Natural Birth...Natural Pregnancy.

I've grown up hearing the birth and postpartum stories of my mother, her mother and more recently, my sister. Natural birth is highly revered among my family and I've always dreamed of having a natural birth with my own children someday. Of course, birth is unpredictable and cannot be planned rigidly, but having a goal is a positive thing and to that end I've purchased many books and DVDs and will start prenatal yoga in week 16.

So far, my favorite pregnancy book is The Official Lamaze Guide. Lamaze isn't just about breathing techniques anymore, it's about gaining confidence and learning to trust your body throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. 

image from lamaze.org

As I read more and more of the book, I've come to understand how important it is to gain confidence throughout pregnancy and how much the approach and schedule of prenatal care can affect that. To be honest, after our "end of first trimester scan" I was so relieved I felt a major letdown of stress I had been shouldering. It was a shock to my system and I and came down with a nasty stomach virus a few days later. The period leading up to "the scan" wasn't any better. I didn't sleep a wink the night before because I was so afraid. I had no idea what I would do if the doctor were to tell me the baby showed signs of Down syndrome, or that there were a limb missing or a heart problem, or no heartbeat at all! I was terrified.

Initially, I was euphoric with relief following the scan. Then I started dreading the next check, or as it seemed to me, hunt for problems. Worrying that much made the pregnancy less enjoyable. I felt I should restrain my joy and happiness in case something went wrong. I didn't even feel like posting on this blog anymore. There's something not right about that.

Looking through (and translating) the rest of my doctor's prenatal control schedule, I realized there are many, many more ultrasounds scheduled, a vaginal exam in week 27 and a cervical ultrasound to assess risk for early delivery around the same time. For someone as young as I am and in excellent health, it seems absolutely unnecessary to do all that. As much as I enjoyed seeing the baby on the ultrasounds, it is a fact that the safety of ultrasounds hasn't been proven conclusively. And unless there is a serious medical indication, I can't see any reason to go prodding around inside a pregnant woman. That seems like asking for infection or early labor, not preventing it. 

When I changed doctors recently, I did so for a number of reasons. One reason was time. To get to the old doctor's office was 45 minutes each way on the train and tram. Now it's just a ten minute walk. But the main reason I switched doctors was because I wanted a natural birth. Now I am starting to think that the best way to have a natural birth is to have a natural pregnancy. I don't feel confident or in control when everything is external and reliant on some technology or test. Having such a medically managed pregnancy doesn't help me trust my body; it makes me feel my body needs help from technology. 

This week dad-to-be and I are visiting a midwife a friend recommended. It turns out that we can have the midwife and the doctor and at our appointment, the midwife will explain how we divide the check-ups between the two. I'm looking forward to learning more about this. I want to keep my doctor and deliver at Klinik Im Park so I can enjoy the five-star hotel treatment during the stay after the birth. Klinik Im Park is also less then 1 kilometer away from dad-to-be's workplace, so it really is ideal. I just need to find a way to make the process of pregnancy reflect my birth plan. The truth is that I do trust my body. I can feel the pregnancy progressing naturally and with ease. I can tell that the baby is so happy in there and that there is nothing wrong or to worry about. I feel good and unless there is some medical indication or I don't feel good, I don't see any reason to monitor beyond blood pressure, urine and listening to the baby's heartbeat. 

So, at my next appointment I'm going to tell the doctor I want a natural pregnancy and I'm going to explain why. I hope she will like that idea. 

Perfect Baby: First Trimester Complete!

Today we had the official end of first trimester scan and the doctor said, "Your baby looks perfect!" with a big smile on her face. It is so nice to know that it all looks good: the heart, the head and brain, the stomach and internal organs, the placenta, the limbs, the tiny hands and feet. 

The big reason for this week's scan was the Nuschal Translucency Screening (NTS). This is a measurement of the liquid at the back of the baby's neck, which is a very accurate indicator of Down Syndrome. I went into pregnancy knowing I didn't want any invasive testing. This test, which is done through a combination of the measurements taken during the ultrasound and a blood test, dad-to-be and I agreed would be okay. So, the doctor took the measurement several times during our ultrasound today. The measurement is supposed to be less than 2.5 millimeters. As you can see in the scan picture below, our baby's nuchal translucency measured 1.37 millimeters. Wonderful! I have no doubt that the blood test results will also be very favorable. I love the peace of mind.

While our baby is quick and likes to move around, the doctor did manage to get an amazing picture of his or her right hand. You can see all four fingers and the thumb! Just look in the upper right, above the head and you'll see the little "fingerprints." 

Other than that the baby was wriggling and squirming too much to be photographed, which is just fine with me. It's always miraculous to see the little heart beating and tiny legs kicking, not to mention mini hands waving. What a treat!

Sweet Tooth

photo from clippergirl.com

I've never had much of a sweet tooth and that is the absolute truth. I never have been a soda drinker and it was not uncommon for me not to finish my dessert, if I had any in the first place. So now that I'm pregnant and dreaming of digging into a banana split - all by myself - I'm shocked! 

It started a few weeks ago and I found myself eating a lot more chocolate than usual. Then I found myself wanting and thinking of all sorts of sweet things I never eat like ice cream, hard candies, licorice, juice, you name it. 

