Flying with Toddlers & Babies

Art folio pictured from Two Little Gingers

I don't know how many times I've seen friends post on Facebook looking for advice on flying with their toddler(s) for the first time. Nora has flown four times. Her first time was when she was 3 months old, then again at 9 months. Once Nate was born, we flew two more times. Nate was 5 months and Nora was 22 months. Then right before my grandma passed away, we went out to visit her one last time when the kids were 2 1/2 years and just over 1 year. Sam flew at 6 months and Jessica at 3 months both to different parts of California. So needless to say, we've had our experiences with navigating airports with all the gear and the children, entertaining two littles on the plane, dealing with ears popping, etc. So instead of trying to remember all of the things I have learned from our travels each time a friend asks for advice, I thought I'd put it all in one place and just share the link. Feel free to share with anyone you know, as well, or add any tips or tricks you've learned in your travels in the comments below.

Free Under 2 Years
Maybe most people know this, maybe they don't. If you have a child under 2 years, they are considered "infant in arms," and you don't have to buy a seat for them. Your kiddo will be riding on your lap the whole time, but most kids that age would rather sit on your lap anyway. (Even when they're over 2 years they do!) Just make sure when you buy your ticket, you put that down. Because of the number of oxygen masks in each row, only one "infant in arms" is allowed per row per side (so if you're flying with 2 under 2 and another adult, you can sit on opposite sides of the isle, but not on the same side in the same row).

Where to Sit
It's not always possible, but if you can, try to get seats towards the front of the plane. You'll be the last ones on and the first ones off, meaning less time your kiddos have to be contained. With that, when they first begin boarding, after first class boards, they'll allows people with disabilities and people with small children to board. Don't. Yes, it does take a couple extra minutes to get kids and gear down the tiny isle of the plane and settled into their seats, but then they're contained to a small space longer, and most toddlers aren't happy about it (small babies don't really care one way or the other though, as long as they're cuddled up with momma).

Car Seats
We haven't ever done car seats on the planes. It's a lot to carry through the airport and juggle with everything else we have. We check them with our luggage. The airlines check them for free. We've always put them in some sort of car seat bag, just to keep them cleaner while they are riding in the underbelly of the plane (the last time we stuffed 2 car seats in one bag AND managed to get our winter coats in it as well -less to carry through the airport and pack on the plane). The last flight I was tempted to bring a car seat for Nora (to actually keep Nate contained), but opted not to, and they both did just fine. The Car Seat Lady recommends that you do have your child in a car seat, and buy a seat for your child, even if they are under 2 years. It's not the law, so use your best judgement.

Carry-ons & Checked Luggage
With having to bring diapers, extra changes of baby/toddler clothes, and all the gear that goes along with small children, we've found that the $20 to check a bag is worth it. Plus, then you can check your toiletries without having to try to get tiny bottles in Ziplocs through security lines (read that as quicker & easier to get through security). We've only ever done one. We pack as light as we can. We each take a carry on and a personal item. Just think about who's going to be carrying the child(ren) or pushing the stroller, and how many hands/ backs/ fronts each of you (or just you!) will have. I have been seen walking through the airport pushing a stroller with one child and a small carry on below her, using a carrier to carry a child on my back, and carrying a backpack on my front. Anything you don't think you can carry/ push, try to check. The airports do have Smarte Cartes that you can pay to use if you need. We take a wheeled carry on that we can attach bags to, a stroller that we put a child (or two) in along with whatever we can fit underneath or over the handles (if it's light/small enough), and backpacks. (More on transporting kids through the airport in the section below.) The big thing is thinking about who's carrying what and if you'll have enough hands. If not, try something else, or check a suitcase.

