Dan and Jacki Minner: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Birth Plan

Birth Plan of:

Dan and Jacki Minner

Thank you for taking the time to look over our birth plan. We have educated ourselves on different forms of childbirth and have chosen to deliver our baby naturally using the Bradley Method. With this in mind, we request that you consider our wishes and do not offer medication to us during labor unless there is an emergency.

We have done everything we can to stay healthy, fit and low risk during this pregnancy and feel confident that everything will go normally although we trust that you will inform us if any problems arise so that we can discuss the choices to be made and come up with a new plan.

We do have some preferences that may be different than your standard routine. If complications occur we will be flexible on all of these requests with the goal of keeping mom and baby safe.

Thank you,

__________________________ __________________________

Dan Minner Jacki Minner

__________________________ __________________________

Dr. Michael Allen Witness

Labor:

· Labor at home as long as possible

· Least amount of monitoring to allow for as much mobility as possible

· Natural methods of pain management including: tub, shower, birthing ball, birthing bar,

squatting, relaxation techniques, massage, hands and knees, etc.

· Mom does not want to lay on back during labor, monitoring or pushing

Birth:

· No Episiotomy, prefer to tear (pressure episiotomy if necessary)

· No Vacuum or Forceps unless necessary

· Birthing options: kneeling, squatting, side-laying or whatever feels right at the time

· Mom to cut Cord

· Skin to skin immediately after birth

· Breastfeeding immediately after birth

· Wait until umbilical cord stops pulsing to cut or until placenta is birthed

· Placenta to birth naturally

Baby:

· Wait on Eye ointment until baby is sleeping

· Prefer Vitamin K drops versus Shot, if no drops, do not give shot immediately

· Baby to remain with mother after birth as long as possible

· Parents to give first bath

If a C-Section is necessary:

· Mother to remain conscious during the procedure

· Few medications as possible

· Have 1 hand free to touch baby immediately

· Father to stay with baby at all times

We would like to have the following people allowed in the birthing room at all times:

Trina Minner

Donna Groce

Carmen Hernandez

Second Baby Shower

Thanks to Mary for throwing our second shower at Studio Z! We had a lot of fun and appreciate all the great gifts from our workout buddies:)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Cloth Diapers

ME: "We are going to try and use cloth diapers."

EVERYONE: "That's gross...I tried to do it but the pins and prefolds and plastic diaper covers....well good luck."

TRUST ME....Cloth diapering isn't what it used to be! We don't have too many of our friends and family that are supportive but anyone we have talked to that has tried NEW cloth diapers and disposable, prefer cloth.

So here are some of the main reason we are going to use cloth diapers:

1. Our baby's health - a disposable diaper contains many harmful chemicals that sit next to your baby's most private parts. Having this information is hard for me to ignore and cloth diaper seems best for our baby. Baby's that wear cloth diapers have less diaper rash.

2. Environmental - It takes over 500 years for just 1 diaper to decompose...not only do we recycle everything we can, I can't imagine throwing that many diapers away every day, week and year....

3. Money - Need I say more...

4. I am saying that cloth diapering is for everyone but we want to give it our best shot and please, be curious and not negative. I will gladly share with you our knowledge and experiences so far:)

Our cloth Diaper Stash and set-up so far:)

Some infant All in One Diapers

Sunbaby All in One Diapers, prefolds and some Snappis

A couple of wool diapers and prefolds

Diaper Doublers and some more All in Ones

The back side of an All in One diaper

The inside of a All in One diaper - if baby only pees, then we can just change the insert and re-use the outside of the diaper, or diaper cover. If it leaks thru to the diaper cover then just get a new diaper.

Cute little AIO diaper

Backside of an infant AIO diaper

Inside of a AIO. This AIO is a pocket diaper - you insert a prefold into the pocket and can only use this diaper one time.

All snapped up!

Changing table decor Danny made:)

So pretty! The lanterns are decorations from our first shower and the pom pom ones are from our second shower.

From Mia's eyes

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

36 Weeks

36 Weeks!

For the last 10+ years it has just been the two of us...in about 28 days our lives will forever change and we will be 3. We have both been 'nesting' and getting our lives ready for baby Mia although I don't think we will ever be really ready. Almost all the baby stuff is put away and we have one more shower today thrown by my most motivating group of people from the gym! Super excited to hang out with them today and get a couple more goodies for baby:)

I am so proud of Danny and Mia isn't even here yet. He went from not even wanting to be in the delivery room to becoming my labor coach and probably knows more about the labor and birth than I do. The week we found out we were pregnant we started doing yoga together and he even started working out with me at 5:30am boot camp/military style over the last 7 weeks. He is cussing me the whole time but it's definitely not a beginners way to start working out and has done a great job! Working out like this really boost your energy, confidence and moral, plus all of the 'nesting' with the baby coming...he is feeling great! He has also helped me with every single grocery trip during my pregnancy and took over vacuuming for me:)

I have definitely felt a lot different in the last week. Being pregnant is getting tough! Still going to the gym and working out but I can actually feel my uterus stretching! Well, I am not sure if that's exactly what it is but dang it hurts in there sometimes. You get a jab and a kick outwards and the same time that takes your breath away. She is still so very active in there too! I might have had my last 5:30am workout this week....I don't know if that's a promise but it's getting hard.

We had a doctor's appointment on Friday and so far I have gained 39 lbs....yep hit the 200+ mark...it was bound to happen. Dr. Allen said that he was really proud of me for taking good care of myself, working out and eating healthy. The baby couldn't sound better and I am measuring at exactly 36 weeks. The baby will be coming any day now! Hopefully we still have a couple of weeks left but we are getting ready. Our bags are about half way packed, we kicked the cats out of the bedroom and brought the bassinet home last night. I have also prepped and organized all of the cloth diapers we have so far and plan on doing a cloth diaper post in the next couple of days.