Birthing Class II

Thank goodness the WBWC has more comfortable seating and options than they did back in the Pioneer days of yore.

We had fun at our second birthing class Monday night. We talked about the stages of pregnancy and the stages of birth (there were a lot of illustrations to look at); we shared when we realized that there was actually a baby in the mama's belly - or when it felt real; the pregnant ladies got to complain and then she separated the pregnant ladies from their partners and each group wrote down the good things and the bad things about being pregnant and being the partner of a pregnant lady; we did a relaxation/visualization; we talked a little more about the rhythms of birthing and what the pregnant lady might be going through in each stage.

(Click on this link to check out a 2 minute, 20 second animated video of what happens in  labor and birth. If only labor and birth were under 3 minutes long!)

The instructor had these big illustrations, probably from the sixties or seventies of the baby in utero. They were gorgeous. They were black and white and they looked like sections from an old Roman bas relief sculpture but they were just illustrations. I should have taken pictures of them. 

As for when we felt like there really was a baby in my belly we were similar to most of the other couples. I felt like there were stages of realization. 1)The first pregnancy test. 2)The first ultrasound where Mike exclaimed, "It looks like a human!" and when we first heard it's heartbeat at that initial ultrasound. 3)The second ultrasound where it looked even more like a baby! 4)The first movement that I felt. I still love feeling the monkey move in there. There are still times where I'm not convinced that there is something in there. I think that the moment of birth and the placement of the baby on my belly will be when it really sets in...until then it is this hidden, secret, growing being that I can't connect with visually but am finding other ways to connect with it: Talking to it - when I feel it's first movement of the day I always say out loud, "Good morning, Baby." I try to sing more often and dance more often. I'm also more thoughtful in my food choices...as in, I imagine what the baby is tasting or feeling after I eat something.

From what I can remember from the best/worst lists from the pregnant lady group:

    BEST__________________

• Eating
• Napping (although some people don't like the napping.)
• People are nicer to you and offer assistance.
• Feeling great/sexy about our bodies (not everyone felt this way.)
• Excitement for the new Grandparents and family members.
• Bigger boobs. 

   WORST________________  

• Napping or being tired.
• People look at your belly not at your face.
• No drinking alcohol and if you have a glass of wine - the social judgment.
• Cellulite and weight gain.
• Overbearing family.
• Getting up to pee multiple times in the night.
• Discomfort and bodily changes (back pain, swelling, acid reflux, ligament pain, etc.)
• Skin problems.

And the best/worst lists from the partner group:

   BEST__________________

• Depend on us more.
• Excitement for new Grandparents and family members.
• Sheesh, I can't remember what else they said!

   WORST________________

• Hormonal swings
• Anxiety for when the baby comes; they will have to make changes in their schedules.
• Oh, man, I can't remember. I must have blocked it out. 

It was fun to split up in groups because so far we've always answered questions as a unit rather than as an individual. I also felt like I got to know the other ladies better.

For the relaxation/visualization we all lay down on the ground (we had to bring our own pillows) and our instructor, led us through a hypnotherapy-like visualization of contractions and the birth. I giggled to myself a little, especially when she would say, "And Doooooooooooooowwwwwn, doooooowwn, doooooooooooooowwwwn, comes the baby." and also when she said, "And puuuuuush! and ooooooooh! and pussssssh!" Other than me giggling a little (I finally got over the silliness) it was a nice visualization. Both Mike and I have had experience with Hypnotherapy. My friend Em did a 30 minute hypnotherapy session with me prior to my wedding ceremony and our friend George did a session with Mike about a year ago. We both enjoyed the process. When it was time to open our eyes 

I turned to Mike and said, "So, how was your labor?" and he said, "It was good, I think I can do this." 

HAHA!

The last thing we did in class was briefly go over the stages of labor again and she had the funniest little chart with facial expressions of what the mama might be feeling during those different stages. She said that some of the info-graphics were not quite right but I love the facial expressions. It looked like this: