Here I am at 36 weeks and 3 days of pregnancy. The baby has dropped even more than it looked in this picture, and I feel like she could arrive at any time! So from my experience, here are five ways you can tell you are about to have that baby!

1. You have to lift your belly to shave your bikini line.

2. You are not shaving your bikini line because you have any plans to spend time at the beach, but rather because you think the midwife and her assistants might be “all up in there” sometime soon….

3. Shop clerks everywhere look at you with slight panic in their eyes, worried that they might soon be cleaning up amniotic fluid in aisle 5.

4. You start to outgrow even your third trimester maternity clothes, but can’t bear to buy anything in a larger size.

5. Your husband tempts fate in the most spectacular way by going on a business trip for a week on another continent until you are 37.5 weeks along (oh wait, that’s just me!) Wave north to Sinead at BreastfeedingMums for me, honey!

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1. How did you find out you were pregnant?
2. How did you tell your partner (if you have/had one)?
3. Did you secretly hope for a girl or a boy?
4. Did you feel ready to have a child?
5. What bit of advice did you get that you hated?
6. What bit of advice did you get that you appreciated?

1 and 2. The first time, I quietly crept out of bed early in the morning and took a home pregnancy test following months of infertility treatment. I could hardly believe my eyes when it turned up positive! I crawled back into bed and put my husband’s hand over my belly and “kicked” to tell him there soon would be a little one actually kicking in there! The second time, I was at the gynecologist’s office, and had asked that a pregnancy test be run on the off chance that my husband and I had conceived on our own. I burst into tears when the nurse told me I was pregnant (she thought I already knew!) The nurse went to get my husband in the waiting room, except he waited for me there and I waited for him inside, and all that time he thought I was going to tell him there was something terribly wrong! Finally we connected and he got the happy surprise too! This third time, it was Thanksgiving Day and I insisted that my husband go with me to the grocery store to buy a home pregnancy test. He didn’t think I was pregnant (even though we had been trying), so guess who got to have one of those “I told you so” moments?

3. I secretly hoped for a girl the first time, and got my wish! The second time I hoped for another girl, because I grew up with a younger sister and wanted that for my daughter too. Again, wish granted. The third time I knew the chances of having another girl were quite high, and while I would also have been happy to have a boy, I was pleased to learn we are indeed expecting a girl.

4. Even after all those months of trying for a much-desired baby, I still didn’t feel ready to have my first. Going into the second pregnancy with experience made me even more nervous to have a second child (How would the family dynamic change? Could I handle caring for two?) All the same questions have arisen this third time too, although I am not as concerned about going from two to three children as I was about going from one to two.

5. I must have blocked out all the advice that didn’t resonate with me. At every La Leche League meeting I attend, the leader always reminds the mothers to “take what works for you and leave the rest.” I seem to have taken that to heart!

6. The one piece of advice I really appreciated came from a magazine. It was a tip from a mother who said to make short-term goals about breastfeeding. When I experienced some early problems with engorgement, oversupply, and plugged ducts, I stuck it out until the point that I could not imagine stopping. Breastfeeding quickly became my most valuable tool for parenting an infant — the bonding, the nurturing, the comforting.

Want to play along? Answer the six questions either in the comments section of this post or in your own post!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

1. DO NOT let anyone tell you it is necessary to toughen up your nipples for breastfeeding.

2. DO some reading about breastfeeding. Good choices are:

~ The Breastfeeding Book: Everything You Need to Know About Nursing Your Child from Birth Through Weaning
~ The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Seventh Revised Edition
~ The Nursing Mother’s Companion: Revised Edition
~ The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers: The Most Comprehensive Problem-Solving Guide to Breastfeeding from the Foremost Expert in North America, Revised & Updated Edition

3. DO NOT think you need to buy a lot of breastfeeding-related products. The great thing is all breastfeeding really requires is you and the baby!

4. DO, however, consider whether you might enjoy shopping for breastfeeding products and learn how to choose and use a breast pump safely if you will be returning to work.

5. DO NOT listen to people who pressure you to formula-feed.

6. DO attend a La Leche League meeting while you are pregnant (find a local group in the United States or other countries) and surround yourself with family, friends, and medical professionals who are supportive of breastfeeding. (If you are wondering, here’s how to pronounce “La Leche” League!)

7. DO NOT accept or keep any free formula samples “just in case.” (For thoughts on what to do with any samples you might receive, see this post).

8. DO have the phone number of a local La Leche League leader and/or lactation consultant with you at the birth.

9. DO NOT neglect to talk to your health care providers and birth attendants about your birth plan and your desire to breastfeed.

10. DO believe in yourself! Taking these 10 steps can give you the knowledge and confidence to have a good breastfeeding experience.

Enjoy these other entries in this month’s carnival (and watch for additions throughout the day):

~ Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: A Breastfeeding-Friendly Birth Plan
~ BreastfeedingMums: Preparing for Breastfeeding
~ Natural Moms Talk Radio: Breastfeeding during Pregnancy and Tandem Nursing
~ Crunchy Domestic Goddess: Breastfeeding while Pregnant (Trying at Times but Ultimately Worthwhile)
~ Permission to Mother: Low Milk Supply in Pregnancy
~ API Speaks: On Breastfeeding while Pregnant
~ Milk Donor Mama: Her Experience of Preparing for Breastfeeding and the Advice She Offers Now

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To see the results of the last poll, click here.

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Please take a moment to vote in the new poll in the sidebar!

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Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3