Back to School

On Saturday, April 13, Hubby and I had the opportunity to attend a childbirth express class sponsored by the hospital where Baby will be delivered. The "express" label came from the fact that these classes are usually offered over the course of three weeks, but only on Monday nights. Since Hubby works Monday nights, we signed up for an all-day Saturday class from 9am to almost 3pm that combines the curriculum into a single session. Despite the fact that we were sitting in a classroom for practically an entire "school day," the hours actually went by pretty fast as we learned about the various things we'd need to know to prepare for birth.

The day began with free bagels, muffins, coffee (sadly no decaf) and introductions by the attendees--approximately 10 moms to be with their significant others (and one with her own mom). The presenter, Amy, also introduced herself as an RN and went over the curriculum for the day. We covered warning signs of preterm labor, the three phases of labor (all happening in the first stage) and then the three stages of labor (dilating, pushing, and birth to both baby and placenta).

Amy talked about skin to skin contact and what to do if your water breaks, what happens in the hospital with fetal monitoring and what to expect if you have to get an induction or a c-section. Various pain medications were discussed, even for those planning a natural birth (so all the information is available), as well as what to expect for both Mom and Baby to recover afterward. There was also a section on breastfeeding and preparing formula safely.

Sprinkled throughout were several (somewhat outdated) birth videos. Amy assured us that there was new curriculum coming and we were supposed to be the inaugural class, but they didn't give her access to the material in time. So the videos we watched did look very 80s/90s with big hair, pregnancy overalls, and the use of watches and maps instead of cell phones and apps. Still, the basic concepts remain the same: time your contractions. Plan a route to the hospital. Pack your bag with the essentials. I would just add for 2019, don't forget your phone charger.

Amy also provided some helpful tips based on her own experiences. Like, stay at home as long as you can before coming into the hospital--obviously in cases where it's not an emergency--because once you arrive you get nothing to eat but ice chips. She also advised only eating foods that won't be revolting to you the second time around because, unfortunately, it is natural to "lose your lunch" during labor. She also injected great humor into the class, such as when she shared how her husband attempted to do skin-to-skin contact with their daughter--and decided to cradle her instead of holding her vertically. Well, babies look for any bullseye they can find when learning to breastfeed, and with his newborn daughter nestled against his chest this dad was quickly screaming, "Ahh, get it off me!!"

At the end of class, we all migrated to another room next door that looked more like a yoga studio than a classroom. Mats were laid out along the walls and we could set up the two pillows we were told to bring. It wasn't Lamaze, but Amy did lead her students in a relaxation exercise where we basically took deep breaths in and out as we imagined our own "happy place" while calming music played. It might be useful to try while in labor, but I'm definitely going to see about other techniques to use through the pain (different positions, walking and movement, maybe even a yoga ball) to get me through until I can't handle it and go for the epidural.

There's still a lot more to learn, but it's nice to feel a little more prepared as we dive into a subject so completely new to us both!