective here – pregnancy is not about YOU! It’s an amazing experience all about bringing another person into the world! Get yourselves out of the way!’

People were clearly not comfortable hearing about certain parts of labor either – there was giggling, rolling of eyes…I felt like I was in a room full of 12 year olds (or rather back in middle school sex ed class!).

I didn’t really learn anything that I hadn’t already gotten from yoga class, having gone to the active birth class earlier this month, talking with other moms, being at Breanne’s delivery with Walker, talking to mother or my sister, who is expecting her second child in May.

This has all prompted me to say thanks, again, to everyone who has offered such wonderful advice and support about everything from birthing to diapering! Thanks especially to my sister-in-law, Breanne who allowed me to be present at the birth of her son, Walker! So many women I meet have never experienced a birth and I feel more comfortable going into this experience having witnessed the miracle before with you.

To my sister Kim, although I wasn’t able to be at your delivery, and I’ve never told you before, I learned a lot from your positive attitude with your pregnancy with Katrien. I remember visiting you and Mike the summer before Katrien was born and being so impressed at your energy. You never asked anyone to do things for you. When you needed a glass of water, you got up and got it yourself. You never treated pregnancy like a handicap – like so many others I meet. I know these examples may seem trivial, but they are the things I’ve remembered all through my pregnancy that have helped me stay positive.

And thanks, most of all to my loving husband, who isn’t afraid of body functions and human physiology! I know that sounds silly, but Jason has always been comfortable with communicating, sharing and doesn’t shy away from the unknown. He’s my constant cheerleader and is always telling me I can get through things when I think I’ve met the end of my endurance; whether that be in school or work and now as I begin to prepare for bringing our child into the world.

Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I have really loved being pregnant and honestly am looking forward to doing it again soon! That’s not to say that I haven’t had difficult days, moments of insanity (particularly pre-placenta stage) or haven’t experienced discomfort over the last nine months, but keeping a positive attitude has been a saving grace for me!

Finally, to my pregnant lady friends, and those who are trying to start their families, just remember that attitude plays a huge part in how you experience pregnancy. Enjoy the experience, revel in the changes of your body, embrace what nature is capable of, and take care of yourself – mentally and physically.

As the days dwindle away and the baby’s delivery approaches, keep sending those positive thoughts, prayers, love and energy our way. We look forward to sharing the news with you once Tigran or Anush arrives!