Pretty much everything I have read says that once you get to the hospital your birth plan goes out the window because nothing goes as expected.  Well, as an honorary boyscout, I am always prepared, so in the rare chance that things go as planned I have created one.  However, given all of the birth visualization I have been doing, things should go smoothly. :)
 
Being a newb to giving birth, this took some time and a lot of searching the internet for example plans so I knew what I should be requesting.  As you may know, I am going to try to have a natural birth because I believe that is what is best for my baby girl.  I have a ton of support from my husband and we have been practicing some coping techniques (although as D-Day approaches, I am nervous that my practicing isn't enough or will not help).

So here it is...
We would like to have a "natural birth" - avoiding all medication if possible (including, but not limited to, Pitocin, IV, epidural, etc.). If an event should arise where medication would be needed, we would like discussion of alternatives and consequences, and some private time for discussion.

Except in the case of an emergency, we ask that we be given the opportunity to accept or refuse any procedure or medication.

Labor

• My husband David and mother Kelly are to be present at all times during labor and birth.
• Other family member and friends may be present during labor.
• I would like the absolute minimum time necessary attached to monitoring.
• I would prefer not to have an IV. If an IV is deemed necessary, please use a heparin lockso that I can move around and walk as needed.
• Please no Pitocin or breaking of water unless deemed medically necessary.
• If labor slows down, or is proving to be very long, I would prefer to wait and see what happens naturally. I would like to try natural methods to speed up labor and avoid any intervention.
• I would like no pain relief during labor or delivery. Please do not offer it to me unless I ask about it.
• I would like freedom to move and walk during labor.
• I ask that lights be kept dim, noise be kept to a minimum, and the door be kept closed for privacy - no excess staff please.

Delivery

• I would like to be in whatever position feels comfortable to me for birth including kneeling, standing, or squatting.
• I would rather risk a tear than have an episiotomy. I would like to try perineal massage, support and warm compresses if needed.
• I would like to avoid the use of forceps or any other tools to assist delivery at all costs. If delivery assistance is needed, please use suction instead of forceps.
• I would like to receive my baby upon birth and place her directly on my chest unless medical intervention on baby is necessary. If I am unable to receive the baby, I would like to give my husband the opportunity.
• I would like to wait for the cord to stop pulsating before clamped and cut.
• I would like my husband to cut the cord.
• I would like no Pitocin, uterine massage, or pulling of cord to help deliver the placenta.

Post-Partum

• I would like the baby to stay with me at all times.
• Upon delivery, I would like my mother to leave the room allowing my husband and me to have time alone with our new baby.
• I would like all visitors and unnecessary staff be turned away until my husband and I have had time alone with our new baby (at least 1 hour).
• Please delay all routine exams for 1-2 hours to allow for bonding time. • I would like any tests done to the baby while placed on my chest
• I would like to breastfeed my baby: no formula, bottles, pacifiers, or water please.

If Cesarean Is Required

• In the event of a c-section, I would like my husband to be present at all times.
• Please use double-layer sutures when repairing my uterus. If I have a second child, I hope to attempt a VBAC and understand this is a requirement for many doctors.
• I would like to have immediate contact with the baby after delivery.
• Please let the baby remain with mother until stitched up and ready to be moved to recovery.
• If my baby needs to go to the special care unit, I wish to stay with her.
• Upon delivery, if baby needs special care, I would like my husband and myself to remain with her at all times.

