We're pregnant!

[Garrett Smith]

For those of you who are interested to know, my lovely wife Cori is 13 weeks along and doing very well!

Our future plans for the young 'un include:

• Home birth with a midwife
• Breastfeeding (of course)
• Homeschooling and exercise via the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (www.iahp.org, she's enrolled in the June class, I wish I could go with her!)
• World domination and immortality (whoops! did I say that?)

We're having fun with the whole process so far--well, except for her morning sickness, aversion to cooked vegetables, feeling fat, too fatigued to exercise, etc. etc. Nothing you other parents haven't experienced before. We just bought the major pieces of baby furniture the other day, that made things seem a bit more real to me--the guy who doesn't have a human being developing inside of me...

Feel free to give suggestions if you'd like--this is one area I'm totally new to!

[Mike ODonnell]

Congrats! Good luck with little Stewie and world domination!

[Derek Simonds]

I thought I could hear it in Cori's voice the other day when we were on the phone. She was talking about watching Jr's videos on youtube and how excited you guys were about trying to have children.

Children are the greatest gift I have ever been given. Congratulations!

[Allen Yeh]

Congratulations!

[Jay Cohen]

Congrag's Doc G.
All the best.

[Kevin Perry]

Congrats Doc!

[Dave Paton]

Congrats!! you'll enjoy it!

[Eric Kerr]

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

For those of you who are interested to know, my lovely wife Cori is 13 weeks along and doing very well!

Our future plans for the young 'un include:

• Home birth with a midwife
• Breastfeeding (of course)

Feel free to give suggestions if you'd like--this is one area I'm totally new to!

Hmmm, those two covered. Darn good start, nevermind the rest.

Oh, birthing classes:

The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth or if there is someone in your area that does them Birthing from Within by Pamela England, although for first time parents, fathers especially, I liked The Bradley Method.

My wife has done pregnancy yoga for both pregnancies. She loves it as a time to connect with baby without outside interferences. Of course, the teacher has to be good.

With #2 we had much less time to practice the relaxation exercises recommend by the Bradley instructors, so she did a session with her yoga instructor to make a personalized relaxation CD that she could listen to before going to bed and Jess said she felt that did her a lot of good.

If too tired to do much exercising (this usually gets better after the 1st trimester), at least get 20-30 minutes of walking in a day. Good time to talk and connect with each other. Later in the pregnacy especially be prepared to walk slowly (high step if the pace is driving you nuts).

Oh, pack a bag in case you need to transfer to the hospital.

Understand that if your wife has envisioned her birth experience going a certain way and it goes differently than planned that this may take some time to heal and recover from both physically and emotionally. And you may not be the shoulder she needs to cry on/work it out with (more of woman to woman thing).

[Garrett Smith]

Thank you everybody.

Eric, I don't remember if it was you who mentioned the Bradley Method here on the PMenu forums before, whoever it was, I listened. We start those classes in April. That reconnected me with a former patient (who teaches the class!).

We're currently getting our OB care under an MD, for the early labs/care and one ultrasound (she has to know the gender! no yellow or green at the baby shower...). Cori is seeing the other NMD who leases space in my office for general care and advice, as Dr. Poindexter has had three sons of her own. I'm going along for the ride in a supportive role. I believe we meet the midwife this week.

Did I mention our entire living room table (it's a BIG table) is pretty much covered in baby-related books and literature?

She was researching pregnancy yoga the other day. She's starting to feel well enough for walking and other exercise, and I do enjoy that time we have together. My biggest thing is that she at least get outside and get some fresh air and sunshine in the morning before she comes to the office (she's doing half days, and we're training staff so that she will be able to stay at home nearly all the time).

As Woman Within is a big part of her life, she has plenty of women to lean on if she needs to, which I encourage. A great friend of hers from that group is actually due about a month ahead of Cori, so they are having a grand time commiserating about pregnancy (it is her friend's second time around).

I like to think we're doing all right so far! More suggestions are welcome.

One last thing--it is nice, as a man in this day and age of rampant infertility issues, to know that all the parts are functioning correctly. The first month that we tried on the days that our OB suggested (days 10-16, ED or EOD), the next month we were pregnant.

[David Aguasca]

For a second, you had me worried there. being a pregnant male is frowned upon in our species.

congratulations, Dr. G!