Starting the Search for a Midwife

     So yesterday I decided to start my initial search for a midwife in the Bronx, NY. Not as easy of a process as I thought it would be. It seems like there are a TON of midwives to chose from that are located in Brooklyn. Why is that? What is it about Brooklyn that is so appealing to NY midwives? If you don't live in New York you might not think it would be that big of a deal but living in the Bronx and having to commute to Brooklyn on any kind of a consistent basis is not something you want to do. Yes most of these midwives are willing to travel for the actual birth but not for all of the pre-birth meetings and check ups. For each of those it would take hours in commute time alone...needless to say...not something you want to deal with ever, let alone when you are pregnant.

I have found a few options in Manhattan and a couple in Westchester County so we'll see how the rest of this process goes. I'm sure it will all work out exactly like it's supposed to.

Today's mission: Find my first pregnancy book
After a long conversation with my girlfriend yesterday, who had two very successful home births in the last few years, I have a small list in hand for some to start my search. I would normally just order a book my friend suggests on Amazon but I really wanted to take the time to go through some books and get the perfect one for me and this major change in my life. So off to Barnes & Noble I went....I thought there would be a bigger selection to choose from! It seemed like there was only a very small handful of books that were Holistic, Midwife, Home birth based. Nothing was speaking to me. Then, just as I had put all of the books I had pulled out back onto the shelf and was ready to walk out of the store, I spotted one that I had somehow missed and it turned out to be one from my friends list!

 

Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives
By Deepak Chopra M.D., David Simon M.D. and Vicki Abrams C.C.E.

I was so excited. Just one look at it and I knew it was the one for me!!
I started reading it as soon as I sat down on the train for my 30 min ride back to the Bronx.
I'm only 1/4 of the way through the book but I already know this is one that I am going to suggest to anyone who is pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

Nature Creates within you and entire person complete with all his parts in just forty weeks. Throughout pregnancy your body is your unborn baby's universe. You are the rivers, sunlight, earth, atmosphere, and sky for this being growing within you. Your baby's body, mind, and soul are intimately intertwined with your own. Together you express the creative flow of life.

In each moment, your unborn baby is immersed in the sounds and vibrations of your heartbeat and breath. He feels your stress, tension, and fear along with your joy, happiness, and peace. Whenever you move, laugh, cry, eat, eliminate, or rest, your unborn baby responds. The potential of your child's life is encoded in each of his cells, while the environment of your body can either nurture or disturb this growth. Accept this responsibility with joy, for each healthy choice that you make on behalf of your unborn baby nourishes you as well. Your pregnancy can be a magical beginning for both you and your baby.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!
This is exactly what I was looking for and I am so inspired and excited for this new journey I'm embarking on. I highly suggest you pick this book up.

Update on physical symptoms (4 weeks + 5 Days):
Yesterday early morning started feeling subtle but consistent cramping. It has continued off and on through today. From what I have read this could be from the process of the egg embedding itself into my uterus.
Will keep an eye on it and see what happens. Also have started feeling a bit more tired than usual. May or may not be related. We'll see.

Christmas Day

So yesterday was the day!
I had a feeling that I might be pregnant and yesterday December 25th, 2010 was the day I was supposed to start my period. The last one started on Thanksgiving day November 25th, 2010.

I had this plan to wake up early and take a home pregnancy test on Christmas day to see if we could give ourselves the best gift ever. I woke up about 8am while Tony was sound asleep and took the test. Within what seemed like mere seconds I saw 2 pink lines...not 1 like all the other times I took the test but 2!! OMG...really... was this really happening? I put it in a Christmas card to give to Tony when he woke up and boy was he confused. I think he thought the pink and white stick I gave him was a candy cane for the first few moments. Ha! Once he realized what was going on he thought I was joking...I had to assure him that this was Christmas not April Fool's day. The smile of realization that crossed his face was one I will never forget. I rushed out of the house to pick up one more box of a different brand test just to be sure...yup this time it was a faint plus sign. WE ARE PREGNANT!

I know there is that rule of thumb that you are supposed to wait until after your 1st Trimester (3 Months) before you announce to the world what's happening but that's really hard to do! I was surprised that it was Tony and not me that was racing to the phone to send text messages and make phone calls letting everyone know that "He did it!!" He even sent photos of the two pink lines pointing to pregnant out to his brothers and friends.....who would have thought....

So it's slowly starting to sink in but I  think it's going to be a while before I fully realize what's going on. This is my first pregnancy so it kind of feels like I'm embarking on a new science experiment within my body. I'm in complete wonder and awe with what our female body can achieve.

I do know for certain that I want to have a completely natural pregnancy and a home birth. These are things that I have known without a doubt for a long time now. It's what feels right for me. I hope to use this blog to share with other parents that are going through this same process. I want to share experiences, questions, ideas, products and resources.

I'm excited and looking forward to this process....hope you join me!