Our Birth Plan

Below is our typed up one-pager we will be giving our doctor and sending to the hospital for our chart. I also plan on bringing a few copies to hand to the nurse(s) on duty when I actually go into labor. This has become a common practice and was encouraged by our physician, our childbirth class educator and our doula. Having a few bullet points on paper makes it easier for everyone to be one the same page so they can help support us the way we want to be supported. Also, this way, we wont have to continue to repeat our wishes over and over again whenever a new person walks into the room.

(We have already discussed and agreed all of the following with our doctor and he is totally on board to help us achieve our goal! We chose to see this specific doc because of his reputation for encouraging natural, unmedicated births...he rocks!!!!)




Birth Plan for Priscilla & Ben B.
June 25, 2010

We are striving for a natural, unmedicated birth at Bethesda North Hospital. We have taken Unmedicated Childbirth classes and toured the hospital’s OB unit. We have complete faith in the care we will receive at Bethesda North, and we would especially like to be encouraged by the medical staff to follow through with an unmedicated labor and birth.

In labor and delivery, Priscilla would prefer:
• The freedom to move about as much as possible utilizing a birthing ball, shower/tub, squatting bar, etc. to achieve as much physical comfort as possible.
• To have a stationary fetal monitor attached only when medically necessary. A wireless monitor is ok.
• To drink clear fluids and/or suck on ice rather than receiving I.V. fluids; establishing a hep-lock is ok.
• Not to have a vaginal exam unless necessary or desired.
• To be able to dim the lights and listen to music to help achieve relaxation.
• NOT to be given Pitocin, Misoprostol (Cytotec) or any other contraction inducing/enhancing drug unless medically necessary.
• NOT to have her water broken by the staff unless medically necessary.
• To be able to push her baby out in whatever position feels right (lying on her side, squatting on the bed,
   hands and knees on the bed, etc.)
• To deliver without an episiotomy unless medically necessary.
• To deliver without the help of forceps or vacuum extractor unless medically necessary.


Immediately after the birth, Priscilla would prefer:
• To hold the baby on her chest (skin to skin contact) and nurse as soon as possible.
• That the umbilical cord stop pulsating before it is cut.
• For Ben, the father, to cut the cord.
• That the baby not be given any bottles or pacifiers unless medically necessary.
• That the baby never leaves her side unless medically necessary.


We know that complications could arise that would require us to deviate from our desire for a natural, unmedicated birth. We value the support of the hospital staff and our physician in guiding us to deliver a healthy baby in any event.

If a Cesarean becomes necessary, we prefer:
• For Ben to be present.
• For Priscilla to be awake during surgery.
• For Priscilla to be able to touch the baby immediately after the birth.
• For Ben to be able to hold the baby in the operating room.
• That the baby never leaves us unless medically necessary.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.

Priscilla and Ben B.
Due Date: August 11, 2010

1st Birthing Class

Days left until our due date: 48!!

That is SO hard for me to believe! Time has really started to fly! Thank you summer!!

So the other night Ben and I went to our first Unmedicated Childbirth Class. It was fun to be around other couples who want the same thing out of their birth experience as we do. It was a nice break from the many questions we normally get from people like, "why would you want to feel the pain of natural child birth?!?"

I keep telling everyone that I'm not making any promises that might set me up for regret or disappointment, but I would like to go into labor with the intention to go all the way through unmedicated. I just feel that's what's best for me and my baby. To be honest I'm more afraid of an epidural and the slippery slope of complications that can ensue as a result than I am fearful of the pain. Everyone keeps telling me that I'll change my mind. We'll see.

I believe having a doula's support gets me one step closer to my goal. Also having a written out birth plan can't hurt, so I'm gonna work on that today.

I'm still feeling fabulous and staying active. Pregnancy really has been easier for me than I expected. (What a relief after years of infertiltiy!!!) Woo Hoo!! Hope I can keep this attitude  all the way through my labor and delivery!! I'll post my birth plan when I get it written.

And here is a baby bump picture taken today!

Survey Time!

How far along: 32 weeks, 2 days

Total Weight Gain: Last I weighed in, I was up 23.5 lbs.

Symptoms: Occasional Braxton Hicks contractions during the day especially when I'm on my feet for a while and heartburn EVERY night.

