Our First Childbirth Class!

We had our first childbirth class tonight. Our instructor's name is Shar, and she's been an L & D nurse for 17 years. She knows her stuff! I think she's seen it all and heard it all at one time or another. I wish she could be my nurse when we go to the hospital! She's very nice. We were a bit skeptical about taking the class, because Will had been told by lots of people that we wouldn't learn anything. BS. We both thought the class was very informative. It's true that it wasn't the first time we had heard the information, but it was the first time we heard it as patients, not caregivers. There's a big difference. Now we're learning what we are supposed to do to cope with the situation, which is entirely different than what we have been taught about managing an L & D patient.

We start the class out with a lecture and video about the day's topics. Then we move to the floor mats for the remainder of the class. This week we learned about false labor vs. true labor, preterm labor, and timing contractions during lecture, and on the mat we learned some exercises to help with low back discomfort and to help get out bodies used to the position we will be in during childbirth. We also started learning about breathing techniques and relaxation.

All of the other moms and coaches were really nice. Everyone is due within about 6 weeks of each other - from May 19th through June 28th. There's an equal spread of us expecting boys vs. girls, and two couples aren't going to find out what they are having until the delivery.

Next week, we're going to take a tour of the L & D floor and watch a childbirth video in class! I can't wait! I love the class, and I know Will enjoys it, too! It's so much fun to go together!