following is a series of messages between cheryl and cindy (her sister who is due with her first baby on october 12) about our "birth plan". just thought it was funny enough to share...cindy: umm clearly if you had one it didn't go as planned but....did you have a birth plan made up? If you did can you send it to me- I want to make sure I didn't forget anything!
cheryl: i attached the birth plan i came up with along with the list i made of what to pack for the hospital. i can't really attest to how good either list is since i did not really use either of them! one of the days we were still in the hospital andrew & i went over our birth plan. it was funny to read through it after everything we went through. most of it is the exact opposite of what happened. however, i did successfully avoid an episiotomy - i have a 6 inch abdominal incision/scar to show for it; more than 75% of my labor was spent at home, walking around and unattached to machines; and i made it through my entire labor without pain medicine! it's all about looking at the positives right?!
as far as what to pack... for yourself you don't really need much. i don't know about your hospital, but ours provided me with everything i needed and i stayed in the hospital gown all 5 days i was there. the only thing i really needed was an outfit to go home in & toiletries. we brought some "things to do" (cards, books...) for after i "got my epidural" and then after the baby was born, but we didn't use any of it. obviously the 30 minutes we were at the hospital before my c-section wasn't really the time for a quick game of go-fish and afterward things were so crazy & stressful the only non-baby thing we did was check our email. not sure what it would be like after a "normal" birth to a "normal" baby. :)
on another note. something i have experienced and apparently 99% of all women experience: breastfeeding is anything but natural. yes the baby has some sort of natural instinct to root & suck, but that is as far as it goes. i have been having a lot of trouble (mostly stemming from the decision in the hospital to nurse a little and supplement with formula and then pump - because she wasn't getting enough from me) and have been talking to all of my friends with kids and they have all had a lot of trouble too. i agree that breastmilk is the best thing and all the books are right about how great it is - but none of the books tell you how impossible it is at first. i just thought i would give you some warning. :)
let me know if you have any other questions. i know i didn't have a typical birth, but if there is anything i can help you with let me know. i am very experienced in taking a newborn to the doctors if you have any questions about that! :)
love you!
cher
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