I had my weekly checkup today and while it was otherwise just a routine visit I did learn that I tested negative for Group B strep. No GBS=no need for an IV at any point in labor=happy me. I was hoping to go IV-free even before my hospital experience a few months ago but a day and night of having to wheel an IV cart behind me every time I wanted to get up got old very fast and strengthened my desire to skip the needle. So it was a relief today to learn that I will get my wish, at least so long as no complications arise.
I asked Cecily, our midwife, how big she thought Daniel is right now and she estimated probably 6 1/2 pounds, with another 1-2 pounds to gain before he's born. So, anyone doing our baby pool, take that for what you will in making your guess. As for me, I'm about 33 pounds over my pre-baby weight and it would seem that the weight gain is still pretty much all belly. Shoes still fit and rings still fit, although I have found them to get a bit snug in the heat recently.
We've made some good strides in the preparations department this week:
- Kevin assembled the crib so now the crib and dresser (with attached changing pad) are ready. All that's left to do in the room is put up decorations, so if need be I can do that after he's born. Photos to come!
- The car seat base has been installed in my car. The Irving Police Department will send an officer out to your home or office and install it for you free of charge, how nice is that? The one who did my car came out to my office Tuesday morning and installed it in all of about 10 minutes. A few neat little coincidences: his birthday is July 17, Daniel's due date, and he has a son starting college at A&M in the fall (class of 2014, when did I get old, have I been out of school for 9 years already?). I accidentally got him in a bit of trouble by failing to give our security guards a heads-up that he was coming, they were a bit concerned by him carrying a firearm onto federal property. In the end of course he was fine but it gave them a bit of excitement in their day. An officer is coming out to Kevin's office to put a base in his car soon so we'll be set in both.
- I've got the diaper bag and our hospital bags packed other than our last-minute things.
- I drafted wills, advance directives to physicians, and medical and durable powers of attorney for us. I had been meaning to get around to that for awhile but it seemed more important now with a little one to consider. Hopefully of course we won't need any of those documents for years and years but better safe than sorry, right?
- I researched some pediatrician options in the area and we've decided on one we feel pretty good about. She also comes highly recommended by 2 couples we're friends with who have young kids and seems to share our philosophy on some matters important to us. I've got a consultation set up with her so we can meet and get a feel for her in person but I think we'll be good to go after that.
- I froze my gym membership for a few months so I'm not paying for the months I can't use it. Looking forward to getting back in a few months though.
- Contacted someone at the hospital to work out logistics regarding parking, wi-fi access, and confirmed that I'll be able to play my iPod in the labor room...the better to enjoy the Labor, Transition, and Push! playlists I've so thoughtfully put together with music appropriate to each stage of the process.
- Started training another attorney at work who'll serve as my back-up while I'm out, and put together a list of "out of office" housekeeping details I'll need our IT department to do on my inbox so 1) messages that need to be seen get to my backup, and 2) stuff I won't need to worry about gets deleted so that 3) my inbox doesn't fill up and explode/stop taking messages.
- Hired a birth photographer. What's that, you ask? She'll be there to capture some of the moments from the labor and our first hours with baby, not in a National Geographic/instructional video type of way but like a wedding photographer capturing the emotions and details that will be a blur to us in the moment but special to be able to look back at later. You can see some of her work on her site here. I would never have thought to do this but when I saw the pictures from Richard and Lisa's birth of William I wanted to have similar mementos from ours.
- Packed a backpack in my car with a towel and change of pants just in case my water breaks at work or when I'm somewhere else away from home. I know, odds are it won't break till labor is well underway, but at least I'll be prepared if it happens.
So, all in all, I think we're pretty well prepared. I'd have made a good Boy Scout, right? ;)
I know having things planned to the last detail doesn't ensure that things will go that way but at least we'll have done everything we can to have the experience we want. And I guess it's a little ironic to try to plan all the details so carefully, all to leave it to chance when he'll come and how long labor will take. But the way I look at it, all the planning means we'll have created the best, most comfortable circumstances possible, enabling me to relax and achieve the natural birth we want. There are probably women who could just show up and have a natural birth with no preparation and do fine, just like there are people who can just wake up and decide to run a marathon with no training. But I know I'm not the latter and am preparing as if I'm not the former either. Now that everything's ready, I can just sit back, relax, and wait for the fun to start instead of being anxious.
So, I guess in a few ____ (hours? days? weeks?) we'll find out if that preparation will pay off. If nothing else I don't seem to be having any anxious "we're not prepared" dreams anymore so at least my subconscious seems satisfied!
Now that we're ready, the million-dollar question is, is Daniel ready?
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