32 Weeks!! We are on the homestretch. Bub is head down and assuming the "Go" position! We have been lucky so far, no real complaints about pregnancy. Marble is definitely growing....somersaults, jabs and football kicks are happening all of the time now! He has tendancy to be most active when I'm resting at night from about 8pm. You can see my entire stomach move.......Mr J says it's like there's a little alien in there!
We have had a busy couple of weeks, since Mr J returned from abroad. I was very excited to finally upgrade my little Hyundai Getz, to a more family and back friendly SUV.....a Hyundai IX35!! It's a wonderful car to drive and I could look at it all day :). We have tried to put the car seat in the back, but so far we have failed miserably. So we have booked in with Kidsafe QLD to have it properly installed.
In other exciting news, we attended antenatal classes this week! It was an intensive weekend session, so two 6 hour days jam packed with baby information! It was an eye-opener that's for sure and definitely worth the investment. The first day was all about labour and the birth. We discussed when to come to the hospital, who to call, what to bring and where to park the car. We discussed the birthing process at length - positions, breathing, pain relief and caesarean sections. The midwife really emphasised the benefits of a natural labour and this was nice to hear considering how many births have medical intervention these days. She reiterated the benefits of holding out as long as you can before trying any pain relief techniques, for example wait until you get to the hospital to have a warm bath, as this is a great, effective, natural pain relief technique to have up your sleeve! Day 2 was all about caring for baby - bub's first poo, breastfeeding, nappy changes, immunisations, hearing tests, sleeping patterns, bathing....I told you it was an information packed weekend! We watched an old school birthing video and also had a tour of the birthing suite and the ward. The midwife said the purpose behind the tour is to relax mum because if she knows her surroundings and what's happening, she will be more at ease and this will positively impact the labour! So I seeped in as much as I could in the hope it may make things easier........wishful thinking???
So considering everything we told and shown as well as thinking about my personality and previous pain experiences, these are the things that I think I would during labour;
- an attentive, caring Mr J
- massage
- music
- an active, upright labour (walking, changing positions....think birth ball or leaning on Mr J)
- a hot bath
- pain relief or a c-section if the doctor says it's needed!
Some facts about the hospital that we are headed to:
- Hot tubs, birth balls, showers and birthing stools in every birth suite
- Skin to skin contact with both mum and dad is highly promoted and encouraged
- Mum and Dad are left alone with bub for the first couple of hours in the birthing suite (or recovery if a c-section is required) to encourage bonding
- Hep B and Vitamin K shots are given straight after birth (you can opt out but we won't)
- Babies stay with their mums unless they need to go to special care nursery
- The beds in the birthing suite are like transformers, they can morph into all kinds of positions to aid you during labour
- The ward is two-bedroom share, with a couple of single rooms for mums with extra requirements (pre-eclampsia etc)
Check it out here
Overall, the class made us a lot more confident about what we were about to encounter! I'm glad that we did it together, after all raising a child is a team effort!!
Phoebe
xo
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