Childbirth Class #2

January 14, 2010
The second childbirth class was much better than the first. Husband and I had signed up to bring snack for everyone and we stopped at the grocery store before the class to grab something. We kept second guessing ourselves in what to bring, though. We didn't want to get chastised for bringing something unhealthy to a bunch of pregnant women. After much deliberation we decided on grapes. I believe it was a good choice.

We got to the class and grabbed a seat. Before getting started the doula demonstrated how to wear a Moby Wrap. It's one long strip of fabric that can be wrapped many different ways to carry the baby. I registered for one after looking at it and the benefits. I like that it goes over both shoulders so that the weight of the baby is evenly distributed, and that you can use it up to two years (I think).

The class was all about the stages and phases of labor. We broke into groups and each group was given a set of questions to answer about a stage of labor. We were then required to make a poster about it and present it to the rest of the class. I liked how we discussed what was going on medically, what the mother might be feeling both physically and emotionally, and things to do to help.

Then we watched a video. No, it wasn't one of those videos where you see the child from conception to birth. This video showed the labor and delivery. We watched the woman start her contractions, the things she did to relieve her pain, and what her husband and doula did to coach her through the birth of the baby. She had a natural, vaginal birth.

Husband felt a lot better after seeing the video. I'm not sure what he was expecting. Crying and screaming, perhaps? Not on this video. The woman had her breathing under control and did not verbally abuse her husband.

Overall, the class was much better than last week. Next week she is going to discuss medication options. We are almost there!