My Pregnancy Week 33 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

Posted in: PROJECTS | MATERNITY | JOURNALING | FOR PHOTOGS

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SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: I took the liberty of creating this image outdoors again. I was SUPER windy but perfect lighting since the sun was behind clouds. I could get a nice glow without weird and abrupt shadows. I stood about 6 feet away from my house and placed the camera bout 15 feet away. It was zoomed in to create a nice blur on the house behind me. I drew nice little check marks on my tummy to indicate how many weeks along I am. I wanted both the check marks and my face to be in focus, so i had to put them the same distance from the camera and in line with the object i focused on when i set up my camera. I turned my face into the light and looked at the lens from an angle. This made sure my face was illuminated and my eyes picked up some catch light. I turned my shoulders into the camera and my bottom slightly away from the camera to give a more flattering profile, all the while keeping my stomach straight out. I probably took about 25 shots before landing on one I felt comfortable keeping. My ISO was set at 400 so that i could keep my shutter speed faster. It was very windy that day and i needed to make sure the shot was taken quickly in case the camera was moving at all. I raised the aperture to 5.6 to ensure those little check marks were in focus, in case i didn't get my face perfect inline with them.

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WEEK 33  MONTH 8 | APRIL 25TH  - MAY 1ST
B A B Y   P I N E A P P L E

Friday April 25th - I have been watching videos online of women having their babies in water using the Hypnobabies techniques. They are quite inspiring, amazing, and eye-opening. It's clear to me now that not all Hynobabies waterbirths are created equal, because no mother is the same and each will have their own experience. Some women are silent during their birthing waves, breathing harder here and there. Some women are very loud and vocal during their birthing waves but are quiet as the baby comes out. Suddenly there's a baby in their arms! Still other women are very loud, almost animal-like during the pushing phase. Its easy to watch and listen thinking they are in pain, because this is what our culture has taught. But in truth, these women are not in pain. They feel lots of things, don't get me wrong, but they are not in pain. They are maybe feeling discomfort and lots of strong pressure but because they are not afraid of this and know their body is capable of birthing perfectly, they are actually fully relaxed. The noise is simply their body's way of releasing energy and helping them stay calm. My friend (and certified doula/Hypnobabies instructor) compared this release to sports athletes that make a lot of noise. Tennis players grunt when they swing, football players will roar when they plow into someone. Even golfers can be heard letting out some steam when they swing their clubs. None of them are in pain, they simply are exerting all their energy into that one moment. That energy has to go somewhere and often times its through their mouths. Similarly, Hypno-moms can sound like they are suffering but if you watch their face, they are completely calm. And after a wave has passed, they look as if one never came at all. Then, after some time has passed they are holding a baby in their arms without much warning to the viewer that the baby was even crowning or out completely. I see myself birthing this way, peacefully and calmly. I don't know how much noise i will make, but I've explained to my husband that no matter what i sound or look like, he (and no one else in the room) can ask me how i'm feeling, if I'm doing ok, or how I'd rate my level of pain. Because in actuality, i might not be in any pain and if I am or want to express how i feel, i will do so on my own. Asking me how i feel can distract me from my hypnosis and cause me to think about how I'm feeling. During a hypno-birth you don't want to use your thinking mind. You want to use your subconscious mind and let your body follow. Even if I'm not in any pain, someone asking me if I am could cause me to doubt myself and wonder "SHOULD i be in pain? am I in fact in pain?" i have to remain fully confident that i know how i feel. Same goes for everyone else i the room. They have to trust that I am ok and will tell them otherwise if needed. I can't wait to have this amazing birthing experience and show everyone in the room just how beautiful birth can be.

Saturday April 26th - Mike and I stopped at the Chinese restaurant so I could get some chow mein. Yum. A nice older man opened the door for me and while waiting for my food he said "you are absolutely radiant!" I didn't know how to respond! I smiled and thanked him! I said "maybe its the pregnancy glow!" He told me I looked like i was loving life. He couldn't be more right!

