Hospital Tour

Sorry I didn't get around to posting yesterday - I was busy getting some stuff taken care of (like getting our A/C fixed AGAIN) and having lunch with one of my law school girls.

Last night we had our hospital tour.  We joked that when I went into labor and delivery last week that we had gotten a pretty thorough tour.  Well that was only partly true.  The woman giving the tour was kind of a weirdo - but all in all it was good to go on.  She went through the process we'll go through - go in through the emergency room where a L&D nurse will meet us with a wheelchair and take us up.  Then we'll be in triage to see if we're in actual labor.  Then we'll be moved to our private room that has a private bath, recliner for Dad, a squatting bar if I choose to use it, a birthing ball if I want it, and all kinds of equipment for the actual birth.  After I deliver baby girl, she'll go onto a little table next to the bed with a warmer to get checked out.  We'll stay in the L&D room for an hour or two to bond and get cleaned up.  Then, baby girl will go with Dad for her first bath in the nursery while I get taken to a private mother/baby suite where I'll remain for the next 48 hours (or so).  The mother/baby suite is fairly nice - couch for Dad, baby stays in our room in between mom and dad's sleeping spots, private bathroom, TV with vcr and dvd player, etc. 

I was busy asking questions about their policies so that I know how many people can visit at a time, where our visitors should go, options for baby to stay with us at all times, care for baby once she's here, etc.  One of the other couples, however, was only concerned with c-section information.  The tour guide finally asked if she was required to have a c-section and that's why the couple had so many questions (including wanting to see how close the OR was to L&D) - the Dad answered that no, but he was just planning on his wife needing a c-section.  Huh?!  I don't get it!  Maybe there was more that they weren't sharing about why they assumed it, but yikes, way to go into the situation expecting a worst case scenario.  I tried to just ignore all of their questions because I want to go in planning that my body can do this naturally.

I came out of the hospital feeling super excited for baby girl to be here.  Now I can picture it in my head, envision how things will look, imagine me, Ian and baby all together as we start our lives as a family of 3.  I feel hopefuly, excited, and anxious all at once.  Seeing all the details and knowing the exact process (even discussing which room we'll have parents come to and introduce their granddaughter and her name to them!) makes things feel so real. 

It also made me realize that we're going to need a few things to make the space a little more comfortable and homey for me.  I'm thinking we'll be taking a blanket that I love, extra pillows for Ian and me, music, Friends DVDs, and any other things that will make our stay a little less hospital-like.

What are you planning on taking to the hospital?