I got the last of my Christmas shopping done yesterday, so now we are 100% done our shopping and most of the presents are already wrapped. Feels so good to get that done! Especially since my mind has been a little pre-occupied this year ;)
I’m glad it’s already Wednesday. I have just been counting the days until the Christmas break… only 5 days of work left before Christmas (including today)! Yay! And I have made some plans for some pampering in the days between Christmas and New Years. On the 27th, Carlos and I are making a trip to Babies R Us in Whitby (likely our last before the baby arrives) to pick up a few more items that we need. We are also going to use a gift card I received for my birthday for a fancy restaurant in Oshawa that day. On the 29th, mom and I are going out for lunch and then to get pedicures at the spa. Carlos gave me a gift card for the spa for my birthday, so I’m using that for a pedicure since I can’t reach my feet anymore and it will be good to have nice toes to look at while I’m in labour ;) Then on the 30th, I have an appointment for a haircut and highlites. Figured I should get my hair done once more before the baby comes. Other than that, my plans for my time off are to spend time with friends/family, get some organizing/cleaning done at home, and get ready for baby. I want to get the carseat installed in Zeke and get my hospital bag packed and birth plan put together. I also want to get the nursery complete ready with all the necessary supplies so that if the baby decides to arrive early, we’re ready.
My due date is starting to get really close. “They” recommend that you have your carseat installed and hospital bag packed a month before your due date, which means by New Years for us. That makes the birth seem all that more real and imminent! I am really very excited, just feeling a bit nervous about the birth. We have been discussing pain management options a lot lately, and I am pretty much of the mindset that I want to avoid an epidural if at all possible. I am telling myself that if I absolutely need it, I will accept it as a last resort. But only after all other options have been exhausted. I was very disappointed to find out that our hospital doesn’t have nitrous oxide (laughing gas) yet. Since it’s a new hospital, I guess they are slow getting some things and it’s supposed to be in place in about 6 months. The other drug option is narcotics (Demerol, Nubain, etc.), but those have to be timed very carefully and given at least 2 hours prior to the birth otherwise they can affect the baby.
So here’s my thinking: I consider myself more tough than the average woman when it comes to pain. For example, I had a compound fracture on my arm when I was 13 and didn’t know it for 2 days! I remember my doctor saying at the time that since I could withstand that amount of pain for so long, childbirth would be a piece of cake for me. Here’s hoping she was right! I do think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. So, I’m thinking I’m going to try this labour with as little medical intervention as possible. So I am very thankful to have the midwives since they have a whole ‘bag of tricks’ when it comes to non-drug related pain management. Luckily, one of the birthing suites at the hospital has a bathtub (hopefully that room is available), so I can sit in the bath for a bit for relaxation. Hopefully between that and the encouragement from the midwives and my hubby, it should be okay. From what I’ve heard from others, the “transition” portion of labour is the worst pain-wise, but it also means you are almost ready to push. So, the good news is when the pain is the worst, it also means it’s almost over.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately since when I am at 36 weeks, the midwife does a home visit to discuss our birth plan in detail, so I want to get some of these details planned. I also know that I need to be flexible, so if I do end up needing pain medication, I need to not be disappointed in myself. Which is something I’ll have to work on.
9 comments:
Yes, absolutely do not feel disappointed in yourself if you need pain medication. It's not a test. You just want to get through it and enjoy your new baby! No need for heroics. :)
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it's a quick delivery. :)
Danielle had demerol with Maddy. She said it did nothing for the pain just just couldn't do anything about it...
I hope you enjoy your pampering!!!
In my prenatal class we did one exercise where we had a bunch of cards in front of us - each one had some aspect of labor and delivery written on it (epidural, c-section, natural birth, etc.). We got to pick a certain number of cards to start, which represented the ideal birth in our minds. Each round the nurse would make us take away a certain number of cards. Know what everyone was left with at the end? "Healthy Baby & Healthy Mom".
The point of that exercise was to let us know that we may have a birth plan set, which is a good idea, but be prepared to be flexible. You don't know what's going to happen on the day. In other words, have a birth plan (we did!) but don't be upset if things don't go the way you hoped. Healthy mom and healthy baby is the goal of that day.
On a more personal note... I spent most of my labor in a bathtub, so I highly reccomend that. At one point I got out to walk around... I wanted back in within a minute - the pain seemed lesser in the tub. I tried laughing gas at one point (I needed a little something) but I couldn't handle it - the gas is heavy and I couldn't deal with a mask on my face at the time (even though I was the one holding the mask). As I had contractions a couple minutes apart for hours (darn induction!), my doctor wanted me to have something because I was becoming exhausted near the end and needed a little rest. What I ended up having was a half dose of Demerol with Gravol mixed in - Demerol can make a person nauseas). It was just enough that I felt like I got a rest (I apparently fell asleep between a couple contractions... it felt like 5-10 minutes between them, but James said it was still the same or closer than before... that little rest meant everything!).
Anyways. Enough of that. I don't think I told anything that is too scary for a mom-to-be late in her first pregnancy. We can swap birth stories after you give birth. I don't like to share too many details just before a woman is due. Each woman is different and each labor is different. No one knows exactly what a mom goes through except her!
We love you lots and will be thinking about you as you approach this amazing day in your life! I'll also email you my cell number so that you can text me when Baby T arrives!!! :D
Hmmm... that was a bit long!
Thanks Niki. We also did a similar exercise in our prenatal class. And you're absolutely right, the most important thing is that both me and the baby are healthy. The rest is just details.
I agree that the most important thing is to remain flexible. Sure, I have a certain idea of how I would like the birth to go, but since I've never gone through this before, I just don't know how much pain I will be in. So, I will allow myself to have some medication if I need it. But I want to try it without first and see how far I can get.
Yes, please email me your cell number so we can text you when baby arrives!
You'd better text me too Missy! :P
Ok, maybe Carlos can do the texting like James did, since you'll be a little busy... :)
Of course!!! You, Niki, and lj will all be getting texts from us when baby arrives!
Can someone text me too? I love getting text messages!
CDub, I know that you are going to be a great mom - no matter what happens on birthing day. I'm very excited for you... it's getting so close!
Burger - just email me your cell number and I will add you to the list of people we're going to text from the hospital ;)
And I agree that my due date is getting really close. In the summer, the time seemed to drag on and I thought I would never reach my due date, but now it's only 6.5 weeks away! The last 3 months of so have gone by in a flash!
And the 'normal' range for delivery is anytime between 38 and 42 weeks, so I could deliver as early as a month from now - WOW!!!!
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