Childbirth Class

THIS IS GETTING SO REAL!!!

On Saturday, January 29th, we headed to my doctor's office for childbirth class. We had signed up several weeks prior, and 1/29 seemed SO FAR away! So when it was finally time for the class I couldn't believe we were already at that point. The class lasted from 9am-3:30pm, a LONG day with A LOT of information. I must admit that when my alarm went off at 7:30am on a SATURDAY, that I sort of HATED myself for signing us up for this class, but I am SO glad we went! It was SUPER helpful!

We arrived at the class and signed in. Most of the other couples (there were 13 couples total) had already arrived, so some of the only seats left were in the FRONT. Woo Hoo! I am a dork, so I was totally okay with being in the front row! ;) We flipped through our packet of information while we waited for the class to begin.

The nurse came out a little after 9AM and got things started. She was very high energy and you could tell she had LOTS of information she wanted to share with us. She is currently a lactation consultant, so her breastfeeding talk was super helpful. She has previously been a labor and delivery nurse as well, so she definitely knew her stuff. Not to mention she is a MOTHER OF FOUR (all of whom she gave birth to NATURALLY)! You go girl!

We started the day with the BIG stuff like when to call the doctor (if you start bleeding, if you start leaking fluid, if you haven't felt the baby move 10 times in 10 hours, or if you're having regular contractions) and when you know you're in real labor vs. false labor (if you drink water and lay down and the contractions STOP then it's false labor, if the contractions keep picking up in strength and length then it's probably real labor). I am really hoping NOT to go into labor any time soon, but at least now I feel like I know what to do when the time comes.

She said that once my contractions (REAL contractions not Braxton Hicks/false labor contractions) are about 5 minutes apart for a FULL hour then I should call the doctor's office. They will more than likely have me come into the office to examine me before sending me over to Central Baptist. If it's after office hours, I should still call the doctor's office and they will let me know whether I should go immediately to Central Baptist. She suggested that we keep our bags in the car from about 36 weeks on, just in case! I guess that means I should be thinking about what to pack!

Then we talked about the stages of labor. I didn't realize that many hours of labor happen before you ever go to the hospital. A lot of people have contractions or DAYS or even WEEKS leading up to the BIG DAY! The 4 stages are:

Stage 1- Early Labor (contractions 5-20 minutes apart, dialated 1cm-3cm), Active Labor (contractions closer together and last longer, dialted 3-7cm), and Transition (INTENSE, contractions closer together, dialated 7-10cm, once we reach 10cm it's TIME TO PUSH)

Stage 2- Pushing stage and delivery of baby Brady!

Stage 3- Delivery of placenta and bonding with baby

Stage 4- Recovery (We did it! I'm a MOM! Brady is here!!!!)

Then she talked about induction (usually done between 40-41 weeks, and sometimes at 39 for special circumstances). This is where they use the drug Pitocin to start contractions and cause the cervix to dialate. I am hopeful that we won't have to do this!

Then she went over C-Sections (which more than likely might be the route we go due to Brady's breech position). She explained all the possible reasons for a C-Section and even explained that some women have to experience labor and THEN have to have a C-Section for one reason or another. So I guess you just never know. Really all that matters is that Brady gets safely into this world one way or another!

She talked a bit about pain relief and we watched a video about our different options. My choice (if we have a vaginal delivery) will definitely be for the epidural! If you know me at all you know I CANNOT stand pain! So I am definitely in favor of the epidural! They are totally safe and not really that scary (even after you see the size of the needle). Apparently, almost 80% of women opt for the epidural these days, so I'm in good company! We found out that at Central Baptist they no longer allow the dads to stay in the room for the epidural because SO MANY of them pass out! And they aren't even the ones going through the pain! ;)

Then it was time for a tour of the hospital! I was looking forward to this because I honestly had NO idea where to go if I were to go into labor at that moment! Turns out the entrance is super close to where I go in for my normal doctor's appointments, we even park in the same garage! She walked us up to the 2nd floor and showed us the labor and delivery unit. We actually check in and have the baby on the 2nd floor and then go up to the 3rd floor for recovery. She even showed us a recovery room (they are HUGE and even have Tempur Pedic beds!). I really love Central Baptist- they have sweet scriptures about children all over the walls and it's just a happy place! My favorite scripture, that of course made me cry when I saw it, is 1 Samuel 1:27-28 "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him unto the Lord, for his whole life he will be given unto the Lord." I just feel so blessed that God answered my prayers for a baby and that he chose me to be Brady's mom. :)

After the hospital tour, we took an hour lunch break where I absolutely stuffed myself at O'Charleys and then we headed back to class. Right after lunch we watched a video about infant care and although it was super interesting and informative, I was FIGHTING to keep my eyes open! But I made it through....barely! Then we headed into the hallway where we all lined up against the wall with our pillows on our backs (Did I mention we had to bring pillows and blankets to the class? I wasn't really sure what we were getting into with that one, but turns out she just wanted us to practice breathing techniques in the floor in a similar position to what we will be in the day of labor.). She went through the different types of breathing that are used in the different stages of labor (this was all the "he-he-who, he-he-who" and "sniff-he-he, sniff-he-he" stuff that you see in the movies- or in Bill Cosby Himself-LOL)! It was a little funny at times, but I am sure will be good to know in the coming weeks (especially since you can't get your epidural until 4cm, so there WILL be some pain to deal with in the mean time)!

Next we came back into our seats and discussed breastfeeding. She said that anyone not planning to breastfeed could leave (as this was the last section of the day), but everyone stayed. So I guess everyone in the class was going to (at least try to) breastfeed- which I thought was neat. She was very informed on the subject because she is a lactation consultant and she breastfed all 4 of her children. I am really hopeful that breastfeeding works for me, I just think it's a great connection to have with your baby and the most natural thing you can do (since people have been doing it for literally thousands of years)! We watched a video about it as well and I was fascinated! I didn't realize how often you had to nurse, especially in the beginning. It's pretty remarkable how much the baby depends on you! Very cool!

We finished with the class a little early, about 3:15pm. Hays was happy because the CATS played at 4pm, so we made it home in plenty of time to watch the game! It was a very long day, but I am so glad we went! We both learned a TON of information and it helped us both feel a little more at ease about Brady's big arrival in a few weeks. :)