MaternityShare

For a few days now Will has been almost smiling. People told me that I will “know” when it is a full on smile and not just about gas.

Well, today he smiled for sure! Such a big grin and so much like his daddy! :D

I was giddy, so happy to be there with him, watching him in his delight.

We were at my OB/GYN for my “2 month visit” when it happened. He was so alert and was checking out all the things on the walls, all of the shadows and lights. So much stimulus. We were at the doctor’s office for about three hours. First there was the wait, then I talked with my doctor, then she sent in a case worker to help me work through some of the things I am going through, then the doctor came back to examine me. When the doctor stepped out to let me don my paper examination skirt I had to put will in the stroller. (I had been holding him the entire visit and nursing him up until that point.) So there we were looking at each other (well mostly I watched him look around at stuff) when all of the sudden BOOM! Will is a smiling little boy cooing away. I scrambled for the camera and fired of shots of my cute little boy with his wide toothless grin.

He had such a good day! And so did I. We both felt very loved and supported.

I just drafted out a birthing plan using a customizable form on at justmommies.com. It helped in getting my brain storming and asking questions. I have more to learn about all the options and what they mean and what alternatives there are. Then, I have to find out if the doctors will allow my wishes to be carried out. I had interviewed one of the two nurse-midwifes at my OB/GYN’s office last month but I believe that while I am still considered in a “high risk pregnancy” that one of the three doctors at my OB/GYN’s office (whoever is on call that day) will attend the delivery.

I am considering having a doula (labor assistant) present but I have much to learn about that as well. It was suggested to me by Jane Austin, a well respected yoga teacher and child birth educator as well as an ex-doula and ex-midwife, that I hire a doula (labor assistant) if I could not hire my number one preference: a home birth midwife. There has been research that shows having a doula present increases the chances of a healthy birth that has less complications and invasive techniques used like cesarean section, forceps delivery, or episiotomy.