Flutters

After a few days of wondering whether the rumblings I'd felt were digestive in nature or not, I can now positively say that I am feeling baby move. Apparently he already knows when mealtimes are and has no qualms about giving me a poke to remind me to get us to the kitchen in short order. After eating he seems to do a celebratory little dance before going back to sleep. I usually don't feel anything more until bedtime, when I get a few good-night flicks for good measure. It is starting to hit home that there is actually someone in there. : )

At this point, I'm getting a definite boy vibe, though I'd be equally as delighted if baby is a girl. I just pray that he or she is healthy, and that we all (Manny included) make it through this process with lives, sanity, and bodies unharmed. Manny and I don't plan to find out baby's sex before the birth, a decision which has been met with some very vocal displeasure from Manny's side of the family. As of right now, I most likely will not have an ultrasound unless the doctor deems it necessary. I get the big hairy eyebrow when people find that out, and if you think that's bad, you should see the reaction when I tell them we're planning a homebirth. Honestly, you'd think I had just told them that I belong to a cult that sacrifices small animals.

The birth will be attended by a physician. I am fortunate to be near one of the few physician-attended homebirth practices in the nation. If it were not for stumbling upon this practice two years ago, I would have been content to remain Sulvan forever. People would always try to convince me of how natural pregnancy and childbirth are, all the while sharing war stories about being strapped to a hospital bed with a ginormous needle stuck in their back, (I am a HUGE needlephobe) and various and sundry other tubes and devices where they do not naturally belong. And, if this process is such natural one, why on earth must I go to a place where the order of the day is sickness and death? No thanks, I'll pass on that one.

Then I found this practice on the internet and saw that their philosophy completely meshed with mine. I am confident that there will be no interventions pushed on me, and that they will not even be suggested unless they are absolutely medically necessary. Should there be complications and I need to be transferred to the hospital, I know that it will be in the best interests of both baby and me. It is a relief not to have to worry about being gutted like a fish simply because someone has to hurry up and make their tee-time. (Not to say all doctors would, but there are plenty that do.)

Crunch. Now where'd I put those Birkenstocks? :P