Birth Plan: H2 Edition
Our next baby doc appt (36 weeks) is my favorite one of the pregnancy….
we get one last ultrasound and go through our birth plan with the doctor.
Our plan looks a whole lot like it did last time and can be more or less summed in 3 words:
1. HAVE A BABY!
Other than that, we have a few birth GOALS (and a couple of lessons learned from our experience last time)….
but really, as long as objective #1 is achieved, none of this other stuff is all that important.
2. Walk to the Hospital. We live about a 1.5 miles from Prentice Hospital and provided go-time doesn’t fall in the middle of the night or in the middle of a rainstorm - I would like to try to stroll to the hospital. We had the opportunity to walk there for Hazel and despite the fact I had to stop on the corner every 5 minutes and hold onto street signs while I let the contractions pass, it was one of those husband/wife walks that I will never….ever forget.
3. Epidural: Oh hell YES! I think it is awesome that some mamas are all about doing this baby-pushing business naturally…..but I fall into the “better living through modern medicine” camp. And when it comes to the epidural, my request is to bring on the drugs EARLY and OFTEN.
4. Husband + My sis Ellie in the Delivery Room. Simon being there is a given, but I loved having my nurse/sis El there to keep us entertained, calm and comfortable during labor. When I asked if she join us for the birth of H2, her response: duh.
5. Come prepared with downloaded eps of This American Life and perhaps, Newsroom. Turns out, labor can last for-eeeeeev-errrrr. During the 24 hours before Hazel arrived - I was so grateful for the macbook full of Ira Glass and Tim Riggins that helped us pass the time. We will definitely do this again.
Having said that, Simon had put together some sort of push-time-playlist for Hazel’s delivery but once we got to that point in labor…I just wanted it quiet so I could focus on the task at hand; therefore, “push music” has been removed entirely from our pre-birth to-do list this time around.6. Pack a toiletry bag of dream products. Right before it came time to push with Hazel, I washed my face with Tea Tree Cleansing wipes, spritzed some rose water, applied coconut oil on my cheeks & Bamford gloss on my lips & Weldela lotion on my hands…. and as ridiculous as it sounds, taking this moment to primp gave me a sense of preparedness that helped me feel like I was really ready to do this thing! Plus, I distinctly remember thinking how lovely the aromatherapy of my lotions and potions smelled as my doctor counted backwards from 10.
and finally….
7. Have a blast! Z’s birth day was not only the single greatest day of my life…it was the most fun too. True: pushing a baby out is work and it kind of hurts, but once this baby girl is in my arms, all of the the not-so-fun parts of the day will be forgotten…so enjoy every second of labor & delivery!