During my last visit to the doctor, she told me something I already knew: Don't eat too much sugar.  

Having heard it directly from her, it was time to cut back. But how much is too much? Is it okay to have a few squares of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream after dinner a few nights a week? Or is one dessert a week the limit? I go see the doctor tomorrow and I'm going to have to ask. Do fruits count as sugar? I think I could eat banana and raspberry soy milk smoothies all day. This is killing me! Why, when I've never cared about sugar before, is it the only thing I want yet can't have? 

Swiss Baby?

photo from marvinwatches.com

While we didn't think we would be expecting so soon after our arrival, when we decided to move here, we did so under the assumption that our first child would be born in Switzerland. When people heard this, a natural assumption that typically followed was that our baby would be SWISS! 

Fortunately, not so. 

While it's true that our baby will be born in Switzerland and will have a Swiss Birth Certificate, it will be an American baby with a blue passport.

The simple reason: Switzerland confers citizenship at birth by blood. This is very unlike the United States where babies have a birthright to citizenship. You can read all about Swiss citizenship here and American citizenship here. After a few lines of the Swiss citizenship requirements, it's quite clear that dad-to-be and I don't qualify because neither of us is a Swiss citizen. That is just fine with me. It's 100% true that we are not Swiss, so all things considered, why would we want our baby to be Swiss? We don't plan on living here long term. And when we go home, we want to take our American baby with us. No strings, or should I say, red tape, attached!  

If red tape and bureaucracy are really your thing, you can read all about American foreign births here. It's still a long time coming, but it makes me feel good to know we'll remain a true blue American family despite the foreign birth.

Tiny Dancer

Dad-to-be and I got to see our little baby doing flips, kicking like crazy and essentially having an in-utero dance party today. It was amazing! Even the doctor remarked, "Wow, that is one active little baby!" Then we got to hear the little bundle's heartbeat which was equally amazing.

I'm so excited about becoming a mother. The only regret I have is that I didn't start having children sooner. Tiny dancer's due date is three days before my birthday, so I'll most likely be 32 by the time he or she makes an appearance. While that's not old, it's not super young either. I know we're going to want at least one more, preferably two more children after this one. It's doable, but only just. Thank goodness we didn't wait any longer than we did! 

I feel so content, happy and joyful. It's only a slice of what I'll be feeling when I have that baby in my arms. I am living a miracle. Why in our modern society do we choose to prolong this immeasurable joy in lieu of careers, money and other things that really don't matter that much?

Morning Sickness

Well, I officially feel very pregnant now. This morning I experienced my first overpowering bout of morning sickness and, yes, it resulted in talking to Ralph on the big white phone. 

photo from highefficiencytoilets.org

When I woke up my stomach hurt. It felt like I was really hungry, but nothing sounded good. I was feeling really queasy, so I made the big mistake of having a cup of tea with honey instead of eating something like I normally do. The tea naturally made the stomach ache worse and the queasiness was beginning to feel more like nausea. 

At that point, I decided it was time to eat something. I got prepped to make an egg and toast. Everything was going fine until I opened the evil, menacing, rogue refrigerator and the smell smacked me in the face like a ton of bricks. Cue gagging. Was that enough to derail me? No. I continued with my egg frying, but no sooner did I get that egg cracked and sizzling than I realized this wave of nausea was not passing without a tsunami. 

I ran to the bathroom, egg frying away, and Ralph and I had a nice long talk. Surprisingly, I felt much better after that. 

Maternity Clothes

It means I will have a very small maternity wardrobe, but I'll be ordering from Boden. Their clothes are cute and versatile and why shouldn't I enjoy having a lovely pregnant belly to show off this summer? I think two pairs of jeans, one blue, one white, three tee-shirts, a drapey top and a dress will be enough. Add in a pair of cute sandals, a few non-maternity cardigans and accessories that I can continue to use later and that is one nice little maternity wardrobe. 

photos from boden.co.uk

The first trimester is a funny time. It's too early to shout the baby news from the rooftops because there is still a risk of miscarriage. No outward signs of pregnancy are present, so ordering orange juice instead of wine at dinner is a little bit embarrassing. For the most part, all of my clothes still fit. But several pairs of jeans have become too snug to button comfortably. I've been doing the little trick with a rubber band slip-knotted through the button hole and then looped over the button itself. With a long enough t-shirt, this works just great. But in the next month or so, I'm going to have a real need for some more accommodating clothing. 

Last week, we were on vacation in Spain, so I thought, what a perfect opportunity to get some maternity wear at non-Swiss prices. I was horrified at the lack of acceptable choices. So many maternity clothes are like outfits for cupcakes. I am not a cupcake. I tried on a few "frocks" and wound up crying in the dressing room because it made me so unhappy to see myself looking like a dessert. Dad-to-be thought I looked adorable and wanted to take a photo. This made me cry even more. I told him it was time to go, that I was not buying anything and the reason why: If I were to open my closet and see those hideous polyester blend outfits looking back at me, it would be like a terrible punishment coming. 

I'm having such an easy pregnancy so far, I can't let go of the feeling that maternity clothes should be a fun treat during a unique, short-lived time of having a lovely bump. So I'm ordering from Boden and I'm going to have a great time strutting my stuff when the bump appears!  

Don't you agree that less is more, even if it costs more?