The Home Stretch to our Home Birth

Well, I think we're just about ready to meet our miracle baby! Today, I am officially 37 weeks pregnant, even according to the midwives' revised estimated due date. By my calculations, I'm actually 38 1/2 weeks, but who's counting anyways? At this point, it looks like we are really going to have our baby at home, which has long been a desire of mine.

The thought of a home birth did not even cross our minds when I was pregnant with Mary.  We were living in Davis at the time, which had an extremely unusual pro-natural childbirth hospital.  Two of the rooms were even equipped with birthing tubs.  Our primary care physician arrived just in the nick of time to deliver Mary in the tub!  (We spent only an hour and a half total at the hospital before Mary was born, so I was pushing by the time he arrived!)

After experiencing a birth once, I would have liked to have our second child at home, but we moved to New Orleans when I was 35 weeks pregnant with Maggie. The circumstances were just not ideal, but we found a wonderful midwife who delivered babies at a local hospital. Maggie was also born in the water and came even faster, twenty minutes after the midwife broke my water!

Third time's the charm, right?  For the third pregnancy, we were definitely set on a home birth...until we found out we were having twins. I hear stories about people birthing twins at home in certain states, but Louisiana does not allow it.  I thank God for providing us with an ob who allowed me to deliver the twins vaginally!

And, now, here we are about to have the child that was not part of our plan at home! Lord willing, I will pick up the birthing tub at my appointment tomorrow. I have all the other supplies stowed in our bathroom cabinets:

• birth kit received from midwives
• digital thermometer
• box of tissues
• 2-3 tall paper bags for trash
• 2-3 tall plastic trash bags for trash/soiled linen
• flashlight
• mirror to see baby
• wash cloths for hot compresses
• 10 receiving blankets
• extension cord
• heating pad
• cookie sheet with corners for supplies
• 2 towels
• 2 large pots with lids to make compresses
• 1 medium bowl lined with plastic trash bag for placenta
• 3 medium to large bowls for midwifery supplies
• hydrogen peroxide
• alcohol
• cotton swabs
• witch hazel
• chux pads
• sanitary pads
• clothes for baby
• diapers and wipes
• clothes for mom
• snacks for birth team
• juice
• camera with charged battery

So, now we are playing the waiting game!  And now, for your continued reading pleasure, five things you should try to avoid saying to any pregnant lady at any time during the course of her pregnancy.  By the way, I have fielded each one of these.  Fortunately, I am not quick on my feet, so I manage to avoid the sarcastic comebacks below!

1. You haven't had that baby yet???  Obviously, no I haven't!
2. Is that one baby or two in there???  Ummm...the ultrasound shows only one baby.  Thanks.
3. Oh, my, you look like you are ready to pop!  Actually, no, but I could offer you a balloon.
4. Would you like me to make your drink decaffeinated?  No, thank you, if I wanted decaf, I would have asked for it.
5. Why are you so tired?  Could it be the extra thirty pounds I am carrying around?  Or maybe the baby gymnastics that keep me awake at night? Perhaps, the expectancy that labor pains could begin any moment now?  Maybe it's because I need to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes? Or could it be because my ankles are as big as my knees right now?