preparing for childbirth class #2 recap

Brandon and I attended our second class on Tuesday night. Once everyone arrived (including a couple who was missing last week), I was quickly surrounded by gum-chewers: one to my left, one to my right and one across the way. And the guy to my left was LOUD about it. Ugh. I had to plug my left ear to avoid having to get up and move across the room. I may have to devote a separate blog entry to my Sound Sensitivity Syndrome...

ANYWAY, the first thing our instructor did was show us a video of an actual couple in labor. And yes, it included the "money shot" that nobody really needed to see...I'll just leave it at that. What we were supposed to watch for was how the woman, her partner AND her Doula (a new term to Brandon) NATURALLY helped relieve her discomfort with massage, water, different positions, and positive encouragement. All I know is that half-way through the video I was 100% certain that there's no way I was going to be able to do what this woman did...and that if I would hire a Doula, I would probably would have punched her in the face.

After that, we got down on the floor with our mats and pillows to practice the positions that would help us get through our pain. The positions were real easy to get to when you're NOT in labor, so how were we supposed to know if they'd help? It was all quite silly so we'll have to wait and see when the time comes. I shouldn't be so negative. I'll probably be the one trying EVERYTHING to make it stop! Brandon got to massage my lower back with a tennis ball (to alleviate back labor) and squeeze my hip bones together (which I couldn't even really feel) among other things.

After a 10 minute bathroom break, she then played a video about "interventions" specifically mentioning that this was not her favorite part of the class. Finally, we got to see what is involved with induction, monitoring, and pain relief (yay!) all of which the instructor made seem like "bad things" that all came with risks. She also passed around actual internal monitors and epidural catheters. I could tell some of the people in the room got squeamish watching the epidural being administered. I might have been one of them. :)

Everyone seemed a little bit more "open" since this was our second class and three more of us (myself included) actually asked questions. The over-eager question-asking couple was in full effect, asking 10 questions for the entire rest of the class's 1 question. I may have to tally them next week... The funniest thing about this couple is that she has an 11-year old! Brandon thinks she may have been unconscious during that birth. Hee hee.

More tomorrow, as we have our 28 week doctor's appointment (one week late) at 5:45 tonight!