Childbirth class, pea soup event and the rib thing

[same_sky]

One of these days I'm going to learn that I need to check for all the ingredients BEFORE I start cooking. Because discovering that we're out of mozzarella when it's time to assemble the lasagna... that sucks. M is off to buy some now, and I'm kind of at loose ends at the moment because I don't feel like doing much else than sitting and staring. Typing hardly counts.

Childbirth class! It was actually pretty good. I was concerned that it would be very..stupid. Or condescending. In fact, we had a very personable nurse teaching the class who had a bunch of funny little stories, and it was nice to hear her detail the whole process. I knew a lot of what she covered, but the things I have wondered about the most were hospital-specific topics and policies, and she covered all of that really well. I was pretty disappointed that the tour of the delivery floor was canceled due to an extremely busy day. They didn't have enough empty rooms to take us through the whole thing, and apparently leading a tour with that many people in delivery is a HIPAA violation. Huh. However, she did go through enough stuff that my need to see the place decreased. When we go through preregistration, we can get a tour then. There were about a dozen couples, and we had the latest due date by about a month. Naturally. I am the dorky over-prepared one in the front row, there. I wasn't surprised, though. It's listed as a class for couples in their last trimester, and I officially began my last trimester yesterday (!), so I was expecting that. They only do the Saturday class every other month, though, and I didn't really want to wait until the end of April--maybe a little bit because of prematurity fears, but mostly because I feel better when I have more information.

She discussed birth plans briefly at some point and stated that they would try to accommodate us where possible. I really wanted to ask her if they laugh at them when people come in with one. Not that there's anything wrong with birth plans, but I have read a few that struck me as pretty confrontational, and I was trying to imagine being the ones on the receiving end of it. My birth plan, by the way, is to take it as it comes and figure it out as I go. I do have preferences, and M and I have been talking about those preferences, but I don't think I'll want something set in stone. Example: I would really rather not have an epidural, but I can fully see myself getting one because I'm a wuss and I've heard that they're fabulous, and I will be perfectly happy to have one if I need to. They just scare me a little--it has nothing to do with proving a point or anything like that. I can perfectly well imagine how they might scare me less than the alternative when the time comes, though.

Anyway, after that was over, we went to the Finnish thing. The food was awful, though I'm the only one with that opinion. I just can't do pea soup. I think I had one meatball, six pieces of fruit chunks and a brownie. Luckily, I am well aware of the food served at these events so I came fortified. There are always programs at these events, and this time there was a lady singing in Finnish while her husband played piano. It was hilarious because as soon as she started singing, Ducky WOKE UP. In the last few weeks she has started with these kicks that shake my entire body. I can't help it, they make me laugh. What is she doing in there? She had been very quiet until the singing started, though, and she started shaking me all over the chair. As soon as the woman stopped singing, she stopped kicking like that. She has never responded to anything going on outside quite so obviously before. I could have still chalked it up to coincidence except that M and I were laying in bed this morning talking, and we were trying to cajole her into thumping around, but she was not very accommodating. I told him about how she had reacted last night, so M started singing loudly in a high-pitched voice (the singer had one) in pseudo-Finnish. Boom, she was awake and struggling. Apparently she does not like the Finnish national anthem, or its fake Finnish equivalent. Just so you know.

We went over to look at the newly renovated kitchen of J and A, our friends in the club, afterward, and didn't get home until after midnight. I was worn completely out, and I did not quite get enough rest last night, either, apparently. I was so tired by noon that I was dragging around trying to help M (we have moved our computers to the old bedroom! Progress made!) and straighten up the house, and finally he told me to go take a break. When I didn't go immediately, he came in and helped me get comfortable on the bed and heated up the wheat belt and took my glasses off. He is swell. I thought I would just rest a bit but he woke me up an hour later, so now I have post-nap-itis. I suppose I needed that, though.

I guess I should also mention that my rib? It is not any better. Actually, it got worse again. My cough is nearly gone, but now it still hurts when I twist my body or if I touch that one spot. It is hard to lay down and it hurts like mad once I'm down, and it is nearly impossible to get up or roll over. I have only been able to fall asleep by heating pad (a belt full of wheat, in this case, given to us by M's aunt and uncle) and whichever side I'm on causes it to hurt. I am extremely lucky, I guess, that my back pain eased off at the same time so I can occasionally lay on my back, and otherwise I'm not sure I'd be able to get up by myself at all. I am more inclined now to think that I actually did fracture the stupid thing, which Dr. Google agrees with. Like I said, the doctor said that it was possible but he couldn't x-ray me to find out. I am just thinking that a week later, a strained muscle should probably be getting some better instead of worse. Whatever it is, it's pretty friggin inconvenient, so I'm hoping that it gets better soon. M probably is, too, since I've been about as helpful as a bump on a log this week, and not much more mobile.

Comments

[carrieb.livejournal.com]

Ducky is making me laugh. I am kind of missing being pregnant when I read these posts--I guess a selective memory thing really comes into play like everyone says!

I can't believe your rib is still hurting! I would be whining and moaning and driving everyone crazy. I hope it starts healing up quick!

[courtesy.livejournal.com]

Youch, poor you with the rib. I'm glad the birthing thing went well though!

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

I am a little surprised at how much I am still enjoying being pregnant, even though it's not very comfortable all of the time. It helps that things are going well so far, and none of the things I've worried about have happened. That's one of the benefits of being a worrier, of course.. things often turn out better than expected. ;)

I am whining and driving M crazy, don't worry. It feels a little better this morning so I'm hoping that it's on the mend.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Now let us just hope that the NEXT, more IMPORTANT birthing thing goes well, too! Do I even need to write about it to make it clear that that one is pretty terrifying? :)

[courtesy.livejournal.com]

What, you mean, the actual birth thingy?? :)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's the one. I hear it mostly sucks except for the very end. ;)

[courtesy.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Personally I'm all about getting it cut out of the tummy :)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

You know, when presented with two options, neither of them sound all that hot to me at the moment. I think I'm more afraid of that one, though. This is one subject where I refuse to feel guilty about worrying because goodness, I'm supposed to do WHAT at the end of this??! Ouch. I'm not thinking about it too much, though, because there really isn't anything to be done about it.

[blue-eyed-girl.livejournal.com]

Speaking as someone whose done it three times, I have to say that it's really not so bad. Honestly. The anticipation is so much worse than actually doing it, I promise.

[e11en.livejournal.com]

And it's all over pretty quickly in the end. Even if it stretches out and drags on for what seems like an eternity, after being pregnant for nine months, the actual birth part is such a small amount of time.