Matthew and I recently toured Castle Birth Center where I'll be popping Audrey out. It was an incredible experience and I am so excited to give birth there. I will be in the same room for labor, delivery, and post partum recovery and Audrey will be in my room (i guess its our room) the entire time (unless I request that she be sent to the nursery). They strongly encourage breast-feeding so Audrey will go straight to her momma after delivery. They wait a minimum of 3 hours before bathing her or administering any tests. I can wear my own clothes and bring my own food, though they do offer a variety of vegetarian food options on their menu. I got the impression that the Birth Center is run by a group of women dedicated to making birth a positive and natural experience for the mother, the father, and the baby. There is no time limit, so I can labor as long as I want without worrying about intervention.
Unfortunately, due to hurricane Ike, I was unable to travel to Houston where I was planning on having a baby shower thrown by the Puiglets. I was really looking forward to getting my hands on Vanessa's micro-baby-bump and showering my hanai-neice Stella with some Auntie love.
I did, however, make it to LA where I got to see my little mush of a nephew Jonah. His smile will warm your heart every time. On Saturday 9/28, all of Matthew's mother's friends threw me an amazing baby shower. My mom gave Audery her first outfit from dolce & gabbana. I don't even have anything from docle & gabbana, so we can already see how spoiled she will be. Between the 16 baby shower hostesses and the 10 additional guests, I think we got just about everything we need for her arrival! Thanks ladies!!!
Finally, today we start our birthing classes. They run up to the end of November, so at least I know I won't forget what I learned before she arrives. We'll keep you posted on all other developments.
