And so it begins......

I am at the stage in my pregnancy where I am sick. The smell of people cooking their microwave lunches at work is almost unbearable. I also just can't seem to get enough sleep. The other night I went to bed at 8:00pm and didn't get out of bed till 7:00am. I haven't done that since before Gracie was born. But all I know is that this is all temporary and the result of it all is well worth it!

P.S I have already started to watch Birth Day and Maternity Ward MARATHONS and weep the entire episode. I don't know about any of you, but I feel the need to torture myself watching these. I convince myself that they are just a wealth of knowledge and prepare me for the unpredictable.......?

Here is a little article that was written about these shows:
As a childbirth educator and doula, I had hoped that television shows like The Learning Channel's (TLC's) “Birth Story” and Discovery Channel's “Birth Day” would help dispel some of the medical mystique that seems to surround birth in our culture. Rather than help women view birth as the normal life event that it is, to my horror, “reality” shows have made birth appear more medical than ever.

While “Birth Story” and “Birth Day” have managed to cause enough concern among expectant parents, they pale in comparison to the real terror offered in each episode of TLC's “Maternity Ward.” This show can single-handedly convince most women that their bodies are incapable of birthing without major medical intervention and that they would be crazy not to want all the technology they can get their hands on. After all, their babies' lives—and possibly their very own—depend on it.
Occasionally, I force myself to sit through an episode of “Maternity Ward.” What do I see? The cameras follow residents and attending obstetricians at high-risk medical centers around the US. The stories are told from the point of view of care providers who are overworked and frazzled. The show is not about women and families; rather, it's about the people providing medical care.
In “Maternity Ward,” no laboring women are depicted out of bed. Whether they are in early labor or pushing, they are flat on their backs. Machinery is everywhere. Blood pressure cuffs are on; electronic fetal monitors are strapped onto bellies. Legs are draped, and support people are off to the side. Heart-racing music plays whenever something “dramatic” happens. The mothers look terrified. I don't blame them. Within five minutes of watching the show, I am terrified for them.