Monday, June 15, 2009

Child Birth Classes - not for the faint of heart.

So on Saturday John and I took a child birth class. Yeah yeah, I know we were there to learn how to prepare for THE BIG DAY but I have to say that while walking into the room my first inclination was to size up the other preggies.

"Wow, my feet are literally the most swollen! I was hoping to lose that contest. But wait...my belly is not the biggest. SCORE!! Am I the first one to head directly to the snack table before even putting down my purse? No wait, she just did the same thing. Okay, I'm good."

How did the class go? We learned a lot about how long labor lasts. Yay. I always thought it was between 8-12 hours so you can imagine my surprise when the instructor said "Between 12-24 hours." What?! I think at that point I whispered to John "Oh that's it...I'm out!"

We learned about what positions or conditions a baby would have to be in to necessitate a C-section delivery. We learned about breathing techniques, different drugs used to ease the pain of labor, what to pack before heading to the hospital, when to actually GO to the hospital. Oh and don't let me forget the "no way they just showed THAT" delivery videos.

What did I take home from this class? Questions. Can I actually do this? Am I going to scream and carry on like those women in the videos? The dramatics seem highly unnecessary. Am I going to hate John, even for a nano-second, for his role in all t his? Am I even going to want to have a 2nd baby after this?

The answers I came up with are this: Yes, I can absolutely do this! I doubt I'll do much "carrying on" with a glorious epidural. And if I do, who cares??? No, I won't hate on John even for a fraction of a nano-second! (It takes two to tango.) Our baby will not be an only child. At least not because I'm too chicken to go through delivery a second time. I'm tougher than that!

All in all John and I are continuing to pray for a safe, healthy, drama-free, textbook non-Caesarean delivery. Feel free to join us!

3 comments:

Fleur-de-lis and Flourishes said...

Bec - you've been in my prayers since the day you told us! And just for the record, my LONGEST labor was 5 hours and that was my first! I wish you the same easy deliveries that I had.

Rebecca said...

Thank you Patti! I appreciate every bit of support from you!

Carolyn said...

Hi Becca, How have you been. Love reading all your Posts. Boy, you have come a long way. You must really be starting to get more excited as the day gets closer. I can't wait to read about the day she actually arrives.
There are lots of things out there to hear that could scare you, but people do this every day, and they even have more children after the first. ;) Epidurals are the way to go if you can talk them into giving you one before the heavy duty pain starts. My longest labor was right near the 24 hour mark. Have to say it was no picnic. Then again, I had no epidural with that one. Took awhile, but 6 years later decided to give it another go. Epidurals change your whole outlook on labor and delivery. I never hated hubby even for a second, but you may notice things will get on your nerves quickly and you can get irritated at a whim. If he goes into it knowing that and is just agreeable to whatever you say or want, you'll be just perfect. Pain sucks, but that baby is going to be so worth it.

My best to you throughout the rest of you pregnancy. Hope your labor goes quickly, and look forward to hearing about her and seeing her on here. Take care and God bless!

Carolyn
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