This will be relatively short.
I had normal prenatal doctor's appointment this morning. My blood pressure was low (that's good), my weight had increased (I guess that's good), my belly measured 29 cm (which is a cm ahead of the week I'm on... so that's normal), and the baby's heart was steady (that's great).
I also learned that my glucose screen came back just fine. And my iron count was excellent. The doctor wondered if I was taking suppliments or craving red meat since my blood count hadn't really dropped like most women's tend to do. Lucky for me, my prenatal vitamins from Walmart (along with my normal diet) are working wonders for my iron!
Next appointment will be in 3 weeks... from that point on, my appointments will come every 2 weeks until the last month I think (when they will be scheduled every week).
So, I guess that just proves that the beginning of the third trimester is going well for me and our sweet pea! :)
7.13.2010
7.12.2010
Childbirth Education Class
Saturday, Dusty and I attended our childbirth education class. The classes are not a requirement, but since this is our first child, and since we don’t have much of a clue about the labor and delivery process or newborn care... I thought it would be in the best interest of our child (and our sanity) to take the class.
The options for taking classes included... 4 weekly classes that met on either Tuesday or Thursday nights OR an all day Saturday class. Because of our busy schedule, we decided that the Saturday session would work out much better for us. So, we showed up to AnMed (the hospital where we plan on having our baby) at 9:00 to be informed on whatever they thought we should know. We didn't have a real idea as to what to expect. I knew that a tour of the "labor and delivery" hall and the "mom& baby unit" would be included, but I wasn't sure what information we would be told. So, with little real expectations, I would say that it was a good class.
The instructor informed us on all kinds of things from the anatomy of pregnancy, to different interventions that may be used during the labor and delivery process, to infant care. We learned about the signs of labor and went over when to go and when to wait. Having never done this before... it was great information and extremely helpful! We also watched 2 birth videos -- 1 of a woman giving natural birth and 1 of a hospital delivery (including the use pain medications and an episiotomy). Although the videos weren't the most "pleasant" things to watch... getting some ideas about pain management techniques (as opposed to drugs) was quite helpful since at this point, it's my preference to not have pain meds.
The tour of the hospital rooms was one of my favorite parts of the day. We went into a labor & delivery room, and a nurse came in and explained the equipment in the room and the "rules" as to what is allowed and what is not (examples include cameras are allowed, but no videos can be taken of any medical procedure). It was helpful to just be in the room ahead of time, and the nurse showed us the way that the bed maneuvers and lights position and change for the delivery. It was also nice to walk from the delivery room, past the nursery (which will be baby's next stop), to the mom and baby unit where we will spend the remainder of our time.
The infant care section was especially helpful. I mean, I have held a newborn, and I have fed a newborn, and I changed many a diapers... but there are things that I haven't done with babies. So, I was very appreciative to be shown how to sponge bathe a baby and told how often this should be done. It was also helpful to hear about different skin conditions that babies may naturally have so that we don't freak out over everything that may not seem normal to us! While I have at least a little experience with babies, Dusty does not. So, even if he doesn't admit it, I think he was glad that he attended the class to see how you hold a baby and change a diaper (we will probably practice this at home some before she arrives). And I hope that he at least feels a little more comfortable with what his role in the delivery room is going to be as a coach.
I would say that besides being pretty informative... it has made us think a little more about what we would like to happen. We obviously know that we can't really "plan" the delivery, but we can have preferences. And making a birth plan is something that we will be thinking about over the next couple of months, so that, when the time comes, we are prepared to at least speak up and have an opinion about the whole thing.
It's hard to believe... but I'm now only 12 weeks away from my due date! The third trimester is officially here, and glancing at the busy calendar ahead of us, I am sure that the next several weeks will fly by! It's certainly exciting, and at times a little overwhelming. But regardless of if we feel ready or not, we are definitely looking forward to meeting our little sweet pea whenever she decides to arrive! :)
The options for taking classes included... 4 weekly classes that met on either Tuesday or Thursday nights OR an all day Saturday class. Because of our busy schedule, we decided that the Saturday session would work out much better for us. So, we showed up to AnMed (the hospital where we plan on having our baby) at 9:00 to be informed on whatever they thought we should know. We didn't have a real idea as to what to expect. I knew that a tour of the "labor and delivery" hall and the "mom& baby unit" would be included, but I wasn't sure what information we would be told. So, with little real expectations, I would say that it was a good class.
The instructor informed us on all kinds of things from the anatomy of pregnancy, to different interventions that may be used during the labor and delivery process, to infant care. We learned about the signs of labor and went over when to go and when to wait. Having never done this before... it was great information and extremely helpful! We also watched 2 birth videos -- 1 of a woman giving natural birth and 1 of a hospital delivery (including the use pain medications and an episiotomy). Although the videos weren't the most "pleasant" things to watch... getting some ideas about pain management techniques (as opposed to drugs) was quite helpful since at this point, it's my preference to not have pain meds.
The tour of the hospital rooms was one of my favorite parts of the day. We went into a labor & delivery room, and a nurse came in and explained the equipment in the room and the "rules" as to what is allowed and what is not (examples include cameras are allowed, but no videos can be taken of any medical procedure). It was helpful to just be in the room ahead of time, and the nurse showed us the way that the bed maneuvers and lights position and change for the delivery. It was also nice to walk from the delivery room, past the nursery (which will be baby's next stop), to the mom and baby unit where we will spend the remainder of our time.
The infant care section was especially helpful. I mean, I have held a newborn, and I have fed a newborn, and I changed many a diapers... but there are things that I haven't done with babies. So, I was very appreciative to be shown how to sponge bathe a baby and told how often this should be done. It was also helpful to hear about different skin conditions that babies may naturally have so that we don't freak out over everything that may not seem normal to us! While I have at least a little experience with babies, Dusty does not. So, even if he doesn't admit it, I think he was glad that he attended the class to see how you hold a baby and change a diaper (we will probably practice this at home some before she arrives). And I hope that he at least feels a little more comfortable with what his role in the delivery room is going to be as a coach.
I would say that besides being pretty informative... it has made us think a little more about what we would like to happen. We obviously know that we can't really "plan" the delivery, but we can have preferences. And making a birth plan is something that we will be thinking about over the next couple of months, so that, when the time comes, we are prepared to at least speak up and have an opinion about the whole thing.
It's hard to believe... but I'm now only 12 weeks away from my due date! The third trimester is officially here, and glancing at the busy calendar ahead of us, I am sure that the next several weeks will fly by! It's certainly exciting, and at times a little overwhelming. But regardless of if we feel ready or not, we are definitely looking forward to meeting our little sweet pea whenever she decides to arrive! :)
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