28 Weeks

How time has flown. I can barely believe I'm 28 weeks alsong already. Monkey is going to be here all too soon. Of course we are so excited to meet him and start our life as a family of three, but there is still so much to do! I need these next 2,5 months to feel more prepared for birth, to exercise more, to read more books, prepare the nursery. At this point Monkey has a pair of shoes (for around age 1); a bib; and an adorable blue and white spotted elephant I couldn't resist at Be By Baby. We're going to need to order that crib furniture soon - although we'll have him in the room with us the first few months.

Earlier this week they took my blood for the glucose screening test. This is the one where they check to see if you're at risk for gestational diabetes. Personally I think it's a bit of a crock anyway, as very many results for GD are false positives and it gives far too many people impetus for unnecessary c-sections. But I am still hoping my results are good so that I don't have to maneuvre my way through that one.

However there is still a possibility that Monkey is a big boy. I am carrying on the large side, but this could mean any number of things. Something that has been very frustrating to me during pregnancy is people exclaiming that 'wow, you're big! are you sure you're not carrying twins?' And when I say that I'm not, they delight in telling me that the baby is going to be really really large.

This is frustrating to me because a) it's insensitive - how do you think a woman feels when you say that? And b) we don't expect women to be the same size when she's not pregnant, why should all women carry the same way when they ARE pregnant? And a bigger belly doesn't necessarily mean a bigger baby, so if someone is feeling nervous about the birth in the first place, this is not a helpful comment in the least.

One thing I have been learning over and over from classes and reading, is that the mind/body relationship is crucial during labor - if I'm fearful or doubtful of my body's ability to deliver, this can manifest physically. Not to say things will go perfectly if you just 'believe', but it really helps to have a confident, relaxed attitude, and encouraging labor support.