It's official

I'm still pregnant! I am now officially, and will continue to be, the most pregnant I have ever been. By 2:00pm the day before my due date I was holding my sweet Veronika in my arms. I guess Natalia wants to be different. She's still holding off on deciding to come. Every day I wake up thinking "today would be a good day to have a baby" and then nothing happens. I really hope Natalia doesn't decide to wait too long! I'm getting really anxious to meet and hold her!!

This last month of pregnancy has been really hard. I've been so tired and sore every day. It seems that no matter what I do I can't relieve my back or lower abdomen. All of the normal aches and pains associated with pregnancy. This time it is a little harder to deal with though because I have a sweet little 17 month old that I get to take care of and hold. Not to mention I skipped being big and pregnant during the hottest months the first time around! I love every minute of being pregnant, don't get me wrong. But the love is a very unique kind of love. I love the connection I have with my unborn daughter, and I just LOVE being able to feel her inside of me. However, my arms are starting to ache to hold this sweet baby girl! Natalia please decide to come soon! Mommy wants to hold you and love you and kiss you and cuddle you!

The waiting game...

I'm now officially 38 weeks pregnant! My due date is two weeks from yesterday and I am so ready to have this little girl! I can definitely feel my body changing...getting ready to have this baby. I just hope she comes soon because I'm ready to be done, but more importantly I'm ready to hold my little girl in my arms!! I'm excited to have another baby! :) My baby isn't much of a baby any more...she's a toddler that's for sure! My mother-in-law has had me on this herbal blend for the last couple of weeks. It's supposed to help my body move things along, especially the Braxton-hicks contractions. It's supposed to make them come more frequently and help them to actually start the dilation and effacement.  In theory I'll have a shorter labor because I won't be starting from nothing. I hope it's true! Speaking of labor, in preparation I got a book, HypnoBirthing, by Marie Mongan. My mother-in-law suggested it because it has some good relaxation techniques. Well I got it and read it quite quickly! I loved it! It reinforced my own personal thoughts and feelings about natural births. My philosophy: my body was made to bear children so why do I need medical intervention, such as epidurals? I have nothing against epidurals or those who chose to get them, I just feel that I can go through labor and delivery without them, and I have once already. The book takes it a step further though and says that there is no reason pain should be associated with childbirth (not sure I completely agree with this...your body is going through a lot of work and change to have a baby. Anytime you work hard you end up with some degree of pain). While I agree with a lot of what the book presents I don't agree completely with some things. For one, I don't think the method should be labeled HypnoBirthing...it throws a lot of people off, it's more deep relaxation than hypnosis. It is still a great book and a great resource to have for my future pregnancies. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to  try a fully natural birth.