Getting Ready

Last night, Chris and I attended our "Late Pregnancy Class" at the new Women's and Children's Center that opened in January. This also included a tour of Labor & Delivery, which is what we had been waiting to see since we learned we'd be delivering there.

I think there were about 10 couples at the class, all at various stages in their third trimester. I think only 3 were second-time parents, and almost all of the first-time ones were having girls! We learned all about the pregnancy discomforts during the third trimester (um, hello, I'm experiencing almost all of them!). What we learned that we didn't know before is that by 32 weeks you should have your hospital bag packed and have a birth plan. Well, we have neither of those packed. In fact, I didn't even get a copy of my birth plan checklist until my 32 week appointment today.

After about an hour of learning when to come to the hospital and when to continue laboring at home, we finally got the tour! This new facility is truly beautiful. Every single room is private -- from the laboring rooms to the postpartum rooms. And the laboring rooms are HUGE. They feature a minifridge for the dad to store snacks and drinks (we moms don't get to eat or drink anything but ice chips once we get to the hospital), a flat screen TV with DVD player, a full-sized bathroom with shower for laboring, natural light, and a pull-out bed for dad to sleep in. And the great news is that visitors are allowed 24/7, with the mom's permission, of course.

After the baby is delivered, you spend about an hour or two recovering before you're sent up to the postpartum rooms on the third floor. These rooms are also private, but not quite as big as the L&D rooms.

Kai.ser also really places a strong emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding and immediate skin-to-skin contact, so no nurse will give my baby formula without my say-so. There's no nursery, so the baby gets to sleep with you in the postpartum room (in a bassinet, of course).

It seemed to be a very slow night at L&D --- out of 26 laboring rooms, I think only a handful were occupied. So we didn't hear any yelling by frazzled moms, nor did we hear the cries of any newborns. It was, well, peaceful.

I think both Chris and I came away feeling really excited and good about the experience. Chris knows where to drop me off and where the vending machine is. It certainly doesn't feel like your average sterile hospital, particularly given my one experience with the Kai.ser in San Diego last month. That was your average blah, gray-walled hospital. The Women & Children's Center was anything but. Plus, it's nice to know that it's actually a separate building from the regular hospital. Makes you feel special and not just another patient.

This Saturday we have a full day of childbirth preparation (those fun breathing and relaxing exercises) and then it's on to Newborn Care next Wednesday night, where we can learn a little bit about how to take care of those wee ones once we get home from the hospital! I have to admit, I'm totally clueless.