It's 2015!! We're having a baby NEXT MONTH.
Surreal.
I've just been putting off writing these updates forever. It's literally been on my to-do list for the last twelve days, and I keep putting other stuff on top of it until it gets buried. Not even sure why, because I have plenty to talk about, and it's all exciting. Must just be pregnancy inertia. Isn't it great? I'm still freelancing for a couple of clients, but I've started to say no to stuff that'll start in March. Meanwhile, I can't seem to sleep before 12:30am - but I sleep promptly at that time daily, and then I get up at either 7:30, 8, or 9:30 depending on how much I have to get through the next day. Apart from waking up 3-4 times each night to change positions or visit the loo. I've learned to stop drinking glasses of water at about 8pm; instead fitting in 3 to 4 liters between 10am and 8pm.
Surreal.
I've just been putting off writing these updates forever. It's literally been on my to-do list for the last twelve days, and I keep putting other stuff on top of it until it gets buried. Not even sure why, because I have plenty to talk about, and it's all exciting. Must just be pregnancy inertia. Isn't it great? I'm still freelancing for a couple of clients, but I've started to say no to stuff that'll start in March. Meanwhile, I can't seem to sleep before 12:30am - but I sleep promptly at that time daily, and then I get up at either 7:30, 8, or 9:30 depending on how much I have to get through the next day. Apart from waking up 3-4 times each night to change positions or visit the loo. I've learned to stop drinking glasses of water at about 8pm; instead fitting in 3 to 4 liters between 10am and 8pm.
Anyway, coming down to weeks 33 & 34. I've mentioned this before, multiple times, but Indians, especially from an older generation, are as weird about pregnancy as about everything else. You get married, and literally the next day, they perform a ritual asking for fertility for you. Then, you're badgered about when you're having a baby. Constantly. Then you get pregnant, and you expect them to be excited - but no, they'd like you to hide it for as long as possible, not take any scans ("They just make you worry!"), and not do anything that would jinx it, ie: shop for a crib or do up a nursery or buy diapers.
Uhm. Right.
My response to this ranges from being amused, to being outraged, to being, actually, quite hurt. It sucks when you show the first 4D picture of your child to their to-be grandparents... and their response is to caution you not to show it to anyone else.
All of which is to say that I calendared week 33 as the week when I'd indulge myself and show off my pregnancy. We had a Christmas maternity shoot done at the hospital on Xmas Eve... cheesy poses galore; more posing, in fact, than we did at our wedding. And it was a bit awks posing with other couples watching and waiting their turn. But oh well. At least we'll have pregnancy photos now. And, I think it's the only time I've worn clothes that emphasized my bump in the last eight months. That felt ridiculously empowering, compared to the long, loose, flowy stuff I wear otherwise.
Later that week, I participated in - don't laugh - a pregnancy fashion show. I thought this was a great idea, especially in India. A bunch of co-sponsors, including a cord blood banking place, a hospital, a maternity clothing store, and a child magazine came together to sponsor a walk celebrating pregnant women. We each got styled in three lovely outfits, and walked the ramp, answering general questions about pregnancy. It was so great meeting other pregnant women (most of my friends aren't even married yet), and being fussed over by the team.
Oh, and I won Miss Fit & Active, as well as... the overall title. Meet Miss Supermom :D
That's hilarious to me, because I generally trip over my own feet at least five times daily. Yet, at eight months pregnant, I can walk in heels! On a ramp! And win a fashion show! Too funny. I won us a newborn photo shoot, my pick of maternity clothes, a whole bunch of baby goods, and, my favourite - a suite upgrade at the hospital worth a lakh! I'm going to go pick out the clothes today. I'm still debating on maternity jeans. They look so great on me... but I'll only use them for ahout two months (I still fit in my regular jeans, but it's getting slightly harder), so should I even bother? We'll see.
This was also the week when I got over my gas stove fears and started cooking for real, instead of relying on the microwave + rice cooker just because I'm used to cooking with electricity. The stove & I aren't yet best friends - but I'll admit it makes better, faster rotis than any induction stove ever could.
Week 34. Inertia set in with a vengeance. My to-do list has had the same items on it for a week now. They involve fun stuff like some DIY projects for the nursery, so I'm not sure why I don't get around to them - especially considering I still have the energy to cook and clean the house every day. It's been a struggle finding the motivation to power walk, and my stomach's been hardening when I walk too fast. Not to mention lightning crotch - yowza.
But I powered through, and this week, we finally got down to talking through the birth plan too. Well, my husband and I did. The doctor and I will talk about it today, since A can't make it to the appointment. But the good thing is, there were no shockers - we're generally agreed on all the essentials - we don't want mirrors, we don't want to touch the baby's head as it comes out, we don't want to look at the placenta - we're crunchy, not crazy. We'd rather not push our luck on the squeamish front.
More importantly, we agree that the best policy is to see what happens and then listen to our doctor, who isn't usually dramatic or interventionary. I did list my ideal-world hierarchy for pain relief options just in case I'm too hysterical during labour to be coherent. But overall, I trust my husband and I trust my doctor. We should be okay.
We've also started consciously spending more date time together, evaluating places where we could potentially run off to for a quick hour or two after the baby comes (my mum will stay with us for at least a month, and his mum's offered to come around too. We'd like to learn to trust them to watch the baby for an hour or two between feedings - we'd like to share, and not over coddle or be selfish with the baby. We'll see how that goes). We checked out a coffee shop on New Year's Eve, and I've been going to different places with my girl friends, or in a group with his friends. Fun times.
I don't know if it's New Year's or what, but I just want to eat cake all the time. I don't, obviously. But I'd so like to. Being disciplined about food sucks. Then again, that's what gets you crowned Miss Fit & Active, I suppose. Not to mention a hopefully healthy baby. I also got some great news... I get to keep our family heirloom crib!! Everyone on my mom's side of the family has slept in that crib for over two generations. I've had the hardest time imagining our baby sleeping anywhere else. My cousin's having a baby at the same time, albeit in the US, but since she's older, I wanted her to have dibs. I was going to ask a carpenter to design a new one from scratch because the plastic ones seem so.. not right.. to me. So getting to just keep that one is an amazing, amazing gift. Now to figure out how to transport it over.
We've also started consciously spending more date time together, evaluating places where we could potentially run off to for a quick hour or two after the baby comes (my mum will stay with us for at least a month, and his mum's offered to come around too. We'd like to learn to trust them to watch the baby for an hour or two between feedings - we'd like to share, and not over coddle or be selfish with the baby. We'll see how that goes). We checked out a coffee shop on New Year's Eve, and I've been going to different places with my girl friends, or in a group with his friends. Fun times.
I don't know if it's New Year's or what, but I just want to eat cake all the time. I don't, obviously. But I'd so like to. Being disciplined about food sucks. Then again, that's what gets you crowned Miss Fit & Active, I suppose. Not to mention a hopefully healthy baby. I also got some great news... I get to keep our family heirloom crib!! Everyone on my mom's side of the family has slept in that crib for over two generations. I've had the hardest time imagining our baby sleeping anywhere else. My cousin's having a baby at the same time, albeit in the US, but since she's older, I wanted her to have dibs. I was going to ask a carpenter to design a new one from scratch because the plastic ones seem so.. not right.. to me. So getting to just keep that one is an amazing, amazing gift. Now to figure out how to transport it over.
Next week: perineal massages, hospital bag prep, and nursery prep (provided I don't keep pushing it down the to-do list again)!
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