Sat Nam

For Valentine's Day Chris bought me 10 prenatal yoga classes at Golden Bridge Yoga, a studio in Hollywood that Madonna and Cindy Crawfort used to work out of when they were pregnant. I had been thinking about getting back to a more regular exercise routine, and maybe start practicing meditation. So it was the perfect gift at the perfect time.

The yoga studio is also right next door to a 24-Hour Fitness. So on Saturday, Chris dropped me off at yoga and he works out at the gym. The class goes from 11:30 to 1:00, so we still have the rest of the day for other stuff.

The studio is a huge warehouse space that they put in wood floor and large sky lights. All the walls have old buddhist images of gods and goddess. You almost feel like you are inside a temple except there are children running around with yoga mats after getting out of their mommy and me yoga classes.

I found my way to the classroom in the back, set up my mat right in front of the stage so I can see the instructor, who turned out to be a baby nurse at the hospital where I'll be delivering.

"Today, our focus is on Happiness"

That was how the class started, followed by gentle moves, and a lot of chanting and singing. It wasn't the yoga work out I was used to, but enjoyed the relaxation and strengthening of the mind. And while we're supposed to focus on our "third eye" the spot between your eye brows, I was imagine little Oliver cheering me on when my muscles were too sore from holding a pose for too long. I reminded myself that just like giving birth I can't just give up. So I took a few deep breaths and pushed through.

It was a great experience and I'm glad I have the next few months to get in shape.

Between having a great doctor, a doula who offers that exact support I need, the yoga classes, and Chris's care and love, I feel very lucky to have experienced a very wonderful pregnancy so far. And I'm looking forward to someday taking Oliver to the mommy and me yoga class.

Sat Nam ("My identiy is Truth"...a mantra that we say at the end of the yoga class)

Meeting our Doula

Our "homework assignment" from our last doctor's appointment was to think about how we want the birth of the baby to be. From day one I knew I want it as natural as possible. I have an image in my mind of myself laughing...at how ridiculously painful it'll be. And after reading about how the body needs the pain as a way to know what to do to help moving the labor along, I know the key during these next few months is to learn not be tense or fear the process.

I started to look into alternative methods of pain relief such as self hypnosis. I was also interested in the water birth after hearing from my friend whose 4 kids were born that way without any medical pain relief. But since this is my first time, Chris and I felt that it would be best to give birth at the hospital. And this is why when we interviewed our doula Octavia, I knew we found the right match for us. A doula who believes that you can labor at home in a birthing tub, then deliver at the hospital.

Octavia was referred to us from our doctor who we love and trust. I typed in her name in a web search and was able to find a lot of great reviews about her from her past clients. After talking to her briefly to set up an appointment, she came over to our house the following Saturday afternoon...with her deep pink hair and funky glasses. She looked a little bit like a friend of mine so immediately I felt comfortable around her. As she begin to explain her background and services, I felt strangely excited about giving birth, and that was exactly what I was hoping to get out of hiring her.

Octavia has a medical background in helping AIDS and cancer patience with pain relief without medicine. She uses massage, reflexology, and aromatherapy with her clients. And sometimes even music and uses visualization. She also said something that Chris and I both wanted, which is to create an environment where we'll be "present" throughout the experience. She also had a lot of great things to say about our doctor, and the nurses at the hospital where we'll deliver the baby.

I was feeling more confident and excited about what sounded like a wonderful spa treatment, except I'll leave with a baby! We ended the interview with me saying "Let's do it!"

"The Big One" - 20 Week Ultrasound

On February 26th, Chris and I were very excited to go to our 20-week ultrasound. So excited that I think Chris barely slept the night before. We got ready and followed the direction on his iphone to the doctor's office. This isn't our regular doctor. Dr. Silverman's office specializes in a more advanced ultrasound which we're be able to see all the organs even better. The "Big Ultrasound" is supposed to give us a lot of information about the health of the baby. And since I've been feeling him move, we were curious about what we'll see on the monitor this time.

Getting to the office took a while. The GPS system on the phone had trouble with finding San Vicente, a street that has North, South, East and West, all within blocks from each other. When we thought we had found the place, it turned out to be an optometrist's office...we were a bit puzzled, and once we figured it out, a couple u-turns later, we were finally where we needed to be.

The people in the officee were all very nice. Our technician joked around with us about them being able to record on DVDs because our other doctor only uses VHS tapes. Then the recording started and we saw Oliver, now about 10 inches from head to heal, and weights about 12 oz...looking even "more like a baby".

As the technician slide the machine around, she explained where the baby's head, arms, body, and legs are. It all made sense now where I was feeling the punches and kicks. Oliver was being very shy, had his hands over his face most of the time. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of his little face. And even saw him open his hand and move his fingers!


BABY DOOLEY 20-Week Ultrasound (Episode Two) from Chris Dooley on Vimeo.

We were relieved to hear that everything looked great, and the blood flow and heart are strong. He has fluid in his belly which shows he is swallowing properly. We even saw a 4D image of him...which was a little freaky looking, but still very interesting to see. I sometimes get more facinated by the technology than the fact that the most facinating "machine" is me and my belly!

It was a great doctor visit. We later found out that their office is one of the top ultrasound facilities in the country! Because the doctors work with the companies that developes the ultrasound machines, they get the latest model to use in their offices. We heard that people pay a lot of money to have their ultrasound sessions done, luckily we were able to get this referral.

We are looking forward to the next ultrasound to see how much he's grown!