Random Thoughts in the Third Trimester

As of this week, I'm thirty-two weeks along. For some reason, thirty-two weeks seems like a milestone to me, so I thought I'd commemorate it with a quick post and picture. Here are a few random observations about pregnancy and life...

Questions from Strangers: Whenever we're out and about in the city, women are always asking me if I'm pregnant, how far along I am, and if it's a boy or a girl. I'm sure some would find it annoying to be constantly asked these "personal" questions, but I think it's pretty fun. The only drawback is that my Thai is pretty limited, so while I can answer these three questions adequately, any attempt at further conversation inevitably ends in a "Kort hort kha, mai kao jai kha" ("I'm sorry, I don't understand.")

Hotter than You Know Where: Someone recently told me that for pregnant women temperatures feel about 10 degrees hotter than they would for anyone else. Lately, we've been consistently having highs in the 90's and the heat is killing me! Normally, the weather doesn't bother me too much; sure it's hot here, but I usually cope just fine. Lately, however, if I'm not in air-con during the heat of the day, I sweat like a pig, risk getting really nauseous and generally am completely "wiped out" for the rest of the day.

The Pregnancy Waddle: I know it's a natural consequence of all the physical changes that happen during pregnancy, but somehow that notorious pregnancy waddle is one of those things that I've been dreading. Unfortunately, the time has come and I must admit my gait has begun to resemble a duck. I try to hide it and walk properly when I'm out in public, however when relaxing at home "the waddle" definitely shows up pretty frequently!

Humbled by a Helping Hand: The other night, Paul and I were sitting in bed watching our new favorite TV show, Heroes, on DVD. As I tried to get up to take one of my frequent trips to the bathroom, he actually had to give me a little shove to help me get up! I've always thought of myself as a pretty fit person, but somehow those stomach muscles that I worked so hard to develop as a vain teenager are suddenly non-existent! Ah well, I guess these are the first of many sacrifices we'll make for this new little person in our lives.

Tags:

• pregnancy

Birthing Class and Our Final Hurrah

As if the prospect of giving birth isn't scary enough, doing the whole process in another country can be quite daunting! You can imagine how relieved I was to hear about "American" birthing classes available in the city of Chiang Mai, just a few hours away.

So, a couple weeks ago, we packed up and headed off for three days of classes in Chiang Mai. The classes were taught by two missionaries who had both been labor and delivery nurses in the States. They were amazing and not only gave us some great information to chew on, but they also gave us that "tender, loving care" that can be missing when facing such a momentous occasion so far away from friends and family. There were two other couples in our class; both were American couples working in other South East Asian countries who had come to Chiang Mai to give birth because of the superior medical facilities and services available here in Thailand. It was great to spend time with them, comparing pregnancy stories and our lives in the different countries we live in. The only downfall was that both couples were due to have their babies this month, which, of course, made it feel like our August 13th due date was an eternity away!

Normally, when we go to Chiang Mai, we stay in a great little guest house called the Ban Kaew. Unfortunately, this guest house, like every guest house in Thailand, has rather hard beds! Having lived in Thailand for over two years, we've actually adjusted quite well to the custom of rock-hard beds. However, as I am 7 months pregnant and finding it much harder to get comfortable in a soft bed (let alone a hard one), we decided to splurge on this trip and stay at The Amari Rincome Hotel. The beds at the Amari are much friendlier to American backs and since it is off-season we were able to stay for only about $30 a night in this normally $100-a-night-hotel.

While the soft beds were really the deciding factor in staying at the Amari, there were certainly other benefits as well! Paul and I thought of these few days in Chiang Mai as our "Final Hurrah" before the baby comes! We lounged by the pool, watched Yankees games on cable TV and ordered burgers and shakes from the burger stand down the road!

All in all, it was nice to have a few "American" days in Chiang Mai before jumping back into our travels to and from the village.

Tags:

• pregnancy
• travel