Well I had my 25th birthday this week. Yay. I think I'll stop having birthdays now. I'm starting to get up there. Now it is just a downhill slope to my 30s. Yikes. I had a great day with my co-workers and Scotty. We had lunch out at work then they surprised me with a cake and then Scotty and I went to the Melting Pot which is my favorite spot. It is our go to place for special occasions. Scotty and my parents also bought me some perfume that I wanted as well as a prenatal massage that is much needed!! I can't wait to set up my appointment for that. Scotty's parents took my Spurrier family out to dinner the next night as well which was fun too!
My birthday was bittersweet though this year. My grandfather on my Mom's side passed away that day as well. He had been sick but it was still hard and it was hard for me because I am not there. I wanted to be there to be a support to my family. Luckily, my family is wonderful and very understanding of the fact that I am quite pregnant and it is a little harder for me to travel at this time. Still, its just one of those things that you don't want to miss.
Scotty and I went to our final baby class this past weekend. It was an all day class at the hospital. We learned a lot about the labor process, how the body actually works when in labor, what to expect, complications, what to expect the day of in the hospital, and we toured the maternity ward as well. The class was taught by a nurse and a doula gave us the tour. For those who do not know what a doula is, they are support people in labor. They are not medical staff, they do not have medical training as a midwife would. A doula knows a lot about labor and the body and helps you to use your body and coping techniques to work with your body through the labor process. They are there to work with people having non-medicated births as well as those who are. Non-medicated is the new term because "natural birth" implies that other births are unnatural. Stupid PC crap. At our hospital they are a free service. I will not be using a doula. One - because it is one more person in the room and I want as few people as possible and two - I plan on getting an epidural and hopefully won't be in pain too long but learned techniques to get me through until I am ready for the juice. We practiced some techniques in the class. Scotty learned how to help me through the pain a little by pressing or pulling on certain areas. The doula also did this activity where the men flexed one arm to simulate a contraction. They had to flex one arm and the wives had to pull on the arm while they contracted it for one whole minute. They made it through obviously but then she said, "ok - we are going to do that again in 5 minutes and again in 5 minutes, then 4 minutes, for the next 14 hours." Then I think the men got the idea a little bit better.
On the tour we learned that I will labor and deliver in one room and after Charlotte is born we will get 1-2 hours in that room before we are moved to the postpartum room. While in the birthing room, we are allowed 3 people. I have chosen to have just my mom and Scotty in there with me and then other family is welcome to visit when I move over to the postpartum room, except for my dad and Scotty's parents. They are welcome to visit in the birthing room during our 1-2 hour "cool down" period before being moved. The birthing rooms are pretty big. They had a rocking chair, 3 or 4 other chairs, a TV with DVD/CD player, a tub/shower combo, the baby bed/scale, and the labor bed which comes apart in all different ways. The doula showed us the two monitors they use to monitor contractions and the baby's heart rate that go around the belly. They also showed us all the different labor tools they have such as birthing balls, squat bars, scarves, and other things. They also told us about their security measures. The maternity floor is locked. You must have a band to get in. The baby gets two bands, I get one, and a "support person" who is in the room when the baby is born gets one (Scotty). Scotty, or the person with the band, and the nurse are the only people who are allowed to transport the baby from place to place. The baby also gets another band that had a sensor on it and if someone takes the baby outside of certain boundaries the all the doors lock on the floor and security is sent to check things out. So it seems like a pretty safe place. I do get worried about someone walking out with my baby or us going home with the wrong baby. I bet it happens more than you think.
They explained to us that they are very mother centered. They said to make it known what you want and they would try and accommodate. For example, if you want to give the baby the first sponge bath then you can. If you don't want to but want to watch, they will bring the baby to your room. So just little things like that. After we found that out, Scotty said that he wants to give Charlotte her first bath and that is fine with me.
As I mentioned, I am planning on an epidural. We learned a lot about them and how they actually work which was nice. Scotty got all worried when we were on the tour and the doula explained that while the epidural is being administered that no one except hospital staff can be in the room with me. He knows how I am with needles and that is a big, important needle and he was worried that I wouldn't be able to handle it without my support people. Well, I am thinking I will be in so much pain at that point that I won't care who is in the room as long as they get the meds in.
Overall, I think it was a really good class. I think Scotty and I both learned a lot. He learned just where the baby is and where her head is and why I have to pee so much because her head is resting right on my bladder! He also saw just how big she is in there and how I have no room for anything and why that makes it hard for me to breathe as well as why my heartburn is getting worse. They gave us a book and one page was full of "symptoms" that you may be feeling at this point and he was steady crossing off all of mine on the list. So he saw how normal things are and how I am not the only pregnant lady in the world complaining about these things. He learned that when the water breaks (if it breaks on its own) its not some speed race to the hospital because the baby is coming now! It's a very slow drawn out, 12-14+ hour process. He even said, "I guess I didn't realize that you are in excruciating pain for hours until she decides she is ready to come out." Um yeah. Thanks for putting that into such clear words there Daddy. I told him that when I begin to have the early stages of labor I want to take things slow, shower, and be calm as best as I can. I do not want a big panic. We shall see how that goes - on both our parts. We are planning to induce so our plans maybe a little different then how they explained things in the class. I most likely will not labor at home at all because I won't be in labor until I go into the hospital. However, Charlotte has a mind of her own already and she may come early and then I imagine the panic will set in.
I feel a little more comfortable knowing what to expect and I think Scotty does as well. He was paying attention to where we need to park, where we need to go in, etc. And I was paying attention to things like being able to adjust the temperature in the labor room - which is a yes. Mom and Scotty better remember their parkas.
I found a really good hospital packing list on my Google searches. I feel like it is a comprehensive list and one of the better ones that I have found and not to mention the lady who is writing the blog is funny.
That list is here:
http://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2012/5/21/hospital-bag-what-to-pack.html
My mom comes this weekend and we have soooo much to get done. We will be washing clothes, buying needed items, packing hospital bags, getting organized, hanging items in the nursery, etc. I am going to be one tired pregnant lady. I told her that when we go to the stores that I may need to break out my tennis shoes because my feet were killing me last time and that was almost 8 weeks ago. Pregnancy is not about fashion anymore at this point people.
Scotty and I also have our 32 week appointment coming up this week. We will be meeting the last doctor in the practice and this is my last appointment before my weekly appointments start on August 2. YIKES. Talk about time flying by! Things are going to just roll on from here. But we will be meeting this sweet baby so soon! I can't wait to kiss that little scrunchy face!
Anyway, here are the pictures from this week. Also, I look awful in this weeks picture. I had taken a nap and forgotten that I needed to take the picture. Oh well - I'm almost 32 weeks pregnant - forgive me. Also - I gained 5 pounds this week! Holy Crap! That was a freaking wake up call. Guess I really need to watch it. I am creeping up on my total weight gain goal (2.5 pounds away to be exact) and I still have 8 weeks left of baby growth. Salads it is for me and Char Baby.
