#mindfulbirthing

By this point in your pregnancy there are many things that “should” be in order. Nursery should be almost done, baby shower should be had (or about to), Hospital bag packed, registry bought out, names picked out, baby clothes washed/folded, etc. Fast forward to real life CoVidstyle - the only thing actually accomplished on that list is the name. (Hubby and I picked out our kid’s name year 3 of our relationship. Yup.) 

Many moms will procrastinate because of superstition, others because they lead such a busy lifestyle that it just hasn’t been able to get done, and others (like me) because it was actually impossible to do so. Life throws you certain obstacles to mess with you, keep you on your toes - it’s up to you to sink or swim. I took the opportunity that I was given during quarantine and literally just rested. I read books, played with my dog, binged on Netflix (who didn’t?), went for walks, breathed in nature, appreciated the time I had with my husband, had plenty of zoom calls, cooked a WHOLE lot, and simply enjoyed the little moments I was given with my health and my baby in good health. A lot of these things are taken for granted and seeing how bad this virus impacted the WORLD was an eye-opener to say the least.

Fast forward to the present - we are finally able to set up the baby’s nursery. Crib’s in place, changing table/dresser is built, toy chest and playpen is next. Stroller’s on its way along with the carseat meanwhile this little one is kicking up a storm in mommy’s belly. I’ve been doing tons of research on natural births and what my options are and I am pretty much certain I wanna do this as natural as possible - warrior princess style. I will probably rethink this once the time comes and realize how crazy I was being - but as for now, that’s the plan. 

I began reading a book called “Mindful Birthing” by Nancy Bardacke to support this “crazy” idea I have, that I highly recommend. It literally explains and shows you how to go thru childbirth mindfully, no matter what your plan. It’s another route you can take for pain management. It also shows you how to parent mindfully, which is something I am very much interested in. (Let’s be serious, we have no idea what we’re doing, this advice is like gold.) I started reading the baby books when I first found out I was pregnant, but I def think having an informed idea of what childbirth will be like is very necessary. I’m the type of person that needs to know every detail about a situation so I won’t be scared shitless. To be honest, I think I’m more scared about becoming a parent than actual birth. Raise your hand if you with me! But so far I’m on chapter 4 of this book and it’s taught me more about looking inward, paying attention to my baby, the patterns of kicks and rolls, how I am physically/mentally feeling, and how to take note of that and what to do with it. 

Meditating and being mindful is something that I’ve always struggled with but have always been very intrigued by. I meditated constantly for quite a while and then just became too wrapped up in my daily life to even take the chance to do so. I don’t know why I ever stopped because it made me much more centered and calm - it was a feeling (or state of being, if you will) that I very much cherished. It was like I was so grounded I couldn’t be knocked off my feet. Due to the circumstances of our world today where there is so much suffering to go around, I think that grounding is very much necessary. In a world where I can sometimes feel helpless or lost, finding a place to finally feel like I have purpose or like I know what’s going on makes me feel sane.