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Sunday, January 11, 2009
39-week babybump
All is calm on the belly front.
Despite sometimes having a tired lower back and waking up a couple of times a night to either go pee or flip to my other side, I totally continue to enjoy my big round belly. At the same time Manuel and I are so looking forward to meeting our little one! Until the grand moment is there, I am relaxing as much as I can and taking a 1~2 hr walk every day.
I feel great, the baby has dropped and according to So-san (my midwife) chances are big I’ll give birth in a couple of days, around my due date (14th). Also because it’s a full moon and apparently lots of babies are born then. Has to do with gravity etc. Interesting. We’ll see…
I haven’t put an entry yet about where I will give birth. At some point I intend to do so though, as it took quite a lot of research and offers an interesting peek in Japanese culture. To make that long story short for now: I choose Matsugaoka Birth Center, and must say that I am very pleased that I did. It’s basically going to be like a home birth, just not at my own home. And if the situation allows, a water birth! They give me lots of personal care, and I am receiving nice extra treatments these days as well, like aromatherapy massage, reflexology (amazing what they can read about your body just by looking at, and feeling your feet. Apparently the lady was able to see the sex of the baby (kept it to herself at my request), that the baby has dropped, and estimated that she/he might indeed be born in a couple of days), and ‘bone therapy’ (kind of like a shiatsu focussed on aligning the pelvis, which will help during labour). If I’m still pregnant on the due date I am even booked for acupuncture! All done by specialists who know what the body of a pregnant women needs and can take.
I feel lucky that we’re in this country for the birth—that in itself will already make it an extra special event. Birth support back home in the Netherlands is pretty good, but I’d say that care giving like what I’m getting falls in the (the positive side of!) category ‘only in Japan’.
belly at 39 weeks—still carries to the front!
belly at 39 weeks
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Ode to My Wonderful Man
I must share with you how great a man I have.
My Wonderful Man supports and has been taking tremendous care of me by joining me to birth classes and the prenatal checkups, preparing me baths, massaging my belly and back, making sure I eat healthy and that I get my rest. He made sure I didn’t flip in my last busy weeks of wrapping up work projects. He has been joining me in my new life rhythm of getting to bed early and getting up early, accompanies me in my walks when he can. He is the one keeping our place clean, and bringing in most of the groceries. ...I really wouldn’t know how to manage without my hubby!
And that’s just now, just the beginning. M is going to be one of those amazing and attractive daddies that make women’s heads turn when he passes by, holding our little one in the sling or the stroller. Can’t wait to observe that one. And then the ultimate joy of knowing that he’s already taken, by lucky me and our lucky baby, HA!
Sunday, January 04, 2009
happy new year
Manuel and I wish you a positive, healthy and green 2009.
It’s the year of the cow, and it’s going to be an exciting one!
After a calm and relaxing Christmas and NYE, for us the real big countdown has started. I could pop anytime now, though the ‘official’ due date is still 9 days away. We are as ready as we can be. Selecting a shortlist of baby names was a hard one but we’ve got it. Nice and cozy right next to our bed a cot is waiting to host the baby, we have nappies and clothes and wraps, and my breasts have already proven that milk is in supply. Yesterday we had a creative session decorating the wall next to the baby bed with a sakura (= cherry blossom) pattern. Love the invention of stickers: perfect solution as our landlord does not allow paint or screws in the wall.
Can’t believe this pregnancy is suddenly almost 39 weeks along and nearly to an end. I still enjoy the belly and feeling the baby move and poke around in there. The bump is BIG though, makes me waddle and suddenly physically tires me at times. Also I still have not been able to get rid of the snot factory that’s housing in my sinuses. But other than that I’m feeling great. Am obeying So-san, my midwife, by going to bed early (between 9~10pm) and taking a 1~2 hour walk every day. Her plead for less intake of sugars (fruits included) and salty foods didn’t really work over the year-end holidays though, nor am I staying away from small amounts of yoghurt and cheese (com’on, I’m Dutch!!). But we’re doing pretty well: the baby is very genki and my further checkups also show good results. Sofar I only gained about 8.5 kilos compared to pre-pregnancy weight. Not bad eh?
