Preparing for Delivery - Thursday, October 22, 2009

The plan was to pick up Ainsley from school and bring her with us to the doctor's office, the hospital, and then to stay with my mom until the baby arrives. So, having packed our bags (see "Packing a bag for the hospital" at the end of this post), Frank and I went to pick up Ainsley, then to Dr. Malak's (the Ob/Gyn) office for a Non-Stress Test to make sure everything was okay the baby, which it was. Ainsley decided that she didn't want any more part of things, so she ducked out with relatives early. She didn't even make it to the hospital. We were wondering how long she would make it.

The doctor informed us that he will perform the procedure to ripen the cervix with the vaginal insert at 7pm at the hospital, so be there by 6:30. Well, this gave us time to enjoy one last "hurrah" out together - just the two of us. So I had cavatelli at Inn 62 - yum!

A LIST FOR NEW MOMS
Packing a bag for the hospital: Below are two lists including items that are useful to pack, and items that I packed that I did not use. Remember that you are leaving with a lot more than you arrived with, so keep it simple!

Items that were useful to have in the hospital:
slippers (or slipper socks)
nursing nightgown (the hospital gown is very unattractive)
CD or something relaxing to do during labor (I played a Dave Matthews CD through the entire labor)
Item used as a focal point during labor
Extra pairs of underwear
One outfit for mom to wear home (something you would wear at about six months' into pregnancy)
One outfit for baby to wear for hospital picture and to wear home
Snacks - I packed cheese nips and a couple cookies (you never know what time the baby's going to come or how long labor will be)
Brush
Body wash or soap
Shampoo/Conditioner in one (I only had time and energy for a quick shower)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Deodorant
Baby car seat - the hospital has to approve this before you can leave the hospital with the baby. There is a year stamped on the back of the car seat. It has to meet all current requirements. (Don't ever buy a car seat at a garage sale - chances are it is out of date)

Items that I packed and did NOT need:
Computer (I did not have the time or desire to touch this)
Extra clothes (I packed t-shirts, an extra nightgown and other clothes that just took up space)
Hair dryer (The last thing I wanted to do was fix my hair)
Curling iron
Magazines and book

Update - new posts coming!

Today is Frank's first day back to work and I'm ready to update the blog with lots of news. So, even though my posts may be marked with later dates, a lot has happened in between. The baby is five weeks now and I'm nervous about what will happen when both Ainsley and Frank are gone at school and work. I'll have to do everything without my helpers. Ainsley is the "Lil' Mama". She is so great with the baby. She holds her all the time and she's so good at calming Camille down. She puts her to sleep all the time. So, I'll be on my own now! I'll blog more about this in following posts. Get ready for updates!