26 Weeks!

November 28, 2012

What Little LaCasse is up to:

• Spine is getting stronger and more supple
• Aveoli in the lungs form now
• Lungs begin to secrete a greasy substance (surfactant)
• Baby's eyes are opening and beginning to blink
• Retinas begin to form
• Brain wave activity for hearing and sight begins to be detectable
• Fetal brain scans show response to touch
• Length (14 inches); weight (1.7 pounds)

What we are up to:

• Made a guest list for our baby shower so the planning can begin via my sister-in-law
• Finished registering at Target
• Randomly lost my mucous plug while black Friday shopping, which led to a little scare and a brief hospital visit, but all is well! Phew! Lennon hated the EFM and I can already tell he is going to be a pain in the butt to trace while I'm in labor.  Poor nurse :(
• Bought Lennon his first tie at Baby Gap on black Friday and finally found a great deal on a black shadow box to make his newborn shadow box!
• Started doing Christmasy stuff.  Made gingerbread cookies, chopped down our tree, and decorated!
• Lennon gets really active when I play "Lullaby Radio" for him on Pandora on my phone and lay it on my belly as I read
• Finished reading "Creating Your Birth Plan" and started reading "Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds," as recommended by a childbirth educator in D.C.
• Started researching about breastfeeding and have already learned TONS of useful tips
• Ordered "Baby Wise," "The Happiest Baby of the Block," and "Bloom" to read in the next few months 
• Realized I'm more of a crunchy mom than I ever planned to be.  Oh well!
• Did another round of bargain clothing shopping for Lennon, which I plan to do once a month until he's born in order to rack up a stack of clothes for birth until 2T. He now has a snow suit and water shoes to add to his outdoor goodies! My luck he will hates the great outdoors.
• Designed a birth plan, which I might only share with Shawn and my doula, since I know how medical staff responds to birth plans.  We shall see.

Disappearing tootsies.

Lennon is the length of a cucumber!

Baby blue scrub pants scream baby boy :)

from babycenter.com

My Tentative Birth Plan

My boyfriend, Shawn, and I understand that childbirth is full of surprises and that decisions need to be made based on the given situation.  The following items are our preferences if the labor and delivery is “normal” and goes as planned.  We are willing to do whatever will result in the delivery of a healthy baby and accept changes to our plan when the benefits outweigh the risks.  Otherwise, we would like to follow our plan as much as possible. Thank you in advance.

• I am planning to have a natural birth.  We have prepared ourselves physically and mentally for this day for many months.  Please do not offer me any pain relieving medications.  I also prefer not to be asked to rate my pain on a pain scale.
• I would like the baby placed on my bare chest immediately following delivery and have the baby remain there for his initial exam and Apgar scoring.  
• I would like to breastfeed as soon as possible, but definitely within the first hour of birth.
• I would like Shawn to cut the cord after the cord stops pulsating and is white.  
• The only support persons I would like present during labor and delivery are Shawn and my doula, Jessica.  I do not want any family members or friends in the room or outside the door.
• I would like the room to be dimly lit and quiet, or have music playing, during labor and delivery.
• I prefer to tear versus having an episiotomy and only want an episiotomy if the baby is in imminent danger.  
• I do not want my baby to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine while in the hospital.
• I would like to exclusively breast feed the baby and do not want him to have a pacifier, bottle, formula, or sugar water. 
• I do not want to be told what time it is, how long I have been in labor, or how dilated I am following vaginal exams, unless I ask.
• I would prefer to push in a squatting position or reclined at a 45 degree angle while pulling my knees to my chest, rather than in a lithotomy position with stirrups.
• I would prefer the baby to room-in with me and have all newborn procedures done in my presence.
• I would prefer to not have an IV.  If it is hospital policy to have a saline lock, I would prefer to have the lock only and not be hooked up to a line.
• I would like to be free to move around during labor, including walking, changing positions, showering, and using the birthing ball.  If I need to be monitored, I would prefer to be able to continue to remain out of bed, but within reach of the monitor.  I would like to be intermittently monitored as much as possible.
• In the event that a decision about a medical procedure needs made and I am unconscious or incapable of making decisions, I grant the authority for making decisions to my boyfriend, Shawn.
• If a major decision or change in our plan needs to take place, we would like time to consider the new plan and discuss the plan in private before consenting.
• My doula will be capturing my labor and delivery through photography and videography and has my full permission to do so. 
• I do not wish to have my labor induced or augmented, even by artificially rupturing my membranes, unless the baby is in danger. 
• Please allow my perineum time to expand around the baby’s head as it is crowning.  As long as there are no signs of fetal distress, I would prefer to not rush the baby out.  I would prefer that my perineum is massaged during the pushing stage and supported during delivery of the baby’s head.

In the event that the health and safety of the baby or me is in danger and a cesarean section is necessary, these are our preferences.

• Though I would prefer not to be able to see the majority of the surgery, I would like the screen to be lowered so I may observe the actual moment of birth.
• I would like Shawn to remain with me before and during the surgery.
• Following the surgery, I would like Shawn to remain with the baby at all times.
• If possible, I would still like to attempt to breastfeed within an hour of the baby’s birth.
• If possible, I would still like the baby’s first bath, weight, exam, and other measurements to be withheld until I am out of the operating room, so I can still be present for those moments.