Tag Archives: Life

Tick tock

This week has been … challenging.

After several weeks of feeling relatively okay (compared to the first 6 months of my pregnancy), I was suddenly stricken with nausea the likes I haven’t experienced since early in my first trimester. My midwife says it’s perfectly normal for some women to experience a resurgence of “morning” sickness in the final stages of pregnancy. And of course after my 6 months of nausea in the beginning, I’m one of the lucky women who gets more nausea at the end. Yay me!

All I wanted was to lie around listening to sad music and feeling sorry for myself. But unfortunately, I was up against a deadline for a huge freelance project. So this week has been full of stress and sickness and working anyway. Boo.

This week also marked the beginning of our hospital childbirth class. Since I’m planning an unmedicated birth, I was really nervous about the hospital class. Several natural birth resources advised me to skip it, saying it would only pump my head full of fear with talk of pain and pain medication and C-sections. We decided to take the class anyway, because I wanted to know what I’m up against. If my hospital wasn’t going to be natural birth friendly, I wanted to prepare myself.

I was so relieved to discover that everything I heard about hospital birth classes couldn’t be further from the reality of this class. The hospital I’ve chosen is incredibly natural-birth friendly. One of the few in my state certified baby-friendly based on guidelines set forth by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, the hospital I chose has an astonishingly low epidural rate (under 40%!). So far the class has focused on natural pain management techniques. I’m sure we’ll discuss medicinal approaches at some point, but they don’t seem to assume that every woman will show up looking for the drugs.

Because they’re baby friendly, most of the hospital’s standard policies are also very natural-birth friendly. Their policies combined with my midwife’s low-intervention approach makes me very optimistic about my birth.

My friend Kacie, who’s due with her second baby in December, posted her to-do-before-baby list on her blog today, and it reminded me just how little time I have left. My due date is in roughly two months. I still have diapers to buy, freezer cooking to do (thanks for your suggestions, by the way! I’ll be writing more on that later), deep cleaning in my apartment to tackle, and a baby quilt to finish.

Oh! And then there’s the tiny little task of setting up the nursery, which we haven’t even begun. It’s going to be a busy couple of months, for sure. Once I finish a major writing project that I’m working on, I’m thinking I’ll take some time off from freelancing to prepare for baby and rest up. I just hope my body cooperates, and I don’t lose too many days to nausea.

Despite the long, grueling week that’s almost behind me, there’s a light at the end of it. This weekend we’re headed to my parents’ house to celebrate my baby shower and my birthday on Sunday. I’ll be 26 years old. Eep. The second half of my 20s! Where has the time gone?

Photo by faerie-dust

Sad day

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to write a new post for today. An old friend’s 3-year-old daughter lost her battle with cancer on Friday, and I’m hustling to get caught up on freelance work today so I can attend the funeral service 4 hours away tomorrow.

The friend and I haven’t been close for several years (we were college roommates), but I am heartbroken for her and her family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

And please consider adding St. Jude Children’s Hospital to the list of charities to which you contribute. It’s the hospital where this little girl was initially treated, and they are a not-for-profit research hospital. Thousands of children are treated there each year regardless of their family’s financial situation, and St. Jude conducts life-saving research to seek new treatments for childhood diseases. If you’d like to give, you can donate here.

Blogger’s block

As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve been struggling a bit with this blog lately. It’s partly because I’m still not feeling well. It’s partly because I’ve taken on some freelance work, which is draining my creative reserves.

So I wanted to ask you for some guidance. What kind of topics would you like to read about at Living Well on Less? In the past year, I’ve shifted this blog away from its finance focus somewhat, and I began writing about health, happiness, and simplicity. If there’s a topic you’d like to see here, now’s the time to let me know! I’d much appreciate any ideas you can throw my way as I work my way out of this bit of blogger’s block.

Busy weekend

My weekend started with my best friend’s wedding on Friday. Sunday we went to a cookout with Tony’s family, where I finally met some of his out of town relatives who I’ve never had a chance to meet. Today we’re headed to my parents’ house for a Labor Day cookout.

All of this travel and socializing is exhausting, which is why I haven’t had time to update. But we’ll be back tomorrow, and I’ll have time for blogging then.

I hope you all have a safe and relaxing Labor Day!

Photo by myklroventine

99 days to go (give or take a few)

My estimated due date is fewer than 100 days away. It’s unlikely that I’ll deliver on my due date — most women don’t. It’s also highly possible that I’ll deliver after my due date — most women do for their first baby. But this still feels like a milestone, and these days, I’ll take what I can get when it comes to encouragement.

