September 8, 2015

Month 5 - Baby #2

Month 5
August 8th - September 5th 

I am really starting to feel pregnant now! It's crazy how easily I forget about this pregnancy because of how busy my life is, but these last few weeks I've started to physically feel pregnant. Twinges, cramping, ligaments stretching, I am remembering the 'joys' of growing a little one. I even started having similar kidney pain like I did last pregnancy when I developed kidney stones in Dubai. Luckily, that went away after a few days! Although it is not so comfortable, I am trying to stay super positive because I know I am only half way there.

We are so fortunate that our Airbnb has been successful and it's given us a little bit of disposable income that I can put towards caring for my body. I plan on writing a blog about all the ways I am treating this pregnancy and birth differently from my first, but I'll go ahead and share some of the ways I am continuing and changing my self-care habits during this pregnancy:

1. B-Complex and Juice Plus supplements
I started taking a B-Complex and Juice Plus supplements. In just 5 days I have felt a huge increase in my energy. I was still feeling pretty sluggish, which I thought would start to fade now that I am in the second trimester (and my iron levels were fine) so my midwife suggested these supplements and I couldn't be happier. Learn more about Juice Plus in pregnancy.

2. Chiropractic Care
The more I learn about body work in pregnancy, the more I am excited about all the things I am doing. I've always loved going to the chiropractor. I've been for scoliosis and my car accident, but I also go just for maintenance. I found so many benefits with going to a chiropractor during my last pregnancy. Some great reasons to go in pregnancy include: establishing pelvic balance and alignment, aligning the spine which affects the nervous system and reproductive system, assistance in turning a breech or posterior baby, and reducing time of labor. Here is an article on the benefits of chiropractic care in pregnancy. I am excited to see Dr. Walkerwicz because she has additional skill in treating children, so I'll be taking my whole family to see her.

3. Prenatal Massage
Body work in pregnancy is so important, but you have to achieve balance. Adjustments are great for aligning the pelvis (bones and ligaments) but you should couple that with massage to deal with the muscles and ligaments. I've decided to get a prenatal massage every month leading up to delivery, with 2 in that final month. Massage in pregnancy is shown to reduce stress, relieve muscle tension and joint pain, and improve labor outcomes and newborn health. Here is an article about the benefits of prenatal massage. I'll be seeing Kayleigh at Mamamassage.

4. Acupuncture
I recommend acupuncture to all my clients but I have yet to do it myself! I was planning to in my last pregnancy, but it never happened. So I am ready to give it a try. It relieves nausea, sciatica pain, and stress in pregnancy and it can help with baby's positioning. I'll really be doing most of my acupuncture in my 3rd trimester but it is part of my prenatal plans. It also goes into the holistic idea of body care: it's not just the bones and muscles but also the fascia and ligaments that I want to balance before going into labor. So by incorporating chiropractor, massage, and acupuncture, I am working on my whole body. I will be going to East Nashville Community Acupuncture.

5. Prenatal Exercise
I am so excited to get back into prenatal yoga. It helped me tremendously in my first pregnancy, and benefits me as a doula: clients who do yoga do much better in labor! I talked about yoga when I was pregnant with Genevieve and it still applies. Read all about my self-care during her pregnancy here. I'll be going back to Bethany Hard for yoga because I loved it so much the first time. I am excited to have set time each week to really connect with my new baby.

Another type of exercise I am doing came from a Spinning Babies workshop I took. We learned about the best ways to sit, sleep, rest, and walk during pregnancy to help get the baby in an optimal position for delivery. Now that I am at the halfway mark, I am going to start implementing some of these exercises. Read some of them here.

In other news...we named our second child!
Just like with Genevieve, it was important to us to announce the sex of our baby by sharing the name. We don't like to emphasize the sex or gender of our child, but rather their identity through their name. 
So our second little girl is: 
Adelaide Sparrow 
We get asked all the time where we came up with the name and I wish I had some epic story, but similar with Genevieve, we simply liked it. Adelaide was on our list when we were pregnant with Genevieve and it stayed on our list. We've always loved it, for no particular reason. Just like Genevieve, it's a name that was popular long ago and is reemerging, but not as quickly as other old-fashioned names topping the lists these days.

Coincidentally, we actually came up with Sparrow because we liked the way it sounded before it even dawned on us that it was another bird name. So we figured, why not continue the bird theme as middle names. I just adore this name. And having it established and set has made me connect with my daughter so much more!

And now pictures of my precious Genevieve from this last month:
Sweet Adelaide,
Now I can give you a name. There is something so intimate and bonding for me when I can talk to you by your name. This last month has been so fun as we process what it will be like to have two little girls. You will always have a best friend. Genevieve kisses my belly and says "Addie" when we talk about you. We can't wait to add another precious girl to our family. Your kicks are becoming more noticeable and my belly is starting to pop. Sweet girl, my heart is expanding every day to make room for the love I have for you.
Love, Mama Bird ;)