childbirth prep class

so... it was time for us to take our first/last and only childbirth prep class aka "lamaze", at alta bates in berkeley. and it sure was an educational day, in more ways than one.

lesson one: map the address to the hospital and drive the route for the first time. CHECK!

so we arrived about 10 minutes to 9am for our class - an all day intensive class - from 9am-5pm. this is the class for those parents who either have trouble getting to a 5:30pm evening class for 4 weeks in a row, or for those who wait a little longer... and as the due date approaches... you realize that you actually don't have time to take 4 classes before your due date. i think our reasons were a combination of both. there were about 10 other couples that joined us over the next 30-45 minutes (we were the 4th couple in the room... go p, thanks for getting up so early on a saturday!!!). and we spent the day, sharing our experiences, talking through some of our fears and hesitations, and most importantly - learning a bit more about the delivery process, what to expect, what drugs are available (very important for some), as well as watching a few delivery videos. all in - i think it was a really good idea for us to go.

lesson two: the baby just knows what it's supposed to do really, it's a miracle in fact. but in the unlikely event of complications, there are lots of options: for the pain, to keep mom and baby healthy, and to ensure that the delivery goes as smoothly as possible.

lesson three: alta bates in berkeley doesn't actually allow water births. who woulda thought that in the middle of a pretty liberal neighborhood?!

we learned some breathing techniques, how to get support from our partners during contractions (verbal, physical, and emotional support was discussed), and we went through some positions that would help us deal with back labor among other things.

lesson four: how to breathe? we learned two techniques, both starting out with a deep cleansing breath. one technique uses a deep breath in, exhale, a second deep breath, and BLOOOOOW... the other technique is the technique that is more typically made fun of when associated with lamaze. this is the one that consisted of the inhale... hee, hee, hee, whooooooooo. and yes, if you do that outloud... it should sound exactly like that. three hees and a who...

we had a nice break for lunch, plenty of snack and restroom breaks, and by 3:30pm or so... we actually had the most "real" lesson we could have ever had. one of the women, 34 weeks along, had her water break during one of our breaks. she was taken up to triage and was waiting to be admitted. you're thinking... what are the chances of that? our instructor said it was a VERY special class, and it was a true wake up call for all of us - especially the woman's husband. we had to bring a bunch of stuff to the class (two pillows, foam mat, snacks, lunch, oh and we were told to wear pants)... and when he came back to get her stuff, the instructor put him on the spot a bit. and he freaked out... saying that he needed to go home, wash clothes, move the furniture, get the car seat, etc, etc.

lesson five: be ready.

we're getting there.