My Pregnancy Week 35 - by Betsy Cherry Twin Cities Maternity Photographer

Posted in: PROJECTS | MATERNITY | JOURNALING | FOR PHOTOGS

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SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: The photo above was a test shot for lighting quality and to make sure my son would do what i wanted him to do. Needless to say, he got it just right! I told him to hold the can up to his ear. He took the initiative to look at the camera and smile. Smart little guy. I did not expect that this practice shot would end up being the best one of the bunch. And good thing too, because his attention span didn't last past about 4 photos! I used the door in our kitchen for the only light, located off to the left of the photo. The shutter was kept high just in case my son moved a little. It was sunny and bright, which allowed me to keep the ISO at 100 and the f-stop at 5.6. In Photoshop I moved my son a few inches closer to me and upped the contrast a bit.

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WEEK 35  MONTH 8  |  MAY 9TH  - MAY 15TH
B A B Y   H O N E Y D E W

Friday May 9th - I still can't believe that in half a week, had this been Landon's pregnancy, this baby would be born! That's not happening this time. This little girl is going much farther, at least to 40 weeks. I've been talking to her a lot lately, reminding her of that. I tell her she needs to stay in until 37 weeks so we can do a waterbirth. I also tell her she should stay in at least until 40 weeks so that she can develop more and allow my body to become better prepared for her birth. She'd be helping the both of us by staying in longer.

Saturday May 10th - Happy Anniversary to myself and my husband! We've been together 13 years and married for 6 of those. We kept it low key, ran some errands to buy a few new outdoor toys for Landon, and ate our awesome cake that we order every year. I'm sure Baby Cantaloupe was on a sugar high! She will be for the next couple of days too, since the cake is a 9-incher. More people have been asking me questions lately about my pregnancy and sharing their thoughts and stories. Unfortunately, most have been negative! Perhaps its because I'm getting closer to my birthing time and they expect me to share some drama with them, but there's no drama to share! :) I've found that its easy for people to tell me negative things in regards to pregnancy and birth because I'm always SO happy that i think it scares people! They may fear that i'll be let down in the end. I've even shared a few negative things to others in the past (haven't had too many though) and have since stopped. So I get it. But I have to stay focused on the good and not the bad. Hearing about negative experiences could revert my mind back to what society has made me believe all these years: that birth is a scary and painful experience. This isn't true at all, just something our culture has grabbed on to. I'm choosing to have a better experience than what's expected and I've worked very hard the last 6 weeks teaching myself how to look at birth as the enjoyable experience it's meant to be. When i'm asked about my plan for this birth, i know it sounds "out of the box" and a little strange to many when i say I'm going to have a peaceful and enjoyable birth, but I'm actually doing my body and my baby a huge favor! Think of it this way: we don't worry constantly about getting in car accidents while we are driving, because worrying could change the way we drive and give us more chance of getting in an accident. We may start second-guessing everything we are doing instead of trusting that we know how to drive safely. Same holds true for birth. If I worry constantly about bad things happening to me or my baby (all of which are very unlikely since my body was designed to do this), it will change the way I handle my pregnancy and leave me more open to those bad things. I have to trust that my body knows how to give birth safely.

Sunday May 11th - Today was another veg day. I ate anniversary cake (and ice cream), hung out with my amazing son, and watched my husband set up a brand new pool for him. Well, us. Its big enough that all three of us could fit comfortably. I think, as long as the water is clean, i could actually use this pool to practice some of my positions and hypnobabies techniques. Water has to drastically warm up first!

Monday May 12th - I had some bizzare dreams last night and early this morning, but unfortunately i cannot remember anything about any of them. Darn! Last night I was laying in bed listening to a hypno-track when i felt mike's hand on my back. It was the first time he'd done that. His touch is supposed to send a stream of anesthesia through my body and help me to further relax, but with our opposite work schedules we haven't had time to practice this. In my hypnotic state I tend to get jolted when i hear or feel something and I can't let that happen during the birth. I need his touch to aid in the birthing. So i was pleasantly surprised when his touch, though unexpected, sent this wave of relaxation from head to toe. I think the natural and loving connection between us anyway, a feeling of security and safety. I'm guessing that will really help his touch provide the calming affect its meant to. He loves me more deeply and genuinely than anyone else and he supports my cause for a peaceful birth more fully than anyone else, because I am his wife and this is his baby. I could feel that in his touch.

