The hospital is only 2 blocks from our apartment, so I plan on walking there when the time comes as long as it's not cold or rainy and I feel ok enough to have a couple contractions on the 10 minute walk there. Last night we were running late from the office, so we had to drive. Lame, I know, but I can only waddle so fast these days.
Mr. Cobra, our doula and I all toured the fantastic birthing center. It's an alternative experience to the normal hospital birth. It's on the 15th floor of the hospital and has incredible views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. The labor rooms were HUGE and looked more like a hotel suite. There were maybe 25-30 people on the tour and they all fit in the "medium" room. They have 6 labor rooms; two medium, two larger and two smaller that are all given on a first come, first serve basis. The rooms also have jacuzzi tubs which will be great for laboring in. They won't deliver in the tub, so I plan on just using the warm water for pain relief. It is family oriented, so as many people as reasonable can be invited to the labor room. The normal staff team is three people, a nurse, a resident and a doctor, and then my team of my husband and our doula. That's a lot of people to watch me yell! I can't imagine having any more than that.
One of the first questions anyone asked was if there was wi-fi, and of course there is! Expect blog updates and photos when I go into labor and the beautiful aftermath will be posted shortly afterward on Flickr. The views will make great backdrops for first baby photos!