Sleep:  Still pretty good minus the 3-4 bathroom trips I make every night. The baby woke me up kicking my bladder early this morning. :)

Most recent Doctor’s Appt: Today I saw Dr. F and everything went great. My blood pressure was nice and low at 110/64 and baby's HB was great too (I didn't get the exact beats per minute but whatever.) My weight is right on, but my uterus is measuring about a week ahead at 33 weeks, 2 days. Nothing at all to be concerned about he said. He's guessing she weights about 4.5lbs and we have an ultrasound scheduled for next appointment so he can measure her to get a more accurate estimate and to see about her positioning, etc. Looking forward to that! Yay for a healthy check-up!! Oh and he suggested I take a Zantac at dinner time to help with my late-night heartburn instead of relying on Tums. He told me heartburn is totally normal this late in the game due to my baby putting a lot of pressure on my stomach.

Best Moment Last Week: Dreaming about my baby sucking on my index finger. She was so little and sweet and I was so in love with her. When I woke up I had this warm feeling in my heart and I couldn't stop smiling.

Movement: You bet!! Mostly when I'm lying down. My whole belly changes into funny shapes when she really gets going. It's amazing to watch!

Food Cravings: WATERMELON!! Seriously I ate an entire watermelon all by myself this week.

What I Miss: Being able to bend over to take better care of my flowers and landscaping around the house. I see the weeds starting to grow and the ground cover that needs trimming around the edges and I can't do much about it. Ben's gonna help me get things under control this weekend. Yay!

What am I looking forward to: Welcoming my parents to town for the summer on June 27th!

Milestones: Still being able to walk/hike a couple miles a day (despite having to pee the entire time.) I am trying to keep my fitness and mobility up so that hopefully that will make labor and delivery easier on me.

How is Daddy? BUSY!! He works really long hours (he's a finance executive for a fortune 500 company) and sometimes I feel like I never get to see him. Especially this week!! I know that this is a particular busy time of year for his business so things should calm down shortly. Also he's planning on using a couple weeks of vacation after Morgan arrives so that he can bond with his baby girl right from the start.

Babies make me cry!

Recently whenever I see a baby I feel this emotion rise up inside me and get me by the throat. Especially if they are crying it totally makes me cry. Seriously it happens in grocery stores, parks, malls, even babies on TV...everywhere you see babies I get choked up every time I see one! It's so freakishly weird. I'm not a cryer...especially in public, but whenever I see a little bundle or hear one cry out, tears just start rolling out of my eyes. It's crazy! What is going on?

Have any of you out there ever experienced this?

My guess is it's just my hormones going crazy and it's nature's way of preparing me to be a mama. Oh it's so embarrassing. I'm such a cry baby!! :)

100th Post!!

So in honor of my 100th post and now that my count down ticker is under 60 days I am going to try to pick up my blogging pace. I have been slacking for some months now, posting something only once a week or less. And recently I have had at least 3 or 4 people give me the advice to soak this time up. That these last couple months of pregnancy go by fast, and I will always reflect back on them and miss them once they are over. So moms out there who have given this advice, consider it heard! I plan to write everyday, OK maybe not every day, but as often as I can so I can soak this time up and have this writing to reflect back on! After all, I have not forgotten how difficult this one pregnancy was for us to attain and I am aware that it might be my only, so I definitely want to cherish this time and not be in a hurry for it to be over (even though I can't wait to meet my baby)!

Days left until my due date: 58

Wow! I remember when I first created that ticker on the side of my blog and it was somewhere around 265 days to go. At the time I was a little afraid to post it thinking that it might jinx me or something. It really is hard to believe that we are in our final two month stretch! I am going to have a baby in TWO MONTHS! It still seems surreal to think about despite all the planning, baby kicks and the crib set up in our house. I bet all first time moms feel this way no matter how they conceived. There is this great sense that life as we know it is about to change forever and there is only so much we can really do to be ready. It's hard to picture oneself in a role they have never been in before. Mother. That is a huge responsibility!

There are people in this world who have always gravitated towards towards babies and children. They are just at ease and its totally naturally for them to interact with these youngsters. My only (and older) sister was always like this. I was not. She was a serious baby sitter all through high school, I worked at the mall in a bathing suit boutique. As a teenager I just wasn't drawn to children the way she was. Bottom line, now, I have no experience!

At this point I am completely relying on those "instincts" everyone talk about. "Oh it's different when it's your own baby." "You'll know just what to do." "It'll come naturally to you, don't worry."

I hope so!! Some days I can totally picture myself being completely confident with my infant. Like I've always known how to do this. I can  picture myself calming her cries and changing her diapers. Bath time? No problem. It's all good. My instincts are leading the way and I am doing a fabulous job.

Then there are days when I picture myself trying to breastfeed my baby and I get totally overwhelmed. How am I going to do that? Is it really going to work? Can I really help my baby stop crying? Will I be able to determine what she needs? Am I going to be able to handle not sleeping for days and weeks on end? I feel totally unprepared!