How far along: 34 weeks 4 days.
Gender:  Girl
Weight Gain:  Apparently I gained 5 pounds in 2 weeks (I have a slight feeling there is some discrepancy in the scales at the doctor though) total weight gain is +29 pounds.
Maternity Clothes:  Let's just say I can't wait to say goodbye to maternity clothes.  There are barely any cute ones that look good.  I went shopping with my mom last weekend and had another meltdown...this time in the dressing room because I felt like a cow and shopping is so frustrating.  I don't want to go shopping again until this little girl is out of me and I have lost my baby weight.
Stretch Marks:  Yes, I have a few more showing up on the other side of my belly now...they are really low though and I'm getting used to them.
Belly button in our out:  I was taking a bath this week and Dave noticed that my belly button was almost out so he pushed around the edges and it popped out!  It didn't permanently stay that way, but I have officially seen the bottom!
Sleep:  I set a new record of 6 bathroom trips in one night.  What do you think?
Best moment of the week:  My prenatal visit.  Yes, the weigh in sucked, but I am so over gaining weight I don't care anymore...I will just have to lose it afterwards which I am okay with and ready for.  The doc said she is in the perfect birthing position (hopefully she won't move), she is the perfect size (if she makes it to 40 weeks she won't be more than 7.5 pound), she is beginning to drop (and is right on my bladder which explains all of the extra trips to the bathroom), and her heart beat is exactly where it should be.  Looks like we have an over achiever on our hands! 
Miss Anything:  My energy.  Going to work, going to school (I am taking a photography class 2 nights a week at the community college) and making dinner all in one day is just too much for me to handle right now.
Movement: Oh yes.  She pushes on my lungs now making it hard to breathe.  I just like to think she is packing up camp to make her appearance soon because she doesn't like the cramped quarters anymore.

I have also been feeling a pinching sensation which I am pretty sure is either my cervix starting to dialate or her head is pressing down.
Cravings: Well I ate too many hot dogs last week so not those anymore (I made us have them 3 nights in a row for dinner).   Now I am craving watermelon and I would love a chicken pot pie for dinner.
Symptoms:  Pregnancy brain.  Let's just say that I messed up majorly on my chalkboard this week...first writing words in the wrong order (I originally wrote Down Head...) and then almost taking the picture with the board saying 33 weeks.  I am seriously losing it.

Also, I am becoming more and more immobile by the day.  Dave loves that I am able to laugh at myself though - I have gotten to the stage where I can barely reach my feet and I sounded like Santa Claus running a marathon after pulling a sock off the other day.  My wonderful husband has agreed to help me with any feet related tasks for the duration of my pregnancy, although I have already learned he has a lot of trouble with non-standard shoes:  I wore these sandals to church yesterday and it took him like 5 minutes per shoe to put them on. I then proceeded to tell him while he was being so kind and helping me that it is going to be much harder dressing the baby so it is good he is getting practice. 

Another thing I laugh at myself about is the fact that the most comfortable position for me to sit in is the man position - legs wide open.  Thankfully someone invented the maxi dress so I didn't so I didn't feel too bad for sitting like that at church.  What can I say?  The stretching feels good and pregnancy gives me a free pass to having zero etiquette.
Looking forward to:  Baby shower on Sunday!

How far along:  33 weeks and 2 days.
Gender:  Sweet baby girl.
Weight Gain:  24 pounds.
Maternity Clothes:  You bet.  I don't have that many so I feel like I wear the same thing over and over and over again.  I would say about half of my shirts have stains on them by now.  Thinking I can make it to the end though without buying much more.
Stretch Marks:  Yes, I have more than just the one now, but it is weird because I have just a small patch of them in one spot on my lower right belly...I think baby girl is trying to claw her way out.
Belly button in our out:  Still an inny, but Dave says when I lay down you can see the bottom.
Sleep:  Waking up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom or put more support under my big belly.  Oh and it is like an Olympic event for me when I roll over...it takes me some time and a lot if energy...
Best moment of the week:  My nesting day (also the worst because of the meltdown that happened prior).  I felt so accomplished.
Miss Anything:  Being able to walk more than five minutes without feeling like I just ran a marathon.
Movement:  Me? Not much anymore.  Baby?  Well she has mastered the art of doing handstands on my hip bones.  She also loves the game "let's see how hard I can head butt momma's pelvic bone."
Cravings:  Hot dogs with the works, blue slushies, and garlic parm chicken wings.
Queasy or sick:  Neither, but some of my other symptoms include shortness of breath and immobility.
Looking forward to:  Spending Easter with my family and finally winning the egg cracking competition.  This is my year...I feel it!

