26 Weeks

So the most exciting thing that has happened recently is that I have officially reserved a spot at The Midwife Group and Birth Center in Savannah. After doing some research and watching many birth videos on YouTube, I have come to the conclusion that delivering my baby in a birthing center is definitely my preference. Basically this means that I will deliver my baby naturally in the birthing center with the help of certified Nurse Midwives as an alternative to high tech and interventive birth practices that could occur in a hospital. After talking to a midwife on the phone and reading the information on the website, I have learned that I relate to all of the philosophies about pregnancy and birth that the Birth Center follows: (I copied the ones about birth from the website)

* Labor should begin on its own.
* Laboring women should be free to move throughout labor.
* Laboring women should have continuous support from others throughout labor.
* There should be no routine interventions during labor and birth.
* Women should not give birth on their backs.
* Mothers and babies should not be separated after birth and should have unlimited opportunity for breast feeding.

The midwife told me that at 36 weeks I will write a “birth plan”. In the birth plan I will specify what I want to happen during my labor and birth. I have been researching water births and I think it’s the option I am leaning most towards at the moment. Birthing in water seems so natural, soothing, and comforting. In the videos I have watched, the water births seem to be an almost completely different experience then birthing laying down in a hospital bed. In the birth plan I will also indicate things like who I want supporting me during labor and what role they will play, music I want playing and even the scent of candles I want burning. The entire birth experience is made completely personal and I will have so much freedom to make the experience whatever I want it to be. I am so thrilled that I am going to be able to deliver at the center and am very anxious to become a patient there and get things moving! Oh and in case you were wondering, in the chance of an emergency, the center has everything set in place in case something was to happen.

I have one last appointment at the OB/GYN that I have been seeing up here and then I will be transferring all of my records to the birthing center. I am going to attend an open house on Sunday May 17th and I have my first appointment on June 2nd. Yesterday I had to go to a lab to complete my 1 hour gestational diabetes test. I had to drink this sugary orange drink in 5 minutes and then had to wait an hour for them to test my blood sugar level. Hopefully the test will come back negative!!

I hope everyone is doing well and getting excited about the approaching summer!! Love you guys! ☺