Donuts, Doctors & My Birthing Partner

This is the breakfast of champions

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.....Don't let the name deter you. If you have not had the privilege of trying K&S's cinnamon nuggets you have not had the best breakfast in Attala County. It may be because I'm pregnant, it may be because my husband is having sympathy pains, but we think they are truly a two bite piece of heaven. Wash that down with a cold cold chocolate milk....yum!


Disclaimer: K&S does not pay me to say this, even though they could give me a life time supply of cinnamon nuggets and chocolate milk.

Now that we've started our day off right with a sugary sweet breakfast we can move on to yesterday’s doctor’s appointment. All is well on the belly front. Dr. North didn't see me in my skivvies (as my grandmother would call panties.) He may have seen how abnormally high they came up because he had to measure my belly and listen to the heartbeat (145 bpm)...but he didn't say anything about it.

I asked his nurse, Toni, when my next "exam" was because I had to make sure I shaved my legs. She thinks it is so funny that I worry about that stuff because she said they don't even notice. She said it wouldn't be until 36 weeks. So I have a few weeks before my legs get shaved again. That's one less thing to worry about.

I go back in two weeks....no sonogram. Dr. North said I'm doing so well I may not have another sonogram. I called him mean, he laughed, I told him we were in a fight, he left. Then I saw him again in the hall and he was laughing and told me I'd have another sonogram some time. I told him that if that was the case, he wasn't mean, I take it back. We are on speaking terms now.

I did get my H1N1 vaccine. So I hope to not get the swine flu. I hope that my baby will be ok. I don't like the unknowing, but the statistics show that 1/3 of pregnant women that contract the swine flu die. Those are stats we aren't comfortable gambling with. Given, I'll be the first to admit that 40% of all statistics are made up anyway.

So onto, what you've all been waiting so patiently to hear about for a full week. Night 2 of the birthing class.

Night 2 was wonderful for me. I didn't have to do a whole lot. The focus was for the birthing partner....that would be Chip. He prefers to simply be known as the birthing partner now.

We watched an educational video on labor / contractions and what to do, and then the teacher divided the birthing partners into 4 groups. Chip was in group one. I just sat in my seat and played on my phone like the nerd I am. Every now and then I could hear Chip laughing in the corner with his group getting a kick out of himself. Their task was to make a list of things they could do as the birthing partner to make things easier for the mommy during labor. At one point I heard him say, "She'll know I suggested that one." I didn't even look up....I just shook my head to wait the unknowing. Being married to Chip, you just never...ever...know.

So the groups were finished and Chip came and sat back down with me and someone from their group read their list. What the birthing partner can do to help.

1) play soothing music
2) massage
3) breathing techniques
4) Be a table.......I knew Chip said that one....it was in the movie we watched. The couple was walking down the hospital corridor and the lady wanted to bend over and rest....so the man got on all 4's (like a dog) and let her lean over him. We died laughing (we Chip and I being the only ones laughing)......I asked Chip if he'd be my table and he said No.
5) Have a list of people to call
6) Call the hospital to let them know you are coming
7) Update her facebook status for her........again - I knew Chip had said that one. He was grinning ear to ear and so hysterically proud of himself. He cracks me up.

The list went on and on. Those are the ones I remember. Then the second half of the class the birthing partners sat on the floor and massaged our backs. Chip immediately said...ummm, do you think Tasha would come and massage you? For those of you that don't know, my friend Tasha has missed her calling. She gives the best massages known to man. Anyway, I made Chip learn anyway. There were all kinds of creative tools the teacher had for massaging and relaxing- of course there were the hands and rubbing along side the spine and the neck, a pool noodle cut into 1/4 to roll everywhere (that feels great!), a coke can that has been refrigerated for coldness, a sock full of rice (heated in microwave) as heating pad.

Let’s rewind....about 7 months ago when I had just found out I was pregnant my lower back was KILLING me. Chip is not a good massager. Well he is, but he won't do it right for fear I'll like it and make him do it all the time. So, I would beg him to rub my back. He would for like 2.5 seconds then whine that his hands were tired. So he incorporated the can of beans. The can of beans was his invention, his trick, his cure all. He would roll the grocery store bought can of beans up and down my back to save his poor tired hands. It hurt, but I couldn't figure out if it was a good hurt or not. So I let him continue. The next day it was as if every bone, ligament and muscle in my back had been run through the shredder. I hate the can of beans. I've never let him use it again.

So with that said, when the teacher busted out all this creative stuff like coke cans and rice then Chip turned to me and said...I told you the beans were a great idea! All we needed was his can of beans and after labor we could eat a full meal! Lord bless his soul. Or maybe I should say, Lord bless MY soul!

What am I going to do with him?