Things to Do to Prepare for Childbirth

Technically I have 8 weeks or 57 days until my due date, which is June 1st.  And I am aware that I could have Isaiah much before or much after this somewhat meaningless date.  BUT it is the Kipapa tradition to have boys two weeks early.  So that means May 18th.  Or 43 days.  He is full term in 36 days.  So I've decided that I need to be prepared before then.

Thankfully, due to the diligence of my lovely sister, I have made lists of items needed and registered for them (so she could tell baby shower invitees where I am registered).  That was really difficult.

But that's about it.  There is so much more!!!! 

The first thing I am obsessing over...  The way I will look.

After watching birth photography slideshows during a birthing class, I decided that I must hire a birth photographer, regardless of whether I have money for it.  Then I found a great one, referred to me by my midwife, who happens to have a special package deal for maternity, birth, and newborn shoots.  So of course I have to do that because I want all three of those.  I found her; I haven't booked her yet. 

So I need to book her.  Then I need to figure out what I'm going to wear during the shoot.  So far I have about 4 work related maternity clothing items that I've bought on my own.  Apart from that, I'm wearing borrowed clothes from my sister & a friend I used to work with.  There is nothing that I can imagine myself wearing for a shoot.  So I have to buy something.  Or two.  I figure this something will triple as an outfit for a good friend's upcoming wedding and my baby shower. 

Then I need to decide and prepare what I'll be wearing at Isaiah's birth.  I saw this girl in a birth video wearing some sort of bra or bathing suit top that made her boobs look amazing.  That's what I want.  I don't know what I'll do about the bottom yet.  Maybe something for the first parts of labor & then I'll take it off? 

And this is really weird of me to say, but I want my toenails done.  And I want to be waxed.  And I need a haircut, which I've needed for months.  Nothing drastic, I just need some layers in my life.  I figure I can do these things also for the photo shoot, wedding & baby shower. 

Then I want to figure out a perfect hairstyle for the birth.  I might be in water, and I'll likely be sweating a lot, so I know I can't wear it down.  But I don't want an ugly ponytail, because I really hate my hair when it's in a ponytail (or when I put it there).  I'm thinking something like this would be perfect. 

That would be a good job for the lovely woman who is my mother.  She will be arriving for the baby shower and staying until...  Until she is done with me or until I don't need her anymore, whichever comes first. 

It's weird of me to care about all of these things because I normally don't all that much.  Maybe I care because I haven't done any of these things in the past 8 months.  Maybe I care because I feel like this will be the greatest moment of my womanhood, so I want to look the part.  Who knows why, but I care. 

I think that about covers everything I need to do to my body (well the outside of it) to prepare for birth.  Next we'll talk about the apartment, the nursery, things I need to do internally, exercises I need to be doing, other things I need to buy, things I need to prepare with the business...  La la la.