HypnoBirthing

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog post that we have hired our friend Lisa who is a doula to work with us during the pregnancy and labor/delivery.  She is also a certified HypnoBirthing practictioner.  Sounds interesting, right?  We will actually be taking hypnobirthing classes with her starting next Saturday.  The class will go for 4 Saturdays for 4 hrs each time.  I believe that there will be 3 other couples in the class with us. 

I am really looking forward to taking these classes.  In order to be prepared for the classes, we are supposed to read a book ahead of time, called HypnoBirthing by Marie Mongan. 

We decided to sit down together tonight (after I got pretty sick after dinner--I just felt like resting), and start reading the book together.  We tried reading the first few pages aloud together, haha.  That got too tedious so we just ended up silently reading at the same time.  We figured out that we have to read about 40 pages each day in order to finish the book before next Saturday. :)  Homework!

Anyway, we've only read the first 45 pages or so, but so far it's just a lot of background behind the "methodology" I guess you could say of hypnobirthing.  Basically, the idea is that pregnancy and birth are natural processes for women, and we need to treat our approach to them that way, rather than being scared and fearing the worst that could possibly happen, and dispelling the idea that labor is a medically dangerous event for most women.  There are lots of stories of women in other areas of the world who give birth simply and naturally, on their own, without a lot of pain and without the aid of unnecessary drugs.  It's been interesting to read.  It also goes into how the view of childbirth has changed over time from being something very natural to something almost abhorred, to the introduction of drugging mothers and all of the anesthesia and pain killers that are used today.  I am definitely into learning more about this method of natural birth and "gentle birthing" as they call it.  If we can cast away fears, it is amazing what a difference that can make for many situations, including childbirth.  I am really hoping to be able to learn more about how to be relaxed and calm so that I can ideally bring our baby into the world naturally.  Michael is very supportive of it too and I know that he will be a great birthing partner! 

Anyway, I will update more after we have our classes to share what they are like.  I've heard stories from some friends who have taken them, that they are really good and so helpful (though they may have been skeptical at first).  Husbands especially seem to really find the classes valuable and they feel like they are completely a vital part of the birthing process. 

Another reason that I am looking forward to having Lisa as my doula is that she has been doing it for several years here in Korea so she has a lot of experience and knows about all of the different hospitals, clinics, and birthing centers, so she can recommend a good place for women to give birth depending on what kind of birth they are wanting to have.  Most Korean hospitals tend to have a VERY high rate of c-sections, especially for foreigners (they are afraid that the babies are too big...or the mother has been in labor too long, etc.)...and Lisa has under a 20% c-section rate among her clients.  So, I am really hoping that by having Lisa involved and learning how to be relaxed, that we can hopefully avoid having any kind of surgery.  Of course I know that once the time comes, things go how they go so I'm sure I'll have a plan and it may not happen at all like I plan.  However, I still think it's a good idea to plan anyway!

After we take the classes in November, we will have a better idea of what we are looking for and what we want to do during our birth, so at that time we may switch doctors and go to a different facility.  We will just have to see how it goes.  I am not worried about it though, I know it is in God's hands and will all work out.  I am, however, continuing to pray for the health and good condition of my colon throughout the rest of my pregnancy.  That can make a huge difference in how things turn out.  Thanks for reading, and I'll probably post some photos this weekend as I will be 20 weeks along--halfway--on Sunday!!

A sweet gift

This week I celebrated my 31st birthday! 

I got the sweetest gift from my dear friend, Ji Yun.  It almost made me cry!

 If you can't tell, it's a necklace that says "Raindrop."  What a thoughtful gift that I will treasure for years to come!  Ji Yun is seriously one of the most thoughtful, kindhearted friends that I have ever known.  I am so blessed by her friendship.  She will be a great "eemo" (aunt) to little Raindrop!!  When we first became friends over 3 yrs ago, Michael and I always told her that if we had a baby we would want her to move in with us to be our baby's nanny. :)  Maybe we can still convince her!  We do have a spare bedroom. hehe

Ji Yun being cheeky at dinner.

Lovely Ji Yun!!  Love you, friend!

A photo

Just in case you wanted to see a photo of me pregnant...here is one from last week (Oct. 2) when I was 16 weeks and had just gotten my hair cut. :)

Finding Out

Well, I guess I should go back and tell you the story from the beginning.

We had a GREAT summer vacation to Europe:  spent 3 weeks there on our way home to the US.  We spent a week in Italy, then did a 9 night cruise of the Baltic cities (Rostock, Germany; Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia (2 days); Helsinki, Finland; and Stockhom, Sweden), and then finally stayed for 3 1/2 more days in Copenhagen, Denmark.

We flew home to Arkansas to stay with Michael's parents on June 25 (Michael's birthday and our anniversary).  That whole week (and really from then on out) I was feeling really tired and just wanted to nap all the time.  I suspected that maybe I was pregnant but it was too soon to know.  The next week I got a yucky cold which made me feel even worse and I was afraid to take any antibiotics in case I actually was pregnant.  I went to the doctor and she prescribed me some but told me not to take them unless I knew for sure that I was not pregnant, but she didn't offer to give me a blood test to check! haha So then of course it was the waiting game for a while longer.  I tried taking a pregnancy test but it came up negative.  I have heard that it can take a few weeks before they will accurately detect them...so anyway, I decided to wait to take one again until I knew it had been long enough.  The following Sunday, July 10, I got up in the morning to get ready for church, and decided to go ahead and take another pregnancy test.  Lo and behold, here is what I saw:

