Hospital tour and C-section class

Wow...my brain is on overload. We just got home from the hospital, and I feel like I have A.D.D., I'm thinking about so many things at once! (warning, this post might be all over the place) We learned a lot and being there and hearing how things will be certainly brought it to life, which created more thoughts and questions and ideas. :) I'm so excited though. The class was definitely worth the time and money...very interesting! The tour was helpful too, so we could find out (and be able to tell our friends and families) where to park and which building we will be in, etc.
For my own records, I don't want to forget anything about tonight, so here is a (somewhat detailed) account of the evening...
-Firstly, I learned that Baylor is very accommodating and open minded to all types of births. I know that many hospitals want the woman lying down to give birth, but Baylor encourages moms to walk around, use birthing balls or birthing bars (which they have/provide), the bed converts to a birthing chair, they even do water births! There is a tub in every room so the mom can be as comfy as possible during labor, and they even have stereo systems that you can plug your ipod or iphone into, to play whatever music you want. I thought all of that was pretty cool. Of course, with a cesarean, I don't get to have these types of options, but that's okay!

-So I went over some of the c-section procedures in this post, but I learned some more tonight. I will check in and be sent to a labor and delivery room for about an hour before the c-section. This is where I will get my gown and sign paperwork, etc. I will walk to the operating room and they will do my spinal tap, while Zac stays in the L&D room and put on sterile scrubs. When he gets to the OR, they will begin the c-section. After the surgery (takes about an hour), I will be taken to recovery, where I will stay for two hours. Zac and Drew will go with me, then we will be allowed to have one other guest (so two total) at a time. After those two hours, we will be moved to a postpartum room.
-Cameras are allowed in the OR, which was a huge relief to me. I was afraid they might forbid it, for liability reasons or something. In fact, our tour guide gave the dads a pep talk about taking lots of pics while the NICU team (present for all cesarean births) checks out the baby. Zac will put his first diaper on him, then bring him to me. They will probably unstrap one of my arms, but it will likely have a blood pressure cuff still on it, so while I can touch him, I won't plan on actually holding him until I'm in recovery.
-In recovery, they strongly encourage "kangaroo care," which is skin-to-skin contact. I always loved the idea of having a naked baby (wearing diaper and hat only) on my bare skin just after he is born, and hearing all the amazing advantages it offers, I'm so glad we are in a place that automatically does this. It started in NICU's for struggling babies, to raise their survival rate, but Baylor has every mom do it because of the awesome benefits. (calms baby, normalizes their temperature (even better than a warming bed), stabilizes heart rate and respiratory rate, allows baby to smell mom and some babies even move (by themselves!!!) to the breast to nurse...crazy huh!?) Still interested in kangaroo care? Watch this.
-Our hospital waits to bathe the newborn, in order to keep the vernix (white "cheesy" layer) on the baby longer. This helps regulate their temp and also smells like mom (sounds weird!) so it helps them connect with the mom better. They ask the dad to do the first bath, which will be seven-eight hours after delivery, giving the baby time to get used to their new world. :) Zac will do this in our postpartum room.
-I did learn that I'll have to be on a clear liquid diet the entire day of the c-section, which I'm not pumped about. Wait, Champagne is clear liquid, right!? (kidding!)
-Zac and I agreed that our favorite part of the evening was when an anesthesiologist came and spoke to the class. He was SO interesting and I could've listened to him for hours! He was formerly an oral surgeon, then went back to school again to become an anesthesiologist. He was just one of those people that you can tell is so smart and has so many great stories. He started out explaining the history of anesthesia (which was super intriguing to me), then explained what he does and answered questions. Zac was shocked to see the needle used, and it's probably a good thing that he won't be in the room when they put that in me. :)
-our instructor was so sweet and helpful and although we got material that the hospital provided, she even brought her own "packing list" and ideas and tips for us. So much to think about! :) I am even more excited now. I like knowing what to expect, so tonight helped answer a few questions in my mind. -oh, and did I mention it's the best hospital in the metroplex? :) That's not just my opinion, that's according to national ratings and all that! Also, it has a level III NICU, so babies come from all over the state to be cared for here. That makes me feel good, that IF there is a problem, we are already at the best place to be!