Birth Plan #3!

I sat down to write my birth plan for this baby and laughed when I looked over my previous plans.  I deleted the parts about "no pain medication" and "no interventions".  I think those could've been realistic had I not been attempting my first VBAC and if they hadn't hooked me up to pitocin as soon as I arrived.  Anyway... this one is a bit more flexible since I'm attempting a repeat VBAC and there are a lot more ifs involved.  Here it is for anyone who might be interested :).

Birth Plan:

The person present for the birth will be Alexis’s husband, Jason Snooks.  My ultimate goal is to successfully achieve a repeat VBAC.  I understand that compromises may need to be made, however the following are my preferences.

Labor

• I want only Kaiser Permanente doctors, nurses, and midwives to attend to me.
• I would like to be out of bed as much as possible during labor (walking, etc.).
• I would like to be able to drink clear liquids as well as a protein supplement, if possible.
• If continuous fetal monitoring is required, I wish to be upright and mobile while connected to the monitor.
• In the past, I have progressed very slowly.  Please be patient with me! 😊
• Due to having severe acid reflux, I will need a dose of Zantac every 12 hours.

Delivery

• I would like the option to be in a position other than lying on my back when I give birth (squatting, lying on my side, etc.).
• As long as the baby and I are healthy, I prefer to push instinctively and to have no time limits on pushing.
• I am fine with an episiotomy.  If needed, please perform.

 After Delivery

• I would like my baby placed immediately skin-to-skin after delivery.
• The umbilical cord shall not be clamped or cut until the baby is breathing and pink, and until all pulsation in the cord has ceased.
• If the baby must be taken from me to receive medical treatment, Jason will accompany her.
• I would like to breastfeed as soon as possible (within the first hour)
• I would like to meet with a Lactation Consultant as soon as possible after delivery.
• I want all procedures that are done and all medications that are given to my baby explained to me before they are carried out by the medical staff.  If I disagree with the administration of an immunization or medication, I am willing to sign a formal waiver.
• I would like to have the baby evaluated and bathed in my presence.
• Prior to our discharge, I wish for my baby to be placed on pulse oximetry to rule out any obvious heart conditions present at that time.

Cesarean

• FYI, I have had 2 hernia surgeries with mesh and 1 previous C-Section.
• Please ensure all medications administered are suitable for breastfeeding.
• I would like to have warm blankets during the surgery.
• Please inform my husband when the baby is being delivered.
• In the event that a cesarean is necessary, we would still like to delay the cord clamping until pulsation has ceased.
• I would like to have skin-to-skin contact with the baby as soon as it is possible in the delivery room.
• I would like to nurse the baby as soon as possible after surgery (within the first hour).
• If the baby is doing well medically, please bring her to me as soon as she is suctioned, weighed, and measured. Please do not worry about cleaning her up much before bringing her to me.
• I do not wish to be separated from the baby after her delivery.  I would like for her to remain with me and my husband, even while I am in recovery.
• I do not want any medications following surgery that will make me drowsy or that may interfere with my ability to remain aware and conscious.
• I would like to be weaned off of the spinal/epidural as soon as possible after surgery and given an alternate form of pain relief (Percocet, etc.).
• I would like to have my catheter and IV removed ASAP after my recovery period.

I would like to eat and be free to stand up and walk around as soon as possible after surgery.

35 Weeks

Once again, I'm posting a bit late.  The main thing I've noticed this week is that I'm exhausted, almost to the same level as I was in the first trimester.  At night I have been trying to put my feet up to alleviate some of the swelling and if I don't go upstairs by 10:00, I usually fall asleep on the couch.  It makes sense, though... the baby is getting bigger and my body is preparing for a pretty big job :).

To answer a few questions I've been asked this week:  No, I'm not due sooner.  No, it's only 1 baby.  Yes, I'm ready for her to be born ;).  Baby is about 18" long right now and somewhere around 6lbs.  Her main job for the duration of the pregnancy is to put on weight and let her lungs develop a bit more.  She has been having hiccups quite a bit lately so I think she's in the loop on the lung development thing.

Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, I noticed that she had dropped again.  She seems to be settling into my pelvis now, which hopefully means she is head-down.  I told Jason it feels like she's a gopher trying to burrow her way out.  Even though she has dropped, I'm still not able to breathe very well.  This is due to a combination of her feet being in my lungs and me fighting a chest cold.  Hopefully the latter will pass soon, though.  She seems to be more comfortable because she has been moving around even more than usual the past couple days.  I've been seeing/feeling her poking her feet, knees, and butt out in different spots of my belly.  She appears to be taking after her big brother by sticking her behind out on the right side of my belly.  That was one of Logan's favorite things to do.

