Doing Our Prenatal Stretches
Occasionally in life there are those moments when laughing outloud is entirely justified but not at all appropriate...
Sheri and I attended our first of six Prenatal classes last night. We had a vague impression of what to expect from some of our neighbors who had taken the same curriculum. Anticipating a large group we arrived early, and as any other activity within our hospital we were directed to a payment station where we traded a large sum of money for a small piece of stamped paper that once obtained is never asked for again.
We walked into the 'lecture hall', nearly tripping over the yoga mats and associated exercise balls. Were it not for the middle school arm-desk chairs and the instructor welcoming us to the class I would have thought we had interrupted a pilates class. Being early left several minutes for our instructor Ana to hardsell Sheri on the idea of sitting on an exercise ball in lieu of the arm-desk chair. Fortunately she elected to stay in the desk, important because as we would discover later sitting on the exercise ball would have left Sheri in the center of the room, fully exposed to hands-on demonstrations.
When all five couples had arrived (and yes they take roll), it looked like we had assembled a U.N. peace keeping envoy: the USA, UK, Nederlands, Venezuela, and Japan all joining hands in the name of making babies. Not to mention Ana, our instructor, a certified Swedish midwife with over 25 years of experience... fresh off of delivering 38 babies back in Sweden over the summer. Being expats we've become accustomed to cultural differences, but I have to admit that the combination of thick Swedish accent, frequent staring contests, and disregard for personal space took some getting used to. The "We're not in America anymore" award goes to Ana for giving the 35 week pregnant lady an over the closes, torso and back massage in the middle of the room... only moments before she would pinch that same gal's knee to demonstrate how systematic breathing can overcome pain - insert innappropriate school boy snickering (both of us!).
The information we covered in session one is readily available at home (books, internet, friends), the difference is that my learning style allows me to absorb so much more in a classroom/lecture environment than quietly reading at home - in hindsight I absorbed a lot of information. To spare you the details I've summarized the key takeaways from session 1 so you can play along at home - especially those who have been to these classes or may be headed to similar ones in the future:
* Personal music player Good One CD on repeat for 12 hours of labor Bad
* Mucus plug secretion Good Several packs of adult 'mess pads' Better
* No marriage certificate Bad No credit card Worse
* No microwave in the hospital Bad McDonalds delivery Good
* Uncontrolled pooping on the delivery table Bad Enema at home Good???
Additionally we got a sneak peak at next session - "Dealing with Pain" when we reviewed several Kama Sutra-like posters with dozens of different positions to cope with the 'contraction action'. We also practiced our breathing techniques, which are far more sensible than the movies make them out to be - although the exercise can lead to random outburts of laughter that are quite embarassing when everyone else seems to be taking things very seriously.
Bottom line - I like our instructor, she's forcing us out of our comfort zone and giving us a perspective that will better prepare us for Aiden's delivery. Two comments that seemed to resonate most with me:
* "Everything that happens in the pregnancy, no matter how disgusting or painful is good news - it means you're that much closer to having your baby boy in your arms"
* "It's not easy to sit beside someone you like very much who is in pain"
Last night's prenatal class, while awkward and drawn out at times, brought the reality of our upcoming experience to the forefront of my mind... personalizing the situation and reminding us just how incredible the miracle of life truly is.
Sheri and I attended our first of six Prenatal classes last night. We had a vague impression of what to expect from some of our neighbors who had taken the same curriculum. Anticipating a large group we arrived early, and as any other activity within our hospital we were directed to a payment station where we traded a large sum of money for a small piece of stamped paper that once obtained is never asked for again.
We walked into the 'lecture hall', nearly tripping over the yoga mats and associated exercise balls. Were it not for the middle school arm-desk chairs and the instructor welcoming us to the class I would have thought we had interrupted a pilates class. Being early left several minutes for our instructor Ana to hardsell Sheri on the idea of sitting on an exercise ball in lieu of the arm-desk chair. Fortunately she elected to stay in the desk, important because as we would discover later sitting on the exercise ball would have left Sheri in the center of the room, fully exposed to hands-on demonstrations.
When all five couples had arrived (and yes they take roll), it looked like we had assembled a U.N. peace keeping envoy: the USA, UK, Nederlands, Venezuela, and Japan all joining hands in the name of making babies. Not to mention Ana, our instructor, a certified Swedish midwife with over 25 years of experience... fresh off of delivering 38 babies back in Sweden over the summer. Being expats we've become accustomed to cultural differences, but I have to admit that the combination of thick Swedish accent, frequent staring contests, and disregard for personal space took some getting used to. The "We're not in America anymore" award goes to Ana for giving the 35 week pregnant lady an over the closes, torso and back massage in the middle of the room... only moments before she would pinch that same gal's knee to demonstrate how systematic breathing can overcome pain - insert innappropriate school boy snickering (both of us!).
