The First Birthing Class

Our first class went really well. There are 13 couples in our class which made it really crowded since it was in the midwife's living room. Half of the couples ended up having to sit on the floor and - although this is selfish - I'm glad we weren't one of them. We got there early enough to get a loveseat and in other days I might have offered to switch with someone at least half way through, but just the thought of sitting on the floor made my back hurt. John made a move to sit on the floor, but I didn't let him since the loveseat was really more like an oversized plush chair and we were squished up against each other... I'd have been super uncomfortable squished up against a complete stranger. They are going to split the class in two though and have another one on Thursday nights. Phew!

John and I got there at 6:30 expecting an hour long class, but by 7:10 they hadn't really even gotten started... they had just had some lady talking to us about herbs and natural remedies and natural care. It was very interesting but we were very confused when they started to sound like they were going to start the real stuff 20 minutes before time to go. I don't know where in the world we got the idea it was only an hour long class, but it turns out it's a 2.5 hour class. I'm glad it was, I think it will be great and much more worth the drive and the money, but it was a bit of a surprise.

The rest of the class was basically just question and answer, and boy did people have a lot of questions, including us. It was really helpful and informative and very good to get other peoples' perspectives and questions.

There was a girl there who wanted a natural childbirth but was doing it in a hospital anyway because that was where her insurance would cover her, so she was just taking these prep classes with the midwife. She was 30 weeks - one week ahead of me - and her doctors had already told her she was breech and scheduled a c-section "just in case". I couldn't believe it... not that they had scheduled a c-section for a breech baby, but that they had convinced her 10 weeks early that she had a problem pregnancy and would probably need a c-section. Everything I have read said that babies are often breech right up until a couple weeks before the due date (sometimes even turning just before labor) and that is perfectly normal... she has TEN weeks to go!! The poor girl was so worried and so stressed out about it and I felt so bad for her. I don't know where my baby is (I'm always trying to guess at what body parts I feel when she moves) but she moves so much that I can't imagine she'll be in the same position in 10 weeks. Maybe her baby doesn't move much, I don't know. The midwife said that they don't even start checking for breech until 32 weeks and that there are several things they can do to try to turn the baby before resorting to c-section. This is exactly why I don't want to give birth in a hospital... I want to avoid a c-section or other complications by trying everything possible first and I just simply don't trust a hospital to exhaust other options. They have a schedule and a budget to follow, and c-sections are convenient and profitable. Now, I'm not saying that c-sections are never necessary, and I'm definitely not saying I don't want one if I really do need one. What I'm saying is that I think a lot of doctors and/or hospitals schedule them as a first resort instead of a last resort, and I don't want to have that doubt, worry, and suspicion in my head while I'm trying to give birth. I know I say a lot about hoping I can handle it without an epidural... and I do. I know perfectly well I have no idea how much it's going to hurt and that it's probably going to be the worst pain of my life. But I feel confident that I can do it and every time I think of having her in a hospital I feel even more confident and convinced that I am making the right decision for me in having her at the birthing center instead. I don't think there's anything wrong with epidurals or pitocen or c-sections for other people if they want them, but I don't and that's why I know I am doing the right thing for me.

I'm looking forward to the next class. We have an appointment beforehand and I have to do my glucose test and I get to drink that yummy orange stuff... mm-mm-mmm!! I think they are also going to do some more blood tests and check for anemia and probably some other stuff again. They check that at the beginning and then again in the 3rd trimester.

And I just ordered a bunch of raspberry tea. We learned last week that if you drink it in the 3rd trimester, it can help with childbirth and help shorten the bleeding afterward. I can't seem to find any in stores... not even the Sunflower Shoppe or Central Market. Well, I found some herbal tea at CM that had some raspberry leaf in it, but it also had a whole bunch of other stuff too. I ordered pure raspberry leaf and some other herbal teas to mix it with (yes, all pregnancy-safe) and I'm looking forward to tinkering with recipes.