33 weeks tomorrow :)

Man time is flying! I bought labor prep herbs today, it will be here in 2 weeks. We still need some things on the home birth supply list, I will probably get them in a couple weeks. Today my order of coconut water came in, I bought 12 for labor and after labor to stay hydrated. It is so weird and amazing that in a few days I will be able to say "I'm having a baby next month"!!!! I can't wait! One of my favorite things has been seeing how happy and excited Matt is, he reads to the baby and my heart melts. I feel so blessed to have such a hard working, loving and nurturing husband and father of our baby. He has been helping me so much, I got a leg and foot massage last night, he did dishes, he made dinner and has been helping me with so much with chores in general! 

I have a check up on August 1st, I can't wait to hear the heartbeat and know what position the baby is in. Last appointment the baby was in the posterior position but I was told its no big deal because I have weeks for it to move :) 

Here are some photos for an update :)

32 weeks 

32 weeks 

I went hiking with my friend yesterday :) 

Reading to the little one :) 

I got a boppy pillow to make nursing easier 

My new swaddle blankets :) they are adorable!!!!

Matt and I went on a date to the antique shop 

I bought some tiny little pants for the baby

Update 7/13/13

So I pretty much doubled in size the last 10 weeks, its pretty fun looking back at older pregnancy photos! Today I went to my first birthing class! I am paying for private sessions which I am beginning to think was a mistake because the attention is completely on me haha and I was trying to avoid "awkward moments". The teacher is very sweet, I like her a lot. I just have to get used to the style of the class I guess, it will take a lot to get out of my comfort zone. I have a few assignments for the week, like reading, doing an exercise with ice cubes in my hand and focus on my breathing, to pay attention to my breathing throughout the week (especially during stressful situations), I have an art project to do and I have some worksheets to fill out. The class deals a lot with creativity (painting, poems, sculpting, imagination, and etc).

Tomorrow is my baby shower :) I cant wait! Im not used to so much attention being on me, its weird! My friend Teresa is hosting the baby shower, she is so awesome! I should probably go to bed soon so I wont be half asleep tomorrow....Matts at work and will be home soon, I think I will wait up for him. On Monday I have a check up with my midwife, after that check up we will see each other every two weeks until I have the baby!! Time is flying by! Today I set up the back seat organizer for the car, it will hold baby stuff when the baby is here. After the baby shower I am going to start buying things that we need, its really hard to not do that now haha.

I got a new bathing suit top today from Target, I tried on like 10 different ones (poor Matt) and still feel like I didnt get what I wanted. We are going to swim a little at the baby shower tomorrow :) I will also use this swim top in the birthing pool I think.

30 weeks pregnant today!

This has been going by so fast, I cant believe we will have our little one in less than 3 months, I will be considered "full term" in less than 2 months!! Its so exciting :D We should be starting our birth classes super soon....I actually have a late start on that. Here is what the classes will provide (from her website) 

Each prenatal class includes:

• Bringing our best selves to each moment of pregnancy, birth and postpartum
• Effective pain-coping practices
• Creating a nurturing birth space at home and in the hospital
• Helping partners feel prepared & confident
• Optimal positions and comfort measures for labor and birth
• Embracing our open, positive, confident mindset
• Preparation for crossing the threshold into parenthood
• Creative exploration using a variety of art media
• Postpartum gathering with babies

We are waiting until birth to find out the gender, it will be such a great surprise. I will be 100% happy with a boy or a girl, I just am hoping and praying for a healthy baby. Matt and I "feel" like it will be a boy, we keep calling it a "him" and have a name picked out for a boy. We like the name Dana Clive Powell for a boy and so far the girl name we have picked out is Paisley Olivia Powell.

We made a baby registry on Amazon, if you would like to take a look here is the link: Baby wish list
This week we got a baby bouncer that is so soft and adorable and a backseat organizer for baby things for the car, my second cousin Tammy bought it for the baby :) My Aunt Rachel also got us an adorable space saving high chair for the baby, it is green and has leaves on it with cute little bugs :) my Mother in-law sent us lots and lots of baby clothes from her 7 children and she made some of it, it is such a special gift! I feel so blessed to have people buying us stuff and giving us stuff, I am not used to it...

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

This tea that I made is actually a blend of herbs that are safe for pregnancy, I may post the recipe later :) It is mostly Red Raspberry Leaf though!

Letting my tea seep then going to add some honey!

Here is an awesome video about Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, you can make ice cubes out of the tea to add to your smoothies!

