When I first met with Dr. O, he gave me a government-regulated book called “Baby’s Best Chance.” It’s put together by a group of health professionals with insights from parents on the ins and outs of pregnancy, and what happens to you and your baby as your pregnancy progresses, from conception to birth and beyond. Basically, it’s What to Expect When You’re Expecting. (Which I actually don’t own, nor do I plan to)

Anyway, there’s a lot of talk about having a birth plan: What you and your spouse want to happen when it comes time to giving birth. Natural? Some meds? Drugged right up? C-Section? There’s a lot of different options out there for women these days.

For me, I’m not going to have a set plan and play everything by ear. Why? Because it sounds like a lot of women who have had a set plan in mind usually have to go with something else come delivery time because of complications of some sort. Planning to go with an all-natural, at home birth ends up with an emergency visit to the hospital; plans for a vaginal delivery in hospital turns into a C-Section, etc., etc.

I’m not saying this because I think plans are ridiculous to make for the delivery of a child, I’m just saying I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment. I’m also not saying that every woman who has had to divert from their plan was disappointed in their birthing experience. In the end, I’m sure that they’re just happy to have their little one in their arms, safe and sound.

So what is my “plan”, exactly? Well, I’m still not 100% sure. I know I don’t want an at-home birth, that I definitely want to be at the hospital. My doctor is a baby-delivering mastermind, so I have no worries there. Then, like I said before, I want to play everything by ear. I’ll fight through the pain as best I can before begging for an epidural and I won’t resist a C-Section if there is the slightest chance of Baby I being in danger. (And I mean slightest, mostly for personal reasons I’m not willing to discuss.) I’m also not against the idea of being enduced if she’s taking her sweet time arriving. I do know that I want to keep the cord blood if it’s feasible and not too expensive. This is something I’ll discuss with Dr. O at a future appointment.

I actually admire women who go through at-home, all natural childbirths because I think they’re pretty brave for doing that with their first born. I don’t admire women who want a C-Section just because they’re worried about what childbirth may do to their vag. That’s what it’s there and designed for!

There you have it, my “plan”, or lack thereof. Maybe it’s because I’m a “go with the flow” kind of person, but I’m really not getting myself all worked up about how my child comes into the world.

Now onto your regular programming:

How far along? 21 weeks

How big is baby? About 10 ½” from crown to heel, according to BabyCentre.ca!

Total weight gain/loss: I weighed myself last night at my MIL’s, and I’ve gained about 4lbs since the last time I weighed myself (about 2 weeks ago). So, I’m actually up 4lbs from my regular pre-pregnancy weight! It seems like I’m getting bigger and bigger every day; In fact, my belly button is slowly starting to “pop” out. It looks really weird because it’s fairly deep normally, so seeing the inside is strange. Kyle thinks it’s hilarious.

Maternity Clothes? Kyle took me shopping a couple weeks ago and I bought some shirts and a pair of pants for work. They flatter my bump a lot better than my regular clothes and I can actually prove to people that I am indeed pregnant, lol.

Stretch marks? Still none, yay!

Sleep: I’ve been getting heartburn almost every night, which is horrid because I’ve never suffered from it before, and I’ve been waking up sweating to death. Other that that, it’s the usual peeing every 3 hours or so.

Movement: Lots! Baby I is a little motor monster! She really doesn’t like it when I’m at work, I think. She seems to move around the most there!

Food cravings: Whenever I see something that looks appetizing on TV I want to have it. Usually it passes though. The only thing that makes me want to hurl when I see it is uncooked chicken. Yuck.

What I miss: Last week I went to my chiropractor and she had a special pillow to support my belly as I laid on my stomach so she could adjust my achy hips. It really made me miss sleeping on my stomach.

What I am looking forward to: My hips to stop hurting. They hurt soooo bad, it’s awful. By the end of the day I can barely get up off the couch to go to bed.

Milestones: Stroller shopping! Kyle, my mom, and I went to Babies R Us to look at a stroller that was on sale for a wicked price, and it’s gorgeous AND really good! They were all out of the colour we wanted, so I have a raincheck for whenever it comes back in stock. Here’s a photo from their website:

At first I was apprehensive about buying a 3-wheeled stroller, but it rolled so smoothly and was fairly easy to collapse down and bring back up. Plus, it’s a travel system, so the car seat just plunks right into the stroller while Baby I is still little! The coolest thing? It has a built-in auxiliary cord with speakers for an iPod! Really, I wouldn’t buy this stroller just for that, but since it’s on sale for such a great deal, it’s a nice added perk. It also came in purple, but since it’s a more girly colour we went with the green. That way Kyle won’t be too embarrassed to push it around.

Photo: 

What do you imagine your plan to be when you have kids?
If you have kids, what was your plan and did it work out that way?