It seems like such a short amount of time considering all that I have left to do. The “nursery” is still filled with boxes of office supplies that we don’t know what to do with. I’ve collected a few odds and ends here and there (cloth diapers and clothing mostly), but we don’t have any of the furniture or anything else. Ever since I found out I’m pregnant, I’ve been telling myself I have plenty of time. But that time is starting to run short.

In honor of this “milestone,” I thought I’d share what we have done and what’s left to do. Hopefully it’ll motivate us to get moving.

Done

  • We registered for birth classes beginning in October. We’ll be taking a Childbirth Preparation class at the hospital. I also signed up for infant/child CPR and a breastfeeding class.
  • I ordered the HypnoBabies home study course back in June, but I’ll finally start in mid-September when I’m close to 30 weeks. Kacie will be taking the course with me so we can be study buddies. HypnoBabies isn’t as kooky as it sounds. It’s a natural-birth course that teaches women to manage pain through guided meditation and relaxation techniques instead of pain meds. I did a lot of research before I chose this program, and women who’ve used it say the methods they learned really did help them stay relaxed and manage their pain without medication. We’ll see!
  • We completed a registry, and our families are planning to throw us two baby showers. Yay! We kept our registry pretty small, because I’m really trying to keep the amount of stuff we cram into our apartment to a minimum. Both showers will be held in the middle of October, so that’ll give us plenty of time to buy what we still need after the showers before the baby comes.
  • We’ve picked up a few items here and there. I’ve started my cloth diaper stash, and we have several items of clothing that we’ve picked up or our families have picked up for us. Tony’s grandmother loves to shop yard sales, and she says she’s bought a ton of clothing for us there.
  • We’re 95% settled on a name for our little boy, but we’re keeping it a secret until his birth day.

To Do

  • Right now, the nursery is a depository for office supplies and other stuff we don’t have a place for. We need turn it into an actual nursery.
  • We still need to get pretty much everything we’ll need for the baby.
  • Since no one in our families used cloth diapers, I’m not anticipating that any of them will feel comfortable enough to order diapers for us. So we’ll have to finish up our stash in the next couple months.
  • I’ve been reading and preparing for a natural birth, but I still have a couple books I’d like to finish.
  • Several years ago, I started working on a hand quilt that I still haven’t finished. I want to finish that and turn my wedding gown into a baby quilt this fall.
  • We need to make some decisions about the birth and create a birth plan for my midwives and the nurses attending my delivery.

It’s going to be a busy few months, especially October. Our baby showers and all three of our classes are taking place in October. But I’m so excited that we’re finally getting to the fun parts! Hopefully December will be here before we know it.

Photo by miiitch

I’m not knocking luxury

So. Hmm. That last post was a little misunderstood, I think.

Let me clarify. I’m not saying I don’t indulge in life’s luxuries. My husband and I didn’t choose to live frugally so we could sit in an empty room counting all of the money we’ve saved. We chose to life frugally, count every penny, and save when we can so we can afford some of life’s luxuries without putting ourselves into debt.

Case in point: Last May, after saving for three years, we finally took our vacation to Europe. We had a blast (despite the fact that I was 10-12 weeks pregnant and suffering the worst of my morning sickness). But I wouldn’t trade the trip for the world.

Did we need to go to Europe? Absolutely not. We wanted to take the trip, saved diligently, and paid cash. I’m so glad we worked so hard to save, and we’ll remember the trip for the rest of our lives. In my last post, I wasn’t saying that we should only ever spend money on necessities. I just think it’s important to recognize which luxuries we choose to spend money on, and draw a clear line between what’s necessary and what’s nice to have.

I’ve spent the last couple days editing photos (finally), I can finally share the pictures with you! I’m not looking my best, unfortunately, as I was quite ill. But there are lots of pretty buildings and scenery.

The photo below is us at the top of Notre Dame in Paris. Somewhere behind Tony’s head is the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, the tourist who snapped the picture for us didn’t tell him. Boo.

Click here for the slide show. Happy Wednesday!

Happy place

Thank you so much for your encouragement yesterday. Sometimes I just need a reminder of how worthwhile all of the obstacles will be.

I’ll be spending the rest of the weekend dreaming of cool, clean autumn air, and reminding myself that this year I’ll finally get to experience the Indiana fall I’ve missed so much for the past three years. (Bonus: I’ll be much closer to my due date.)

I think it’s safe to blame the hormones

Vivid dreams are a side effect of pregnancy for which I wasn’t prepared. Most of the time, they’re wacky (like the other night when I dreamed that Michael Phelps towed my sinking cruise ship to shore, rescuing everyone on board). But last night, it was bittersweet.

In the dream, it was fall. Crisp, cool air replaced the stagnant, wet heat outside right now. Tony and I were going on a trip somewhere exciting. It was sunny and beautiful, and I felt well. I felt light and cheery and good in a way that my body hasn’t felt for, oh, about 5 months now.

