My Pregnancy Week 29 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

Posted in: PROJECTS | MATERNITY | JOURNALING | FOR PHOTOGS

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: This week I wanted to portray softness, femininity, and a sense of calmness and peace. To achieve this goal I used a transparent shirt with a very feminine cut. Turning my body a little toward the camera gave not only a clear view of the size and shape of my baby bump, but also a peak of my right hand, Making sure that hand looked like a hand and not like little knobs sticking out of my stomach was essential. I did not want any weird distractions. The only light I used came from the door behind me. Morning sun was the best option for this shot because the light needed to be lower to provide a nice translucent look evenly from shoulder to legs. I snapped photos for about 45 minutes and within 15 minutes I could already tell my sunlight was moving too high for the look i was trying to create. This photo was taken within that first 15 minutes. I exposed for my skin. Exposing for the window would make all the outdoor distractions visible by darkening that area. What's worse, it would have made my body nearly black. I stretched the door curtain in front of the light to diffuse it slightly and help block what was outside. For this shot i used my telephoto lens, set up about 15 feet away. It was mounted on a tripod and raised to just above my head. Taking portraits from this angle helps give a more flattering shape compared to directly vertical or from below. Try it, you'll see!

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WEEK 29  MONTH 7 | MARCH 28TH -  APRIL 3RD
B A B Y   B U T T E R N U T   S Q U A S H

Friday, March 28th - Today I listened to my first Hypnobabies track. It was the only one that didn't include hypnotic lessons, and it is supposed to be used at least once a day, so I brought it to work. I really enjoyed it because I got to listen to such positive statements about how my pregnancy and birth will be carried out. I felt relaxed and confident afterwards. I'm really looking forward to this program. I know I will benefit from it greatly!

I must have eaten a lot of food this week, food that stuck, because I experienced a nice big jump in weight from last week! My body must have needed to catch up. I'm more than happy gaining any weight that my body needs because that means more blood and nutrients for baby. :) I just have to make sure what I'm eating is healthy so that I can be confident that any weight I gain is healthy weight. It's very easy to just "let go" in pregnancy and eat anything and everything. The mentality is that you're eating for two (as in two people my size), and need to eat double of whatever you want. But during pregnancy its even more important to eat healthy so that the baby gets tons of good nutrients and plenty of blood is produced. I'm really eating for 1 and a half (technically not even that), which is why, according to prenatal nutritionists, only about 300 more calories per day is required over what you normally consume. That's basically an extra bagel. I'm sure I've been eating the equivalent of several bagels extra a day. LOL! I'll just continue to make sure I'm eating well and giving this little Baby Butternut Squash what she needs to grow and be healthy.

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Sunday, March 30th - I listened to my first Hynobabies track that actually included hypnotic messages. It was quite powerful. I set my alarm for 6:00 am and listened to it before Landon and Mike woke up. All the tracks are on my phone, so i just I laid in bed where i could be cozy and comfortable. Over the next 30 minutes I felt like i was in that falling-asleep stage. My body was limp and completely relaxed. The only thing moving was my little baby girl. She was all over the place! Relaxing my muscles must have given her lots of space to move about. A few times i drifted off in thought, usually picturing something having to do with MIke and Landon. Then I'd realize I had become distracted and smoothly returned my focus back to the soft Hypnobabies voice. I started to feel very warm, so i'll have to remember not to use two blankets next time! At the end of the session, i was told to count back from 1 to 3 and at 3 i would be fully back to my normal, conscious mind. I could feel this sensation rush over my body as I approached the number 3, and i opened my eyes (something i couldn't do during the session because my eyelids were so relaxed). What's strange, though, is that the whole time I felt very aware of what i was doing, where I was, and understood that at any time i could "wake up", open my eyes, and get out of bed. It was my choice not to. Then, when it was over, i stopped the track and went back to sleep for awhile. But before I did, our furnace kicked on and i could hear a low rumble similar to the background noise on the Hypnobabies track. I immediate was brought back to that relaxed state until I realized it was the furnace and not the hypnosis track. It was an amazing experience, one that I know will follow me through the final months of my pregnancy and to my birthing time. Thanks to Hypnobabies, I have become very excited for the birth of this baby, and its only my first day! Tonight I talked to my mom about Hypnobabies and that i hoped they would get to see a beautiful birth. :) She was excited about it!

Monday, March 31st - This morning before getting out of bed, I listed to another Hypnobabies track. I felt a bit tired and groggy, but the moment the track began, i only felt relaxation. I drifted off a few times into thought or slight sleep, but i know my subconscious mind took in what i my conscious mind did not. And boy did baby girl move during that session!! She was all over the place! None of her movements caused any discomfort, just felt like she was dancing in a big bowl of jelly. At one point, my husband made a noise and shirted slightly. I found my mind drift to him for a split second and i had to work my way back into relaxation. I am easily distracted in my conscious life, so that will be a a focus for me in my training. I will need to learn how to focus fully regardless of what is going on around me. In the birthing room, there maybe people whispering or moving about and i'll need to be able to stay in my relaxed state while accepting any environmental distractions. I will simply have to learn how not to get distracted! That I believe will come in time. After the session was done and I counted back fully, i felt ready to start my day and eager to enjoy my pregnancy again! And excited for my next session!