Prepared Childbirth Classes

Yesterday evening, Darryl & I went to the first of three "Prepared Childbirth Classes" sponsored by my ob/gyn office and East Alabama Medical Center. Our classes are for the first three Mondays in April, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. The nurse, whose manner struck me initially as being somewhat flaky, turned out to be very caring and genuine, as well as knowledgeable and funny, and there were about 7 other couples there besides us.

First the nurse, Julie, went through communication issues between spouses and we all had to introduce ourselves, our babies, our due dates, our spouses, and say what our spouse was most excited about and most concerned about. I said that Darryl was most excited about seeing/meeting William and holding him, and that he was most concerned about William's and my health. Darryl said that I was most excited about being a mom (in actual fact, I am most excited about seeing/meeting William) and that I was most concerned about getting everything ready for the arrival (it may seem that this is my biggest concern because I keep nagging him about painting, etc., but really I am most concerned about my adequacy as a mother: that is, I will be responsible for a LIFE who will be dependent on ME entirely, and I hope I am able to do the job well).

The next bit was some anatomy and physiology, and working through hypothetical scenarios such as what you might do if your water breaks (who you would call and questions they might ask you). Then we learned about the different stages of labour: I. early, active, transition, II. pushing & giving birth, III. delivery of the placenta. We saw a short video about the different stages of labour and there was a brief clip in there of a woman giving birth. Previously, I asked Darryl if he would actually want to watch the "giving birth" part of our own experience, and he thought not. Not because he'd be queasy or uneasy or anything, but I think more because he had seen clips before and possibly it looked too painful. ?? Anyway, we didn't witness more than a few seconds of this woman's own experience, but it made both of us teary-eyed and afterwards Darryl thought that perhaps he would want to watch William actually being born after all. Darryl also would like to cut the umbilical cord; I would like Darryl to be the first person to hold William.

Last, we did some exercises and relaxation techniques, which were helpful and were indeed relaxing. I think Darryl & I both got a positive experience from these classes and I'm looking forward to next week when we get to have a tour of the hospital!

PS - As of this point, I would still like to try and have a natural birth (i.e. no drugs or at least not an epidural). I have no idea what contractions will feel like, and I know different women experience them with different degrees of pain. I figure that once I feel what my contractions are like, I'll be in a better position to make up my mind on this issue.

Crib!

Sandra & Jerry came down to visit us this past weekend and brought along with them an oak corner cabinet (from Tommy & Susan) and a crib (from Allen & Annette). The crib is only a loaner, but it's made of a dark wood and has nice lathed slats. This will come in very handy and will save us money too! We assembled the crib on Sunday late afternoon, and soon we will have to purchase a mattress and bedding for it! :-) Due to the expense of getting a whole baby bedding set (and the fact that the most expensive part, the quilt, is not really used anyway), I think I will pass on a crib bedding set. Also, having read a couple of different articles about baby crib bumpers and the fact that baby might be safer without one, I think I'll pass on one of those as well! So, that leaves me with needing only sheets, mattress pads, and mayhap a dust ruffle!

Week 30!

"Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Your baby is now able to distinguish between light and dark, and he can even follow a light source back and forth. Once he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light, but he won't be able to see anything that's more than a few inches from his face. Since you'll want to hold him close as much as possible, you'll be in the perfect spot for him to get a good look at you."

-- from www.babycenter.com