A visit

After having guests over yesterday we went to someone else's place today. We went to see the midwife. Today was the day we made all the decisions about what we want to do after birth. We decided to go with the Vitamin K shot, but not with the antibiotic oinment on the eyes. Yes to the genetic screening for the three types of condition that can make a babies life really difficult. The oxcytocin shot right after birth to speed the delivery of the placenta kind of hung us up. The wife is really really big on doing the whole thing as naturally as possible. However, the midwife, who leans further towards the natural in natural child birth than us, said that she has come to recommend it as a good standard of care. We decided that we would go with the midwife on that one as well. Safe is so much more important than sorry in a situation like this. It also applies to the not having a home birth here in Grand Forks. The one and a half hour drive to Nelson definitely makes sense. If the hospital here was equipped for an emergency C-section then we would have contemplated the home birth. As it is, it just wouldn't make sense.

We visited the hospital in Nelson as well. The nurse on duty gave us a walk around and explained everything. She was very nice but will be on vacation from the 8-24th. So we prob ably won't be seeing here. While there she pointed out lots of amenities that they have that we should do our best to make use of. The birthing pool, the family room, kitchen facilities. Its times like those when my mind starts racing with all the things we need to do. I really need to carry a pencil and paper. But I don't and now sitting in the comfort of my home I can't quite recall all those urgent things I needed to do when I got home.

Lets think.

- Have food packed so that the kids and mom can have something to eat if the labour takes a long time. Don't want to be running out in the middle just to miss the whole thing.

- Dad needs to bring some swim trunks if he wants to get into the birthing pool or do a back massage when/if mom gets in the shower for pain management.

- Study the lamaze book and then give it back to the midwives so that someone else can use it.

- Have friend in Nelson's phone number written down so that we can call him up.

- Have list of phone numbers to call from the hospital when the baby is born.

- Get phone number to call for a substitute teacher.

- It goes on.

So with 2 - 6 six weeks remaining it is starting to feel very real. The wife mentioned in the car that she is starting to worry a little about the pain of child birth. With the daughter she didn't know what was coming. With the son she remembers thinking, "oh yeah, I remember this pain". The midwife gave the advice of trying to stay in the moment. If you're not in pain right now just feel that and live that. I cannot speak to this situation but I hope that advice helped the wife.

We had leftovers for dinner. Not picture worthy.