In Practice

We had our birthing class on Saturday. It was all day, and it felt like it. I was tired, and even though I am usually quite interested in this topic, that day, I was not. First of all, we arrived at the class quite early, almost a half hour early. True to form, I had to use the bathroom, so we ran into the grocery store next door. While roaming, we happened to stumble upon fresh donuts of the morning. So, we bought a couple and drove back to the office, pulling into a spot. A few other couples had arrived and hadn't gotten out of their vehicles yet. So, we sat and enjoyed our donuts. We were given a folder of outlines and papers...and of course one of the items on the list was nutrition. Umm, hopefully, they didn't see our frosting covered faces in the parking lot! Our instructor should be vote #10 on my side bar. We had to introduce ourselves, share our due dates, and whether the baby was a boy, girl, or surprise. There were 4 boys, 2 girls, and we were the only surprise. (We were also the youngest couple there and the only ones due in May.) The instructor said very matter of factly, "If I ever saw someone pregnant with a boy, it's you." Ok..? She then asks me if I have brothers. I say, "yes, 3." The question is then directed to Matt. He says, "yes, 2." The matter was settled. She did still mark the "question mark column" though.

I came to the conclusion that I think Matt will be a pretty good coach. He took all things the instructor said very seriously...umm, a little too seriously at times, including breathing along with me (the other coaches weren't so enthusiastic), and telling me...rather loudly... after each fake contraction she led us in, how great I was doing, how wonderful I am (isn't she grand?...refer to baby shower post), etc. The other coaches did not. In fact, it was hard to even hear the other women's breathing...I felt like I was the only one. I also had a very difficult time keeping a straight face. I have no idea how the other ladies did it, but Matt stared at me each time we breathed and did, "hee, hee, hoo," and I could not keep all my chuckles in. I have a very difficult time containing laughter in serious situations as it is. I suppose we were the annoying, immature ones, but hey, Matt was the only coach to take notes and answer some questions (correctly!). We broke for snack, and all the ladies took out a banana, one lady had grapes. I didn't get the memo. I munched on my crackers and cheese. We broke for lunch later. Matt and I sat in the parking lot with our packed lunches and everyone else scattered. We, of course, had extra time, so we made our way over to that grocery store again. Do not take this lady out without a mission! We pull back in to the office parking lot eating our icecream cookie sandwiches! (This truly was an exceptional day in the nutrition department.) The other couples sat in their cars, and I can only imagine what they were thinking about our food choices of the day. The best part of the afternoon was when we learned the different massage techniques, and the most important piece of information I took away from the class was this: If a 128 pound young woman on the day she gave birth can deliver (her first) naturally an 11 pound baby (which was quite the surprise), I can give birth too (to my petite baby...that's what you have to tell yourself...what good does it do to anticipate a 15 pound baby?)! That was my confidence builder and one of my info peices I wrote on my hospital bag index cards. (Oh yes, I have a list of things!) There you have it. I'm all about the positive thinking and confidence builders.