A Pregnant Woman IS Still Capable of Making an Informed Decision

One thing I've noticed since becoming pregnant is that EVERYONE is willing to offer you his/her advice on a topic and may become quite possessive over YOUR body. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for helpful information that helps me to make a better decision but at the end of the day I still want to make the decision for myself and I want to base it on information that I consider to be reliable. Perhaps I'm noticing this more than the average as I'm a somewhat unconventional mom-to-be.

I don't believe in bubble wrapping myself or ensuring that I'm a perfect gestator - rather, I believe in taking reasonable steps to a healthy pregnancy and baby. I believe in moderation. I believe in looking at what the evidence has to say (if it's reasonable to look at the evidence) before making up my mind as to what is best for me and my baby. By evidence, I mean scientific journal articles, experts or personal experience (my own). I also believe in still living my life and living it in the context of being a mom-to-be. My life hasn't been risk-free to date, but rather I have prided myself on taking calculated risks - ones where the value of the benefits (to me personally, in my own context) are likely to exceed the expected harms (to me personally, in my own context) and as a result I believe I have been a much happier and well balanced person who is more satisfied with the decisions I have made.

So at the end of the day, what does this mean for me and my bean? Well it means I still eat sushi (from reputable places) and raw oysters (again from reputable places) but I stay away from steak (I stay away from steak because the bean seems to reject it, not because of any other reason). It means that I have had up to 1 drink (and only one) on occasion with food since my 5th month of pregnancy - but that I drank very moderately between the time I knew I ovulated (no more than 2 drinks on any occasion) and the time I got the positive pregnancy test the day before my period was due and completely abstained from alcohol between the time I got the positive pregnancy test and the middle of my second trimester. It means I still eat cheese, soft cheese, delicious cheese - but I read the label to make sure that it's been pasteurized. It means I was more than happy to go to Europe with husband when I was 6 months pregnant and to Mexico when I was 4.5 months pregnant. It means I've decided an elective c-section is my birth plan of choice. It means I nap when I'm tired and eat when I'm hungry and stop eating when I get the one-bite warning. It means I still enjoy one cup of coffee from time-to-time. It means that when I have a question, I ask my doctor and follow her advice. It means that when I have heartburn (and boy does this Girl love giving me heartburn), I take something for it. It means that I don't stand in lines waiting for things without moving my legs and that I don't leave the house before I've eaten as I've discovered that I'm likely to black out in these contexts. It means that I still enjoy going out with my husband, even though we may be out late. The bottom line is, that I've enjoyed being pregnant and that I'm looking forward to meeting my child and that I haven't spent the last 7 months constantly worrying about every decision I've made.

I hope I can apply the same philosophy to parenthood...otherwise it might be a very anxious 18-20 years...