My Birth Journey- part 2

Read part 1 here

We decided to move back to our hometown when I was around 12 weeks pregnant. We thought it would be nice to be close to family for the pregnancy and birth. And also, Lee had a more stable job here. I'm so glad we made that decision, because we seriously found the best midwife ever :) and of course, it's been great being close to family.

My very first appointment was at 14 weeks. I wrote about it here. I remember feeling so nervous- we hadn't had any other appointments up to that point .. and I was just so nervous that there would be something wrong with the baby ..and we wouldn't hear the heartbeat or something.
We got to her place (office, I guess you could call it). It was a small little home in the country. Super cozy and inviting. I loved it the first time I saw it.
Jen (our midwife) was so, so sweet. She offered us tea when we first came in (I feel the need to mention this detail ;)
Once we started talking, I was thrilled that we had found someone that really shared our same views about pregnancy and birth. It was a breath of fresh air.
While we were there, one of her clients came in to give birth. Lee and I never saw the couple.. but we heard their baby's first cry from the room that we were in. It was unreal and such a cool thing. In that moment, I was overwhelmed by how natural, calm, and normal birth could be.
It really solidified that this was how I wanted our baby to come into the world.

Our appointments continued throughout the pregnancy, and they were always something that Lee and I looked forward to (who doesn't look forward to baby appointments??) :)
I was never once harassed about weight gain/loss. In fact, I was never even weighed once! I never had any invasive tests done. It just felt right to let things be natural.
I felt so comfortable knowing that Jen trusted my body to handle a pregnancy all on its own. Really, there was no need to do anything, except just wait for our sweet babe to come!

Jen really and truly became a friend to us. I would call her anytime I ever had a concern or question. She was always so helpful and I knew she would always be there if I needed her. We never felt like a bother to her and she never once made us feel like just another patient.

Lee and I did decide that we wanted to know the gender of our babe. So at 21 weeks, we went in to a imaging center. It was really exciting to find out, but its something that I don't think we'll do again. I've learned a little more about the dangers of ultrasounds, and to me, its just not worth it to expose the baby to something like that for the excitement of something silly like a gender reveal.


Next up.. the day of Jude's birth!


Thank you so much for reading. I've really struggled with how to write all of this. I truly don't want to make anyone upset, but I realize that I need to stay true to what I believe and sometimes that means that people will be upset. And that's okay.
Regardless, I love you all and the blessing you are in my life!