With the exception of me crying every time I watch a sweet YouTube video about babies/birth/moms/families/puppies/dancing penguins, I think I have kept my emotions pretty much in check during my whole pregnancy.  This was until last Tuesday when I think it was my $884.00 ultrasound bill that came in the mail and is due in two weeks that pushed me into a full on meltdown.

Out of nowhere, I was sitting at my desk at work when the water works started and I couldn’t stop them.  I went to the bathroom and continued to cry and weep until I felt physically sick.  Part of me did not know why this was happening or what I was crying about, but then my brain told me that I was having a panic attack.  All of my fears kind of came crashing into my head at once and the only way I could deal with it was crying.  What if my baby doesn’t like me?  What if there is something wrong with her when she is born?  What if we get in a car accident on the way home from the hospital?  What if she stops breathing in her sleep?  What if she comes too early and her room isn’t ready? What if something catastrophic happens to me or David and we can’t afford our lives and lose our house?  And so on. I was legitimately panicking to the point where I left work because I could not handle myself.

When I got home, I went into full on nesting mode.  I cleaned the ENTIRE house, I organized all of our paper work, I washed all of the baby’s clothes and organized them by size and then by color, I unpacked more of mine and David’s things, I finished up my work from home, I washed and folded our dirty clothes, towels, and bedding, I worked on a nursery project – decided I didn't like the end product and redid the entire nursery project (more to come on that later), I even made a surprisingly delicious dinner.  By the time 10:30pm rolled around the only thing that kept me from continuing organizing and cleaning was my back pain and knowing I had to get up in the morning for work.  It was an interesting day to say the least.

Luckily I was able to distract myself from my fears and my nesting made me feel like I was being productive in preparing for our baby.  I am hoping I can get by the next couple of weeks without another meltdown like that but who knows…on the bright side, another burst of energy wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Well really 32 weeks now so just a little late.  I figured it has been a while since I have actually talked about how I am feeling.  So here it goes...

Every day I get more and more uncomfortable.  It is hard to sleep, it is hard to breathe, it is hard to roll over, and if I stand for too long my back really starts to hurt.  Sometime baby girl positions herself so my uterus feels like it is going to rip open!  Almost as much as I can't wait to hold her in my arms, I can't wait until I am not pregnant anymore.

All this aside, I still savor every kick and movement because I know I will miss that.  I could watch her hiccups forever too!  She is so cute.  Not to mention, I would take being uncomfortable (and I know it is going to get worse) over morning sickness any day.

There were tons of different types of fuchsias to choose from.

Having just moved, we didn't have any of our own pots, so on Friday we went to Wal Mart and picked up a few.

Luckily it wasn't raining...the line got pretty long.

Notice the cute ginger boy shoveling soil.

Getting everything planted.

This is where the sheet came in handy.  I didn't get any dirt in my car.

Had the hubby put hooks on the house for our hanging fuchsias.

We planted dusty miller in the big pot.

All done before 10am.  Now we just wait for them to bloom.

After we got our plants, Dave and I went shopping and got almost everything on our list for the nursery...we even stopped in Northgate to get a Cinnabon!  Then we went to Dave's parents for dinner and passed out at about 8:30pm so we just stayed the night.  Feeling good that we got a lot accomplished this weekend and getting SO excited for our little girls arrival.

My perfectly cooked hot dog I ate Saturday night.  Yummm.  It definitely satisfied my hot dog craving.

