37 1/2 weeks...In the Home Stretch

We are feeling pretty good about welcoming baby into our lives.  Last Thursday we reached the "full term" mark, which means we could have her at any time and she'd likely be o.k.  We also finished our birthing class and feel empowered and less intimidated by the whole hospital/birthing process.

Russ and I are hoping to have a natural childbirth if at all possible and avoid any interventions (i.e. no epidural or analgesic drugs).  I love our hospital, Cedars-Sinai and my Dr. is incredible; however, the epidural rate at Cedars is 98% and the use of pitocin is close to 75% and so it is not surprising that the rate of cesareans is close to 40%!  We are praying to avoid all of the above.

I'm hoping and believe that if millions of women have delivered naturally in the past, my body must be able to handle the pain but I'm working on my mental toughness in preparation.  One step we took to empower us in this journey of a drug free birth has been hiring a doula.  Joni Lucarelli has been a great support to us and she has two children of her own - - one birth she used interventions and the other was natural so she's not over the top crazy about "no drugs" but she is supportive and knowledgeable.  She will be with us at our home as we labor and then will move to the hospital and act as our advocate and support system throughout the labor/delivery process.  She's really wonderful and I'm excited and feel so much comfort knowing she'll be with us every step of the way.

I finally began packing my hospital bag and think we'll have all of the loose ends tied up by the end of the weekend.  Baby girl is still moving like crazy despite what the books say (they say that the baby is usually too big to move around a lot by this point).  We are both looking forward to the next few weeks and finally welcoming our little lady to this world.



37 1/2 Weeks - Full Term!