Birthing Class
We went to our first birthing class at Hunstville Hospital today. We opted for the 2 longer Saturday classes than the 6 week class. It wasn’t bad. Basic postpartum information. How the baby will look…which is like a smurf. What kind of things are normal (Baby zits and cradle cap…yum). What will we experience at the hospital and when we bring the baby home. Some breathing exercises and how to push. The class is actually a good way to introduce new parents to the basics. There are tons of questions to ask…that you don’t know you need to ask. They provide a list of things to pack…very helpful. She also talked us through terms that we will hear, like effacement and station, so we aren’t scratching our heads in the delivery room. There was also a comparison between vaginal birth and cesarean. It’s a lot of information that parents need to know before the contractions start.
Next week we watch some movies about actual births and take a tour of the hospital. I know the tour was very helpful in Atlanta…it was a huge baby making hospital. And we will learn where you can take the baby. Tony will have a house arrest bracelet on, and if anyone takes him to close to an exit or restricted area, alarms go off , elevators shut down, and the doors won;t open. Pretty cool.
Now, a lot of this could have been learned in a book, or talking with the doctor, but these classes really give you a chance to absorb everything that’s about to happen. They also give you a chance to met other pregnant couples. It was nice to see Jamie and her husband there. I also met Clint, who also is a theatre teacher (ok I use to be one) and his wife Jessica. There were many more…but I suck at names.
birthclass, postpartum, hospital, huntsville
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Instead of a bracelet, both of our kiddos had a wierd clamp on the umbilical cord…we called it the Baby Lojack.