Strollers & Carries
I think we've done this differently each time we've flown. It depends on your child(ren)'s age(s) and what makes the most sense for your situation. We've always taken a stroller. The first time (when Nora was 3 months old), I wore her in the Moby, and we used the stroller to help to carry our stuff. When she was 9 months she was in the stroller. When we had a 5 month old and a 22 month old, we took the double stroller. At some points Nate was in the fitted sling, and luggage in his stroller seat, other times we were carrying more luggage, and he was in the stroller. The last time, we just took a small umbrella stroller that we could put one small item underneath. I pushed the stroller with Nora in it, had Nate on my back in the Boba, and a backpack on my front. Nora held her small backpack (with her entertainment stuff - see below), and my mom had her backpack and a wheeled carry-on with another bag attached to it. Again, just make sure there's enough hands for everything you need.
Note on carries: I've used the Moby, a fitted sling, and a Boba. Going though security I've always had to take the child out and carry him/her through. You can keep the carrier on, but then your hands will be swabbed. The Moby was too much work to take on and off, so I opted for swabbing (doesn't take that long). The other two were quick on and off, so I just took them off and sent them through the scanner.
Note on strollers: They will be sent through the scanner, so fold them up and put them on the belt. Our double stroller did not fit though, so they had to hand search it, which does take a couple extra minutes, but not terribly long. Just keep it in mind when you're trying to reach your gate on time. Strollers can be gate checked (you push them all the way down the ramp and leave them right outside the plane door). Make sure that they have a tag denoting that you want it brought back up, so that when you get off the plane it's waiting right outside for you. Otherwise it will be down in the over-sized checked luggage baggage claim area. If that happens, ask for a wheelchair if you don't want to try to wrangle a runaway toddler and all your gear.

Sippy Cups & Bottles
While TSA believes that you would drink explosives, they are okay with you allowing your children to bring them on board. Bottles of water or formula, expressed breast milk, or sippy cups of water, juice, or the like for your toddlers are fine to bring through security. Just make sure they are either taken out of your bags or that you are in an outside pocket (like in the wheelchair picture above). Baby food is also allowed, (read more on this in the ears popping section), and you don't have to allow them to open it. Most airports just want to have it out of your bag (some don't care).

Shoes

The shoes of small children do not have to be removed when you're going to security. Some airports don't even make you remove your shoes anymore, but if they do shoes you can slip on and off quickly are your best bet.

Naps
Depending on the age of your child, and if he's phasing out naps, or if he's very curious, he may not nap. We've traveled at all different times of the day with all sorts of disruptions to naps times and normal routines. We've only flew from Minnesota to Oregon/ Washington though, and that adds a 2 hour time change. Chances are the excitement of the airport with all it's people watching, places to explore, planes and ramp happenings to watch, they won't nap in the airport (you know your kid best, of course, maybe your kid will sleep anywhere... lucky parent you are!). The plane, I've found, is a toss up. When they're young and over tired, I've been able to put them in a carrier after take off (don't try before, they'll wake up when they're ears start popping... see below for more on that), and get them to sleep. I've used a Moby, a fitted sling, and a Boba. Use what you're most comfortable with and what your child seems to like best. Mine typically whined and cried for maybe 5 minutes until they passed out, or they nursed to sleep quickly.

Ears Popping (Equalizing)
Nora was a nuk kid. No problems there. If yours is, use it. Nursing babies (or giving a bottle) has helped as well. But, when they're a little older, I've found those squeeze packets of baby food or applesauce are amazing! Not only do they keep your toddler or baby busy and content sucking the food out and swallowing it, but their ears are equalizing (popping) the whole time, so they're not fussing about the pressure. I've heard other people suggest suckers and I've seen gum too. I rarely give my kids candy, and besides, they'd bite the suckers anyway. I don't think she'd quite know what to do with gum either, and would probably just swallow it. Just be aware that depending on what airport you're flying out of and the mood of the TSA person, they may try to open them to make sure they're not explosive. You can refuse. They'll swab your hands and your stuff, see that you're not trying to feed your children explosives, and send you on through.

