Every Act of Love

I've been liking this song lately, thought I'd share it

Every Act of Love~ by Jason Gray
Sitting at the stoplight
He can't be bothered by the heart cry
Written on the cardboard in her hand
But when she looks him in the eye
His heart is broken open wide
And he feels the hand of God reach out through him
As Heaven touches earth

(Chorus)
Oh - we bring the Kingdom come
Oh - with every act of love
Jesus help us carry You
Alive in us, Your light shines through
With every act of love
We bring the Kingdom come

There's silence at the table
He wants to talk but he's not able
For all the shame that's locked him deep inside
But her words are the medicine
When she says they can begin again
And forgiveness will set him free tonight
As Heaven touches earth

(Chorus)

God put a million, million doors in the world
For his love to walk through
One of those doors is you
I said, God put a million, million doors in the world
For his love to walk through
One of those doors is you

(Chorus)

Oh - we bring the Kingdom come
Oh - with every act of love
Jesus help us carry You
Alive in us, Your light shines through
With every act of love
We bring the Kingdom come
With every act of love
We bring the Kingdom come
With every act of love
We bring the Kingdom come

28.5 weeks and research

We have arrived at the 3rd trimester! This is when I'm told things get more uncomfortable. So far I feel pretty good. More pains when I'm sleeping at night and heartburn has gotten worse but other than that, nothing to complain about.

We started our Child Birth classes at Edward recently and to say I was a little overwhelmed would be an understatement. Having never witnessed a birth myself my frame of reference was of course, Hollywood. I now see what is really going to happen and how long it could actually drag out for. I think I was overwhelmed not by how much its actually going to hurt but because there are so many options for childbirth these days. Every woman has a different story to tell from the friend that had preeclampsia and delivered 6 weeks early via C-section to the friend that just gave birth to baby #5 who ended up being over 10#s. In the end, there is no right or wrong way to birth a baby! As long as you end up with a little girl or boy to hold in your arms, the rest really doesn't matter.

That said, I am doing a whole ton of research on the subject of natural childbirth. My #1 issue with getting an epidural  (I would never do the IV drugs since those will affect the baby) is that you become confined to the bed and have limited ways in which you can move to help your baby get into position. #2 issue is that I really believe it can make your labor longer. #3 is that I don't want the doctor to have to tell me its time to push. #4 I don't want a catheter because I won't know when my own body needs to go to the bathroom. I can have all the reasons in the world but when we get to that point, I may be begging for the epidural. At the very least, I won't do it right away when we arrive at the hospital, I will put it off for as long as possible and use alternate methods of relaxation/pain relief.

Right now I am looking at aromatherapy for at home and in hospital as well as water therapy. Lavender for the initial labor and trying to relax and Jasmine for after we are at the hospital and contractions are worse. The hospital has a shower with Jacuzzi tub and removable showerhead so I can continue to use hot water to sooth contractions as well. Just can't sit in the tub if my water has broken or if there is any bleeding due to increased chances of infection. I may or may not do some visualization type stuff, not sure I'd be able to focus my mind enough for it to be effective.

I've asked friends how they have gotten through their natural childbirths and each has a different story/strategy. All I can do is try. If baby doesn't cooperate or if there are other complications they will do the C-section. I won't let them jump straight to it by any means but if its for the best  of our baby girl, they will do what they need to do.

I am also doing some light research about vaccinations for the baby. I let them give me the t-dep shot last week because I can't tell you when I had a booster for whooping cough or that one that starts with P. Tetanus I had for Bolivia but a booster is never a bad idea. I refused the flu shot, I hate those things! I am not anti-vaccinations for the baby but I'm not all for them either. I will probably delay the vaccination schedule by as much as a year but will probably have them all done by the start of school. A friend of mine knows someone who has a doctor that is more understanding about the delayed or non-vaccination plan and I'm waiting to get his info. I have also just started researching it. A friend recommended a very balanced book on the issue and I've gotten it from the library but have  not started reading it yet. Its called Natural Baby and Childcare by Lauren Feder M.D. Also my teacher at one of my classes recommended a book called Natural Hospital Birth by Cynthia Gabriel. That one is on order with the library. If I start reading internet articles and blogs I'm bound to drive myself crazy trying to decide who is right and wrong on the issues. An extremist I am not. I just want to do what is best for myself and my family. And that may just fly in the face of what most doctors believe (or are paid to believe) about medicine.

Next two weeks are baby showers then then rest of the classes. Yay!

Unexpected Changes

Yesterday was a pretty bad day. I ended up quitting the job that I've had for the last 3 1/2 years. Still hard to believe I was really there that long. Climate Pros was a small business run by former service technicians that never learned the correct way to administratively run a company. Lack of professionalism combined with employing too many family members made for an especially trying 3 1/2 years. And yesterday was the final straw. Eric has been wanting me to quit for 3 years now and I've always found a reason to stay. I had given my notice sometime ago that I would leave at the end of the year due to the pregnancy. I had about 40 working days left with the company when I was insulted and accused for things that were in no way shape or form my fault. They see that now but the damage has been done and I will not be going back. So we are now on what I was calling the post-baby budget even though we are still pre-baby.

So I find myself with a lot of time on my hands. But its time that I plan to use well. I have been doing some Christmas shopping, looking and researching ways to get our monthly bills down (cell phones, cable, etc), and I have returned full-force to couponing. I have been using my parents treadmill to do some walking since its the #1 recommended exercise for pregnancy. I plan to use the time to reconnect with friends I haven't seen in a long time which is mostly due to them not coming to night activities such as sports because of bedtime for little children. But I also plan to restrict my driving as much as possible, esp with the winter weather coming. I've been driving 40 mins each way to work and going through about a tank of gas a week. I'm hoping to stretch a tank at least 2 weeks if possible.

There is not much more I can do in getting ready for baby's arrival. The shelving unit and dresser have been assembled and the room painted, much thanks to Eric on all accounts. I need to cut up receiving blankets for baby wipes and find a good plastic container to store them in (air tight) and wash a ton of clothes. But its a little early to be doing all that. The showers are coming up in a few weeks as are the holidays. This weekend is our first childbirth class at Edward and there are 3 more classes after that for baby care and breastfeeding. So I will stay busy and time will fly. And I will be a much happier person for getting out of a bad working environment!