Breathe in, breathe out...

Well, yesterday we had our lamaze class--Childbirth prep one day. It was from 9-4, and from Friday to Saturday it SNOOOOOWED so much! There had to have been at least 3 inches by the time we left our house. By the time we left the class to go home, there had to have been 6 inches of snow on the ground. Anyway, because of the weather, we had to call the hospital like five different times, three different phone numbers, to make sure the class wasn't canceled. It wasn't.


So, we get there, and there were about seven other couples in the class. It was everyone's first baby, and all but two couples were having boys! We thought that was pretty neat! :) Our teacher was really nice, she had four daughters. Some couples were having their babies in March and some of them were having them in April-so we were all around the same time frame.


We practiced different breathing techniques, and also different positions. It was funny when the roles were reversed and the men had to act like the mama's and the mama's as the dads. Of course, Ben had to really "act" like a mama and say things like "You did this to me," and "It hurts so bad!" hahaha It was pretty funny. We both learned a lot yesterday!


We also discussed the contractions--early stage, active stage, transition stage, and then pushing (I think that's how they go haha). I don't feel quite as nervous as I did before, I wasn't quite sure how far apart the contractions had to be before calling the doctor. Our teacher told us about "TACO," Time, Amount, Color, and Odor. She said that when we do call the doctor when it's time, to remember those four things to tell them--how far apart the contractions are and when the membrane ruptured, how much amniotic fluid is leaking (amount), the color of the fluid, and if there's an odor.


We also talked about the medication you can take--none, epidural, or narcotics. I am pretty sure we're going to do the epidural, but I have to be dilated to 4cm. The difference between epidurals and narcotics, the narcotics do affect the baby whereas epidurals don't. The only thing I'm concerned about with the epidural, since you can't get up and walk around you have to have a catheter to empty our your bladder every once in awhile. I'm a little nervous about that, but I feel that if I'm numb from my chest all the way down to my toes I probably won't feel it as much, and it's not going to be left in the whole time, just in and out when they need to empty my bladder.


Our teacher also went around the room a few times asking each couple a couple questions--about how their families at home are going to change, and if they had a preference on how they would go through with the labor (meds or no meds). When she came to us, we said that the biggest change in our home will be with our pets. We have two cats and one dog, and they will probably be the most affected by the new person in the home. But we did get some great tips from our teacher and one of the other couples! They said that, when I'm still in the hospital, Ben come home with a blanket and/or hat that has the baby's smell on it, so they can smell it and get used to it. They also said that when we come home from the hospital, let whoever can control the pets best (Ben) go in first and then the other parent with the baby. Also, to let the pets sniff only the feet of the baby and not the face, because they would be prone to lick the face. We really thought these were great tips! And we of course, like the rest of the couples, said we were going to take some meds haha! I just really want it to be more enjoyable than dramatic. I don't want to be screaming and hollering because of pain. I want to be able to do what I have to to get to 4cm and then let the medicine kick in and just have smooth sailing from then on out.


I can't even begin to tell you everything we learned yesterday, it was so much! I feel SO much more comfortable about going through labor and delivering our little boy than before. I know Ben's going to be a great coach and an even greater daddy! I can't wait! :)