Baby Classes

The Hubs and I were fortunate enough to sign up for some baby classes through the hospital...for free! (Way to be a hospital employee, husband!) So far we took "Baby Care" and "Preparing for Childbirth."

Baby Care
This class was AWESOME! We learned quite a few things that we obviously did not know, or were even thinking about! Here's a rundown of a few things we picked up:

-how to swaddle a newborn
-how to bathe a newborn
-how to change baby's diaper (with and without umbilical cord)
-how to clean and care for the umbilical cord
-how to trim baby's nails
-how to give an infant massage
-how to help prevent against SIDS
-how to choose a pediatrician (a pediatrician even came and answered questions)
-benefits of breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding
-the 5 S's for calming a newborn
-"the scoop on poop"
-different issues a newborn may have--cradle cap, "stork bites," etc. to name a few

We also talked about how to accept help from friends and family members, things to do to strengthen our marriage (separate from baby), and talked briefly on our stay in the hospital.

The best part was definitely giving our baby doll a bath. Jason is ALL excited for bathtime, especially when he can use the "pink princess spa" for his little princess.

This class just made both of us even more excited for when Bebs gets here!

Preparing for Childbirth
This class was equally as awesome as the Baby Care class. I might even say that we learned a great deal more from this class. It was divided into a Friday night and all day Saturday class, which was actually nice. I'd rather do it on the weekend than running around on our weeknights!

Friday night we all introduced ourselves. There was about 10 couples there and they all seemed about our age. Most everyone was due in November or December. Funny story from the first night...Dawn, our instructor, had us divide ourselves into two rooms; the mommies and the daddies. We were all given the same lists--to name the best things about pregnancy and the worst things about pregnancy.

According to the mommies, the worst things about pregnancy were obviously all the physical aspects:  heartburn was a big one (thankfully I haven't experienced that yet!), back pain, inability to sleep comfortably, etc. According to the daddies, the worst things about pregnancy were (are you ready for this?) PAINTING THE NURSERY! Haha! I asked Hubs if that was his response. He said someone said that right away, and as soon as he said it, all the other dads jumped on board, hehe.

According to the mommies, the best things about pregnancy are feeling the baby move and how nice people have been treating us. According to the daddies, the best things about pregnancy have been seeing the baby on the ultrasound and feeling the baby kick. :) I'd say the good definitely outweighs the bad.

On Saturday morning we all met at the hospital for a tour of the Labor and Delivery unit. Thankfully the day before Dawn had told us that it gets super hot on that floor, and that the mommies should wear layers in case we get too hot. I'm glad I listened.

As soon as we stepped off the elevator on the third floor, it was like an oven. We saw some nurses stations, the jacuzzi tub where mommies could labor if they wanted, and then we spent some time in a delivery room. A little too much time.

There was medical equipment all around, including little incubators for babies (which freaked me out), it smelled like a hospital (obviously), and, oh yeah there were 21 adult-size people in a room that was hotter than the 9th circle of hell.

So we're standing there listening to Dawn talk about "clamping a pulsating umbilical cord," and I tell Hubs that I'm going to pass out. Thankfully he helps me sit down on the floor before I fall face first. I was still embarassed, but oh well. Then, after I sit, one by one every mommy in the room takes a seat! I cannot stress how freaking hot the whole unit is. So if anyone reading this is planning on visiting me in January, I'd wear a tee-shirt!!

When we went back to the classroom, we used our yoga mats/blankets and pillows to get into the best "laboring positions." This was actually fun! The mommies bounced on those big exercise balls (which they have in the hospital for laboring), with the daddies massaging our backs. Then we tried different positions on hands and knees (so the belly could hang down if we were experiencing "back labor"), laying on our side, etc. Then the mommies laid down and we would practice "breathing through a contraction." The "contraction" would be a handful of ice that we had to hold for a minute. We were supposed to concentrate on breathing and not the freezing-ness! I would DEFINITELY say that yoga has helped with all of this!

We also watched a bunch of birthing videos--natural, epidural, c-sections. We talked about "kangaroo care" or "skin-to-skin contact," which the hospital does not do unless you specifically request it. This is when you place the baby directly on your naked chest right after she is born (granted she is breathing ok, etc.). Skin-to-skin is supposed to help regulate baby's temperature, heartbeat, as well as making it easier to breastfeed. Jason and I discussed it and we definitely want the baby to have skin-to-skin contact with me right away. :) We also decided to try an "analgesic" before an epidural, and that we'd have a code word for when I desperately wanted/needed the epidural. An analgesic is a shot you can get in your hiney that will slightly take the edge off of contractions. It only lasts for about an hour or two, to allow you some rest before you feel the pain again. I'm almost more afraid of being completely numb from the epidural than I am pushing a baby out of my hoo-hah! I'm sure that will change when I feel my first real contraction, though! Yikes!