Diapers and Potty Training
Diapers: Change your baby/toddler right before you get on the plane in hopes of avoiding a diaper change mid-flight. Though, sometimes, poop happens. A small baby will fit on the "changing table" of the teeny tiny bathrooms on the plane, that is if the plane has one. A toddler will not. On a plane that didn't have one, a flight attendant gave me a blanket to put across the seats. I've done changes a couple different ways. The changing table was the worst option (keep in mind we also hit some turbulence after the diaper was removed, but before the baby was wiped... not a pleasant experience for anyone involved). I did do a standing change with Nora on the changing table, and that seemed okay (if you don't hit turbulence). Otherwise, I've found the plane seats have been my best option. (Though if you're sitting next to a stranger, they might not appreciate it, so just be considerate!)
Potty Training: Yikes! You can barely fit one person in those bathrooms. Add a curious toddler, it's an interesting experience. This probably goes without saying, but make sure she tries before boarding the plane. Depending on where you are with it, and how your toddler is doing, you might want to consider using a diaper or pull up for the plane. I knew my daughter could handle the flight without an accident, and that she would refuse to wear a diaper for it. So we went for it, and she was fine.

Entertainment
This always depends on the age of your child. Books and small toys along with mom and/or dad's undivided attention is usually enough for a baby, plus chances are they'll take a small nap for you. Older babies and toddlers need a little more entertainment. Both of my kids have needed to just get up and walk the aisle at some point (or two) during the flight. My mom always held one of their hands in case of unexpected turbulence or unseen feet in the aisle. Books, again, are good for toddlers, and so is coloring. (The picture at the beginning of the post show my daughter using an Art Folio from Two Little Gingers, which are awesome for keeping crayons, markers, paper, stickers, etc. together, so you don't have to dig through your bags. But what kept my daughter the most entertained was some sort of electronic device like a phone or a tablet with games downloaded on it for her. Depending on your device, just Googling "toddler apps for (Android/ iPhone/ etc.)" will result in tons of apps. I always go for the free ones, but from what I've read from other blogs, there's some paid apps out there for toddlers that are worth the money. I just don't let my kids have really any screen time otherwise, so I didn't want to pay for apps that I'd only use on the occasional flight, but that screen time could have pretty well kept her entertained the whole time. So even if you're a "no screen time" type parent, I'd highly consider it for a flight where they're trapped in their seat the whole time. There are plenty of educational and book-type apps out there if you want to stick to that type (that's what I did).

I'd love to hear from you!
Did you take a flight with your little(s)? What tips/ advice would you add to this list? What worked and what didn't? Leave a comment below and share with everyone!

Celebrating 4, 3, 2, & 1 Years: Our 2013 Year

Dear Family & Friends,

We hope you had as eventful of a year as we did! This year we celebrated 4 years, 3 years, 2 years, and we are about to celebrate 1 year!

In February, Adam signed a contract with Aerotek working as a temp employee of Sauer Danfoss (they have since been bought out and are now just Danfoss). We were really excited that he got a job fairly quickly after graduation, though while he was searching, it seemed like forever! They like him there, and are talking about hiring him on sometime late next year. In the meantime, he continues to work early AM’s at UPS before heading to his “real” job.

In April, I took a long term sub position teaching math at St. Agnes. It was rough for this Bulldog (St. Bernard’s) to be an Aggie, but I enjoyed being back in the classroom. Several of my mom friends helped watch the kids while I was at work. It was a great experience; however, it made me realize that my place right now is at home with my babies!

On May 9^th, Adam and I celebrated our FOUTH wedding anniversary. Four years doesn’t seem that long, but when I look back to our wedding day, it seems like an ancient memory!

A couple weeks later, we celebrated Danielle’s THIRD birthday on May 17^th. The weather didn’t cooperate, so we didn’t release balloons this year, but we had cake and celebrated with friends & family.

At the beginning of June, mom, the kids, and I went to Oregon to visit my mom’s family and introduce them to our little man, Nathaniel. My grandma was so excited to see us that she ended up slipping off the ottoman and breaking her leg on our first day there. So we spent a lot of time going back and forth visiting her, but we were able to celebrate my cousin’s pregnancy and throw her a baby shower while we were there.

On August 12^th, our little Eleanor celebrated her SECOND birthday. She spent the day playing with her cousins and even got to skip her nap. After dinner she was able to blow out candles on a birthday cupcake, though we didn’t have her birthday party until October, since we were in the middle of moving.