The information we covered in session one is readily available at home (books, internet, friends), the difference is that my learning style allows me to absorb so much more in a classroom/lecture environment than quietly reading at home - in hindsight I absorbed a lot of information. To spare you the details I've summarized the key takeaways from session 1 so you can play along at home - especially those who have been to these classes or may be headed to similar ones in the future:
* Personal music player Good One CD on repeat for 12 hours of labor Bad
* Mucus plug secretion Good Several packs of adult 'mess pads' Better
* No marriage certificate Bad No credit card Worse
* No microwave in the hospital Bad McDonalds delivery Good
* Uncontrolled pooping on the delivery table Bad Enema at home Good???
Additionally we got a sneak peak at next session - "Dealing with Pain" when we reviewed several Kama Sutra-like posters with dozens of different positions to cope with the 'contraction action'. We also practiced our breathing techniques, which are far more sensible than the movies make them out to be - although the exercise can lead to random outburts of laughter that are quite embarassing when everyone else seems to be taking things very seriously.
Bottom line - I like our instructor, she's forcing us out of our comfort zone and giving us a perspective that will better prepare us for Aiden's delivery. Two comments that seemed to resonate most with me:
* "Everything that happens in the pregnancy, no matter how disgusting or painful is good news - it means you're that much closer to having your baby boy in your arms"
* "It's not easy to sit beside someone you like very much who is in pain"
Last night's prenatal class, while awkward and drawn out at times, brought the reality of our upcoming experience to the forefront of my mind... personalizing the situation and reminding us just how incredible the miracle of life truly is.
7 comments:
Sounds like a childbirth class to me! Although Brad and I just watched the 6-part video since the class was sold out... one other tip to consider... no matter how modest you may be, when it comes to labor and delivery, you truly will not care who comes in the room or what they see as long as they can help get that baby out!
can't wait for the littlest phillips to arrive!
Although we only attended one class, I thought the classes were equally as painful as the delivery. Though some may say Lauren disagrees, I'm not sure she would. They are pretty brutal. Remember, if you can take those classes, you can take anything.
Yall are crackin' me up! Thats hystarical! Maybe she is an Ulga or Helga instead of Ana. Love the demonstration aspect of the class...ha ha ha! Yea, baby Phillips is almost here!
love it!
Here are some key takeaways from Madd Delivery, Inc.:
1. Dream: Great/motivational music playing in background while baby calmly makes way into world. Reality: Football game on during delivery. (either way, sounds of screaming drowned out all noise, so in the end it was a wash.)
2. Dream: Signs of labor show up in perfect working order to signal full-blown labor. Arrive at hospital beaming with delight; before pain is unbearable receive epidural. Reality: Hours of timing painful contractions at home; arrive at hospital and receive epidural when dilated to an 8. (either way - baby comes when only he is ready!)
3. Dream: no poop on table, no disgusting secretions, and no adult mess pads. Reality: well, let's revisit Kammy's modesty comment. You lose that pretty quick.
And, although I hate to ruin the suspense for next week, here is all you need to know to deal with the pain: epidural - GOOD; non-epidural - BAD
Sheri - you will do great! No matter what the classes teach, God really does give you just what you need to get through every step! So rest in Him as you all prepare for this next step!!
Hey, were also a young (very young) couple here from Canada. Were looking to do a similar class for our little future baby girl. Wondering what hospital you're having your classes at? And what brought you to this neck of the woods? (to Qatar). It seems like you met a lot of people over here. Were feeling kinda lost (with very little young couples around) for us to get to know. Any tips from your experience so far?
- Alan and Julia
alomania@hotmail.com
There are more options available for childbirth education classes now. I run a Saturday ladies only class and in May the International Childbirth EDucators Association will be offering a Training of Trainers for women who want to become childbirth educators, doulas, and perinatal fitness instructors. You can get more info by e-mailing iceaqatar@yahoo.com or www.icea.org
Sorry- not trying to advertise on your blog- just want to get the word out to more families that need the info.
There are more options available for childbirth education classes now. I run a Saturday ladies only class and in May the International Childbirth EDucators Association will be offering a Training of Trainers for women who want to become childbirth educators, doulas, and perinatal fitness instructors. You can get more info by e-mailing iceaqatar@yahoo.com or www.icea.org
Sorry- not trying to advertise on your blog- just want to get the word out to more families that need the info.
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