Yesterday, Billy and I attended our first childbirth class. This was an eight hour class hosted by the hospital where I'll deliver, and it's designed as a general overview of the labor and delivery process. We enjoyed having the chance to hear the questions and concerns of other expectant parents, the explanation of how the process is handled at our hospital, and the presentation from a local pediatrician who spoke about things to consider when choosing the baby's doctor. The class also addressed the different stages of labor and types of complications that can arise, and though I've read much of that information already, it was helpful to hear it again and have the chance to ask questions. In August, Billy and I will begin attending a weekly childbirth class presented by a certified doula. This one will probably cover much of the same information, but it will also give us more time in guidance in learning the specific techniques and comfort measures that will help us get through the birth.
If you're reading this post on the blog itself, you've probably already noticed that I added a small slideshow in the right sidebar that shows the expansion of my belly. If you're reading the post on a blogreader, you should click over to the blog to check out the growing bump! My friend Krista recommended The Belly Book, and the book has a spot for my weekly belly picture, so we've been taking the same photo every week since we got the positive pregnancy test. Now that there is a really significant difference between how big my bump is getting and how flat my belly was when we began, I thought it might be fun for others to watch the belly's progress. The numbers in the corners show how many weeks along I am in each photo. The book also has a place to keep track of each prenatal visit and asks a series of questions for each trimester that help me keep track of different milestones. Filling it out has been fun, and I think it will be a nice keepsake for our daughter, but I am also looking forward to having a careful record of my progress to look back on when I am pregnant next time.
I hope each of you are enjoying your weekend! Those of us out east are trying to beat the record-breaking heat, but I hear the Pacific Northwest finally had a nice, warm, sunny weekend summer day!
I love the bump watch on the side! And I want to hear more about the labor and delivery class when I get back. My mom had a calendar for my first few months as a baby that had stickers for different milestones (and they wrote in some others). One of the stickers was "Mommy Goes Back to Work" which I thought was hilarious (and very 80s working mom). Maybe yours can say "Mommy Takes Her PhD Exams."
ReplyDeleteThanks Katie! The slideshow reminds me of the Michael Jackson "Black or White" video-- especially when my hair changes from up to down. If there is a sticker for "Mommy Takes her PhD Exams" I might wear it on my forehead, into my exam, rather than putting it on a calendar. : )
ReplyDeleteLove the slideshow. I've been taking my picture weekly too but wasn't sure what to do with them. How did you get that up and running on blogger?
ReplyDeleteOh, and taking a class with a doula is totally worth it. We learned so much more with ours the first time around. Kristofer felt like he was so much more prepared for Aaden's crazy birth!
Sarah, it's good to hear you got a lot out of your class with the doula. Even if we don't "need" another set of classes, we prefer to err on the side of over-prepared (rather than under-prepared), so it's nothing new. : )
ReplyDeleteTo get the slideshow I just went to the Design screen, then clicked "Add a Gadget," and selected the "Slideshow" option. That part was easy-- figuring out how to create the Picasa web album for the gadget to sync up with took me a bit longer but still wasn't too hard. It can also pull from flickr or photobucket if you're more familiar with one of those. Can't wait to see yours if you choose to add it!