Turning 49

I'm a few months away from my 49th b-day. So let me tell you the changes you will experience over your life.

At 12 and a month or so, you will get your period.
At 16 you may have terrible cramps.
When you have cramps, focus passed them. I always did better on tests when I had cramps.

You will have a great body if you exercise and eat right until 45. It will easily get back to normal after pregnancy if you are happy and act like you did before pg. You body will starts going downhill after 45 or when you move to the burbs. You still look OK in clothes, but not so great without. The scale says the same thing it did at 25 - but you start losing muscle tone and there's nothing you can do about it. Just stay as healthy and happy as you can. I hope you keep ice skating.

Before I had you at 41 and 363 days, I was on a strict diet. Leafy greens, vegys, fruits, organic, whole grains, everything fresh and homemade by me. No animal products for 2 weeks and slowly introduce a few eggs a week and up to 4 oz of cheese. No sugar or chemicals at all.
My pregnancy was easy and perfect. I walked 3-6 miles a day and ate healthy. The first 3 months I was very tired. But in my 2nd trimester I was roller blading to work. I did special exercises to help with delivery. I refused to step on the scale at the Doctors office and was told not to come back (6 months) and found a Midwife. 6 weeks before your due date I started drinking Red Raspberry leaf tea. I didn't want you to weigh more than 7 pounds because I wanted to deliver you without drugs or a needle in my arm. I wanted it to be totally natural unless there was an emergency. I gained about 23 pounds. My water broke at 4am when I turned on my side. Water was coming out of me for a long time. I sat on the toilet for a while, then took a shower while waiting for contractions to start. you have 24 hours before you need to be in the hospital and I was afraid they would give me something to start the contractions. At 8 am I told dad that it was time to call the Midwife. I met her at the hospital at 9:30. The contractions were manageable. They reminded me of bad period cramps for a minute or so. I was in a birthing room at the hospital - no catheter - on a hot tub that helped with the labor pains. At 12:30 The Midwife pulled me out of the hot tub and I lied down on the bed. That's when the pain starts. I wasn't allowed to push even though I wanted to. You were coming out fine - but my cervix was flipped over. They had to put you back in and then position you correctly before I was allowed to push. My birth plan had no episiotomy, but I was saying it was OK to do one now. Just then you crowned. I didn't need one. You came out at 1:55pm at 6.15 lbs. and were perfect.
I didn't even need stitches. I was perfect too.

Before I had you at 41 and 363 days, may period was starting to get irregular. I still got pregnant with you and even got pregnant after you were born. Unfortunately, I miscarried at 2 months. In fact, I miscarried at 40, got pregnant with you at 41 and miscarried again at 43. The first miscarriage I handled wrong. I had the OBGYN do a D&C. The second time I m/c I let it expell from my naturally. It was bloody and the size of a date. It felt just like the labor pains I had when I had you.

About your period. There are two types of periods. One when you ovulate and another I call estrogen bleeding. Ovulating is good. An egg is released and your body produces progesterone.

I've been tracking my cycles since I wanted to have you. Now at 48, I haven't ovulated in about a year. The last time I had estrogen bleeding was about 6 months ago.

More later.
Mom