Back to Class

We opted to take two all day Saturday childbirth classes instead of committing to an hour, once a week, for six weeks. They were long, six hour days but we actually did learn a thing or two. Here are a few of the highlights:

● We learned what to expect on the day of delivery - Tim apparently thought your water broke and you had the baby an hour or two later...soooo not the case!!

Childbirth is truly a miracle!

● We learned about pain control and the different methods of dealing with childbirth; epidural, spinal, breathing, walking, etc. By the way, Ah-hee-ah-hee and hee-hee-hee are not exactly what we're looking for! Bring on the epidural!

● We learned that neither one of us really wants to watch the childbirth...the five 1970's childbirth videos they showed us were enough real childbirth for the two of us. Do you know they offer the mother a HUGE mirror to place at the end of the bed so she can watch her child being born? Thanks, but no thanks!

● We learned that Tim and I are a perfect match! While the instructor was going over breathing and relaxation techniques (lights turned off, music playing, husband and wife cuddled up on the floor practicing breathing) Tim and I were probably the only two in the room with our eyes wide open wondering just how long this awkward "relaxation" session was going to last.

● Everyone got to manhandle a flexible Styrofoam pelvis, catheter, enema, spiral probe, sitz bath, an epidural, and last but definitely not least, a HUGE pair of granny panties complete with ice pack and gargancho-pad, just so we know what to expect the days after delivery.

● We did get to take a helpful tour of the hospital, which by the way, is a beautiful facility. We also got to check out the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) which hopefully we won't have to use.

Overall, we picked up a helpful tip or or two from the class, but the most helpful was probably the information about the medication and the hospital tour. We could have done without the five birth videos though. Maybe one would have been sufficient!