Tuesday May 13th - this morning when i woke up I saw it was 6:39. Thinking i had until 6:45 until my alarm would go off, I quickly went into deep hypnosis by shutting off my mental switch. Well, i forgot that my alarm was set for 6:40, so it went off right away and i was jolted out of hypnosis! That's the first time i had overridden my off switch. I'm never supposed to do that because i"ve been training my brain that in the off phase I cannot move anything and in order to move again i either need to count to two and get into a center (halfway) switch state, or count to 3 and come all the way out. I was not happy about that. So today I will make it a point to practice my switch techniques more than usual. I want to make sure I keep my mind on track. And even if my mind wasn't affected by it, at least i will not be stressed about it going forward. I don't need any doubts floating around. Walking to my car tonight after work, a gentleman yelled across the parking lot at me saying "how much longer?" Took some guts to do that! Lol! I answered "about 5 weeks". He then asked "first or second?" Second, i responded. "Ah, so you know what its all about then". I laughed, "yes, and i loved it the first time!"

Wednesday May 14th - Its amazing how such a positive and happy person such as myself, one who loves being pregnant as much as I do and is trying her best to have a wonderful birth rather than a terrible one, is so questioned and contradicted by people who ask me how i'm feeling. I have to laugh sometimes. Perhaps God is testing me to see if I can truly remain strong. I think people expect me to say i can't wait for it to be done and are shocked when i respond with "i wish it would slow down!". I might be too happy for some! Lol! I know a lot of people hate being pregnant and fear birth. I do not. I love being pregnant! I have lost three children during pregnancy and that makes me appreciate EVERY moment and every day and every change my body goes through. Its such a blessing and I only get to enjoy it for such a short time. I choose to not think negatively about anything, even when i feel nauseous or my hair thins out or I can't tie my shoes or fit into my pre-prego jeans. :) I'm happy about the changes because its all part of this amazing journey. I know that any negative thoughts could override all the work I've put into my hypnobabies training. Not to mention stress is terribly unhealthy for me and for my baby! I don't see pregnancy as a means to an end, or something I deal with in order to have a baby. For me its a life-changing journey that leads to an amazing experience resulting in a beautiful new life! I know, I know, some might be loosing their lunch over that positivity, but i can't help but love being pregnant!! I really hope that my blog will change some people's perspective on pregnancy and birth and maybe they too can love it rather than hate and/or fear it. How we view pregnancy can change how the birth progresses, because stress just leads to tension and pain, hence the dreadful birth many fear. By remaining positive and thinking positively about the birth, i will be more relaxed and not tense up so badly. I'd much rather have a positive experience than a negative one. Justifiable i think. :)

Thursday May 15th - this morning while eating breakfast I felt a nice practice pressure wave. I stopped eating, laid my arms on the table and rested my head on them. I quickly did my finger-drop to knock me into a hypnotic state and shut down all my muscles and nerves. I immediately envisioned my safe place, which helps distract my mind form any discomfort. And what IS my safe place? I thought you'd never ask. My safe place is my parents' place up north. The cabin. In my vision i always find myself sitting on the dock, holding my baby, watching the sun go down and people skiing across the glassy water. My family is in the water playing paddle ball, running along the beach and eating freshly grilled hamburgers. Its my favorite scene and my favorite place to be. Being up there always brings me peace so it was very natural to pick that as my safe place. Actually, I didn't necessarily pick it. When I was asked to choose one, it just came into my head immediately and I couldn't change it. So when I closed my eyes this morning, there I was sitting on the dock holding my baby. I breathed deeply and exhaled slowly to help me relax and send natural anesthesia to my abdomen. I felt the pressure lessen. It was a good chance to practice my hypnobabies tools. I don't feel any pain when those practice waves come on, just pressure. That's the key to my whole birthing time. I will feel all the pressure waves, no matter how strong, as just pressure. No pain.

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