Au Naturale

January has literally flown past me like I was sitting in a Lazy Boy on the side of the interstate!  Our day to day lives have kept this momma busy but, to be honest, their lack of blogosphere worthy excitement has held me back from updating.  This pregnancy gig has been good to me though, and I can honestly say that I've been feeling great...even better than usual.  But really why wouldn't I, with the excitement of what's to come in just five months after thinking it would never happen for almost eight years?!  So for a somewhat quick update on current events of the latest Everhart, you can continue reading. 

As you know, I tend to lean a little to the crunchy side of things, so having a baby for the first time has been no different.  Even before I did any reading and fact finding, I knew that I wanted to go natural.  That is, no induction, epidural, or episiotomy (along with a myriad of other things I've added to the list since).  Because if my Grandmother did it three times and my Mamaw did it eight (once on my current dining room table), why couldn't I?   I have always been amazed at how God made a women's body, with few exceptions, to be able to grow and give birth to another human.  Anatomically, hormonally, and psychologically.  It's one of the frustrations of infertility...thinking that your body has failed you of this one God created function.  So given the opportunity, I knew I didn't want to interfere with nature if I didn't have to. 

It only took a few trips to my OBGYN to realize that this birth in a hospital route was probably not for me.  I LOVE my doctor, but it was pretty evident that he and I had some differing opinions on the female body, it's capabilities in childbirth, and what was "healthy" for me and baby.  Not to mention what restrictions hospital protocol would require and the crazy rising rate of cesarean section.  So a few months ago, I started doing my research (and dragging along my poor husband).  The more we learned about actual facts, statistics, and history (not just hearsay and perception) the more confident we became about looking at midwives in our area.  Then we watched that dern Ricki Lake movie about hospitals and midwives and procedures and medical interventions, and the nail was in the coffin so to speak.  At my following appointment, I gave my doctor my "it's not you, it's me" spiel and to my relief he gave me an encouraging "go for it".  So a week later we were stuffed with twelve other couples in the sitting room of a 100+ year old Victorian turned birthing center hearing all about childbirth without medication, birthing tubs, and Dad catching the baby.  Pretty much a one-eighty from the previous week and completely refreshing.  You know when you get that comfortable feeling like you're in the right place at just the right time?  I had prayed for peace in what decisions we needed to make, and I really feel like God answered.  For the first time since October, I was 100% excited and fully trusting in whatever the plan was ahead of us.

Our first appointment at the Birth & Women's Center was yesterday and everything is looking great thus far.  It was a stark contrast from my OB appointments as we arrived and were one of two couples at the center.  The office manager showed me the normal routine of testing my own urine, weighing myself, and having a seat on the comfy sofa in the "exam" room that really looked like a living room with walls dotted by the footprints of babies born before ours.  We heard the heart beat (which Jordan calls a construction site) and visited like old friends with our midwife about our journey to becoming parents, foster care, our boys and the excitement of this new adventure.  At my OB's office, I was preparing for a 20 week sono; routine procedure.  Here we were given the option, which now we have decided to forgo.  We had hoped to know the sex of the baby before, but I really couldn't rationalize for myself having a sonogram for that sole purpose when I am not sold on the other arguments for having one.  So it looks as though we will be surprised...something I'm getting used to these days!  I've been feeling the so called "fluttering" in my stomach for a few weeks, but Sunday while singing at church, I got some hard thuds.  Not sure if baby was dancing along or giving a warning that I was out of key!

So Jordan and I will keep arguing over boy names, we'll start our Bradley birth classes this Saturday, and all that weight I lost will continue to be joyfully reintroduced to my front side (and hopefully it will not venture to any other places).  Will I have the fuzzy, dreamlike birth I envision?  Probably not.  But I can't help but guess that it will be a life changing event no matter the experience!