At the end of August, we bought a new house in Woodbury. We love all the space that we have (coming from a townhouse!), and the room we have to grow our family. Though I am finding that with more space to grow, comes more space to clean! I’m pretty sure that’s the only part I don’t like about moving out of our townhouse. Since then, we’ve been kept super busy putting our home together, from yard work, garage improvements, painting, decorating and more!

In October, we celebrated Adam’s dad’s wedding to his mom’s sister. Even though it rained a little, it was a lovely wedding, and reception. It’s been great to have his aunt take a new roll in the family and grow closer to her.

While we haven’t gotten to it yet, we will be celebrating Nate’s FIRST birthday just a few short days before Christmas on the 21^st. To my disappointment, at 10 months, he’s recently started walking. But, it’s been such a fun year watching him grow into such a little man!

We hope that 2013 was a wonderful year full of blessings for you and your family, and wish you a Merry Christmas filled with joy.

Love,
Sarah, Adam, Danni (3 years), Nora (2 years), and Nate (11 months) 


View our other Christmas Letters! 2010     2011     2012     2014     2015     2016     2017

Talented Kids!

So a while ago I wrote a post about what Nora could do at 13 1/2 months, and even then I wanted to keep posting every once in a while about the new things she has learned and can do. But, I think what made me actually sit down and write this post, was after reading some articles about homeschooling on the National Home Education Network about getting started homeschooling (I know I'm probably a little a head, but I know I won't always have time to learn about it, so I'll be behind later I'm sure!). A couple of them mentioned about keeping track of what your child knows, just to show yourself that you are helping your child learn. Then on days when you doubt what you're doing is actually working, you can come back and reassure yourself. So, while we aren't officially homeschooling right now, I still wanted to write down what my kids can do. I know it's not good to compare kids, but sometimes you see other kids your child's age and think, "Oh! My child is so much smarter than him/her!" and other times when you see another child (or maybe a different child doing something your kid can't) and think, "Oh, no! That kid is so much smarter than my kid!" But really, especially at this young age, kids are developing at different rates, and in the areas that interest them most. Even with my own two kids, I can see the differences. While Nora was very strong with her large motor skills (crawling at 6 months and walking at 9 months), Nate doesn't seem as interested, but I think he prefers fine motor skills. Nora still isn't really interested in using a fork or spoon at meal time, and I'm guessing Nate will have it mastered by the time he's her age. Alright, without further a due  here's what I came on here to post...

(Oh, and if you're wondering, yes, at this point we are planning on homeschooling our kids.) :)

Nora's List at 20 Months
-say so many words that it's hard to keep a list at this point (it seems like she adds another word or two each day!)
-has such a larger vocabulary that sometimes I surprise myself when I ask her to do something, thinking that she won't know what I'm asking of her, and then she goes and does it
-say several two-word sentences (up peas, down peas, hi bebe -or Dora, or Elmo, but never momma or dada-)
-say a couple three-word sentences (I see ya)
-do simple puzzles
-"help" clean the house or dishes, and cook (she says "ha-p, ha-p" when she wants to help)
-jump and get her feet off the ground
-walks up the stairs like an adult, holding onto the wall, since she can't reach the banister rail
-clip together the many safety buckels in the house (car seats, the swing, high chair, etc.)
-identify several body parts on herself and others (nose -noe-, eyes -aye-, ears, hair, mouth, tongue, teeth -teet-, hands/ fingers, arms -aarm-, legs, toes -wee wee-, feet, tummy, belly button)
-identify people by name in person and in pictures (Nora -raw raw- or Eleanor -i no-, mama or ma me, dada, Nate -nee-, grandma -mama-, grandpa -ga pa-, Addy -ad de-, Linda -da da-)
-identify characters by name (Elmo, Dora, Abby, The Count -ha ha ha-)
-greet people (hi-e, bye bye) sometimes by name (dolly -dol de-, Nate -nee-, etc., but not Momma or Dada)
-knows to stop at the end of the driveway and not go into the street (we're working on the yard & street boundary)
-follow one step, specific directions (Can you put your toothbrush to go upstairs?)
-use manners (please -peas or the sign-, excuse me -me me-)
-identify when Nate is happy (hap pe)
-parts of the sign of the cross (Father & Holy -ho e-, sometimes Son and Spirit, but not necessarily in the right order) using her proper hand
-put her arms in the arm holes of clothes, and put some pairs of socks and her shoes on her feet

