First Birthing Class!

At the beginning, we were debating whether or not to take a one day or 6 week birthing class.  I'm so glad we decided with the 6 week, because I can already tell we are going to learn so much.  Our class consists of 10 preggo's and our spouses/partners.  We voted on having a potluck each week, so everyone is to bring a side dish, app, dessert or whatev.  This week, I brought a cold black bean and rice salad with cilantro, jalepenos, bell peppers, carrots and lemon juice.  Some of the women had larger bellies than me, some had smaller....this just shows that every woman is different!

When we first arrived, we went around the circle and introduced ourselves.  All of us are due in either April or May.....most of the guys said that they have never seen this many pregnant women in one room :)  It turns out that everyone in the class is having a natural birth.  Four are having a home birth, four of us are planning a "birth house" birth and 2 are giving birth at the hospital......everyone has a midwife.

We then briefly discussed nutrition and exercise.   Stacy the instructor knows that I'm a nutritionist, so she had me share some good info as well.  I talked about the importance of good fats.  We also learned about the importance of two exercises and how to do them:  Kegals and a lower back exercise.  She had ALL of us (including the men) practice these......haha, the guys already started making funny comments and making us women laugh.  Kegals are done by contracting and relaxing the muscles on the pelvic floor.  These help to prevent tearing and help to ensure your sex life in the future will continue to be great.  Yes please!  I'm gonna be doing those kegals!

We also discussed proper weight gain.  Stacy shared that most of us probably feel HUGE right now, but these last couple of months, we are going to grow the most and we need to keep our nutrition up, because the babies grow the most from here on out.  We also went over Health Concerns to watch out for in the 3rd trimester or before 37 weeks.  She told us this was the negative part of the class, but we needed to know them just in case.  In any case, call your midwife or 911.  These include:

• decrease in baby movements
• vaginal burning or smelly discharge
• dizziness or headache that won't abate
• fatigue
• and a few more.....I forgot them, oops

Lastly, we watched a short film on how most women in the world give birth.  This film was kind of cheezy with weird music, but the point was well put.  It really emphasized the importance of water, whether you have a water birth or just use the water for relaxation during birthing.  It just amazes me that we have been so brainwashed in this country when it comes to pregnancy and birth.  The film really showed the beauty of birthing a child and I can't wait to experience it!  After the film, we got into a discussion with Q & A.  One of the preggo's in the class said that every time she shares with someone that she's planning a "natural birth," people say things like:  "good luck" or "wow, you're brave."  I have to say that I have gotten these responses many times as well.  This brought the entire class into a pretty great discussion.  What's crazy is that people wanting to do a natural birth are considered "odd" and "different,"  but anywhere else in the world this is normal....in fact, this is how the world has done it for thousands of years.  Stacy told us that  96-98% of mothers at St. Peter's Hospital use epidurals and the number continues to rise.  In the world, only 8% of births happen at a hospital without a midwife.....not that using a hospital is bad, just interesting facts.  Again, I'm very grateful for epidurals and cesarean sections IF either becomes necessary.....let's just hope neither one does :)

Pharmaceutical companies play a huge role on how the media portrays childbirth in this country, which then really persuades us as mothers in this country to give birth a certain way.  I have to admit, I used to view birth as a scary, frightening and ugly thing until I started looking outside of our countries views on it. I also remember always reading in People Magazine how most celebs have C-sections and thought that was normal (isn't it funny how we follow what celebrities do....I bet if Angelina Jolie had natural births, we would all follow:)) I remember watching many TV shows and movies with pregnant women going through labor YELLING and cursing at their husbands.  This does not happen in real life.  In fact, Stacy explained that a hormone called oxytocin, (a hormone only released in women when we orgasm, fall in love or give birth) is released during birthing and it puts you into a loving and motherly stage.  She said even the meanest women become soft and loving during birth.  This doesn't mean that you aren't direct with your thoughts and demands, you just aren't some CRAZY woman being fanatic in the labor room like the movies show:)

I'm so excited to be pregnant that I started to watch a couple of baby shows on television like "A Baby Story" and "Every Minute Being Born."  I no longer watch them, because for ONE:  they show every "horrible" pregnant story that could happen....they do this because the media uses scare tactics (this was one of the first things we learned in Comm school at WSU) and TWO:  they pretty much make fun of women wanting a natural birth.....so I'm over them!  Soon, I'll have my own birth story to share.

One sad thing that someone actually said to me about water births a few months ago was, "don't have a water birth, your child will get pink eye."  REALLY!?!!  Thanks for your opinion.  That would be like me going up to someone and saying, "don't get an epidural, your child is going to come out drugged and deformed."  I mean, who says that!?!  My midwife laughed when I shared this with her and she just said that most people are ignorant when it comes to childbirth and to not listen to people who don't know what they are talking about.  Every woman is entitled to giving birth how they want and water births are actually proven the safest route for your baby and most mothers say that the pain isn't as bad because you're so relaxed.  I don't plan on having a water birth as of now, it's just sad to me how a beautiful thing has become so negative in our country.  Women all over the world give birth in bathtubs, lakes, rivers and the sea.  This was strange to me until I was educated on different cultures and countries and realized that people all over the world think we are the weird ones in this country.

Overall, loved the class and I look forward to the remaining ones :)