We've Got Class

On Saturday, we attended a birthing class at the hospital where our baby will be born. I was kind of hoping we'd miss it but no baby yet so we made it. It started at 8:30 and was supposed to last until 4:00 but we ended up getting out of there a little before 3:00 which was a nice surprise. I've been doing quite a bit of reading so there wasn't a lot of info that I didn't already know but I picked up a few things. They had us practicing relaxation techniques which meant that Rob had to give me a few massages. I thought it was great but he thought it was a little bit of a scam :-) The almost-best part was seeing the maternity floor and the rooms for labor and delivery. We're very fortunate that the rooms are private and you do all your laboring, birthing and recovery in that same room.

What was the best part then, you ask? That would be the group of people that were in the class with us. I would say there was about 10 pregnant ladies with their coaches, all but one of which was their husband. I am hoping that her husband/boyfriend is in the military but she seemed like a bit of a party girl so I wouldn't bet on that. She and her friend that was helping her were both very nice when we talked with them- everyone was really nice. There was the cutest Chinese couple sitting next to me and her due date was the same as mine. I thought our families were far away but I guess China is a lot farther than California so it could be worse! They were just so excited and happy and so cute about it all and you couldn't help but be so excited for them- it was infectious. She had recently had an ultrasound and she knew that their baby is a girl that is only about 6 pounds so far. We all got a kick out of that compared to our big boy. My favorite people in the class though- for sheer entertainment value- were the two couples that came in from the farm. They ended up sitting by each other and they provided me with some good stories, one of which I'm going to share now. The teacher (a nurse from the maternity ward) went around the room asking if we were planning on natural childbirth or were wanting to use a little help to get through it. Well, Farmer Girl #1 answered first and said, "Natural. No way am I taking anything." She was very adamant about it and I'd like to be there to see her delivery and see how it really goes. Farmer Girl #2 answered next and said, "Natural but we'll see..." So then FG #1 leans over and says to her, "If a cow can do it, I can do it!" I leaned over to Rob and said, "Cows eat their food and then vomit it back into their mouths to eat on it some more. I don't want to do what they do!" I sat there for a few more minutes and then remembered a little something from City Slickers. I leaned over to Rob, who's spent a lot of time on a dairy farm, and said, "Wait a second- don't they reach into the cow and pull the calf out?" He said yes, that's what they do. So Farmer Girl didn't even get it right- a cow doesn't really even give birth! HA HA- outsmarted on farm knowledge by the California City Girl!

I had my weekly check-up with the doctor last Friday- barely. They had written on the appointment card that I was scheduled at 2:45 on 6/6 but then they put me down in the computer for some time on 6/10. I whipped out that appointment card and what do you know? It seems I wasn't the one who screwed up (like I know the girl was thinking) and they were able to work me in. I learned a while back to always take those cards with you to appointments because then you don't look like the dummy. They had screwed up one of my hair appointments not too long ago and that card came in very handy in proving I didn't screw up and they did. Anyhow, it took a while to see the doctor because she had delivered 2 babies already that day and was running behind because of that. She walked in the room and the first thing she said was, "I thought for sure you would've labored this week! I can't believe you're here now." I told her I thought so too and was definitely hoping for that. So the one person who should have the best idea about when I would start labor is surprised that there's no baby yet. For those of you keeping track, I am now 3 cm dilated, 70% effaced and my station is -1. I'm moving along but the true labor contractions still haven't started. Hopefully it will be any day (or any hour!) now...