I signed Dave and I up for a natural birthing class today. It starts May 10th and runs once a week for 7 classes. It's at the hospital we'll deliver at (St Marks) and focuses on the Lamaze method, so I'll need to find a book to prepare. At this point I like the idea of going through child birth without medication. The main reason is my aversion to needles. You would think someone that sold her plasma for 2 years would be over that, but no... I still close my eyes or look away every time I get a shot. So a shot in the spine that could paralyze you just sounds like something worth avoiding if possible. That being said, if I get in there and am in too much pain, I'm fine with having an epidural if I HAVE to.
Baby preparation is coming along well. I've been crocheting the edge of spit-up cloths as I travel to and from work on the train, and I've probably got 12 out of the 20 I plan to make done. They look so cute with a little scalloped edge on them! Also, I finished working on a baby boy blanket that I'd crocheted a few months ago. It just needed some ribbon woven into it and sewn into place. Now it's ready for baby use! I've made one pacifier clip, and have good intentions of making one or two more before the baby is born.
All the cloth diapers have been washed 4 times (to ensure maximum initial absorption), they're folded and tucked away in the changing table. I still need to get some disposable diapers for the first month or so (the cloth diapers I got aren't recommended for babies under 10 lbs), but I figure I'll wait on buying those. If we have a big baby (like Dave) we won't need many of those at all, but if we have a little baby (like I was) we will probably need quite a few. Either way I have time!
We have most everything we need for the nursery now, although I still need to take the time to rearrange and decide where everything is going to go. This will probably have to wait a few more weeks, because I haven't had much time on my hands between housework/cooking, and helping Dave with his final projects for school. I try to do the grunt labor for him so he can focus on perfecting the designs and all the details.
I also found a little baby blessing suit that was just too cute to pass up, especially since it was only $10! It's all white with a little collar and little vest. It's just too adorable. Now I'll just have to find some little white booties and I'm hoping to crochet a white blanket for him to use that day as well. We'll see if I can find a pattern intricate enough that it will look good with only white yarn, but also isn't too hard and time consuming. I guess we'll see what I have time and energy for. It's not a project that I have the bandwidth to start right now.
Isn't it so fun to get ready for a baby? Get as much done now before your belly gets too big!
ReplyDeleteI have a serious problem with needles, too, but they make you get an IV whether you get pain medications or not--and the IV was MUCH worse than the epidural. I hardly felt it--you can't see the needle, and the relief is immense. Giving birth with no meds (unintentionally) was a LOT more than I bargained for. Don't feel like you have to prove your strength to anyone (although those Lamaze people have their own opinions about that). I felt like I was dying and it was not pleasant or happy or empowering at all!
P.S. Not to say that you wouldn't have a good experience trying to do labor naturally! There are lots of options for pain relief, too. Even if you don't get an epidural, there's drugs that help you relax and "take the edge off", but you're not totally numb. I wish I'd had time to get something like that.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the needles. That was my total reason for going natural. I did all 4 natural. The first was the worst because I didn't know what to expect. Give it a try, you'll know if and when Meds are necessary.
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