I just hung out a load of baby laundry. First time. It looks exceptionally cute on the line, but I feel a bit like a crazy person, like one of those old women you see pushing empty prams. Still, with five weeks to go and my energy dissipating daily, it is a sensible thing to be doing. Babies have sensitive skin, I have been told, so all the clothes and blankets and nappies need to be pre-washed. When it comes to the nappies, this also helps with absorbency, something I am sure I will be well-versed in a few weeks from now.
Half of the women who were in my pre-natal classes have had their babies a couple of weeks before their due dates. This is kind of exciting. Although I know it doesn't by any stretch mean it will happen to me, it does mean that it could. We could have a little tag-along with us in three weeks, or even two. This also means it's time to pack the hospital bag, just in case.
We have decided to give birth at Lumsden Maternity, a small rural birthing centre about an hour from here, so if all goes well, I'm not packing for a hospital stay as such. So far, I know one woman who had planned to birth there, but twelve hours after her waters breaking, her labour hadn't progressed, so the nurses at Lumsden sent her to Invercargill Hospital and she had her baby there, but then went back to Lumsden for some post-natal R&R. I'm hoping things go to plan for us so we don't have to venture down to the hospital. I'm sure our son will thank us if his birth certificate doesn't say Invercargill on it! I am told that at Lumsden the midwives and nurses give plenty of one-on-one care to new parents, helping them bath, feed and change their babies and making sure the new family goes home familiar and comfortable with one another. To me this seems almost more important than the birth.
So, the hospital bag - another reason to do the laundry. There are a few different requirements for such a trip. There's going to be an extra person with us, someone who has until now not needed his own clothing. Baby needs clothes and nappies to go home in, and the weather must factor in that - a few warm things, a few cooler things, and of course something super cute for those first photos!
Then there's me. What do I want to give birth in? The only thing I can imagine wearing is a sarong, which I have taken to wrapping myself in island-style on hot days anyway. It seems a lot of women throw off the restrictions of clothing for birth, but without having experienced it, I can't tell if I will be comfortable getting all nakey. So, sarong, dressing gown, comfortable clothes. A change of clothes for the new daddy.
And then there's snacks. Labour is apparently a bit like a marathon, so I have bought isotonic drinks, protein and carbohydrate-rich muesli bars and a packet of jellybeans. I have rescue remedy and massage oils. Closer to the time I will throw in the ipod speakers and oil burner - I'm hoping happy music and nice smells will keep me from freaking out when it's time to hatch.
Before I got pregnant I would never have imagined that all these details go into having a baby, and I guess in a way they don't, seeing as without all this, the result would likely be the same. However, feeling prepared aids relaxation, and relaxation is what I need right now. I'm guessing there won't be much of it later on.
Plus, looking out at a clothesline of baby clothes is a sure way to replace anxiety and exhaustion with hopefulness and excitement, and positivity is key.
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