During the past week, Jerry and I have gotten a lot of little things taken care of for the pending arrival of Tyler. We've gotten another doctor's appointment over with -- leaving on two more!! -- and we've pre-registered with St. Luke's East Lee's Summit Hospital. If you remember correctly, we pre-registered with St. Luke's the last time around but we were shipped off to St. Joseph Medical Center to deliver Jaxen. So hopefully, things work out for us this time and we get to deliver at our hospital of choice! :-)
Since the last time, St. Luke's has added more rooms to their maternity center. The newly expanded NICU opened in December 2011 and is the only one of its kind in the KC area. Designed with the needs of families in mind, it includes all-private rooms with room-in space for parents to stay overnight, at the bedside. Parents also have access to luxurious bathrooms and a large nutrition area. So this means that for some crazy chance that Tyler has to go to the NICU, he will have his own private room with a bed for Mom and Dad. And since the NICU has private rooms, he will be allowed visitors!! Not like Jaxen where you'll have to look through the glass to see -- so no matter what, family can come get up close and personal with our newest arrival. AND Chloe and Jacob and Jaxen won't have to wait until Tyler gets discharged from the NICU to meet their brother. {Not that we are planning to have to use the NICU this time around!}
The Maternity Center is a full lock down unit and all visitors are buzzed in before the elevator even moves. The babies are monitored with ankle bracelets that will put the unit into full lock down mode if the baby gets too close to an exit or if the ankle bracelet is removed. A full lock down means that no one enters or exits - this includes the doctor's and nurses. So even if someone steals there badge and has their access codes, it will not do any good because they cannot override the system until all babies are accounted for / away from an exits / ankle bracelets re-attached.
Visiting hours are from 9am until 9pm, only exception is going to be the morning of delivery. However, my surgery is scheduled at 8am and I will have to go through recovery before anyone will be allowed back to see me. . . so it looks like I can't even see family until close to 11am. Not sure if you all want to wait that long in the waiting room! Visitors will be asked to provide the full name of the patient they are visiting (ME!!) and sign in and out of the log book at the front desk. Visitors are allowed in to see Mom before the c-section or during active labor and are allowed in to visit Mom and Baby shortly after the first hour of life. The waiting room is stocked with vending machines, coffee, TV, chairs, and couches. . .
And it looks like I am going to be admitted Monday morning at 6am and I will get discharged sometime Thursday. Mandatory 3 nights stay - Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night. Jerry and I are still working out the details of shuffling the older kids around. :-\
If you want to read all about the last visit we had -- not much has changed except the new NICU. The post for Jaxen's Hospital Tour is here:
Tour of Labor & Delivery and if we actually deliver at St. Luke's we are going to try the
Cord Blood Banking again.
Everything is set up at the hospital. All my paperwork is filled out and ready for delivery.
Everything is set up and approved with Walmart and my Short Term Disability Claim. Just waiting for the checks to arrive!!
Doctor's appointment had me measuring 37 weeks and still gaining weight. Heart rate was good and unlike any of the other kids, he reacts to our voices. And the biggest change/surprise is that Tyler is head down/butt up ready to go. I actually got to push and feel where his head was sitting. . . super, super low. Next Thursday I see my regular doctor and I'm pretty sure they will start checking for dilation and effacement. {Yuck!}
Only thing left is to finish packing and figure out a game plan with the kids. I'm kind of hoping Tyler decides to come a week early. . . Chloe's missing out on her final baseball game {and they are only playing 4 games this year} where she receives her trophy because of my surgery. I'm bummed about that, but she seems to be okay with it.
Lastly, I will leave you with this photo. My very oddly shaped, uncomfortable belly - all because Tyler has his butt sticking up. . .
