12/12/08

Yay, we finally have a date for our planned caesarean section. Friday 12th December, 2008 should (unless I go into labour early) be the date of little Emily's birthday. Yesterday we had an appointment at the hospital and I was booked in for a C section. I was given a choice of dates, a bit like making an appointment at the dentist! But went for the Friday as it will mean I am in hospital over the weekend, and it should be easier to arrange child care for the other 3 kids at the weekend. All being well I should be out on the Monday.

The doctor did one final scan while I was there and confirmed for the fourth time that baby is indeed a girl, so I think we are pretty sure of that now. He took some measurements and said that right now, at 35 weeks gestation, she is about 6lb 10oz in weight. He estimates that shes gonna be a biggun, lol, between 8 - 9lb if born a week early as planned, is what he said.

I had to sign a heap of consent forms and was asked a lot of questions, including whether I'd like to be sterilised during the section! I hadn't even considered that so was a bit taken aback. I think he saw my face and said something along the lines of 'well you're very young but we do offer after someone has had four children'. I will have to go to the hospital on the evening of the 11th to be given various injections (anti D, blood thinners etc) and have bloods taken and a general medical check done. Then I can go home to sleep but have to be back at the hospital for 8am the morning of the 12th. If there are no delays or emergencies then the section will start at 9am.

I'm so excited about the end being in sight now and can't wait to get home with our new daughter. I have been researching how to write a birth plan for a caesarean. I read that a lot of hospitals really don't expect the parents of sections to bother writing a birth plan, but that it actually is still quite important . Ok, so it will be very different from a regular birth plan but there are still things to consider such as whether I'd like the screen lowered at the moment of birth so that I can see little Emily coming into the world, who I would like to hold the baby in the event that I have to have extra surgery under general anaesthetic, whether I would like my husband to be able to photograph the birth and the first few minutes of Emily's life, whether I would like to breast feed or not (and if so, when?), plus a host of other things.