So, kid #3 is due any day now. And, like kid #2, we are planning to birth this one at home. In a tub. This requires a bit of planning.
Two weeks ago, I was completely stressed-out that we weren’t ready. Last week, I felt better, but remained anxious because some little odds and ends weren’t quite tied up yet. I even took a day off work to try to finish about ten things on our list. My success rate was approximately 30%.
But I think we’re good now.
First, here’s the tub:
Why have a tub? you ask.
Yes, it’s true, we already have a bath tub. In fact, we have a Jacuzzi. But this tub is larger than even our Jacuzzi. It’s deeper, and has a greater diameter. There’s also a comfortable pad on the bottom – and it’s sitting on our living room rug, which, in turn, is on another pad – so it will be softer on Jennifer’s knees. It’s also easier to get around it. Our Jacuzzi is fixed up against the wall, but here, Jennifer, her midwives, or anyone, really, can access the tub from whichever angle is easiest.
It’s also nice to give birth in a living room, next to the fireplace, instead of in the bathroom, next to the toilet.
Of course, this thing weights an awful lot. So I was a bit scared that our 90-year-old beams wouldn’t hold and the tub would come crashing through the floor. Egro…
This is the scene exactly 8 feet below the tub. Notice I have installed two metal pillars (rated to withstand 12,000 pounds), one under each beam. I call this homeowners’ insurance. It’s so safe that I even let my 3-year-old stand underneath.
But back to the living room…
Our new video camera is in place. The battery is charged, the data card is inserted, and we’ve affixed it to our oh-so-adorable 12″ tripod. It’s now lying in wait on our shelf above our TV. When the time comes, I will power it up and hit record. The underwater cam is arriving today. Just kidding. There won’t be an underwater cam.
Meanwhile, on another wall of our living room…
Here’s our mantle. Notice the candles on the left. That’s to give the room a real candle-y feel.
Here’s a close-up of our mantle. The little white card you see in the middle is a card Isla made to welcome the new baby. She made it in December, so it’s been sitting around for a while. And since our baby won’t be born knowing how to read…it’ll probably be sitting around for a while more. The little green object sitting right in front of the card is a rubber anklet Owen made for the baby.
Now let’s head into the dining room…
Here are some other items we’re gonna need: A small fan to point at Jennifer in case she gets hot; a photo camera for me to take pictures of the baby; some candles to burn during labor (Jennifer says they help her “focus”); and a CD of Mickey Hart’s album Music to Be Born By, which I will play while Jennifer is in labor. This album played during Isla’s birth, and it’s pretty kickass for activities such as pushing out a human being. There are also two sets of headphones for our two kids, and if you have to ask why we need those, then you weren’t within a half mile of Jennifer the last time she gave birth.
This photo shows what is immediately to the left of the objects in the previous picture. You’re looking at a canvas, acid-free paper, and a stamp pad. The canvas is for making a placenta print, which actually is pretty cool, so stop cringing. The paper and ink are for footprints.
Now to the kitchen…
Here are some large pots. The midwives will be using them. To the right of the pots is a flashlight, just in case they need to see inside someplace dark. And if you’re curious as to why there’s a space heater there, well…it’s not a space heater. It’s a box that used to house a space heater. Notice the box is lined with a plastic garbage bag. This can be set near the birthtub – or anywhere, really – and used as a mobile trash bin. A similar box is sitting in the living room, filled with towels we’ve saved just for this occasion.
This is a Birth Kit we had to order. There’s all manner of stuff in here for labor, delivery, and postpartum. Just trust me on this one.
And here is our fridge. There are six sheets of paper magneted to the door. Three of them discuss dinner options and how to prepare such meals; two of them explore the world of making lunch and snacks for kids; the last one (top right) is a list of phone numbers I will, or might, need (I blocked out most of this sheet to hide the phone numbers).
Did we miss anything?