Nate's List at 3 1/2 Months
-"stand" with us making sure he doesn't tip over
-hold his head upright
-get his hands into his mouth to suck on
-smile (with dimples!)
-"talk" with ahh's and coo's

Nathaniel's Birth Story

We had originally scheduled Nathaniel's c-section birth on December 26th at 2:30 in the afternoon. For several reasons we switched it to December 21st at 7:30 in the morning. I was happier to have it earlier in the morning, since I couldn't eat or drink anything for ten hours before the surgery, that meant I would be sleeping for most of those ten hours. (Try telling a pregnant lady to not eat!)

The night before we dropped Nora off at my parents' house. I missed having her home, but I knew that since we would have to leave the house at 5am, it would be better for her to sleep there so she could stay more on her normal schedule. That night it took me quite a while to fall asleep, Adam and I talked and he helped to calm my nerves, and I eventually fell asleep. Not that sleep lasted for long. I woke up at 3am (as all pregnant women wake up in the middle of the night), and never went back to sleep.

Adam's alarm went off at 4am, and we laid in bed for another 15 minutes cuddling and talking about the big day ahead of us. We were both excited to meet our first son, but I was not ready; I was nervous about everything leading up to his birth. But, alas, it was time to start putting our plan into action. Adam had said that I should shower first, and he could go downstairs and eat breakfast, so that he wasn't eating in front of me. So off we went getting ready for Nathaniel's debut.

We left the house around 5:15am, and entered the hospital through the emergency room doors. The security guard greeted us, and I told him I had a scheduled c-section, so he directed us towards the elevators to the second floor. It was a much different ride up to the second floor than when I was in labor with Eleanor. I wasn't grasping the rail, because of contractions, and there was no nurse escorting us. Just Adam & I. When we went into the labor and delivery unit's entrance, there were several nurses at the station waiting, one of them was Jill, the charge nurse I had talked to on the phone earlier in the week. It put me at ease a little to see her there to greet us.

They let us through the door and Jill greeted us on the other side and brought us to our room with a little bassinet for Nathaniel, a hospital bed for me, and an uncomfortable couch for Adam. It was the end room, with two windows, where it was quieter. She said she was trying to save it for us, and was able to. She handed me my hospital gown, and asked me to put it on.

Shortly after I got dressed up in my lovely gown, Julie, one of Woodwinds' volunteer doulas, came in and introduced herself. We chatted a little, to get to know each other, and I gave her a copy of my birth plan. She said that she wasn't sure that Adam would be allowed into the OR when the spinal was done, but that she would be allowed in. I explained to her that I had already talked to Dr. Dubink, and he had okay-ed it.

I was hooked up to the monitors for about a half hour, hooked up to an IV & given saline, shaved, and visited by several nurses, Dr. Dubink, and Dr. Mahan. Just about every one of them asked if I was ready. And to each one of them, I would respond, "I'm ready for that," pointing to the bassinet, "but not for everything leading up to it." It was the total truth. I was excited to meet Nathaniel, to hold him, to nurse him, to love him, but I was not ready to be "sliced & diced," as I kept putting it. I still wanted a VBAC, I wanted to be able to deliver my baby with my own body, not with drapes, scalpels, and someone pushing down on my stomach.

I'm not someone who really likes to be at the center of everyone's attention, so most of the time with one or two people in the room asking me a couple questions and leaving wasn't a big deal. It was like having a conversation with a couple people. That, I can handle. But, at one point, there were two nurses, both fidgeting with different things that were hooked up to me, then add in Dr. Dubink and Dr. Mahan both trying to ask me questions or tell me something, plus Adam and Julie both watching me and everything that people were doing to me. I don't remember not breathing when they were all in there, but I remember all of a sudden being able to breath when all the medical people left. (I'm certain my next birth plan will have something in it about only having one or two medical staff in the room at a time, whether it's a VBAC or another c-section.)

