Childbirth Class Adventures

This weekend was our Childbirth Preparation class. We did the weekend crash course, which took place on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. There were about 10 couples in the class, all of whom were having their first babies. The instructor was a labor & delivery nurse named Ho-Yu, who is originally from Hong Kong. She's been doing this forever and a day, and had lots of good advice! The first day, we watched birthing videos (and some poor dad-to-be passed out cold!), learned massage techniques, relaxation, breathing, and different positions to help with painful contractions. Day 2 consisted of learning what goes on once you arrive at the birthing center, how to push effectively (THAT was an interesting moment!), practicing breathing/positions, learning pain medicine options, and watching a video about C-sections. Keith did a great job, and I think was able to see that his role during delivery will be much more than just a passive observer. We both got teary-eyed watching the birth video, and he's looking forward to being the masseuse, cheerleader, cord-cutter, and general all-around right hand man. I, on the other hand, am now officially nervous about delivery-time. I hadn't thought much about it until now, and am suddenly filled with doubts about my ability to handle labor. I'm no wimpy wimp, but I've also never been physically tested like this before. All I know is, Keith had better bring his pompoms, because I'm gonna need a really good cheerleader!