We continue to enjoy these last days/weeks as pre-parents while excitedly waiting for our bolletje to enter our lives. We’ve been going to the movies just-the-two-of-us and make spontaneous restaurant visits while we still easily can. Will keep you posted on big news.
Friday, November 14, 2008
31-week babybump
belly at 31 weeks
Sunday, September 14, 2008
22-week babybump
belly at 22 weeks
We are halfway through, about 4 months left to go!
The photo doesn’t show it that clearly, but the bump is slowly starting to look more than ‘just having had a big lunch’, which makes me feel sooo special and proud.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Paper or Cotton?
... Though the question also applies to baby nappies, this one is about the fact that we just had our 1-year wedding anniversary! How time flies.
Last year 07.09.07 (I love that date) was our big day. After some googling I learn that it’s called a ‘paper wedding’ (because paper was the traditional 1-year anniversary gift), though in the Netherlands it’s a ‘cotton’ wedding. Hmmm, wonder why…
Anyway, the 7th fell on a Sunday, and to celebrate we decided to take it easy and spontaneously go away for the weekend. So after the prenatal checkup on Saturday morning (all is fine!) we hopped on the Chuo Line. It was fun, a couple of hours later we just got off somewhere randomly which became a town called Isawa Onsen, in Yamanashi, which is west of Tokyo, just before Kofu. This was a great way to make it a special anniversary. Fresh air, nature, lots of relaxing, taking a sento bath together… The town is surrounded by mountains but as my pregnant belly wasn’t feeling up for a hike during the hot day that it was, we left the mountain trails for another time and took a walk to one of the graperies where we ate yummy fresh grapes (apart from onsen they have lots of fruit around there). The town has ‘ashi yu’, mini hotspring baths for the feet. We sat there soaking with the locals for a while, too. These things are especially wonderful in winter when it’s cold out. Gotta love japan for this.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
We’ve got movement
I forgot to share a very exciting development: I’ve been feeling the baby move since a couple of weeks!
The first time was on the morning of the 14th—right on track at 18 weeks. Initially I was not quite sure if that was it, but it was different from the previous occasions that I suspected something. Those times it felt more like a ‘popping’ sensation, like bubbles (could have been gas...?), but now I’m actually being ‘tapped’. It kind of feels like when you have a muscle move by itself without you controlling it. But I know my lower belly muscles don’t do that, so....
The bub likes doing exercises especially around 8am, and at night when I’m not moving (ergo rocking him/her to sleep). Sometimes the kicks are already pretty hard as well: then I can see my belly move from the OUTside. Bizarre.... I always thought that wouldn’t be until much later in the pregnancy, but I guess not. At least it’s not painful for me yet. It’s cool because finally Manuel can start relating a bit better as well. He felt it for the first time a couple of days ago, that was a special moment.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
For all you curious people
Since these seem to be questions on everyone’s mind, here’s our answers…
• We don’t ‘want’ a boy or a girl, we just pray for a healthy happy baby.
• Twins would be nice, but we already know there’s just one bub in the belly.
(My oldest brother has twins, 2 boys. But other than them it doesn’t really run in the family)
• Yes, you will have to wait until the baby is born to find out name and sex.
We are not planning to find out if it is a girl or a boy. And even if we did know, we wouldn’t tell anyone. It’d be our little secret. Ha.
Thinking about it, I find it quite peculiar that this seems to be one of the first questions asked once people --complete strangers even-- find out you’re pregnant. Understandable that with the technology of these days Mother Nature is checkable and can even be controlled/manipulated to a high level, but just not everything needs to be known beforehand. So, ask away but you won’t hear…
Of course we are curious as well, but enjoy surprises better!
And is it really that much more practical to know in advance? We don’t have space for a baby room, and I definitely am not the type of person who goes crazy on pink or blue for the bub anyway. As for name choosing: even if the doctor tells the gender you still have to pick two names just in case, because they are not always right.
I can relate to wanting to bond with your unborn baby though, and who knows, maybe for that reason we’ll change our mind in the next months. In the meantime we’re bonding, just not with a specific name or gender or face to our child yet. Only about 150 more sleeps and then we’ll find out!