Day 5 - June 12

It's been about 5 days and we've got an appointment to see the OBGYNon June 26th, the day before my birthday. Quite a birthday present, am I right? Allison and I are so filled with nervous energy and excitement, we hardly know what to do with this time to keep ourselves busy. We've been doing a lot of research. I have to admit, I really don't know anything about pregnancy, so this is new territory for me. I'm really interested to find out as much as I can, to prepare myself for the months to come.

Allison has been 5 steps ahead of me on this. She's like a sponge absorbing every drop of information she can: what vitamins to take, what food she can and can't eat, how many weeks before she might start to feel sick, what the safest options are for getting a manicure. For instance, after 4-5 weeks of pregnancy, the baby is about the size of a poppy seed. Or how about the fact that there is a pressure point between the ankle and heel that can induce contractions, if mishandled by an inexperienced pedicurist.

There are so many rules, I'm learning. Everyone knows alcohol and sushi is out. But I had no idea that cold cuts are also on the list of things not to eat (something with bacteria). That makes getting enough protein challenging. Fish is good but not in excess, because too much mercury can be bad for the baby. Exercise is important but should ideally be low impact, yet you can bike into your thirds trimester. the only medicine that you can take is Tylenol, Robitussin, and TUMS.

There are so many things you have to keep in mind, I don't understand how pregnant women get through the day without having a nervous breakdown, never mind their husbands!

But I can't help but wonder, how much of this stuff is really essential? Do European women worry this much about having a glass of wine? Are cold cuts really such a high risk? Is it really possible to go into labor from a foot rub?? I just keep thinking that for thousands of years, human beings have been able to reproduce successfully, haven't we? I doubt the ancient Egyptians took prenatal vitamins, and they still managed to bud a pyramids. Granted, they did force other people to do it, bad example... but my point remains the same.

I'm all for being knowledgable and cautious. But I honestly believe that there's something important about being exposed to things like dirt, and bacteria, and viruses, and allergens. Every kid is allergic to everything nowadays. I can't help but wonder if peanut allergies happen because some poor mother was so scared about what she should eat, that she never exposed her unborn child to a peanut until they turned 5 years old. I'm pretty sure there have been studies that have shown that using Purell too often during pregnancy is harmful, because you end up preparing the baby for a world that's more sterile than it really is. What happens when they are born and they first come in contact with a germ, if their body has never even encountered one before?

I don't pretend to have all the answers, I'm really just asking these questions to
Myself for the first time. I've got a lot to learn, and you never have any guarantee that the choices you make will have any effect on the outcome. I guess all you can do is learn as much as you can, and just cross your fingers and leave it up to the powers that be. And, I suppose, try not to go crazy in the process!