37 weeks 6 days - 3 days til induction

Well 3 more days to go. The last two days I have been nesting like crazy, keeping on top of the washing up, doing loads of washing galore, changing the bedsheets, doing anything else that pops into my mind as urgent. Hospital bags still have finishing touches to add to them and last minute items. Still have to do Robert's weekend bag, and to clear out the cot which is loaded with "stuff" of various sorts.

I wrote up my birth plan, although it doesn't seem quite complete yet, it doesn't factor in as much "if things go wrong" stuff that I would like, it just doesn't feel quite finished, although it's probably fairly comprehensive.

Birth Plan

During labour:

I wish to be able to maintain ability to move around the room for as long as is possible, or to sit/stand/kneel beside the bed if I wish to.

As I practised Hypnobirthing with my first child, and have been revisiting it during my 2nd pregnancy, I would prefer that midwives and health practitioners refrain from the use of the word "pain" and "hurt", and if at all possible, I be assigned a midwife who is familiar with Hypnobirthing and natural birth. If I become too uncomfortable or have trouble dealing with the contractions I may wish to use gas and air but would prefer to do without any other medication, and gas and air only as a last resort.

I wish to be encouraged to go with my body and use that as a guide during my labour and delivery, and to be reminded to breathe downwards to my baby during delivery.

I wish to deliver the baby in as upright a position as possible, in whatever position I feel best at the time, be it standing, kneeling on the bed, supported squatting.

After the birth:

I wish for my husband Jonathan to announce the baby's gender.

I wish to have immediate skin to skin contact with the baby, and for any interventions that can wait (for example, weighing, administering Vit K, blood tests, clamping and cutting of the cord) to be postponed until after the baby's first breastfeed.

During this first skin to skin contact I would like baby to be placed on my chest, and for the baby to initiate the first breastfeed. I don't mind being given a messy baby, or the baby and I being covered by a towel/sheet if it is cold.

If any medical intervention is necessary, or if I end up having to give birth via emergency c-section, I would like my husband Jonathan to be able to be with the baby if for some reason the baby and I need to be separated, and would like to have the skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible. Under no circumstances is my baby to be fed formula milk without my permission, I have brought antenatally expressed colostrum for the baby in the unlikely event that I am unable to feed the baby straight away.

What do you think?

I was quite hopeful last night that things might be about to start on their own, having had some loose bowel movements and strong braxton hicks but have had neither really today at all. It's full moon tomorrow so hoping but not thinking it will happen before induction unfortunately. I think my ideal situation would be me going into labour naturally in the morning I get admitted for induction ;) So I don't have to worry about pessaries, ARM, drips etc. I'm feeling mostly positive about it all but there is still something niggling in the back of my mind that lightning will strike twice, but hoping beyond hope that it's just an irrational fear I have to let go of, and that positive thinking and visualisation will amount to a positive birth experience.

What probably also seems irrational is that since my friend Sarah (who by the way, gave birth last Friday morning to a beautiful little girl, Clodagh, weighing 9lb 12oz!) had a good birth experience and was able to leave hospital the very next morning, then it makes it more likely that I will have the opposite. How crazy is that?? Part of me in the back of my mind thinks that since she did, it'd just be sods law that I have another bad experience. When she told me she was having a girl, having had at that time a leaning towards girl, I had a little sinking feeling and a thought of "oh well that's that then, I'm going to end up with a boy"

Of course now I don't mind at all the gender of my baby I know that whatever I end up with I will fall headlong in love with my baby whether it has a willy or not! Haha! But crossed fingers and toes that things will work out ok, and I will get to let my baby have its breast crawl, and that I can bond with the baby straight away, would be much appreciated.

I will take a belly photo tomorrow, as it will be my last (boohoo!) and post it here. Belly photos up to 36 weeks are in the belly gallery (linked to the right) if you wanted a gander. :)