"Before Your Pregnancy" & Midwife Thoughts

We started reading this book tonight. It's over 500 pages.

"Before Your Pregnancy...A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception"

We're just going to read 10 pages a night.

Tonight, I read aloud and tomorrow night Matt will. It was kind of fun to be cuddled up on the couch learning about everything together. Just when I think I know all there is to know about this, I learn something new.

We scheduled our PreConception Appointment for Tuesday morning to meet a Midwife (CNM) at our  brand new hospital. I am so excited to meet her and see if we like her enough for her to be our doctor. We're going to work on creating our first list of interview questions for her this weekend. I want to meet with a Midwife first because I feel I will do better with the more personal experience they give you instead of your doctor who just checks in on you and then is there for the "finale". I feel blessed that our city has a new hospital and that they have built a beautiful birthing center there in the hospital. If we do decide to go along with having the midwife, she can deliver our baby there in the hospital in our birthing suite which all have soaker jacuzzi tubs. There are also two emergency rooms on the floor if need be. I feel like having a midwife will be great for me.

So on Tuesday, we go in for our first pre-conception counseling appointment with her where we can ask her any questions we want and she will start getting us on the right path to a healthy baby. Hopefully by doing all of this "pre" work, it won't take us long to actually get pregnant. (crossing my fingers daily). 

Tonight while reading together, we did an activity that was in the book asking what we thought are traits that a "good mother" and a "good father" should have. (we just picked three)

Matt: humor, patience, organization

Chelsea: patience, organization, nurturing

We were then asked to name our strengths and say how those apply to being "good parents".

Matt: 'Patience'...he's extremely patient and that is going to help us immensely in the beginning and throughout our children's lives.

Chelsea: 'Planning'... because it will help us to make sure our children have a good life and that our family is organized and that when our children are older I can help them plan for college and their futures. Matt shut it down and said that's a fault. I cried because my feelings were hurt. We started over (typical lol) and just kept reading.

(I hope I laugh at this when we read it back one day)

I know Matt is into this. Way more than most guys probably are. But, I'm already super emotional about it and am crying easier than I normally do to comments made about me being a mom or things that are important to me about pregnancy and our children's lives. Matt likes to be funny. Sometimes I can laugh, but not every time. 

Ex. "Matt, I really want us to try cloth diapers"..."Ha! We'll see how long that lasts!"

Result...me crying. (Not in an over-dramatic usual way, but just sad). And Matt hugging me while still kind of laughing saying, "honey, I'm sorry..I didn't mean to make you cry"

I am not even pregnant yet and am super weird lately. I have a feeling that a lot of the reason that women are so emotional while they are pregnant is because of the amount of love and concern they have towards their child inside of them. I already feel love towards them and they are nonexistent. The closer we are to starting to try, the more touchy and sensitive I get on the subject. 

Oh boy....... 

Getting Healthy

I've been a reading machine this weekend! 

It's so nice that our "weekend" is Thursday-Sunday every week.

I have had a lot of time to get down to business reading my pre-pregnancy books.

Matt even skimmed through them a bit too the other night. 

The ones currently on my night stand are:

*Get Ready to Get Pregnant (reading first)

*Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception

*What to Expect Before You're Expecting 

I have already learned so much! 

This is our last no-worries weekend with food and treats. From here on out, I will be doing everything I can go eat healthier. Matt's along for the ride too. We read all about what Dad's need to do to prepare those little swimmers lol and him getting healthier is super important! I need to focus on eating healthier and lowing my stress and anxiety. Yoga, here I come! 

Today we went to downtown Seattle and had a good time together :)

We went into Gap and looked at the maternity clothes and baby section. Matt thought the pants in there were so funny. He said, "Why don't you stick to dresses" Ha. I'm glad that with my job, I rarely wear jeans as it is. Leggings and tanks for me everyday anyways.

Our New Health Schedule:

MONDAYS

Matt: Gym 10am 

Chelsea: Yoga 7:45pm

TUESDAYS

Together: 8:00pm

WEDNESDAYS

Matt: Gym 10am

Chelsea: Yoga 7:45pm

THURSDAYS

Rest

FRIDAYS

Matt: Gym 10am

Chelsea: Yoga @ Noon

SATURDAYS

Matt: Gym 11am

SUNDAYS

Rest

Add all my dancing on top of that too. I want to have all that yoga to start prepping my body mentally for pregnancy and labor/delivery. That is going to be my biggest challenge. I stress way too easily. I also get super anxious about stuff and psych myself out. This is where Matt would tell you our "Tower of Terror" stories...oh boy.

I'm excited for this fresh start tomorrow. I have my new yoga mat and I'm ready to go!

-Chelsea-

This Is Really Happening!

We recently returned from a 4-day trip to the coast. We had an amazing time together and on that trip, decided that at the end of this summer, we will start trying to have a baby. We've decided to not necessarily "try" but we're going to stop "trying not to" have a baby. In my pre-teen years I watched my mom and dad go through a lot of fertility problems. I remember her taking her temperature and charting it. I remember how sad she would be when she had miscarriages. 

I'm doing all I can to not stress. I want to make sure that we know exactly what we are getting into while on this journey. The journey has really already began. It's so exciting! I started taking pre-natal vitamins on April 24th, 2012. 

I am keeping this blog a secret from family and friends until after we are pregnant and announce to everyone. After that, I will share with them as well. I know everyone is going to already start expecting us to get pregnant soon. One First Anniversary is on September 2, 2012. July will be my last pill pack. This is all so exciting! I have wanted to be a mom since...forever. 

Things are going really well with us and we feel like we are definitely ready.

I own a dance studio and we will be opening our brand new location this June and Matt is working hard in school to get his degree. While Matt is finishing school he'll get to be a Stay-at-Home Dad and we are both really happy about that. With my schedule, and owning my own business, Matt and our baby will be at the studio with me everyday and we can all hang out there during the days together. We couldn't be happier or feel more blessed that we will both get to experience this journey together. 

I have a lot of experience with babies and children. I have three siblings that were born when I was 12, 14 & 15. I took care of them a lot! I also nannied for 4 children for a year and a half when we moved to Seattle and then nannied for 4 other families part-time since then. As far as diapers, bottles, and feeding goes...I feel pretty ready. Nannying is not being a mom though. Nothing even close. 

I can't wait to learn so much more while we are preparing for this! I'm nervous about a lot of things that I've never done before....

*being pregnant

*labor & delivery (terrified)

*breast feeding / pumping

*being in charge of sleep schedules

*bath times

*waking up in the middle of the night (I'm going to suck at that...good thing Matt's up for it!--again, blessed!)

*making every single decision for their lives...

*just everything!

I'm so so excited :) I can't say that enough. I have been wanting this for so long and to hear Matt tell me during dinner while we were in Seabrook, that he is ready to be a Dad was the best thing I've ever heard. I was completely surprised by him bringing it up and of course, cried. (I always cry). 

I hope that from this blog, we will be able to document this journey that we can one day read to our children. I've already been doing so much to prepare for their lives. I want our children to have the best lives possible. I already love them so so much and they're still just a dream. 

I started a journal, but was bummed that I couldn't put pictures with it when I wanted.

This blog will also hopefully help anyone else out there learning along with me.

I'll do posts on different products and things I learn from books I've been buying.

I really hope this works and stays secret :) Some of my family members are super good at Googling lol.

I didn't use my name for that purpose. We'll see.....

Just 85 days until I am free from "The Pill"!

--CKL--