Birth Centre

yesterday, tantan and i went to the new forest birthing centre, where im planning to give birth, for a tour. it's just 4 miles away from us, really easy to get to since we live near the motorway. that being said, the hospital, where i gave birth to cayden, is closer to us than the birth centre.

the birth centre is purely midwife-led. no doctors. so they only accept straight-forward deliveries. they only offer gas and air (which will work with water birth) and pethidine (not recommended for water birth as there's risk of drowning since it makes you drowsy). NO EPIDURAL.

since my experience with cayden was relatively easy, my midwife suggested having a look at the birth centre because the facilities are better. she suggested it the first time, but since it was my first, i opted to give birth in a hospital just in case. but this time around, we're quite happy to have a look and if we like what we see, we'll definitely give it a go. especially since we're planning to have another water birth.

and the birth centre didnt disappoint. aside from the fact that it's right at the edge of the forest (still with easy access to the hospital via ambulance, 3-5mins) - where it's quiet and peaceful, we were pretty impressed with the birthing rooms, especially the pools. the pools (tubs) are deeper, which the midwife said is more effective for pain relief. since the water is deeper, you can try different positions, making you more buoyant. unlike with my previous experience, the tub was just like a home tub (ours is even deeper) and i cant really say whether it helped or not. then again, i didnt have anything to compare it to so maybe it did help?

the birthing pool - 1st half of the birthing room

2nd half of the birthing room

in the ward - more spacious than in the hospital

the shallow birthing pool at the hospital

only 6 days to go till my EDD. im fervently praying that kian pops out soon, or at least on time. im having difficulty walking and getting up, something i dont remember ever experiencing with cayden. add  to that, i havent been feeling well the past few days - the damn cough is back (my left side is still hurting from my previous episode of chest infection - havent recovered yet!).

my platelets went up when i had the chest infection. normal range is 150-400. mine was 510, from 300 tested previously. that means, there's high risk of clotting ( the other side of the spectrum: low platelets = bleeding). think DVT, pulmonary embolism - scary scary shit!

had a repeat blood test last week and fortunately, it went down to 427. still over the upper limit but since it went down, it must be good right? but since im coughing again im afraid that my platelets might shoot up again. i have an appointment with my midwife tom and hopefully, we can sort this out. if platelets are high, i might not be able to give birth at the birthing centre.

we'll see....