Birthing Class

I'm back!! My technology woes are over, hallelujah! Although the powercord for the big laptop is still on backorder, Mr. P surprised me with Xmas a little early, and got me a new netbook! Whooo-hooo! It is super-cute in lavender, so it will match the critter's room. I think this little netbook will be just perfect when me and the real-live critter are up at all hours of the day and night. Yay for early Xmas!!

So I promised a post about the I-don't-know-nuthin-bout-birthin-no-babies class we took (and extra reward points for those of you that actually got the GWTW reference there!). The class was recommended by my OB, and was given by the hospital where I'll deliver the critter. Major urban hospital, but also very new and fancy. It was taught by a RN, who has worked L&D in addition to other areas like post-partum. The class was over the course of 2 Friday nights, and were scheduled for 4 hours each.

So, overall, it was ok. I'm not really sure I learned anything new, or that I couldn't have read in a book. And honestly, the teacher was a bit of a loon, so it was hard to pay attention to all she was trying to communicate when she kept slipping out on random tangents. And honestly, I'm not sure it was super-helpful to me in particular, because I am all about pain management during labor. I get that some women go into labor wanting it unmedicated, but that is not me. Modern medicine got me this far, I'm not turning my back on her now!

That being said, it wasn't so helpful to see a video about these poor women struggling in pain during labor. I mean, it wasn't trying to portray these women badly, I'm sure they all felt empowered, but to me it looked awful. Really, it just confirmed my idea that epidurals are a great thing. And given my training in psychology, learning guided imagery techniques and relaxation techniques was totally boring. Been there, know that, wrote the dissertation.

And that was like half the class (or more!). The other parts about hospital-specific things, like registration, touring the facilities, state-mandated tests for newborns, discharge policies, all that was good info. And they did cover c-sections, so that was good to see too.

I almost think they need to have a separate class for us ladies that like the drugs, so we can go faster through all the when-you-are-in-labor-and-in-so-much-pain stuff, and get to the more practical/logistical stuff. Who knows, maybe I'm delusional and will need a lot of that info, but the loony teacher kept saying, "But if you have an epidural, this won't apply" so it seems like a lot of stuff I don't need to know.

So that was the childbirth class at my local hospital. I'm sure if you were interested in the unmedicated birth process, and wanted an overview of Lamaze, Bradley and other coaching techniques, it would have been helpful. But for me and Mr. P, eh, not so much. We are also registered to take Infant CPR (my OB insists on that) and Newborn Care 101 (because Mr. P don't know nuthin' bout diaperin' or bathin' no babies, and won't believe me). Those are in December, and hopefully will not be taught by the loony RN. Fingers crossed.