When I woke up, it was a bitter reminder of the stark contrast between how my body feels now, and how I used to feel when my biggest complaint in the morning was that I didn’t feel like going to the gym. What I wouldn’t give to put in 3 miles on a treadmill now, but I feel too heavy, too sick, too exhausted all. the. time.

It’s not that nobody warned me. I witnessed my sisters as they endured 9+ months of discomfort during pregnancy. I knew I’d likely face the same fate. But I don’t think it’s possible to fully understand what will happen to you during pregnancy until you’ve experienced it yourself. I know I wasn’t prepared.

And yes, I know, I know, it’s all worth it. Unfortunately, when you’re pregnant for the first time, there’s no real frame of reference. Like pregnancy, parenthood is something that’s impossible to understand or grasp until you experience it. So for now, I’m feeling a whole lot of discomfort with only a vague understanding of what awaits at the finish line.

I am completely aware of how lucky I am. That’s why I’ve tried really hard to keep my complaining to myself. We decided we’d like to have a baby, and a month later I was pregnant. That alone is a feat considering how many people struggle for months and even years with infertility. So far, the baby is healthy and thriving despite my discomfort. I quit my full-time job pretty early in the pregnancy to begin a freelance career, so I won’t have to worry about returning to an office after the baby is born. And Tony is about as patient and forgiving as a husband can be, even when I don’t deserve it (especially when I don’t deserve it). He cooks and cleans and takes care of me on the days when I’m too sick to get up (and yes, I’m still having those days, even at 22 weeks).

I’m fully aware that I’m lucky, which is why I choose not to write most days instead of writing what I’m feeling. But the truth is, I struggle to feel grateful. I know I have much to be thankful for, but I’m human, and it’s hard to feel grateful after 5 months of what feels like stomach flu. It’s hard to feel grateful as I swell to twice my previous size. It’s hard to feel grateful as I struggle to sleep at night and concentrate during the day. I know it’s not supposed to be easy, but somehow the inability to feel grateful is the hardest part.

And then I feel guilty about it. I remind myself of how lucky I am, and I feel guilty because it’s so hard for me to appreciate it right now. It’s a vicious cycle, and I suspect that it will continue at least until the baby is born (and likely beyond).

Despite the guilt, I have to admit — I hate being pregnant. I know how sad this will seem to the many women who enjoy the whole process, but I am not one of them. It has been a roller coaster ride with fewer ups than downs, and although I’m barely halfway through it, I’m already counting down the days until it’s over.

I am miserable most of the time. I don’t feel like myself. I snap at my husband over the stupidest things. I shout at my dog for annoying me when all he’s trying to do is comfort me the only way he knows how. Lifting myself from bed in the morning feels like running a marathon; I feel so heavy, and my muscles and joints are so stiff. I’m constantly overheated. I’m depressed. And then there’s the continued nausea and constant pain, of course.

I can’t help but feel like I’m having some sort of allergic reaction to my unborn child. Thankfully, he seems to be doing fine, despite the fact that my body is rejecting his presence so violently.

So. Why don’t you tell me your favorite thing about having kids? Because I sure could use a reminder of why this will all be worth it in the end.

Photo by cglatz

Take a guess

We’re on our way now for our ultrasound, and hopefully we’ll find out if we’re having a boy or a girl. I figured I’d give you all a chance to take a guess just for fun!

Here are some stats:

  • I’ve been nauseated pretty much non-stop since about 6 weeks, but that probably doesn’t mean anything because my mom and two of my three sisters battled prolonged morning sickness with all of their pregnancies, both boys and girls.
  • Heartburn started early — I think around 10 weeks? It’s pretty severe, and it seems like pretty much anything I eat causes it.
  • I started showing early at about 12 weeks, and I’m carrying low so far.
  • My hair and skin are a mess. Frizzy hair, dry skin. But this also may have more to do with my nausea/fatigue than it does the baby. I just don’t have the energy to primp like I used to.
  • My cravings have been all over the place, but due to the nausea, they’ve been very limited. The biggest thing has been fruit (peaches especially) and anything with cheese.
  • In the beginning, I was sure it was a boy. But as we get closer to the ultrasound date, I’m less sure. After all, there’s a 50/50 chance!

So I guess I didn’t give you much information, but it’s really all guessing at this point anyway, right. My official guess is that it’s a boy. Even though I’m less sure than I was in the beginning, I still just have a feeling. Tony thinks it’s a girl, but I think he’s just being contentious because I’ve been so adamant that it’s a boy. :)

Either way, wish us luck for a healthy baby who’s not so shy that we can’t tell.