Having written a book, read every book, seen every video (except for the dolphin one), it was time to start making some hard decisions about our plan for a home birth. First, did we want a waterbirth? If so, which rental pool should we use? The midwife had a few to offer. She recommended the "lucky" one six feet around and said it should be set up at least a week before I went into labor. But gee, when would that be? Where was I going to put something that big? How would I keep the boys out of it in the meantime? And my mother, always on the lookout for catastrophe, wanted to know if the pool that size filled with water would crash through the floor of our 140-year-old house.
Second, what to do about Strep B, that nasty bacteria that sends OBs running for antibiotics? I had tested negative for that the first time around. Did I need another test? And if I tested positive this time, would it throw the whole plan a curveball?
Little did I know it, but all of these decisions were making my blood pressure rise. Little. By. Little.
9 comments:
At dinner with the midwives I was very careful not to impart any negative comments about the pending HBAC. Partly because I knew that the midwives had been clued in to my resistance and also because I was trying my best to make Tina believe that I was ok with her decision. I very carefully chose my words throughout the evening and I was careful not to ask any "what if" questions. (plenty of those from Tina's mother-in-law.) But they tripped me up. It was perhaps the funniest moment and a true ice breaker while, at dinner the subject turned to the "spa tub" to use for labor. It would be set up in one of the upstairs bedrooms they said. The shear weight of the water or even a leak set my negative thinking into motion. "Will the floor hold that kind of weight?" I asked. I didn't think that was being negative, I just thought it was being practical. They had all waited patiently for me to slip up and that was the comment that did me in. My son-in-law, trying desperately to hold back a chuckle (as if to say 'gotcha') said "we knew you'd find danger somewhere". He was right, and it was true, and we all started laughing hysterically. (My son-in-law thinks I should write a book titled "Danger Abounds".) What I didn't tell them was that my brother-in-law had a very large fish tank that crashed through his 2nd floor foyer of his 100 year old house years before. With age comes experience!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I am a little worried about where this seems to be going.
Do you have a set number of installments? I can't wait for the end
The tension is killing me! And the fact that your MOM is commenting/correcting/debating your account the whole time is pretty awesome...very meta. Are her comments going to be included in the book too?
I know this won't be a tragedy, but I hope it will be as happy as I want it to. I've at least figured out you only update in the evenings so I don't waste all day checking in. SIGH.
Ok, now I am nervous. Is pre-e headed your way? I so hope not. Ugghh... It is hard reading this in installments. I am used to reading a birth story in 10 minutes, not 10 weeks. :)
Looking forward to #19
I am used to reading a birth story in 10 minutes, not 10 weeks. :)
Yep! This is killing me, especially now with some of the anxiety creeping in.
Post a Comment