Hospital Tour

Some thoughts after returning from our childbirth class 4th session tonight...

1. The two babies that were in the nursery when we were taken through the maternity floor were SO cute and tiny! I could have stared at them all teary-eyed all night, but, alas, we had places to go and medical equipment to see.

2. The RN class instructor (the first health professional I have seen since developing the suspicion that baby has "dropped") concurred that it looks, externally at least, like he has, when I mentioned my suspicion to her.

3. I managed the walking tour on my own two feet! Hooray! I had to email ahead saying that I might have need of a wheelchair if my hip acted up. It didn't and I didn't and that was great.

4. We learned a bit about hospital philosophy on the tour, including that they have made a shift toward a more family-centered experience, which means, among other things, that they encourage babies rooming with mom nearly 24/7 after a 30-minute visit to the nursery to make sure that baby is healthy.

5. I'm even more anxious for my OB appointment on Monday, now, after seeing the poster of fetal presentations that increase the likelihood of cesarean section. I would like to know if baby is head down now, because if I had to guess based on what I feel when he wiggles, I would say he may be transverse. My thought at the moment is that if that's true, I'm not really a fan of external version unless it is done in the hospital setting just before birth because of the risks of fetal distress... if they did it outpatient and sent me home I would worry intensely. So, that might be one of the things that would make me think that an induction at 39 weeks (which my doctor has said he would do if I wish) might be a good idea, if I can get a combo deal of version plus induction and be monitored at the hospital so that they can do a quick c-section if version fails or the baby is in distress.

6. When asked to choose which options on the front or back of cards we preferred (one card, for example, had "no medications" on one side and "Epidural" on the other), I discovered that my leaning is toward a more "natural" birth with fewer interventions in terms of medication and invasive procedures, with the exception of constant monitoring of fetal and maternal well-being. Of that medical innovation I am a big fan! We'll see if I still have the "natural is nice" opinion when I am the one in the birthing bed!