tk and i went to a prenatal class this weekend. i was very glad i took friday off to get some things done around the house and rest before the weekend event. overall we both really enjoyed the class. tim described it as "hippie," which it definitely was - if the name "birthing from within" gives any hint. the class focused much more on the experience of labor and delivery than on a medical explanation of facts. we were taught different relaxation techniques, which we practiced while holding cubes of ice (to simulate contractions). tim got his first practice of coaching me through a contraction as i had fistfuls of ice and was practicing my techniques. we also processed through our expectations and fears surrounding the experience. we developed a birth plan of sorts. and on the last day we talked about soothing the baby, breastfeeding and other newborn care.
a few funny hippie moments:
we passed around a bag of questions (most of which were 'normal' new parent questions like, "what are you most looking forward to about being a parent?"). tim's question: why did your child choose you to be his/her mother or father?
a sign was posted that read: you must experience chaos within to give birth to your own dancing star.
i walked away from the weekend incredibly thankful for the experience. the greatest gift of the weekend was the connection tim and i experienced and the opportunity it gave us to talk through where we are at in relation to the labor/delivery. i have no doubt giving birth will be a beautiful, intimate, powerful experience. and after this weekend i am again thankful for the amazing man i have for a husband.
4 comments:
So why did your baby chose you? I'm very interested in the answer Tim gave. I think I'd say something about baby souls in the sky finding matching refractions.
I just laughed out loud at your hippie moments. Especially the chaos within and the dancing star quote. What?! We did the ice cube thing in our class too. And when the moment arrived, it really did help! I can't wait to hear about your unique birth experience!
Question: how is holding ice similar to contractions? Do I not get something? Where are you holding the ice? In your hand? Or somewhere else?
it is my understanding holding ice simulated a contraction because it caused a good amount of pain/discomfort - like a contraction, although the pain feels different. it gave us a chance to practice our relaxation techniques while experiencing some pain. and yes, we held the ice in our hands. :)
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