Friday, April 27, 2007

t-23: homebirth bag

OK, since I've reset my due date for my own convenience - it's actually officially 21 days away according to my doctor and midwives. From today, Cletus is counted as a full term baby by the National Health Service. From today, the NHS will support my home birth should I go into labor. Yesterday, I would have been pre-term and would have had to go across the street to the hospital. Today, I'm full term and they have to come across the street to me.

Today the midwifes' assistant delivered a bag that says "Homebirth bag Vol Abroad"* printed out on a sheet of paper and fastened to said bag by copious amounts of tape.

It doesn't say not to mess with it, so I'm presuming I could open up the bag and have a good old root around.

The bag is quite heavy. I know that the NHS supports the use of nitrous oxide for pain relief in home birth deliveries (as in hospital). What if there is a cannister of nitrous in there?

I've already been warned that the bottles they give for home birth are quite small, so I'll need to hold off on the nitrous til the more painful bits (will they let me know which those are? will it be obvious?). They said they didn't want to have to go back to the hospital for more gas.

I told them that I'd be more than happy to send the Vol-in-Law for a new tank. They did not seem to take this on board.

You see, I've used nitrous for pain relief and for recreation. And while it's ok on the pain relief (it just kinda takes the edge off) - it can be really fun, too. (If you know what I mean - whomp, whomp, whomp). It seems a shame to hold off using it until I really need it.

So I should get into the bag or not?

23 days til baby Cletus

*clearly it has my real name on it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

hell yes, open it!

Vol Abroad said...

Awww, there ain't nothin' good in there. Practical items like plastic sheeting and rolls and rolls of paper towels, which still manage to conjure unpleasant imagery, and scary items like suture kits.

Anonymous said...

oh dear, maybe you shouldn't have opened it. sorry!