Sunday April 27th - Mike and I watched some Hypnobabies waterbirth videos so he could see what it can look like when a mother is in a relaxed state during birth. Some women are quiet, some are loud, some talk and some sing. Some are silent with headphones in while others play their Hypno tracks aloud. I think it helped him see what kind of experience I was working towards, since Landon's birth was typical in the way of pain and discomfort. According to reactions from the outside, choosing to not have drugs wasn't typical, which to me is very sad since it should be more normal for women to want to go natural. Either way, women need to do what feels right to them, and this time what feels right is a holistically natural waterbirth, one that involves me taking full control and having the medical staff take a step back. This birth will truly be about Mike, me, and our baby. On a side note, just cause it made my day, we stopped to get gas for my car and I headed inside to get something. On my way out, a nice guy opened the door for me. When I got back to the car Mike said "that guy was totally checking you out the whole time you walked back here, and when he got around to the back side of his car he leaned around to see you". I couldn't believe that! "No way!!" I said. "He probably saw I was walking back to you and thought oh crap!" Mike's not a small guy!

Wednesday April 30th - I got to work a little early this morning so I decided to listen to a Hypno track in my car. I've found that's an excellent place to do that because i can sit up or recline, whichever feels more comfortable. Plus, i know i won't be interrupted. I drift off very nicely and manage to come back out without fully falling asleep, as i often do at night. I listened to the same track i had listened to last night. I didn't fall asleep last night, but i wanted to listen to it again so I could be more consciously engaged. I felt a pressure wave at work while sitting at my desk, so i quickly closed my eyes and counted myself "out". My body went limp and the pressure wave dissipated. That's something I have to keep practicing so that during my birthing time, the act of turning off my mental switch (which "shuts off" all muscles and nerves not needed for survival and sends hypno-anesthesia throughout my body) will be second nature. It can't be something I think about, my subconscious has to do it so i can simply relax. When I first started Hypnobabies it took me awhile to relax enough to shut myself off, now i can do it after taking a few breaths. My goal is to have that be immediate, since I bet I'll need it to be during my birthing time. But its amazing just how relaxed i become once I am "off". I will probably use this technique after having the baby whenever i feel stressed out!

Thursday May 1st - My prenatal appointment this morning went very well. I got to met the last of the midwives. Now I have met them all and I am so happy to have them on my team. No matter which one is present at my birth I know i will be in good hands and will feel completely comfortable. They have all been very supportive and excited about my using Hypnobabies to help me have a calmer birth experience. Its nice to have their support. The midwife today felt her head very deep into the uterus, with her butt and hips higher up on my right side. Its possible that she's either ROT or ROP, but based on what i feel most days (a long curved shape popping out of my right-front area, which i've been told and already assumed was her back) i think she's ROT. I'd rather have her ROT because its been found that babies in ROT positions have an easier time turning into an ideal position (LOA is best) for birthing compared to those in the ROP position. She will mostly likely turn clockwise (looking down at my tummy from my perspective) in an attempt to get her spine on the lefthand side of my tummy. The images below show the two possible positions she could be in right now (ROT, ROP), with ROT being the most likely. The LOA position is the most ideal and is what I spend my days envisioning and talking to my baby about. I trust that she will turn into that position when the time is right.

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My uterus measured 30cm when the midwife first measured it. This lengthh would've been bad seen as I'm just about 34 weeks and the length of the uterus should be within 2cm of the number of weeks along. But the midwife realized that digging around to determine baby's position had contracted my uterine muscles, causing it to shrink. Once the pressure wave passed she measured again and got 32cm. Much better. I had a strep test done today as well, so i'm hoping that will be negative. If its positive, its not the end of the world, but i'll request another test around 38 weeks to see if it end up negative by then. And if not, it'll entail an IV for awhile during the birthing time, but shouldn't hinder my ability to have a waterbirth or move about freely. Nevertheless, here's hoping for the best!