Greenmama's Third Baby

Chapter 6: Will this darn tree ever take root? (Sorry, that health nut metaphor was dropped a couple of posts ago...)

My third pregnancy was fairly healthy and happy. Two things kept it from being perfect. One was my growing hatred of my daycare job. I was impatient with the kids and constantly felt overtaxed. I was still reeling from my failure as a teacher and constantly worried that I was doomed to be a horrible and unsuccessful person.

The second was debilitating back pain. My back would get an agonizing cramp-like pain and I would freeze in place, unable to walk or move. I believed that it was due to the weakness in my PC muscle caused by the terrible episiotomy I was given with my first born. My chiropractor said he thought that was probably the case as well. With regular adjustments, I was able to survive, but I had daily back spasms.

I also had some constipation, which I believed was also related to that darn PC muscle. (Now I'm not so sure?)

In my new town, there were pretty much no options for a home-birthin' gal with my particular philosophy, so I didn't have any prenatal care. I took care to eat healthy (much less cheese and ice cream) and exercise regularly. I felt the "need" to eat some fish during the second trimester, so I ate a case or so of canned wildcaught Alaskan salmon. I gained 30 pounds (and started 15 pounds lighter than I did with my first). Although having an unattended birth was a bit nervewracking, I managed to calm myself throughout the pregnancy and labor and had another wonderful home birth and healthy baby. The biggest baby yet--my daughter weighed in at 9 pounds 10 ounces.

In the pictures taken a day after her birth, my husband is bursting through his clothing (sorry honey, but its true, only 15 pounds less than he weighed when first diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

The new baby gave me the excuse I needed to stop doing daycare. And breastfeeding again gave me nice weight loss benefits and relief from my periods (2 years off this time!).