29wks

I'm getting complaints that I'm not updating enough, nor am I posting enough pictures. Well, here's a post at least. Pictures will follow if Shawn ever figures out how to take a picture properly with our webcam since I had to find some solution myself last time and I was not happy with it.

I'm doing well, getting bigger of course but still very active. The babies are growing nicely and are kicking the $h*t out of me. Today Joey and Esther (my brother and my sister-in-law) had their hands on my stomach and got to feel a couple of kicks so strong they made me jump.

After getting sound advice from our OB (who I am glad we stuck with) on which hospital would be best equipped to handle any potential complications, Shawn and I went on a tour of the maternity wards at Hadassah Mount Scopus today. It's a small hospital, and much older than the other Hadassah, but it has a better NICU. I'm not really in this for my own comfort so I don't care if the birthing rooms haven't been remodeled...if they serve the purpose they're meant to, that's all that matters. I got some good info on the hospital's policies (no acting against the wishes of the mother unless they think mother or baby are in danger, no induced births unless deemed absolutely necessary, no standard pitocin injection until after birth to help expel the placenta, the availability of birthing balls and birthing stools, allowing mothers to give birth in whatever position found most comfortable, no standard episiotomies, no standard enemas, only occasional monitoring unless signs of fetal distress are displayed or unless using a pain medication that can effect the fetus, allowing women in labor who aren’t hooked up to a monitor constantly to move and walk around, the availability of various alternative pain “medication” such as a TENS machine and the option of sterile water papules, etc.).

While there we registered for the birth so I have a little envelope with all my information I am supposed to carry around with me at all times. When I do go in to labor I can head strait to the maternity ward, I don’t have to check in or go to the emergency room. At the maternity ward they’ll monitor me and if they indeed discover I’m in labor they check me in right there.

In similar news we contacted a birthing coach who has twins herself and we will likely start childbirth classes with her in a few weeks.

Meanwhile we are both continuing with our regular schedules, though Hanukka has slowed work down a bit for me as I only work limited hours during the holiday. This weekend we are headed to the Dead Sea as we found a great little holiday deal at a nice hotel and are going to take advantage of the last time in a loooong time that the two of us will be able to get away alone together. We haven’t done anything like this since our “honeymoon” (two nights in a romantic cabin up north…nothing fancy though). This will be short and sweet but it’ll be much appreciated. Life is so overwhelming these days, it’ll be nice to get away and just be a couple, to forget about the rest of the world and even the babies for a weekend, to just be together. Plus, it’ll be the first time we’ll have gone to the Dead Sea together, which will be great (oh, and the spa is included!!).

Chag Sameach!