Even though I was hoping for that, it was still quite shocking to actually see it!  I've taken many pregnancy tests in the years since I've been married and always out of fear that I was pregnant and didn't want to be. They always turned out negative, so it was strange to see something different, and to be excited about it!  I woke up Michael and told him the news.  He was so excited too.  I think we were both a little in shock.  Michael joked that we should name our baby Denmark and call it Mark for short. :)

Now,  we debated next about what to do.  Who to tell?  I had always wanted to wait as long as possible to tell people, just to be sure that I made it through the first trimester--the riskiest time.  Especially with my colon issues, I just thought that I might have complications or issues.  So, I've always said, let's not tell anyone!  Michael convinced me that we needed to tell our parents in person, since we were home and with them!  I'm thankful that he did.  I can be stubborn, but I am open to reason. :)  However, we didn't leave Arkansas for three more days, and I didn't want to tell my parents over the phone, but I also didn't want to tell Michael's parents 3 whole days before mine!  So, we decided we would wait until Tuesday evening to tell Rodney and Vicki, and then we would tell my parents on Wednesday evening after we got to San Diego.  I thought Michael was going to go crazy keeping it a secret for the next few days.  I've discovered that he is really bad with keeping secrets/surprises. haha

Several years ago, when Michael and I first got married, we would spend a lot of time in Barnes & Noble.  I discovered these Grandparent memory books that are filled out by the Grandparents (about themselves, their childhood and growing up, as an adult) and given to the grandchildren to keep, so that as they grow up, they can read more about their grandparents and get to know more about who they are as people.  I've always had this idea that I wanted to tell our parents by buying them these books (they are actually published by the AARP! haha) and giving them as a gift, to surprise them.  I feel weird just coming right out and saying "I'm pregnant" and wanted to make it more fun.

We were in Searcy, AR.  There is not a lot of choice in the way of books.  We went to Hastings to find them but couldn't find anything like that, so instead we just bought some kids books, "Grandma and Me" and "Just Grandpa and Me."  We wrapped them and gave them to Rodney and Vicki on Tuesday afternoon.  We said we just wanted to thank them for letting us come to stay for a couple of weeks, and when they opened it, they seemed a little confused at first.  Actually, I think Rodney figured it out quickly, but Vicki said, "Oh, some books to read with Phoebe!" (her granddaughter) and thought it was an odd gift.  Then she read the card that we had included (after she put on her glasses) and realized that it was for a NEW grandchild!  They were both pretty shocked/surprised, but definitely excited.

Then we flew to San Diego the next day. We had dinner with the extended family at my grandmother's house, and afterward we said we needed to go to Barnes & Noble to get this new book that Michael was wanting that just came out that day.  Well, instead I looked for those books, and found them!  At least I found the one from the Grandfather...they didn't have the one from Grandmother but I found a different one, same concept, called Grandmother Remembers.  So, we bought those and then ran to Target and got a little yellow onesie to include in the gift.  We again, told my parents we wanted to give them a gift for letting us come and stay with them, and they opened it and were of course, also shocked/surprised (at least they appeared to  be!).  But they were very excited and my dad's response was, "I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to have a grandchild!"

So, we had told our parents.  I was surprised at how nervous I felt both times when telling them!  I guess I knew they would be happy and excited but I just wasn't sure how they'd react knowing that we were going to be in Korea for it.  We decided we'd tell our siblings too and our few closest friends, and then wait to tell everyone else until we were further along in the pregnancy.  We told my younger brother and his fiancee and then my older brother and sister-in-law when they got to San Diego.  Then we called Michael's sisters and told them over Skype one weekend while his parents were visiting with them all in Texas.  So, it was an exciting time and so fun to be able to share with our families while we were home.  We did make them swear to secrecy and they did a really good job keeping it under wraps for the next 2 months. :)  We also assured them that we would be coming home for Christmas to spend some time with them, so they could be with me big and pregnant in person, and that we would definitely be coming home for the entire summer next year, and pretty much from now on.

We really love our families and are so thankful for them and their support.  I know that it has got to be hard for them, especially our parents, to think about us having our baby here in Korea and being so far away from them during this time, but we really appreciate their encouragement and the fact that they have not tried to make us feel guilty for being here.  God has blessed us with amazing families!

First Kicks?!

Well...yes blog world, I am about 10 months behind on blogging but it's time to catch up now because, yes, I am pregnant!  I need to start chronicling this journey to motherhood.  So, I figured what a better time than now...since I think I am feeling our baby kick me right now! 

I am 16 1/2 weeks along and due at the end of March.  I thought it might be a few more weeks before I felt anything, but this has taken me aback while I've been trying to get motivated to do my grad school homework tonight!  Michael is gone late tonight--the HS volleyball team had a game in Daegu, a few hours away, and they are due home in about an hour and a half.  Hopefully he will get home before I go to bed so I can share the good news with him. :)

We're affectionately referring to our baby as "Rain Drop" right now.  Michael find this very humorous.  When we first found out we were pregnant this summer, I was very adamant about not having any little "pet" names for the baby...like peanut or bean or whatever.  Sometimes they just annoy me, I don't know why.  But then I decided, well, if we're going to have a pet name, I want to choose it myself!  So...I came up with the little Rain Drop.  I think it's fitting, and not many others can use that one. :)

Here is how we announced the baby on Facebook (because that's really the only way to announce things these days, isn't it?)...

I thought it was cute and a little bit clever.  I didn't want to do the typical "post your ultrasound picture as your profile photo so everyone knows you are pregnant" type thing.  haha I sound like such a wet blanket, hey?  I have also vowed not to create an album on Facebook of pregnancy photos, week-by-week.  Of course I am taking the photos, but the only people that I am sending those to are my mom and mother-in-law (and occasionally some friends, but not every week)! 

If you DO like to see growing tummy photos, I will share some with you on this blog over the course of the next 5 months.  Stay tuned...