Monday, March 4, 2013

Over a week, and here's why...

I can't breathe. Ok, really, I can obviously breathe since I'm alive and blogging, but I have to concentrate really hard to simply SIT and BREATHE most days. Baby is NOT hanging low anymore. He's climbed up my rib cage and is squishing my lungs. Anyways, this leaves me quite exhausted. Want to pray for me? I could really use some extra energy to get through my work days. I'm supposed to be (and hopefully will be) working up until  my due date, but seriously....who would have thought bending over multiple times a day to clean up all the toys in a classroom could knock someone out for the week. That's how I've been feeling. It makes me physically tired, but its also been making my tummy upset. Maybe because everything is being squished together so I can grab one toy here, another toy there. haha I haven't had energy for much else besides focusing on work and home. So no blogging for the last week.

Anyways, besides that...I drove past Wendy's and Burger King today, all before 11 a.m. and all I could think about were the chocolate frostys they have!! So I had to rush home and make myself a healthier version that I'm quite pleased with. :)

1 banana (not frozen, but I usually use frozen)
a squirt of agave
1 tablespoon coacoa powder
about half a tray of ice cubes (depends on how thick you like yours)
almond milk
leftover coffee from this morning
three strawberries

It's so yummy!! And not too bad for you, and I took care of that sweet craving while filling up my tummy with good fruits. :) When I worked at Starbucks I LOVED making smoothies for my meals with all sorts of weird things in them: I always had spinach in mine, Greek yogurt, almonds, chia seeds, wheat germ, whatever fruits I had on hand, one packet of honey, some dark chocolate chips...I promise, promise, promise you don't taste the spinach. Yes, it looks weird and gross, but they're really sooooo good for you, and quite filling too. Enough about my random smoothies.

I'm at 29 weeks tomorrow. I have some time this afternoon, so I'm going to pack our hospital bag. Advice? What things were you glad you had on hand? What was useless? Some things I've been reading from around the web say its nice to have little gifts for the nurses, as well as mints or something to suck on during labor (since you can't eat...still not sure how I feel about that?), ohh...I can't remember what else. It's still a bit early to think we need to head to the hospital, but you never know I guess. I was planning on doing this last week while B was out of town, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It just seemed way too real that this is all happening. I can't even describe it now that I'm thinking about it. haha

While continuing to think and pray about what God wants this baby's birth to look like, I found this blog post to be very helpful. A friend shared it with me and it's seriously one of the most encouraging things I've read yet. In thinking about diets, natural birth, birth orders, epidurals, essential oils, being vegan, Hypnobirthing, blah, blah, blah....the list could go on, God's continued to put a passage from 1 Timothy on my heart.

"As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge any persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussions..." 1 Timothy 1:3-6

God really showed me a few weeks back that I was wandering into vain discussions with myself on learning and reading about natural birth. All of the things I listed above really are just myths, things we can never, ever truly be certain about. I will never know for sure if an essential oil can cure my cold. I will never know for sure if I will make it all natural this time. I will never know for sure if an epidural would be perfectly fine for me and my baby. I will never know if I will live longer of this diet or that diet. Only if it's God's will would any of these things happen. I was, and continue, to get caught up in things like these, placing my faith in these things instead of in Christ. Trusting in those other things instead of Him was and is sin (Romans 14:23). His Word is one of the only absolutes I can stand on in faith, and I knew all of my anxiety was coming from trusting in these things I was never meant to trust in. There's been quite a release since He gently showed me that. I've also come to the conclusion that I'm honestly not going to make a decision and stick to it when it comes to this whole giving birth thing because the only person who knows how its going to turn out already has the whole thing planned out for me, and I want to rest in His plan.

Well, off I go to back our hospital bag! :)

xoxo

7 comments:

  1. I miss you so MUCH!!!! :) So happy for you, and what you are about to discover.
    As for packing your bag, LOTION and CHAPSTICK! 2 things that are essential. The hospital's supply is just not as good as your favorite brand.

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  2. A nice nursing nightgown! The hospital gowns are so.....ew! It will help you feel good. Also elastics or whatever to keep your hair up out of your face (and also then you don't have to fuss with it)
    And yes, rest in Abba's plan, it's guaranteed to be a good one! :D
    For what it's worth....I was in labor (didn't know, was at a doctor's appointment). They let me go home to grab a very light lunch and get my bag that was supposed to be all ready to go. It wasn't and I didn't have much (nursing bras and nightgown and such) so we had to run out and get them. Did NOT tell my doctor that! :D

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  3. Thank you for the advice, ladies!! My best friend got me a pretty nursing gown. :) I'll have to blog about it. ;)

    -Lexy

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  4. Ahhh....love this post. It's so encouraging. Especially the part about vain discussion. As I was reading, I could see where you were headed and I too, am learning the same thing. I want to eat healthy but I know that my health is up to the Lord. Everything requires balance and it always comes back to that...ultimately depending on God alone and doing what we can to be good stewards with what we are given.

    As for not breathing, I can totally relate. I can't sing anymore in church because I'm so out of breath...so I just mouth the words..sometimes standing sometimes not....sometimes able to lift my hands and sometimes I simply don't have the energy. I will be praying that God gives you extra strength over this last stretch.

    Hospital bag....something we completely forgot with our first was stuff for my husband. He didn't have any extra clothes and so the shirt he wore when I was in labor was the shirt he wore for the next day or two haha. Snacks for the husband is another good thing to bring...I didn't do mints while in labor. I wasn't hungry at all until afterwards. I had a playlist to listen to while in labor but I don't think it relaxed me much...the epidural did. :)

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  5. Ohhh Dianne, it's always so sweet to read your comments. :)

    -Lexy

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  6. Well... It seems like ages ago and I have no idea what we packed! Whatever comforts and relaxes you. I like the idea of gifts for the nurses. Camera and charger. And don't forget whatever your sweet hubby might like - he will be camping there with you. So add his toothbrush with yours. And a light book or devotional? I know you will be loving on your little guy... and yet it's hard to picture you two without at least a story to read to him or each other!
    I loved your Birthing Plan. Be informed and trust God to guide. Labor is truly a moment-by-moment experience, and it can change so quickly. I was scared and memorized verses about fear - that was one of the best things I brought with me to the hospital.

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  7. Ohhh good advice, Jen! I really should memorize some of those verses from the Psalms I wrote about where the psalmist talked about God being the one who brought him from his mother's womb. haha :)

    -Lexy

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