I have really tried to stay away from the over hyped pregnancy websites and books - you know, the ones that can tell you everything that could go wrong at any given moment in the development of your baby? Yeah...I cry at ASPCA commercials and I'm the girl that if I can't remember, I go back home in the mornings to make sure I turned my straightener off. I don't need any extra reasons to worry. I've really TRIED to put this pregnancy in God's hands - he already knows my baby intimately and has a fantastic plan for her. I often had to remind myself that he is making her in the way that is going to be best for our family and best for her...all I can do is keep myself as healthy as possible and He will take care of the rest! But as we all know, sometimes that is easier said than done!
Having said all that...I did notice in many of the resources that I perused in my early pregnancy before Craig cut me off for fear of me developing into an even CRAZIER pregnant woman, that many women create Birth Plans that dictate how they would like certain aspects of their delivery to happen. I can understand that - as a person who is the consummate planner, I have a definite idea of how I'd like this whole thing to go down, but as a person who knows herself? I just don't think it would be necessary nor emotionally beneficial for me to put one together. Do I have certain ideas of how I would like my labor and delivery to go? Absolutely. Will I be disappointed if things don't go exactly my way? Well...I'll be honest when I say that yes, I probably will be a little upset BUT I think that if I put my desires in writing then I will get super attached to THAT specific plan and when it doesn't go my way, I will be devastated. So, I'm adopting the same thought process with the labor and delivery that I have tried to maintain with the pregnancy. God already has a plan. And I'm hoping that His plan and my plan will be very similar but in the end, I truly want my baby girl to be healthy and happy and me to be healthy and happy. However that has to happen, I will be okay with because I am going to try to focus on the end result - healthy mommy and baby.
But what does my "ideal" plan look like? Pretty average, I suppose...
- Natalie will be born in the new Presbyterian hospital just a few miles down the road which is great because it is practically brand new and super close to our house.
- I am really praying for a relatively quick labor and a vaginal delivery...but I do plan on using an epidural. I'm a weenie.
- I don't want to be "hovered" over while I'm in the hospital. If I need something, I will ask for it.
- There are three people allowed in the delivery room with me: my mother, Craig and Craig's mother. I reserve the right to kick any and everyone out at any point in time.
- I'm in the process of putting together a playlist of music that relaxes me. Such as: Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine, Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley, Stand By You by The Pretenders.
- Craig will not stay overnight with me at the hospital if both his women are healthy and safe. We are close enough to the house that he can go home for the night and if he can get a good night sleep, he will be more helpful to me during the day when he comes back up to the hospital. Plus...if he stays at the hospital overnight, who will cuddle Angie?!
I've had lots of my friends and family have babies and each pregnancy and delivery has been different than all the others. What a luxury we do have in this country that people get to choose from such a wide range of possibilities! I've approached this delivery like a buffet - I've seen what there is out there through the people in my life and Craig and I are choosing the pieces that seem to fit us best. And what ultimately fits us best is having Natalie get here safely and soundly and we think that what I've outlined above will hopefully get that accomplished!
We're taking a tour of the hospital next Thursday evening just to get acquainted with the surroundings but I don't think we're going to be taking any of the classes that are offered. My brothers and sisters-in-law got us a gift certificate for a lady to come and give us a personalized baby class of our choosing before Natalie is born. I'm going to email her tomorrow and I think I want to focus on general baby care (Craig has never changed a diaper), breastfeeding, a general outline of labor and delivery (again...Craig has no idea of what is going to happen) and then some basic relaxation and pain relieving techniques.
When we first got pregnant and would talk about the delivery, Craig would make lots of jokes about how it was "gross" and that he would be in the next room with a walkie-talkie helping me through labor. Not funny. One night at dinner at PF Changs, I cried at the table when he went on one of his labor joke tirades and I explained through my tears that labor was scary for me - I was the one that was going to have all these weird and "gross" things happening to my body and that I was self-conscious enough about all of it...I didn't need him to be adding onto my fears and worries. He hasn't made a joke about it since. I don't think he really has any clue about what has to happen to my body in order for this baby to come out but I think it began to hit home as he held our friend Dana's 8lb. newborn baby girl. He looked down at Jacklyn and up at Dana sitting on the bed and he says "This is a big baby. And she was in you...this morning." I think that's when he "got" it. There is a human inside of his wife and the human will get big and will have to come out. And it's not a joke. It's going to hurt me and I will need his support. Thank goodness for Dana - she works with him in the PE department and has let him in on lots of helpful tidbits about pregnancy, delivery and babies.
My next course of action is to get Natalie's room finished (we're going to get a crib this weekend) and then organize all her stuff (party with my mom and Amy!!). I'm starting to get things ready at work - all my kids know the general plan of events from now until Spring Break: some final exams next week followed by three weeks of basketball and then Project Alert (the drug and alcohol awareness course) until I deliver. I think my principal is in the process of interviewing people for my position and I'm hoping that I will get a little say in the person chosen because I love and care about my little 6th graders and I want someone who is going to treat them as well as I do.
1 comment:
You're so well organized with your thoughts, girl! All I can say is that for me, after that epidural kicked in it was totally surreal. Made things easier? Eh...it was still hard! But way different than I expected? Yes!
Have fun getting all your nursery goodies!
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