Getting Ready

Five days until the due date! Eeeek! Hooray! Oh Dear! It is definitely a time of excitement, anticipation, and anxiety.

The last week or so has been very enjoyable - cruising with Phil, getting ourselves physically and mentally prepared, and generally having fun and relaxing. A week ago last Saturday we had our home visit with our midwife Jackie. She came over in the morning with her assistant who is also her daughter. They got a chance to see the space and make suggestions, talk through how the birth might likely go, and go through the birthing kit with us. We have since rearranged our space a little bit, moving the bed into the spare room and the futons into our bedroom for a more spacious and less cluttered area.

We also picked up our birthing tub on Friday, the AquaDoula, from a woman in Pahoa who rents hers. I have to say, I am really excited about the birthing tub. Everyone I have talked to who has labored or birthed in water has nothing but rave reviews about it. The tub comes with a sterile, disposable liner, and has a heating unit to keep the water at body temperature. It is about 6 feet in diameter and easily accommodates two adults, so Phil or Jackie will be able to be right there with me.

We did get some interesting news from our OBGYN last week. Apparently he is going on vacation next week and will not be in town over our due date. We have had an interesting relationship with our OB in that they are not supporters of home births so we have kept that fact ourselves for concern that they would no longer see us. The fact that they will be on vacation definitely relieves us of some of anxiety about explaining our choice after the birth - we are now very free to have this birth as we wish without concerns of repercussions from our caregiver (a little silly don't you think?) However, if we didn't have an alternate plan in place, I am pretty sure Phil and I would be pretty upset. When we asked who would deliver in their absence, we were told it could be any number of OB's who might be on call, and that we could not meet with them before the due date. I guess this is one of the main reasons why Phil and I are choosing to do a homebirth with a midwife. We have a guarantee that the time we have put into establishing a relationship with our caregiver will pay off during the delivery. We have someone who knows our wants and needs, and has a report of open communication and collaboration. So we are very thankful that this is working out for the best. If we need to go to the hospital during delivery for any reason, Jackie is committed to accompanying us through the process, even though she can not practice at the hospital. It is reassuring to know that we have an advocate in her regardless of the environment in which we deliver.

Well, back to my relaxing and enjoying a few days of free time before Bean arrives. Today I am going to the farmers market and then to the beach to swim a few laps before I cheer Phil on at the Ultimate field.