Childbirth Class #2: Observations & Realizations

I think I’m going to have to come to grips with the fact that there will inevitably be something in each childbirth class that freaks me out. Last week, it was the birth film. This week, it was forceps:

In person, they are HUGE. The thought of someone pulling on my baby’s head with those was not appealing. Besides, I have to admit, the thought of the effects they would have on me were not too comforting either. The effects a forceps delivery may have on the baby:

- reddened area on the face, which fades within a few days

- small bruises, which should also fade quickly

- temporary damage to baby’s facial nerves, rarely permanent (and just rare in general, but still a little worrisome)

I’ve come to find that my husband is a little distracting in birth class. First, he makes me laugh when we’re supposed to be practicing our breathing and pretending to have a contraction (as if you can really imagine that). To simulate a contraction, the teacher had our husbands squeeze our hand. Ha. Yeah, I really hope contractions are no worse than that. My husband kept asking me, “keep squeezing or stop? Is this okay?” I was sitting on a birthing ball at the time, and the teacher was talking about practicing this at home, meaning the breathing, of course. So, Dean starts talking about using the dog as a practice birthing ball. And finally, the husbands were instructed to massage our backs using paint rollers, tennis balls, and other massage tools, based on what Mother preferred. My husband, the ever-so-helpful, construction minded man that he is, told me he would bring a hand sander to the birth and massage my back.

 Part of me thinks my husband will be an amazing support/coach during the birth of our child. Another part of me wonders if he’ll live through it.