More to do

Sigh...there's always more to do. I just finished the rough draft of my birth plan for bringing Jensen into the world.

I haven't written about this a lot, partially because I realize that each child and each parent has their own experience, and the parent has to do what feels best for them at the time. Also, I understand that what you say you want might change dramatically once you get to the point in time where you are forced to make the real decision.

That being said, here is what I am aiming for in my experience: I don't want to be totally drugged up. While on one hand, it actually does sound kind of cool, the reality is that accepting one drug for a specific purpose can then lead to all kinds of other interventions. As an example, if I got an epidural for pain, it could possibly slow or stop my contractions, so the doctor would then recommend pitocin to get them to start back up, which then would require an IV for anti-nausea medication to combat the effects of pitocin, and then they would recommend that I have a fetal montior strapped to my belly, thus confining me to bed for the remainer of my labor. After that, the possibility that they'll want to do a C-section goes up by something like 25%! Personally, I hate needles and surgical knives, and want as few of them as possible.

Instead, I am planning on hanging out at home for as long as possible (no needles here!) and going through early labor with the help of my doula. Whether or not she meets me at the house or the hospital will depend on the factors of the day, including where Michael is when labor starts and how fast my contractions are coming. At home, I can also eat and drink what and when I want and move around freely.

Once it is decided by my doctor and doula when I should head to the hospital, I am going to decline the routine IV (it's easier to refuse drugs if there's no IV to put them in...) and play soft music and hopefully (really, really hoping...) I will be able to put myself into a state of self-hypnosis/deep relaxation (I am working on this at home with guided imagery tapes) if needed, my doula is also trained in guided imagery and may help me in this area. With luck, the baby will decide to come out without needing intervention, and we'll stay together until I've held and nursed him. Only after that will be whisked away for those newborn baby tests. As soon as those are finished, he should be returned to my room so we can all be together.

I still have to go tour the hospital facilities, but I've read online that their rooms are all private, and they anticipate the baby "rooming in." There is also supposed to be a pull out bed in each room so that Michael can be comfortable and not need to leave the room to be able to sleep.

I'm going tomorrow to discuss the plan with the doula and present the plan to our doctor. We'll see how he reacts...I'm guessing he'll be fine with it, as it makes a lot less work for him.

Besides that, the nursery is almost done, and we got the car seat and stroller the other day. Things are happening quickly now, and I'm starting to get a little nervous!