Monday, August 19, 2013

Preparing for Labor...Happy 37 Weeks

Well, we are officially full-term. If she comes she will not be considered a preemie!

At my 36 week appointment, my doctor started asking me questions about my birth plan. Adam and I had already discussed our preferences for labor and what is to come after the baby is here. A lot of what we discussed were really preferences that I would want during the birthing experience. However, it is important for me to have Adam understand what I prefer so he can speak up for me.

I found a really great resource that helped guide our discussion. I didn't answer all of the questions but it did force me to think about things that I hadn't previously thought of. If you want to check out the worksheet, here is the link: http://www.babycenter.com/calculators-birthplan.

I won't go into detail about all of them but there are clear things I want and don't want. For example, the only people I want in the room during delivery are me (obviously!), Adam, the doctor, and necessary nurses. Usually I am all about the learning process and have given medical students an opportunity to observe or help during appointments, but this is something I am not willing to budge on. I really want this to be a moment shared by just Adam and I.

I also know that I will not be one of those women who can give birth completely free of pain relievers. However, I also don't want to request an epidural as soon as arrive to the hospital. I do want to allow my body to progress as it is supposed to until I cannot handle it anymore.

I am going into this process with the mindset that not everything goes to plan so this does need to be flexible. But, what I expressed I think is what will happen in an ideal world.

This past weekend, we also had our birthing class. Ideally, I would have liked to do the 6-week class (about 1.5 hours/week on a Monday evening) but with Adam being gone all summer, this was really all we could do. So, we did an eight hour class on Saturday. A lot of what was covered I felt like I knew, but I think Adam got a lot from the experience. The aspect I liked most about the class was learning about the different pain management techniques that are available: birthing ball, a whirlpool tub, breathing techniques, and massage.

Tomorrow night we have our Baptism class and Thursday our breastfeeding class. Again, it wasn't ideal to have it all jam-packed in a week, but it was all we could do with our schedule!

Some 37 Week Updates

  • Total weight gain-17 lbs!
  • Our little baby girl has definitely found her home deep in my pelvis. I thought I had to go to the bathroom frequently before, now I really have to go! On the flip side, I can breathe a lot easier!
  • The "pregnancy waddle" is definitely in full-force. One of my co-workers described it as the belly is leading me! 
  • I cannot get comfortable when sleeping. I wish we had a recliner because I think that would be the most comfortable position for me to sleep in at this point!
  • Just in the past couple days, I have noticed A LOT of swelling; especially in my feet. My wedding ring is also starting to feel very tight. I honestly didn't think this was going to happen since I didn't have any problems with swelling at all!
  • At my doctor's appointment today she said that she thinks Baby C is going to be a long, skinny baby! Here's hoping for not a 9 pounder!



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