hospital tour. the good, the bad, the ugly

aaron and i went on a tour of the hospital where baby b will be born in just a little over a month. i am the type of person that has to research everything before i do it. i also feel much better about going into something once i know what to expect and what things will look like. this is why google is my best friend. i check for images, reviews, maps, etc. basically...the more information the better. matter of fact, i had to order a regular book to read the other day because for the last 8 months, all i have been ready are books about pregnancy, child birth and parenting.

so, the good:

• we know where to park, what to bring, when to pre-register, where to get the car seat inspected to make sure it is installed properly, and not to being the car seat into the room.
• we know that exactly what the bathrooms look like and when i can take a shower. (this is one thing i was very concerned about.) towels and shower shoes added to the list of things to pack.
• we got to see the labor and delivery room, the recovery room, the OR rooms, the nursery, and the post partum rooms.
• a baby was born while we were on our tour and a lullaby played. i had to choke back tears.
• a brand new baby was going home while we were on our tour. i had to choke back tears.
• i feel MUCH better about the entire hospital process and what to expect.
• aaron held my hand the whole time and i felt such a huge sense of relief knowing that i will have a supportive partner to help me through the process. i had to choke back tears yet again!

the bad:

• i am not scared to death about the fact that in just over a month this little buddy in my belly is going to want to come out and i am going to have to help him or her with that.
• i am terrified that aaron will be on the road and not be able to get back in time to get me to the hospital or be there for the delivery.
• i am pretty sure the phrase, "i want my mommy", is going to come out of my mouth.
• back to the first point...i am going to have to help this little one make his or her grand entrance. isn't that going to hurt?

the ugly:

• we had some SERIOUS characters on our tour. ghetto fab barbie and know-it-all-birthing ball-skin to skin contact-yes,please i want to watch the birth in a mirror-first time mom were both on our tour. when the nurse said that the birth could not be documented with pictures or video, i thought the know it all mom was going to cry. she did however get really excited about the fact that there was going to be a mirror available for her to watch the birth and that a tub and shower were in the room for her and her husband to use during her labor process. she did however get really upset about the rule that states that the support person needs to be dressed properly (shirt, shoes, etc.). she really wanted her partner to be shirtless and have skin to skin contact with the baby right away. ghetto fab barbie actually asked the nurse if her skinny jeans would fit right after delivery. she also wanted to know if it was going to be ok for her to reach down and help deliver the baby and if the hospital bed was going to work for her since she is so short. at this point i was not choking back tears but about to bust out laughing with the rest of the people on our tour.  as the tour wrapped up the nurse asked if there were any other questions. ghetto fab barbie raises her hand and asks and i quote, "do all women have to get cut?". the look on the nurse's face was priceless. she, the nurse, said, "do you mean have an episiotomy?". she admitted that was the information she was looking for but did not know how to pronounce it! at this point the know-it-all mom chimes in that she, ghetto fab barbie, needs to find someone to massage her perineum with oil. wow. we got on the elevator as fast as we could and made it to the car before busting out laughing. at least we got a good laugh out of it!

so, the hospital tour was well worth the time and full of entertainment. i am sure the actual real trip to the hospital is going to be an entirely different story but at least we are prepared!