So last weekend we attended our birthing class, which ended up being pretty darn good. We took the "fast track", so it was only Saturday and Sunday, for about 4 hours each day. They covered a lot of great information, and gave Nick and I a ton of things to talk about in deciding what we want and hope for with our son's delivery. Here's some of the highlights of what we came up with:
- I'm going to try (TRY) going au natural for labor. With the additional issues around my pump and catheters, an epidural unquestionably carries some extra risks for us, so if there's a way to avoid it, that's what we're hoping to do. (And by "we" I mean "I" - Nick is totally supportive of whatever I decide. And if he wasn't, I'd rip his sweet little face off because MY BODY MY CHOICE A-HOLE. Sorry, that's the pregnancy hormones talking...) I've been doing a lot of reading about natural birth (thanks to my wonderful sis-in-law who sent me a great book about natural labor/delivery - she's birthed FOUR babies the good ol' fashioned med-free way, so she's been a wonderful connection to talk to) and am just generally trying to build my confidence around my body's ability to do this. My biggest fear is issues with my back and back labor arising, as this could create a totally different situation, but we'll just plan on taking those things as they come...
- Nick wants to catch Eggmund. We've gone from him wanting to see nothing, have the baby cleaned off before touching him, and (at most) cutting to cord, to catcher's mitt territory! (Though for the record I did tell him that if I saw him anywhere near my jayjay during the birth holding a baseball mitt of any type he would be kindly asked to leave the room. If you'll remember his birth plan list, I honestly wouldn't put it past him...) The midwives we're using are great about this kind of "Daddy involvement", and explained to us at our appointment on Wednesday that they would help Nick guide baby's head/shoulders out, and then let him deliver the body on his own and place Eggmund on my chest. It gives me goosebumps to think that Nick will be the very first person to ever touch our son, and will be the one to place him onto my chest. After getting to have the experience myself of growing Eggy these past nine months and getting to feel him move and kick and grow, I think it will be such a special experience for Nick to have to be the one to bring Eggmund into the world (though he may not be able to actually see what he's doing with the flood of tears that is sure to be occuring).
- We've added a few things to our birth plan, including:
1. Laboring in my own clothes (sounds SO much more comfortable than wearing one of those god awful, arse-flashing gowns with the huge slits cut into the boobie section.)
2. Using self-directed pushing (versus the old school, chin to chest and bear down for 10 when the doctor tells you to, self-directed pushing allows me to push when I feel the urge, for however long my body naturally tells me to push for. Obviously if you start to be ineffectual the doc steps in to guide you, but I like the idea of letting my body tell me what to do...)
3. Skipping the eye ointment and hep. B shot for Eggmund post-birth (fairly confident that Nick and I are both hep. B free...Our needle using drug days are long behind us now.)
4. Allowing for natural tearing (no episiotomy.) I know, don't you just naturally do a keigel reading that?!
5. Being allowed to explore different positions for labor as well as pushing/birth.
6. Waiting until the cord stops beating before cutting. (Allows for additional red blood cells for Eggmund, which recent studies have shown can decrease the risk for jaundice. Not completely proven, but there's no harm in waiting the extra 60-90 seconds it takes for the pulsing to stop.)
- We also got some nice ideas around relaxation, massage, and partner support during the birth class, and I think Nick feels a lot more confident in his role as a support person. I know he'll be great during labor (and if he's not, Celia's there to slap him into shape anyway). Plus he's already told me that if he needs to rub my back for 24 hours straight that's what he'll do, and I'll be damn sure to hold him to that.
Next up is our tour of the birthing unit at the hospital this weekend to see where I'm going to be pushing this little man out. The weekend after that is the baby shower my mom's putting on, and once we hit the weekend after THAT I've only got 4 weeks left! Holy moly...
I'm off to go put up my
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