Here's the weekly summary:

Contractions: I've been feeling some little ones throughout the week.  Nothing consistent, though.
Cravings: Nothing this week.
Weight:  My total is up to 27 lbs - we'll see how that has changed on Thursday
Swelling:  My feet are still puffy, especially in the evening.
Things to do: Buy furniture and other items from my registry (Target), pre-make meals, pack the hospital bag, pack a small bag for Logan, reinstall the infant car seat, etc....
Heartburn:  It is under control but only because of my friend Zantac.
Stretching: I haven't noticed too much more stretching, but the itching is another story.  Yowza.

My next appointment is on Thursday and I have to be checked for Group B Strep (wahoo).  I'll leave out the details but those of you who have been through it before will know what that means.

If you read this, please keep us in your prayers.  Even though I'm covered by 2 insurances, the medical bills keep rolling in and it doesn't look like I'm going to be eligible for Short Term Disability through my work until January, so I might be without a paycheck at all for a few weeks, depending on when she makes her appearance.  I know everything will work out but it has added a bit of stress that we could really do without :).

Thanks and don't forget to enter your guess in our birth pool.  Time is running out!

35 Weeks

35 days to go until my due date!... er... now it's only 32 because I'm posting late again.  Oops :).

This week has been pretty good.  Since I posted my last entry late, I'll start where I left off.  I had an ultrasound on Thursday morning and it went pretty well.  Logan was active, as usual, but the doctors were able to get a pretty good look at everything they needed.  They printed another batch of pictures for us and the nurse got a decent picture of his face.  He's looking more and more like Jason!  He still has the heart defect, but the doctor said that other than that, he's healthy, strong, and active, which are all great signs.  From the measurements they took, they said he's approximately 5lbs, so he should be an average sized baby when he's born :).  The doctor said he will probably be somewhere between 7-8lbs, so if you guessed over 9lbs in our baby pool, you might want to enter a new guess ;).

Oh, and my blood pressure was perfect at the ultrasound... 121/83, yay :).  I'm still trying to be careful and pay attention to it, though, because I don't want it to become a problem in the next few weeks.  If you could continue to pray for that, I would really appreciate it :).

The last day of my part time job in Atlanta was also Thursday.  I'm going to miss working there, because I really enjoyed it, but it will be soooo nice to be working close to home.  And I'll feel much safer now that I don't have to drive on 2 major highways in traffic.

My last baby shower was on Saturday with church women and local family.  It was a lot of fun.  My friend, Christina planned it and she included so many little details to make it super special.  I really enjoyed it and got a lot of great presents :).  Jason put the crib together on Saturday morning, so when I got home I emptied all of the gift bags and started organizing everything... I'm super eager to finish the nursery decorating now!  The baby shower might've sparked the nesting instinct in me :).  I bought some navy blue curtains and found a dresser online from Ikea.  I think instead of buying a glider/rocker, we're going to buy a cover for our pink Lazy Boy recliner and use that.  Right now, we just have to go buy the dresser & a nightstand, move the recliner upstairs, and put decals and his name letters on the walls and we should be done :).  We still need to buy a few larger items from our registry (most importantly a carseat), but we got a few checks and gift cards that will help a lot.

I did a little project today with his name letters.  I'm super excited about them!  Instead of painting them, I decided to use scrapbook paper and Mod Podge (a craft glue product) so that they will have cool designs :).  Here's a quick picture I just took... you might need to click on it to view the full size so that you can see all of the details.  The theme is "transportation", so I found a book of scrapbook paper with a bunch of different car/truck/plane/rocket/train graphics :).

I love how it turned out and can't wait to put them on the wall :).

I have to get to bed, so I'm going to wrap this up with the growth and development details this week:

• Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you, now measuring about 18 inches long, and weighing about 6lbs!
• If you have been noticing that you need more bathroom breaks than usual, it may be due to the fact that your baby has "dropped". As your due date grows near, your little one will settle deeper in your pelvis. This reduces pressure on your rib cage, allowing you more room to expand your diaphragm, but now there may be more pressure on your bladder.
• By week 35, your baby's kidneys are completely developed. His liver is also beginning to produce waste. In fact, a majority of his growth is already done. However, you should expect him to put on some more weight over the next few weeks. As space is at a premium, you may not feel as much tossing and turning inside of you, but you will definitely feel some healthy punches and kicks.

Thanks for reading and for all of your prayers!!!