 If I remember correctly, it was Jill that came in and told Adam and Julie to "suit up" as it was almost time to go to the OR. Adam had a lovely jump suit, but Julie ended up in scrubs just like the medical staff. She also gave me a hair net that looked only slightly nicer than your cafeteria lunch ladies'.

Once Julie came back from getting dressed, we were ready to go! Another nurse came in to help, and they laid my bed back, raised it to their level and pushed me out of the room down the hall to the OR. I don't know why, but I liked getting pushed down the hall on the bed better than having to walk down the hall like I did at Abbott. Though, I still didn't like that Adam wasn't walking next to me holding my hand. He was behind me again. This time it was because there wasn't much room in the hallway for a bed, and for him, but as soon as he could, he was at my side.

Once we were in the OR, they had me slide onto the "chopping block." Dr. Dubink asked me how I would like to be positioned when he did the spinal. I decided I would try it sitting up, since it would be easier for him to get it in there well, and since Adam was there this time to support me. I was trying to situate myself so that my legs were hanging off the edge of the table, because that's how it went at Abbott with Danielle. But, Dr. Dubink wanted me sitting on the table so all I would have to do was lay back once the spinal was placed. This made much more sense to me. So I leaned forward as far as I could, Adam put his hand down on the table so that I could wrap my arms around his and hold on tight. Dr. Dubink did a much better job than the anesthesiologist at Abbott. When he numbed my back, I didn't arch my back, I just gripped Adam's arm tighter. I didn't even cry! Dr. Dubink got the spinal in, without any problems! We were off to a decent start.

They got me laid back on the table, and started getting everything set for the surgery. They put the sticky drape on my belly, and hung it in front of my face, put on the blood pressure cuff, placed the catheter, and checked to make sure I was numb everywhere they would be slicing. While they pulled up a desk chair for Adam to sit on, and he handed the camera over to Julie to photograph the whole event. When they started pulling him out, Julie went on the other side of the drape to take pictures for us (I won't expose you to the gore, but I am glad I have pictures to see our son being born since I wasn't able to see anything but a blue drape, and Adam's hand holding mine.)

Dr. Mahan told us when she was starting to pull him out. I could feel the tugging and pushing on my upper ribs, where the spinal hadn't blocked feeling. During all the tugging, pushing, and pulling, all of a sudden my right shoulder starting hurting, like there was a really big knot or something. I kept trying to roll my shoulder to work the knot out, but when you have limited movement, it's difficult to work out. I stopped looking to my left at Adam, closed my eyes and faced the ceiling where there was a ceiling tile that was an autumn pictures of trees all covered in red leaves. It seemed to help my shoulder just slightly. (I found out later that apparently "air bubbles" can get inside your body when you have surgery and move around to different parts of your body. They had me take Gas-X to ease the pain afterwards, and it actually helped, but it took a couple weeks for it to go away completely.)

We were told his head was out, and I was waiting and waiting to hear him cry. I opened my eyes back up to face that autumn ceiling tile. I kept thinking that Danielle had cried so much sooner, and that something was wrong. The few moments that it took for me to hear his tiny little cry seemed like forever. When I finally did hear him, I started crying. For me, I guess, c-section births are more emotional than vaginal births. (Adam told me later that he was actually starting to breathe though his nose before his mouth was even out, and the docs were impressed! He just wasn't the crying type, I guess!)

Fresh baby!

Dr. Tumaneng and the "baby nurses" took him over to the warmer, gave him an Apgar score of 9, and did whatever else they needed to do to him immediately (we requested that they wait on pretty much all newborn stuff). Adam left my side to go to see our son, Nathaniel Reed, who decided it was time to christen the warmer. One of the nurses put a diaper on him, and Adam picked him up and brought him over to me, after nine minutes of being apart from me. Jill helped Adam place him on my chest, and I met my son!

He was right there where he should be, on his Momma's chest. After holding him for a couple minutes, I was able to get him to latch on and start nursing right in the OR, while they were sewing up the large hole where they had just pulled my son out.

