My thoughts about birth...

I have been having a hard time lately focusing on anything other than this baby. It's funny how someone that I haven't even met yet can have such an influence of every aspect of my life. And it's really neat how God designed us to have such strong instincts to ready ourselves for this big change (although sometimes I do resent the fact that my need to clean the baseboards and organize closets bears such a close resemblance to a mama cow rearranging her straw for the 8th time!)

One thing I'm really excited for this time around, is having a bit more time to prepare for the actual birth. With Sam, I hadn't really gotten to the point where I had thought about a birth plan (partly due to his being early, and partly due to me being uneducated about things). I didn't even really know a lot about delivery, except that it hurts a lot, and that epidurals are a girl's best friend. Sam's birth was a bit traumatic - he was born sunny side-up, was all back labour, and involved lots of interventions (the drip, the vacuum, etc.). I don't regret any of these things, only because we had a perfect baby boy who came into the world safe and sound.

This time around, it's nice to have all the knowledge from how things went with Sam to educate us a bit more. I don't think many women say this on their second birth (I could be wrong), but I wouldn't mind seeing how far I could get without the epidural. I really think it's important to feel the body's urges accurately, and I've heard the epidurals increase your chances of tearing. Nobody wants that! But, I also remember how much labour hurts, so I am definitely NOT going to say that I won't take one. I also would like to try to labour OUT of the bed as long as possible, and maybe even try a more upright sitting position for the pushing part. I've read that laying on your back causes your cervix to be 30% less open, and that dilation happens slower, which is obviously not conducive to pushing a human out. Hmmm... I guess we'll see! I don't want to get my mind stuck on anything too specific, but I think it's good to think about these things somewhat.

I can't believe that it's only 6 weeks until our due date. I just can't wait to meet this new little one, and have him or her be a part of our family forever. I also can't wait to see how Sam reacts and adjusts to being a big brother, and sharing his home and parents. I think he'll do great. His "big brother" t-shirt is ready and waiting!

So, on to a bit more waiting... and preparing... and wondering... and cherishing these last few weeks with just Sam and us... before we add another!