Catch-up

Had our first Doctor's appointment on April 21st, and met with Dr. F.

He took a sample for a PAP smear, a breast exam, and I had to pee in a cup and take my weight.

I bought a Binsi Birth Skirt, to be worn at future doctor's appointments and for birth. I cannot tell you how awkward it is to get undressed, and told to wrap up with a large (but not large enough) paper rectangle and put on the huge scratchy paper "vest," with the opening in the front. The rectangle barely went all the way around my body as I sat down on the table waiting for my exam....so I strategically positioned the "back" of the rectangle away from the door, to avoid mooning passers-by when the doctor came in. I am praying that with the Binsi Skirt, that I will feel much more "normal" and covered even when I am waiting to be poked and prodded by the doctor.

At the appointment, Dr. F told me that I could continue riding my horse until around 18-20 weeks gestation. This was quite surprising to me, but a welcome surprise. Oddly enough, however, I haven't been riding hardly at all, since I know the risk of riding while pregnant is the falling off, and it has been very windy here lately, and my horse hates wind (like many horses do).

Also oddly enough, I was told that it was a good idea to start weaning Cora, preferably by 16 weeks (the appointment was at 12 weeks). What?!? I have to wean my daughter? Riding horses is "safer" than breastfeeding my firstborn?? The idea behind this is that "nipple stimulation"causes uterine contractions (so small that if it does cause them, I never felt them) which can cause pre-term labor. Hmm, okay, maybe - but I also understand that orgasms cause uterine contractions, and I'm not told to stop having those! Something is amiss here, either in the culture at large that has breastfeeding as a kind of taboo or in my logic. Babies were meant to be breastfed. My daughter does not have all of her teeth! So I am going with that my logic is okay, it's just a weird culture thing that thinks it's "weird" for older babies to nurse.

I (we) decided we would continue with our plan, of allowing Cora to decide when she's finished nursing. She'd seriously been backing off, nursing only once or twice/day, and even then not "complete" feedings. Coincidentally, that very evening was the first night she refused to nurse to sleep, and actually only nursed once the rest of that week. My 16 month old is "officially" weaned. I'm glad she was able to let us know when she didn't need to nurse any longer, and that we didn't force the decision on her.

This week I have stopped having to wake up before the alarm to pee. For the last 3 months my bladder had had enough pressure on it that I was unable to make it all the way through the night - I was almost always up and peeing around the 4 o'clock hour. I've also had more energy. They say the 2nd trimester is the best/easiest - and in small ways it is easier for me....but then the first trimester really wasn't all that bad, either.

This post is titled "catch-up" because I have not posted here in a while because of being seemingly quite busy. It is nice to know that even if I am busy, God is taking care of making sure that this unseen life within continues growing and flourishing without me even having to think about it. Praise God!