I'm imagine motherhood is exactly a combination of what I have just described. Some days I'll be on top of the world and others I will be crying as pathetically as the baby I'm supposed to be caring for.

These days I am mix of pure excitement and little nervous anxiety. I want to be a really good mother and I know there is so much I will need to learn in a very short period of time.

So I am turning all my faith over to my instincts because I believe all the knowledge I will need is already inside me. I just have to learn to listen. Here's to hoping anyways!! Thank God my mom and dad, my mother and father-in-law, and my husband will be around in the begining to help me figure it all out!

Only 61 Days to go!!

How far along: 31Weeks, 2 Days


Total Weight Gain: 23.5 lbs

Symptoms: Occasional heartburn at bed time (probably from eating too much too late at night) is my only complaint. Sure I feel heavier and less coordinated, but I love it!

Sleep: Great! I am still sleeping very, very well. (I give all the credit to our Tempurpedic mattress. We've had it for 2.5 years and I still say, "ahhhh" every night when I climb into bed. No pressure points at all, so my hips are doing just fine. I don't even use body pillow.)

Most recent doctor's appt: My blood pressure was 111/52, baby's HB was 165 and everything was measuring just right. No concerns at all. I am grateful for such health.

Best Moment Last Week: Watching Ben put together our new high chair and travel system that were gifted to us at the shower. We have them set up in our formal dining room (a place we rarely go, so they are not in the way) and I smile every time I walk by and see them in there. So amazing that we have those items in our house for OUR baby!!

Movement: ALL the time. She feels really big now and I love keeping my hands on my belly to feel her kicks. She has found her head down position (been there for over a month now...doc says that some babies find their nook early and like to stay put) so I always feel her feet in the same place on the right side of my abdomen. She also gets the hiccups a lot that are funny to feel. Ben can even feel them.

Food Cravings: Black Olives!

What I Miss: Being able to keep up with Ben on our evening walks/jogs. He is training for a 10K. I am obviously not, but I try to walk for 30+ minutes a day. We start out together at the track and then he takes off running and I keep walking. We meet back up after about 25 minutes. I look forward to doing it together once our baby is big enough for a jogging stroller. (I also look forward to not having a heavy baby on my bladder when I'm power walking!)

What am I looking forward to: Our 34 week ultrasound. This will help determine how big she really is and, of course, I always love getting a glimpse of what she's doing in there!

Milestones: Making it to the final 10 week stretch!

How is Daddy? He is amazing. He massages lotion on my feet most evenings when we get into bed since it's hard for me to reach and it feels so good. He is definitely going to be a great and loving father!!

Baby Shower #1

This past weekend my sister-in-law, Betsy, threw me my first baby shower. Betsy is my husband's younger sister, and she is just the sweetest!! The shower included all the women in my husband's family and a few of their local friends. It was so pretty and perfect! I have never felt so showered in love and support. Of course it made me cry. I was so happy to be celebrating the upcoming arrival of their side of the family's first grand baby. Everyone seems so excited for us and that just  makes it so special. 

Most everyone there knew about the challenges Ben and I have been through to get actually get here, so the afternoon felt even more celebratory because our prayers were answered by this miracle pregnancy! His mom got teary-eyed with me as she told me how long and hard she had prayed with her friends at church for this baby to come into our lives. It was a real moment of bonding that I wont ever forget. The day was total perfection!! Almost an out of body experience to be at MY OWN baby shower....it's so amazing!! This is really happening!!!!!

The latest baby bump picture...

The beautifully set table with an "M" in the center for Baby Morgan

Great food spread!

The hostess, Betsy, with my my pup, Bunny...of course she was invited and thoroughly enjoyed herself and all the attention everyone gave her! Look at that smile!!

And the gifts.....WOW!! Everyone was so generous!!

Big Stuffed Kitty Ball!! How cute??

Froggie Bath Center

So many precious little pink outfits and this special hand made baby blanket!

Morgan got her first Cincinnati Bengals Onesie!! Ben and I are major football people and I expect that our little one will be the city's youngest fan!!  She'll be a WHO-DEY baby for sure!! :)

And finally did anyone notice my sparkly earrings? My darling husband recently surprised me with these diamond studs for our 3rd wedding anniversary (which is tomorrow). He gave them to me early so I could wear them to this shower. How sweet is that?? I feel like the luckiest girl in the world these days! We are truly riding one of those peaks in life people talk about. It's feels so good to be finally out of the infertile valley.  Thank God!!!