It's Not Just About the Breathing

This past Saturday Dan and I went to our Lamaze class at Nassau University Medical Center. We finally met, face to face, the Lamaze instructor, Vanessa, who was in on the surprise of my baby shower. There were two other couples and a girl who thought she didn't have to bring her husband in the class with us. We were there from 9am to 3:30pm learning all we could about what labor and delivery would possibly be like. I used to think of Lamaze as just breathing, but I was pleasantly surprised by the way Vanessa taught the class.

A few things we learned:

• Different positions to help with pain and move labor along
• Dan learned some massage techniques
• What to expect during the three stages of labor - early, active, and advanced
• What to expect after giving birth

Vanessa was very informative and did a lot of role playing, which made the class even that much more enjoyable.

My belly last weekend at Lamaze

A few differences between me and the other women:

• The three other women were 35, 36, and 37 weeks along where I was 33 weeks
• Even though the other women were farther along in their pregnancies, I had the biggest belly
• We were the only ones with a midwife
• We were the only ones who will be having a water birth
• I was the only one who wants to have a natural birth - no meds - no epidural

It's hard to imagine not being aware that you do have choices when it comes to your birth experience. I don't like being told what to do in a normal situation, so I did my research as to what my options are during pregnancy and labor/delivery. There aren't too many woman that I have come across who know that they have so many options. It frustrates me and makes me sad for them. I knew a lot of what was being taught in the Lamaze class, but the other women seemed surprised by some of the things to expect. It's almost as if they aren't involved in their own pregnancies. The only involvement that they have is the fact that they are carrying their baby and everything else is left up to the doctor. I don't get that. It's like a new job - would you start working and not learn about what you are there to do? Or would you become involved in all aspects of the job so you can excel in your field? I like to know what to expect before I go into any situation. I don't like surprises. Even with my Baby Shower, I felt "off" the rest of the day because I wasn't expecting to have "all eyes on me." I have to prepare myself for things like that and I couldn't. Don't get me wrong though - I loved my Baby Shower. I guess when it comes to pregnancy I would expect that all women would want to learn all they can about what they are going through and the different experiences they can have so they can make an informed decision about how their own pregnancy and labor will go. I guess I'm crazy like that.