Preparing for the home birth!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
So, I've been running around gathering items for the birth, cleaning bathrooms and scrubbing floors, washing baby clothes, reading books about breastfeeding, sleep schedules, and more.
I don't know if this is "nesting" per se- I've always kept myself pretty busy and often feel guilty relaxing. It's just that now I have no more Treasured Petal, and I'm officially on "maternity leave" from etsy. I have time, LOTS of time, on my hands while I wait for my little one (who could come any second now!) Preparing the home just feels right.
While the midwives bring all the medical supplies and emergency equipment, here are a few of the more random items they have asked me to gather for my "birth kit".
- Maxi pads drenched with witch hazel that I'm supposed to freeze for after the birth. Supposedly I'll be very happy to wear them. Right now it just makes my freezer look odd.
- Gallon sized ziplock bags for the placenta. Eww?
- A hand-held mirror so I can see baby crowning (not sure how I feel about this.)
- Flashlight for midwives. Since it's my home and my territory, I want the lights dimmed low and yummy smelling candles lit for a calm environment.
- Lots of caffeine! Not for me, but for the midwife team and probably for Joe.
- Easy foods: fruit, juices, salads, nuts, sandwiches. I'm pretty relieved that I'm allowed to eat and drink- many hospitals forbid this which I find strange considering labor is the most athletic thing I'll ever do. I may not WANT to eat, but they will encourage me to have some honey, juice, and light snacks to keep my energy up.
- Extra pillows and blankets for the midwives and doula to crash on the couch if necessary. I think that's so sweet- they want labor to go at the pace it's supposed to, and if it means sleeping over, they are more than willing to do that.
- Yoga ball. Sometimes bouncing up and down or rocking on that ball is the best way to get things going.
- Birth tub set up and ready to go. It's basically a glorified kiddie pool with a hose that connects to the sink. It will be set up awkwardly in our living room, since our bedroom is way too small for it.
- Whether any pictures will be taken during the birth (I'm leaning towards no.)
- Whether my mom will be allowed to pop in during the earlier stages of labor (again, leaning towards no.)
- Whether I should pack a bag for the hospital just in case of emergency (leaning towards yes, but trying to remind myself that the chances of an emergency occuring are slim. Self-fulfilling prophecies are real, y'all!)
Pesto meets my friend's baby Leila for the first time. He looks a little bugged out, but did pretty well. He's pretty much ambivalent with infants. Wonder how he'll react to Siena! (photo by my friend Marysia)
9 comments:
sounds like you are very prepared :) wishing you the best experience with the birth!
MEGA COMMENT WARNING! I vote against the hospital bag because if that were to happen (rare!), the hospital will have most of what you need anyways and I'm sure friends & family would be more than willing to pick up anything extra for you at the house. Normally we tell patients not to eat before labor because some instances require an emergency C-section with general anesthesia, so like any other surgical procedure, medicines and the breathing tube down your throat sometimes cause vomiting (with the risk of choking and aspirating gastric contents into your lungs). But I would most def want to eat for the energy! Have you watched The Backup Plan with J.Lo yet? Hilarious movie with an awesome birthing scene that sounds strangely similar to your's! lol :) OK, and last comment: if you don't already know about pooping during labor (this may determine who gets to be in the room with you) http://nursingbirth.com/2009/03/15/top-10-dos-don%E2%80%99ts-of-pooping-during-labor-birth/
Your pups are going to be great with little Siena, I'm sure!
Sounds like you're nesting to me - getting everything in order must feel like a relief.
Re: the hospital bag - is there anything you actually need at the hospital? I think they handle most of it. I would pack a small bag because I'm the opposite kind of superstitious. I always think that if you prepare for the worst, it doesn't happen. So I always make one extra of craft projects and stuff, assuming something won't work out, and I secretly believe that being prepared for it somehow makes everything work out perfectly. Is that weird?
I'm all for the photos.... but at first I wasn't sure either.
I didn't want to see Ronan crowning. I'm not against it at all, but it just wasn't for me. honestly, I thought it would freak me out.
I also wouldn't recommend inviting anyone to your labor if you weren't comfortable with having them the entire time. Their presence could keep you from progressing because you know in the back of your mind that they are leaving before you actually give birth. Just a thought.
I'm so proud of you!!
thanks soo much for visiting my blog!! good luck w/ the home labor, you sound like you have everything prepared!! :)
so so so proud of you and excited for you! many thanks to lizzie who totally traumatized me. LOL i am praying for you and cannot wait to meet your little one. love you <3 xo
i must say, i won't do the home birth thing, but i think it is beautiful. i love the planning that goes into every single step. looking forward to hear how it all went.
I'm so excited for you dear! Everything will go amazing by God's grace. Sending blessings your way. :)
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I was searching blogs for things to have for homebirth and it linked up to you. I read your list and feel very similar to you on a lot of the issues. Then, I noticed that this is a very current post... I am due in March. Then, as I was reading the comments I see that someone referred to your little one as Siena..... ummm... such a very rare name and oddly the most likely one that we will name our little one in March. We have not confirmed the name, but we have had it in consideration for for more than a year before I was pregnant and for some reason even strangers have been calling our baby by that name. I think it is supposed to be the name. Anyway, it is very interesting to run into to you in bloggy land this way. Excited for you!
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