Hold the Drugs Please!

Thought I'd share my pics from my most recent beach trip - 19 weeks, 3 days in the pics and still rockin' a bikini! So far all the weight has gone straight to my boobs, I'm afraid pretty soon I won't be able to find a bra to hold them. Lets just hope they go back to their normal perky state after I'm done nursing, ha ha! To date I've only put on 4 lbs since the start of the pregnancy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the next 20 weeks will be as kind to me. Wishful thinking on my part? Probably.

Since I found out I was pregnant, I've been putting some serious consideration into my birthing options. I'm not much of a prescription medication person as it is, so of course I was leaning towards a natural childbirth without an epidural. After a few months of research and asking around, I've decided that barring any problems or circumstances that would require a c-section, my plan is to go the natural route with no pain medication. Up until the past decade or so, epidurals weren't even offered as a part of childbirth, and women still survived having babies just fine. For starters, I see no point in putting myself at undue risk of infection or paralysis (although the risk is small) when it's not necessary. Research also shows that pain medications such as an epidural can slow the birthing process and increase the amount of time a woman is in labor. Additionally, some studies indicate that babies born to mothers who had an epidural are somewhere in the neighborhood of 40% more likely to be collicky babies. Whether that's true or not, I don't know but I'd rather not take the chance. Call me crazy, but sometimes there's nothing wrong with doing things the old fashioned way. I may regret my decision once the moment of truth arrives, but my mind has been made up. Bring on the pain!

"People are giving birth underwater now.  They say it's less traumatic for the baby because it's in water. But certainly more traumatic for the other people in the pool!"