Once Dr. Mahan had stitched me back together, I continued nursing Nathaniel, while they took down the drape and peeled the sticky part off my deflated tummy. I had to hand him back to Adam though while they moved me back to my bed, but as soon as I was there, Adam placed him back on my chest. We got me covered back up, so I wasn't exposed in the hallway, and took the short treck back to our original room.

Back in our room, I held him a while longer, then Jill came in to take his measurements. We all took a guess as to what he weighted, and I was right on: 6 pounds, 8 ounces. He was 19 3/4 inches long, and his head was 13 1/2 inches. Then Adam had a chance to hold him skin-to-skin.

His birth, even though I was completely disappointed that I had to have another c-section, and that my "Danni scar" would no longer just be for Danni, was pretty much exactly what we had planned. While Nora's birth was healing in knowing that my body could do what it was designed to do, I think Nate's birth was healing for me, also, to have a c-section birth go so well after the experience I had at Abbott with Danielle. I still can't believe the only time I cried was the joyous moment I heard him cry for the first time.

Footnote: I think c-section births in the U.S. are starting to go more this way. Jill had taken some notes about how it all went. For example, the heart monitors that they place on my chest could have been placed differently to make holding him and nursing him right away a little easier since they were poking him in the head. I hope that more moms-to-be out there educate & advocate for themselves to have the best birth experience they possibly can, even if they end up needing to have major surgery in order to deliver their baby. I think I posted a link to The Natural Caesarean video in Nate's birth plan, but I want to post it again, because it really is how a c-section birth should be. It might not be that all parts for all people (like I didn't want the drape dropped at all!), but it's a great starting point. I hope anyone out there reading this, knowing that they are going into a c-section, can have as great of an experience as I had. Just remember that advocating for yourself is your best bet for everything going as you hope!

National Hug Day

Today, January 21st, is National Hug Day. To celebrate, not only did I give Nora and Nate LOTS of hugs (and kisses too!), but Nora made a hug to send to her Great Grandparents. I tried tracing Nora's hands, but she refused, so I traced mine, and had her color them. Then we cut a piece of string that was the length from one of her hands to the other. I wrote a note to them telling them about National Hug Day, and told them that whenever they miss Nora they can just wrap her hug around them.

Nathaniel's Birth Plan

With Danielle's c-section, I did a lot of research before and while writing my birth plan for her. Since I had already been though it once, and had learned much more about birth, I had a much better idea of how I wanted this birth to go. One thing that helped me write my birth plan this time was a video that my friend & doula from Nora's birth, Ashley of Gaia Birth, about a "Natural Cesarean." If you are having a c-section, I highly recommend watching it, and using it to help you write your birth plan. You might not want to use everything you see in the video (like I didn't want the drape dropped to see him being born, but I did want pictures to look at later), and some hospitals might not let you do everything, but it's worth asking!

We request informed consent for both Sarah and our son, Nathaniel.

For Sarah’s Prep & Surgery:

ü  IV’s in left arm/ hand (numb area before IV goes in)

ü  IV should be placed so the loop is above my knuckles

ü  Adam does NOT leave my side as soon as the IV’s are put in

ü  Adam will be in the OR when the spinal is done

ü  Low transverse incision (want a VBAC again with rest of children)

o   If he is not in the optimal position for a low horizontal incision, attempt to move him (We will not consent to a vertical incision)

ü  Do NOT want arms strapped down

ü  No sedatives after he is delivered

For Nathaniel’s Birth:

ü  Would like to know when he is starting to be pulled out, and when he is all the way out

ü  We will wait with all new born procedures and assessments (weight, length, eye ointment, etc.)

