No, not Valentine's Day. At 24 weeks the baby is officially considered "viable" in the event of a ridiculously early delivery. If something were to happen and I went into labour now, the doctors would try everything possible to save Owl. The survival rates still aren't great (something like 50% I think) but they only keep going up from here onward.
Not that I'm planning to meet Owl anytime soon, mind you!
Over the past few days I've had appointments both with my OB and with the assistant to my former midwife (the one who did Ed's birth, but isn't available now). I am feeling relatively confident that things will go the way I want them to, meaning no internal examinations unless Owl is showing signs of distress. And of course if he/she is distressed I want to do everything necessary to get help. The assistant midwife, Victoria, is going to work as a doula for me. She'll come to the house when I am in early labour, help me figure out when it is time to go to the hospital, serve as a constant presence who can inform the nurses (as they switch shift and go in and out) about my progress and so forth, advocate against internal exams on my behalf, and stay with me in the event that Martin has to go to deal with Edward. (She can also do home visits afterward, which is standard in midwifery care, but with an OB I won't see anyone for weeks after the birth.) Depending on the day of the week and the time of day, Ed might need a lot of tending, or he might need only a little, or if it's daytime on a weekday none at all as he'll be in daycare.
I obtained some documents from the hospital about their birth practices and the choices mothers get, and while it all looks great on paper Victoria said that in her experience (she attends any hospital transfers with the midwife) things aren't always as swimmingly peachy keen as it appears, but she reminded me that all the decisions are mine, and I can refuse anything that I don't want done. As a second time (full term) laborer, I am more confident about what I want and what I don't want, and hopefully my body will remember more about what happened the last time round and help me out by behaving itself.
I'm hoping for a birth a few days early again, with a clear and non-false start, progression just in time to get Ed to daycare before we call Victoria, then a clear "this is when we should go to the hospital" point, with a smooth, exam-free delivery of a healthy baby in time for Ed to be picked up from daycare by Martin at 5 PM. Not too much to ask, right Universe?
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