So our last childbirth preparation class was this past Tuesday. We watched two videos, one on the procedures that will be done on the newborn just after birth, e.g. weight, measure, first bath,Vitamin K shot, goo in the eyes (goo = antibiotic ointment), and more tests to ensure baby's health. This video was kind of funny to me because it discusses what the baby might look like for those with romanticized visions of the baby coming out all cute and cuddly... the truth is, newborns can look pretty weird! In a good way though, but the video warns the unsuspecting soul of what you might encounter. For example, baby may have a cone shaped head from it's tight squeeze through the birth canal leaving it looking more like an alien baby than you would have imagined. Also, the baby will be covered in something called lanugo and vernix... i.e. the soft hair and goo that protected baby from pruning up in the amniotic fluid while in the womb for 40 weeks. These, along with various other characteristics that might make those already less inclined to have children make a clear check mark in the "No" category.
The second video was on the postpartum period and what to expect. You know... emotional changes, lifestyle changes, sleep loss, basically a bye bye to your previous life but a hello to a new, yet sleepless life with a beautiful baby. One very serious topic this video covered was postpartum depression. When going over the symptoms of postpartum depression including: excessive worrying and anxiety, irritability to name a couple, Marc looked at me with a smirk and said, "I think you already have it" Har har... very funny. I think excessive worry and anxiety and irritability can be expected from almost every pregnant woman... smart aleck!
The end of the class came and our instructor shared the very first word a baby says in baby language as taught in the
Dunstan Baby Language which was "neh" meaning "I'm hungry". She said this "baby language" is used in baby's first 3 months of life. It seemed interesting and I may check it out.
Upon completion of our classes we got this nice little certificate
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| Our certificate of Completion of Childbirth Preparation Class |
Basically this means... we showed up! The jury will be out on whether or not what we learned will take! Hopefully Marc learned a thing or two! I asked him if he learned anything and he said "Hold your breath, count to ten, and it will all be over soon" My husband the comedian. He added, "these classes can scare the... poop out of you at times and other times leave you laughing". (Poop obviously was not Marc's choice of wording but I edited it for family friendly content.) Well, we'll see what the future shall bring when D-Day comes!
