I have decided to opt for a natural birth without any drugs (if possible) and the least medical intervention as possible. As my current OBGYN does not allow having a so called ‘doula’ or birth assistant/midwife present and does not accept birth plans I decided to switch during my last weeks of pregnancy to a new OBGYN. It’s crazy. I was lucky enough to find a doctor who does share my vision of a natural birth in a hospital environment and is willing to accept me as a new patient. In the US it is common that the OBGYN delivers the baby. The OBGYN does not show up until the very end. He/She also performs a c-section in case it is needed. I don’t know how they do it. Running a medical office on the side and in between rushing out to different hospitals to deliver babies whereas Midwifes are only allowed to perform home births.

In order to prepare myself for the upcoming pain my new OBGYN recommended Hypnobirthing. It’s a kind of self hypnosis that trains the mother to be in relaxation and breathing techniques. I decided to opt for Hypnobabies, a slight deviation from the Hypnobirthing technique. After reading a lot about it I really want to give it a try. Many women who have applied these techniques have almost had pain free deliveries without any drug intervention. I hope I have enough time to study the material as I am already pretty late in getting it. The course is usually stretched over several weeks….Aie aie aie…

A few days ago I went to my OBGYN for another visit. For some reason she and the doctor at the ultrasound office are like 2 weeks off when it comes to determining the due date of our baby. My OBGYN has determined that it would be September 27th! Oh my…that is only a few more weeks away. I can’t wait.

I have been struggling lately with edema in my hands and feet, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, sleepless nights and other things. But I know that in the end it is all worth it.  Our little girl is about 4lbs and 5 ounces heavy. She seems to be a strong baby. I can’t wait to take her on a stroll with us or just to hold her in my arms. It’s just soo amazing!!!

…the hell out of me. When I woke up this morning, I immediately noticed that something was different. I felt my slowly growing belly and noticed no movement whatsoever. I turned to the side. No movement. I got up, started to walk around like a mad woman. No movement. I climbed up and down the stairs and moved my belly a bit. Still no movement. This is when I started to despair. I ran into the kitchen, grabbed a joghurt and some cereal and started to have some breakfast. After another long 15 minutes, I was lying down on the sofa, I finally felt a relieving ‘kick’ and a little movement. Ohhhh…That was probably the best feeling ever during my so far whole entire pregnancy. I read on the net, that you should be drinking OJ or some kind of sugary drink and then lay down. It’s mostly due to the fact that at this stage of the pregnancy, the baby is running out of space and is getting lazy in moving around so much. I will start a kick counting sheet now. This is usually recommended at this stage to make sure that the baby is okay. You will count the baby’s kick in the morning and in the evening. She is supposed to move at least 10 times during 2 hours. It is a way of keeping track of the baby’s well being and monitor possible fetal distress or any kind of problem.