So, I had never taken yoga before, and was pretty wary of what seemed the sort of exercise that inspired freakish levels of devotion and cult-like adherence to unnecessarily imposed restrictions. However, after finding information online and then meeting the woman who started this studio - the Prenatal Yoga Center - at the NYC Baby Show, I decided to give it a chance. And now I am a total convert! At least to prenatal yoga.
Between the fact that each class opens with mindfulness meditation focused on deep breathing/connecting to your physical body, and that most of the instructors are brilliant at suggestions about pregnancy body pains, discomfort and even diet, its been a godsend! Especially when you spend most of your day sitting at a desk hunched over a computer and books.
I can't talk it up enough and suggest it to pretty much every pregnant woman I talk to. In a world where we're constantly busy, told being a mother is not something that should cause any difference in your ability to work/live/be a super-functional super-woman, its really nice to be in a place where everyone acknowledges that what's happening to you is unusual and requires adjustments. Because this IS a freakin' bizzaro world experience and as I write this baby girl is kicking me like crazy!!
So now, without the freaky avoidance of comforts and without cutting out the meat, cheese and other animal parts we humans have been ingesting for the past ten thousand years, I have in fact become a yoga convert. At least, prenatal yoga's hippy comforting form.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Its a Girl!!
Went in for anatomy scan a few weeks back when I hit the 20 week mark, and in excitement forgot to write about the crazy, technologically warped and deeply moving experience of seeing your baby moving INSIDE your womb on a giant screen!
Hubby and I both knew we wanted to know the gender - there will after all be millions of surprises and transformative moments throughout our lives and raising our daughter, this is one we can prep for. But leaving the house we were both wearing purple - without planning it - and ready for whatever was coming, as long as all the parts needed were there.
Upon having the baby show up on the monitor, we were stunned, I mean stunned like 80 year old people being told suddenly, "You can talk to people in Africa and see them on a computer screen as you talk to them." We were all, "Gosh-darn this new-fangled technology! You can see the full baby's face on the screen! Not only that, it looks like she's waving at us!!
Tearing up we marveled over the magic of seeing so much of her in the 3D images - she's a superstar at somersaults inside my belly so you can see everything, but the sonogram specialist had the darndest time getting her to stay still to take the still shots - and watching her kick the wall of my belly as I felt her doing it.
There are many things about the modern moment that, excuse my French, Freak Me The Fuck Out about having a child right now. There won't be any fish in about 50years, the oil is all gone and the planet is finally giving us the business for polluting for so long. However, when I see the magic of her little face on the screen, and experience the downright magical feeling of her moving around inside, I find little patches of peace among the stresses of daily life.
Hubby and I both knew we wanted to know the gender - there will after all be millions of surprises and transformative moments throughout our lives and raising our daughter, this is one we can prep for. But leaving the house we were both wearing purple - without planning it - and ready for whatever was coming, as long as all the parts needed were there.
Upon having the baby show up on the monitor, we were stunned, I mean stunned like 80 year old people being told suddenly, "You can talk to people in Africa and see them on a computer screen as you talk to them." We were all, "Gosh-darn this new-fangled technology! You can see the full baby's face on the screen! Not only that, it looks like she's waving at us!!
Tearing up we marveled over the magic of seeing so much of her in the 3D images - she's a superstar at somersaults inside my belly so you can see everything, but the sonogram specialist had the darndest time getting her to stay still to take the still shots - and watching her kick the wall of my belly as I felt her doing it.
There are many things about the modern moment that, excuse my French, Freak Me The Fuck Out about having a child right now. There won't be any fish in about 50years, the oil is all gone and the planet is finally giving us the business for polluting for so long. However, when I see the magic of her little face on the screen, and experience the downright magical feeling of her moving around inside, I find little patches of peace among the stresses of daily life.
Girls Vs. Boys
Living in NYC can be a wonderful and genuinely transformative interactive experience, where you meet and connect with people in unexpected and lovely ways. It can also drive you mad and make you want to kill someone. The hubby and I were absolutely ecstatic to find out we're having a girl - of course, stereotypically we would have been happy with boy or girl as long as the anatomy scan said all was well. Both families were happy and all has been going well. At least, until two encounters.
First, a long time friend sent a crazy-ass text declaring girls as being for loving daddy, and boys as being the ones to carry on the legacy of a father and fulfill his dreams and such. Koo-coo, Koo-coo said the clock to that pronouncement, and no response from us.
Second, WHO thinks its ok to comment on random people's pregnancy on the street?? EVERYONE that's who! I can deal with most of this stuff, after all, i've been tolerating random, unsolicited and unwelcome comments ever since puberty gave me breasts. However, ignoring suggestions about names, diet, size of belly for progress in pregnancy, etc is easier than what I encountered yesterday.
Usually it is Black men who feel most comfortable yelling random stuff at Black women, and this was no exception. I don't know where they were from - Caribbean? Africa? - but i'm walking the dog in the heat, waddling as I do now, and out of the blue one of these men speaks up:
Random Strange Man on Street: Hey, I hope that baby is a boy!
After a moment of incredulous silence, I could not help but respond to the casual misogyny:
Actually, its a girl. Which is Better.
They said nothing more and I kept walking. But Damn if that didn't throw a cloud over one of the few gorgeous, not-too-hot NYC days we've been enjoying as of late!
A Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream pop from a central park vendor smoothed the clouds away quite nicely.
Pregnancy (n): excuse for people to shout shit at you on the street.
First, a long time friend sent a crazy-ass text declaring girls as being for loving daddy, and boys as being the ones to carry on the legacy of a father and fulfill his dreams and such. Koo-coo, Koo-coo said the clock to that pronouncement, and no response from us.
Second, WHO thinks its ok to comment on random people's pregnancy on the street?? EVERYONE that's who! I can deal with most of this stuff, after all, i've been tolerating random, unsolicited and unwelcome comments ever since puberty gave me breasts. However, ignoring suggestions about names, diet, size of belly for progress in pregnancy, etc is easier than what I encountered yesterday.
Usually it is Black men who feel most comfortable yelling random stuff at Black women, and this was no exception. I don't know where they were from - Caribbean? Africa? - but i'm walking the dog in the heat, waddling as I do now, and out of the blue one of these men speaks up:
Random Strange Man on Street: Hey, I hope that baby is a boy!
After a moment of incredulous silence, I could not help but respond to the casual misogyny:
Actually, its a girl. Which is Better.
They said nothing more and I kept walking. But Damn if that didn't throw a cloud over one of the few gorgeous, not-too-hot NYC days we've been enjoying as of late!
A Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream pop from a central park vendor smoothed the clouds away quite nicely.
Pregnancy (n): excuse for people to shout shit at you on the street.
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