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I’ve just received yet another package of hand-me-down baby goodies from yet another friend. That makes six or seven baby packages I’ve received now, not including all the gifts pressed into my hands every time I walk into another mother’s house. I’m getting books, baby clothes, cloth diapers, bibs, maternity clothes, lanolin (for my soon-to-be nursing boobs), a snugli baby carrier, baby blankets, a lambskin, and more!

It’s wonderful how impending babies create such a spirit of generosity and support. I remember this as mom of a young one; there was an never-ending of baby goods being passed from one mother to the next. I always had one box of clothes Bella could grow into and another box of things she’d outgrown, ready to pass along.

That, plus that fact that I actually sent out my new year’s cards this year and a group of old college friends have gotten in touch with me via facebook means that I am suddenly catching up with lots of terrific friends sending out good vibes. I really feel buoyed up by love and positive support.

Even my mom, for whom my last pregnancy was a near-catastrophe (because of the baby’s father and the fact that I had not yet won the Nobel Prize), is sending me packages of maternity clothes regularly; it’s like she can’t walk by a billowy blouse or a moo-moo and not think of me.

Thanks Everybody! (sniff)

Freaky thought: according the the book Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week by Glades Curtis, if my baby were born right now, he (Christian Holden Murdy) or she (Sophia Rose Murdy) would mostly likely live. The baby should be about two pounds now and his/her eyes will be opening any day!

Last week Chad and I went and had a consultation with Karen Baker, the midwife who attended Bella’s birth fourteen years ago. This was an exciting event for me because to have our baby at home attended by Karen, a midwife I trust and admire, would be the foundation for a second perfect labor and birth. Many things have changed over the last fourteen years, not least the fact that Karen is now a licensed midwife (#11). When we had Bella, before midwifery licensure in California even existed, midwifery was technically ILLEGAL and Bella’s dad and I had to rehearse a script of what we would say in the event I had to be transported to a hospital. Today, midwifery has made such huge gains that most of of the cost of a birth at home with a midwife ($3,200) would be covered by our health insurance (PPO with Blue Shield). That is, after the $300 deductible, the insurance will cover either 90% or 70%, depending on if she is treated as an in-network health practitioner. It’s good to hear that some things in this world have gotten better.

The only glitch, however, is that she lives nearly 1 1/2 hours away from me in Yucaipa. She doesn’t normally take clients who live more than an hour away, but she said she would take us.

I don’t suspect that my labor will be fast, as I was in labor all weekend with Bella, though second babies tend to come more quickly. In any case, Chad and I are sitting on the decision. There is another midwifery center in Irvine about twenty minutes from here and they also give free consultations. What if we like the midwives there just as well? I don’t think that’s likely, but I’m trying to be reasonable.

I’m all good for just going with Karen right now, but I’ve agreed to wait before deciding, and even meet with the other midwives should Chad want to do so.

Having my prenatal with Karen was so PLEASURABLE. What, with her entirely calm and warm presence, the hot pregnancy tea, and her exclamations of “What a pretty belly!” and “Hello Baby!” I felt deeply nurtured and comforted. My uterus measures 26 cm from the pubic symphysis, which is right on track for being 26 weeks along. Chad sat on the edge of the bed while Karen palpated my belly and pointed out the head, back and baby’s behind. Then we listened to the baby’s very fast heartbeat and the baby’s hiccups! And Chad said, “I get hiccups all the time too.”

We listened to the placenta too, which sounded like a wind rushing through willow trees. She even recognized the sound of the umbilical cord; it’s the heart beat, but with a swishing sound.

I am getting excited to meet this new person growing inside me. I think Chad is too. Yesterday, he reminded ME that we had to go upstairs and practice our relaxation techniques!