Today I was surprised at work with a baby shower at lunch.  I was so shocked and I turned red and started crying (hormones).  What is even more shocking is that in the 109 years the company I work at has been around- I am the first woman to have a baby while working there!  I am making history.  I had so much fun though. We had really good Mexican food - and I was a huge fan of the jalapeno poppers.  Then we played a few games and I opened presents.  It was so sweet of everyone to do that for me.  Baby and I felt loved.

 

On another note, I have big plans for the weekend.  Now that we have all of the nursery furniture in place (minus the glider) it is time to get my craft on.  I just got my peach chiffon curtain fabric I ordered in the mail which is perfect, but am waiting for my mom to help me with the curtains because, let's just say, they are a bit out of my league when it comes to sewing and I don't want to mess them up.

I have decided that Saturday is going to be my nursery shopping day.  I am planning on driving all the way to Renton to hit up Ikea and then stopping at a couple other places on the way home (Anthropologie, JoAnn's, Home Goods, Thrift Stores...etc.).  I have been searching the web for days and am hoping I will be able to get most of what I need tomorrow.  Here is what is on the list:

• Baskets for changing table.
• Fabric for my little sewing projects (a basket, changing pad cover, and maybe a few other things in case I don't already have enough to do...ha!)
• Tissue paper for pom poms and the cute mobile seen below that I am definitely going to make.
• Cardboard letters that spell out baby girl's name or just the first initial (see below.)
• Mirror for above dresser.
• Picture frames for a gallery wall (If I can't find cheap ones at Ikea then I will have to go to goodwill and get a can of spray paint.)
• Floating shelves.
• Drawer dividers to keep her little onesies and socks organized.
• Some baskets (wicker or canvas - not sure yet) for blanket/toy storage and laundry.
• A night stand - still searching Craigslist daily but keeping my eyes peeled in case I see one for a good price.
• A cute throw pillow for the recliner.
• A lamp.  Still not sure if I want a table lamp to put on her dresser or a floor lamp for behind the glider.  We shall see. 
• Small vases (as seen in a picture in my previous blog post).
• A Cinnabon...or two...since I am now obviously eating for two I don't think any strangers will judge :)

I will probably be wiped out after my long day of shopping, so I will be taking the rest of the weekend off to relax.  Dave's uncle and grandma are coming to visit so we will be spending time with them and even having a BBQ tomorrow night.  The baby requested that we have hot dogs cooked over the fire (so they are almost black), french fries, and watermelon...those are my latest cravings - I have been salivating over tomorrow night's dinner all week.

As promised, here are some of my crafting plans.

Tassel Mobile

Fabric Baskets

Faux Zinc Letters

Nursery Prints

I love these prints - but they are pricey.  I plan on making my own...some like these and a maybe few others.  Updates on that later.

Dresser - I bought stole it from Craigslist.  It is seriously amazing quality and  is worth so much more than we paid.  There were some minor scratches on the top which I fixed with Old English (BEST stuff ever for scratches!)  The handles used to be gold and I wanted to make them a little more girly so I painted them a mint green (to match the crib skirt - fabric seen hanging on the crib) and distressed them with some sand paper.  I love how it makes it look more girly and more suited for a nursery. Crib - White Jenny Lind Crib from Amazon. Crib Skirt Fabric  - CC1 Pastel Mint Green fabric from Silk and More Etsy Shop.  This is where I bought robes for my bridesmaids and I just loved the fabric! Shikha agreed to sell me the fabric for $7 a yard. Rug - Home Decorators Collection 5'X8' WhiteFaux Sheepskin Rug from Amazon.

Changing Table - I bought this off Craigslist as well.  Dave stripped all of the nasty orange and green paint off and I painted it white.  I plan on adding in some baskets for storage.

Next on my list is to start my sewing projects.  First the crib skirt and then the curtains (and then a changing pad cover and some fabric baskets and perhaps even a bunting banner).  For the curtains I bought some Peach Chiffon Fabric and plan on recreating these Anthropologie curtains.  I could not bring myself to spend almost $300 on curtains but could swing $50 and a little bit of my time.