I received good news at my 38 week doctor appointment yesterday!  I’ve made progress this time…I’m 5.5, almost 6 cm dilated and the baby’s head is at -1 or -2 station.  So we’re basically expecting him at any time!

One thing we’re getting ready for that we didn’t have to think about last time around is how to make the transition easier for our 18-month-old.  Here are some tips that we’re using or are planning to use:

1. We bought her a “special” baby doll a month or so ago (special just because it’s new LOL) and some bottles to go with it.  Since then she’s been practicing holding and feeding her baby.  She already understands that babies need to be watched because if she’s tired of playing with her baby, she gives it and its bottles to Chad or me and gets mad if we set them down.  We also bought her a set of baby doll gear such as car seat, stroller, bouncer, swing, playpen, diapers, bibs, etc. that we’ll give her as soon as the baby comes so she can do with her baby what she sees Mommy doing with her baby brother.
2. We plan to have the baby in his bed when she arrives the first time she comes to the hospital to meet him.
3. We plan to set aside special “Daddy and Ava” and “Mommy and Ava” times every day and let her decide what kinds of activities we do during those times.

We’re also prepared for her sleep schedule and probably plenty of other things to get “messed up” as we all adjust to having another baby in the house.  Hopefully being mentally prepared for it will help us to cope with it a little better!

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My main project for this week is packing our hospital bags.  I’ve already been through this once, so I feel like I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I’m going to need and what I should just leave home.

I pack two separate bags.  I pack a small bag for during labor and a small suitcase for the actual hospital stay.  That way, when I’m in labor, we only need to grab the small bag and Chad can go back out for the suitcase later.

Here’s what I pack in the labor bag:

1. Socks and slippers for walking the halls.  The hospital provides them, but mine are so much more comfortable!
2. Portable CD player.
3. A book or magazine.  My contractions last time didn’t even hurt until I’d already been at the hospital for several hours, so these were a nice distraction
4. Snacks and a couple microwaveable meals for Chad.  He’s not a big fan of hospital food.
5. Birth plan.
6. Insurance cards.
7. Camera.
8. Cell phone and charger.  I also made a list of all the people we needed to call after the baby was born, their phone numbers and the order to call them in.

In my suitcase, I pack:

1. Pajamas.  I’m going to bring a couple of nursing nightgowns, but I’ll admit that I brought some last time and didn’t use them until I got home because things were so messy.
2. Nursing bras and nursing pads.
3. Underwear.  I think I wore the ones the hospital gave me last time to avoid ruining mine.  But my granny panties are ruined from last time anyway, so I’m going to bring them.
4. Toiletries.  I bring travel size ones so I don’t need to worry if I forget them at the hospital…and I also don’t have to pack my big bottles when I’m in labor.
5. Lanolin.  Very important for starting to breastfeed!
6. Nursing pillow.
7. More microwaveable meals and snacks.  I’m not the biggest fan of hospital food either, and I’m always starving when I’m nursing, so we’re planning to have plenty of extra food!
8. Going-home outfit for me.  Probably a 4-5 month one.

I also have a small diaper bag packed for the baby for going home.  It has:

1. His going home outfit.
2. Blanket
3. Burp cloth
4. Diapers and wipes.

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