I have been taking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea since the beginning of my pregnancy, it is some amazing stuff! Red Raspberry Leaf Tea helps to strengthen and tone your uterus for childbirth, you can take it for menstrual cramps after pregnancy too, which will be nice later too. The bulk herb store has a lot of great information on this tea, you can read it here Bulk Herb Store

Here is some information on Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for pregnancy, I got this from Bellybelly

What is Red Raspberry Leaf?

Red raspberry leaf (RRL) or rubus idaeus is a pale green leaf produced by the raspberry plant. The
ancient Greeks and Romans are said to have used red raspberry leaves for treating a wide variety of ailments. Although records of its use date back to the 1500’s in Europe, North America, South America and China. In Australia, the red raspberry leaf is a traditional herb that has been used by indigenous cultures for centuries. It was only in the 1940's that western medicine practitioners recognized its use as a tonic for the uterus during pregnancy and childbirth.

What Vitamins and Minerals Can Be Found In Red Raspberry Leaf?

Vitamin A
Vitamin B complex
Vitamin C
Calcium
Iron
Manganese
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Fragarine (or Framamine)
Flavonoids

How Can Raspberry Leaf Help With Pregnancy and Childbirth?

1. Eases morning sickness. It relieves nausea and stomach distress throughout pregnancy.
2. Soothes and prevents bleeding gums
3. Vitamin A aids the mother’s immune system and helps in the development of healthy skin and bones for the baby.
4. Vitamin E promotes better circulation in the mother.
5. Calcium is needed to control nerve response to pain during childbirth. It also aids in healthy bone development in the baby.
6. Fragarine allows the uterus to contract more effectively during labour. It also aids in toning the uterus after childbirth, when it returns back to its normal size.
7. Ease cramping of the uterus.
8. Magnesium is very helpful in strengthening uterine muscles.
9. Studies have shown that women who take red raspberry leaf have a reduced incidence of artificial rupture of membranes, forceps delivery or caesarean section
10. Assists in production of plentiful breast milk

You can buy teabags here: Amazon
You can buy loose leaf tea here: Bulk Herb Store

Before deciding to take red raspberry leaf, it is best to consult your doctor or midwife.

Home birth & Water birth

At first we decided we were going to do a home birth with a midwife because we didn't have insurance and the cost difference is amazing, but after researching births and seeing how safe and beneficial home birth is we decided it is best overall for us! I am a low risk, healthy, 22 year old women and my midwife is very well educated and I trust her 100%. What I had to think about is the fact that birth is  completely normal and natural, beautiful, and God knew what he is doing when he designed it this way. I love the motto "Healthy mom, healthy baby", I have been monitoring my diet (How much protein, fat, iron, calcium and etc I am eating) and have been taking all of the supplements I need to keep myself and my little bear healthy. I started reading "Ina Mays Guide To Childbirth" and because of that and talking to my midwife I have no real fears about whats coming in the next 11ish weeks, I feel ready for it and very blessed to have the midwife that I have, I wouldn't want anyone else to assist in bringing my baby to the outside world! So after reading a lot about childbirth I decided I really want to do a water birth, I talked to my midwife about it and I am going to make it official my next appointment. The benefits are so amazing, you are more relaxed in warm water, you are almost weightless in water, water relaxes your muscles improving blood flow, its a less stressful situation for you and your baby, your baby goes from a warm place to another warm and calm place and its a better way to be born in my opinion (less shocking), the water may reduce vaginal tearing and it is said that water births help reduce the amount of time you are in labor. I am getting so very excited about meeting our little baby and also the birthing experience! I am almost done with my home birth supply list, I will make another blog post about that when I get everything ready. Thanks for reading!

You can read more information on water births here: Water birth info

Garden Update 7/1/2013

I haven't written in a while, I haven't really been doing much I hurt my back about 2 weeks ago and the it got a little better for a few days then I hurt it again but not as bad as the first time. You have to be strong to be pregnant, I wish I had been working out prior to being pregnant haha! Anyways, our garden is growing more and more everyday, we have like 5 basil plants starting, tons of cilantro, the sunflowers are doing great, the oregano is doing ok I think (still not sure if its growing or if its weeds haha), the lettuce is really big, the kale is growing nicely, we have one bean plant growing and several types of onions. Last night Matt and I pulled all of the weeds in about 45 minutes, we gave it a good soak before we started so it was super easy to do. NO MORE GHETTO GARDEN!

Before pulling weeds 

After we pulled the weeds, I am so happy with it now! 

Some of the basil, I think I will need to transplant them farther apart when they get a little bigger

The lonely green bean plant

The second garden

Lots of cilantro, we always have cilantro in our fridge so this will be awesome to have from the garden!