ü  Want him given to Adam and I right away and try breast feeding while in the OR

ü  If he needs immediate medical attention, Adam will be with him

ü  Both Adam and the baby will stay with me the whole time (OR to recovery room and thereafter)

For Sarah’s Recovery:

ü  Spinals & epidurals work really well for me, and take longer than expected to wear off

ü  I don't move well by myself until well after the spinal has completely worn off

ü  I WILL need help moving and/or transferring beds, or I will throw up

ü  Would like the minimal amount of pain drugs to keep me comfortable

For Nathaniel:

ü  Adam and/ or I would like to give him his first bath

ü  We will be breastfeeding

o   Absolutely NO formula, water, or glucose water is to be offered or given to him

ü  We do not want our child offered a pacifier, we have some we might offer, if we feel he needs it

The Last Few Days

I got a sentence or two into this post, and ran out of time to write it before Nathaniel was born, so I'm trying to remember everything, but I can tell you that I don't!

Well, we finally had the tour of Woodwinds that I had been wanting to do (Tuesday, December 11th), except it wasn't at all what I wanted, and our tour guide, Julianne, was no good. At one point we asked a question, and we were right next to one of the nurses's station on the Labor & Delivery floor. Julianne gave us an answer and the nurse sitting there gave her a look like she was crazy.

While we were there, I got a call from Comprehensive letting me know that Dr. Mahan was out on delivery at St. John's. We ended up rescheduling with Dr. Nelson for about 15 minutes later than our original appointment time. So after our uninformative tour of Woodwinds, we headed across the highway to Comprehensive.

Dr. Nelson is still not a favorite of mine. I've seen her twice now, and both times she seemed to be in a rush to get in and get out, like she didn't have time for her patients.

On our way out, I asked if Dr. Mahan had any openings or cancellations for the next week, since I wanted to see her one last time before the c-section. I lucked out, and was able to switch my last appointment to her only open slot.

When we got home, I posted on Facebook about how I was more nervous to go under the knife after my tour than I was before. One of my friends, Ame, messaged me about getting in contact with some of her nurse friends at Woodwinds. On Thursday, I called Julie, the charge nurse on the Labor & Delivery floor, and she told me that I was on her list to call today, but she was in the middle of a delivery and would call me back. She did, and she gave me a much better "tour" over the phone, than Julianne did taking us around the hospital. She answered most of my questions, and the ones she couldn't answer, she knew who to talk to get an answer. One of the questions I had, well, more of a request, was that Adam be allowed to be in the OR with me when I got the spinal, and the possibility of me laying down instead of sitting up when he did the spinal. Jill said she'd talk to the anesthesiologist and get back to me. She also recommended using one of their volunteer doulas, especially if Adam wasn't allowed in the OR. After talking to Jill, I felt so much better about going into surgery. I still really didn't want to get "sliced & diced," but I felt more at ease in having to go into it.

Dr. Douglas Dubink, the anesthesiologist that would be in on my surgery called me also after Jill had talked to him. I told him about my concerns of how I needed Adam in the room, and how I would probably do better laying down to get the spinal than sitting up. After talking to him for a little while, he was okay with Adam being in the OR for the spinal, but said if he passed out that he would miss the birth of his son. I told him I wasn't concerned since he stood up to peer over the drape when they were pulling Danni out of me. (I think he was less concerned then too.) He explained about how it is easier for him to place the spinal when people are sitting up rather than laying down, but if I really thought I needed to lay down, he could do it that way too. We decided to make that call on the day of the birth.

Jill also called me back to make sure that Dr. Dubink had called me, and to see if I had any other questions. Dr. Dubink actually came in her office while she was on the phone with me, and so she put me on speaker so I could ask one more question. With Danni, the anesthesiologist had said that their nurses were great photographers, so I asked if the same were true at Woodwinds. He assured me that someone would be able to take pictures in the OR for us, but it would probably not be him or his nurse. Jill also suggested that I contact Julie, one of the volunteer doulas at Woodwinds, that would be on call that day. She said that Julie would be willing to come in a little early to be with us for the prep and surgery. She gave me her phone number to contact her ahead of time, but I never got around to calling her.

After talking to all these wonderful people at Woodwinds, I felt much more at ease going into the c-section. I still really didn't want to do it, but I felt that it would be a better experience than Danielle's birth in the OR.

I will leave you with my last "belly shot" from Nathaniel.

36 weeks 2 days

36 weeks 2 days