February 2017 Moms
WinchesterGirl
member
Birth and Babies Class Chatter!
WinchesterGirl
member
This is a place to talk about all things baby and birth class related! Any class you are taking, feel free to come in. Any questions related to class topics, this is the place!
Questions below can be prompts, or feel free to wing it - however you want to jump in.
What class/es are you taking?
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series?
How are you liking it so far?
Did you learn anything surprising?
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group?
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share?
Any questions for the group?
And last but not least, here is a gratuitous Baby Mama birthing class gif for fun:
Questions below can be prompts, or feel free to wing it - however you want to jump in.
What class/es are you taking?
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series?
How are you liking it so far?
Did you learn anything surprising?
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group?
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share?
Any questions for the group?
And last but not least, here is a gratuitous Baby Mama birthing class gif for fun:
Rainbow baby Dean is due 2/17/17!
Re: Birth and Babies Class Chatter!
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series? we're on 2/3.
How are you liking it so far? so far so good.
Did you learn anything surprising? no
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group?
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share?
Any questions for the group? what exactly is a "Bradley" class and do I need to take it? I don't think it's offered by my hospital.
Me: 37 - H: 39
TTC#1: 01/2016
BFP: 06/18/2016 - EDD: 02/20/2017 - Born: 01/27/2017
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series? Tomorrow is class #2 of 4.
How are you liking it so far? So far so good! Tomorrow's class focuses on techniques to ease pain during labor, so looking forward to that.
Did you learn anything surprising? We did an exercise last week where we had to determine if a variety of symptoms were true labor, or pre-labor (could happen weeks before). Some of them were kind of surprising - like, you could potentially start having contractions and dilating weeks before you actually go into labor. Also, my hospital offers nitrous oxide for pain relief during labor. Definitely something I want to consider before an epidural.
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group? Apparently a lot of couples wait until they are VERY far along in their pregnancy to take childbirth classes! Out of the six couples in my class, one is due in early December, three are due mid-December, and one is due mid-January. I was surprised by that. I guess I just like to be prepared early
Any questions for the group? Any tips for finding a good prenatal yoga class? There seem to be a lot of options, and I have no idea how one goes about picking one.
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series? Class 1 of 12 was last night.
How are you liking it so far? I was actually nervous on the way there that it was going to be overwhelming and too much info, but the teacher was really down to earth and made everything very accessible and easy to understand.
Did you learn anything surprising? Yes! I did not know that your pelvis is naturally tilted forward in your body, and that leaning forward in early labor gives better alignment to get baby engaged. Both of the times I've been to a birth, the mom was laid back in the hospital bed.
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group? I learned that walking opens the top of your pelvis, so it's recommended for early labor and getting baby's head into the pelvis; but squatting opens the bottom of the pelvis by up to 15%, so it's recommended in later stages of labor when you're trying to get baby out.
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share? The leader mentions that kegels are good for both men and women, help prevent incontinence in old age, etc. Then a few seconds later she starts laughing, and says all the husbands were making faces. So the moms all turn around and apparently they all were trying to do kegels and they looked constipated. It was very funny!
Any questions for the group? Not at the moment!
My major take aways from the classes were
- Learning about 5-1-1 contractions before going to the hospital (Don't go in until your contractions are 5 minutes apart and last 1 minute in length for 1 full hour)
- TACO! When your water breaks, note the Time that it occurred, the Amount (a gush or a trickle), the Color (if it was clear or if there was color potentially indicating baby had their first meconium or if their is blood), and Odor (if it smells fishy or off)
- If you can take or watch "Happiest Baby on the Block," I totally recommend it!
- Take a breastfeeding course! It was so informative for a FTM!
Also, they had us tightly grasp a bag of freezing cold ice for 30 seconds, then one minute, then 90 seconds to simulate an uncomfortable situation, like contractions and labor pains, and had us do things like have DH help us breathe through it, listen to and focus on music, be given a massage during it, etc. and it was really interesting. Squeezing that bag of ice was not fun...What class/es are you taking?
Bradley Method and Cloth Diapering
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series?
Class 1 of 12 in Bradley Method. We go to tth CD class in December
How are you liking it so far?
We like it! Our teacher is going to compress some of the classes so we can have a babywearing class and breastfeeding class.
Did you learn anything surprising?
We learned about birthing balls and peanut balls. I'd never heard of the peanut, but I tried it and liked it! Then I got home and looked it up. Some preliminary studies show it helps reduce pain and it is good for moms who cant leave the bed, like if you get an epidural.
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group?
Everyone should check out Bradley Method stretches. They feel amazing.
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share?
H and I agreed we are going to call these BM classes and it makes me giggle.
Any questions for the group?
not yet!
Me: 37 - H: 39
TTC#1: 01/2016
BFP: 06/18/2016 - EDD: 02/20/2017 - Born: 01/27/2017
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series? Finished. We were one of the latest due dates in the class, everyone else was later in their pregnancy than I am.
How are you liking it so far? It was super informative and I'm glad my state mandates them for Birth Center moms.
Did you learn anything surprising? Nothing too surprising, except I found out that most "emergency" csections in the US are completely avoidable non-emergencies. What a true "emergency" csection is called is a "crash" csection.
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group? Apparently some women have completely pain free natural births when in the right state of mind and prepared with Hypnobirthing or Bradley classes.
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share? All the dads were super freaked out when we watched a birth video and they showed the baby coming out. Some of them even covered their eyes. Men are babies lol.
Any questions for the group? Nope!
BFP May 16th 2016
DD born January 30 2017
Surprise BFP/MC April 2017
Hypnobirthing - The Mongon Method
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series?
#2 of 6
How are you liking it so far?
Loving it (especially the daily tracks we are supposed to listen to). I can already see an impact on being able to relax on queue and it puts me to sleep every night.
Did you learn anything surprising?
We did the basic birthing classes at our hospital last time and while there was some great information for first time parents - it doesn't really prepare you for birth (especially if you are wanting a natural birth). This class has already been 10x more informative, DH and I are feeling confident and ready for the birth of our second child. I also like the amount of time they spend on topics that OBs don't get much training on (nutrition (I had no idea much much daily protein I needed right now), postures to stay in/avoid, etc.) to prepare.
You're doing Bradley, right? I read somewhere in my early research that for some reason Bradley and hypno-techniques aren't really compatible. I don't know enough about Bradley to know why that might be, but it could be worth asking your instructor about.
It can't hurt, right?
I definitely don't expect the Hypnobabies to make this pain free. I'm kind of expecting it to be more of an extreme relaxation practice. I'll update here with how it's going once I start. The rest of my classes aren't for a while (Breastfeeding 12/3 and Alternative Birth Center orientation down to the wire in January) but I'm eagerly following this thread.
I'll be taking a natural birth class through my hospital. I was debating on it vs. the hypnobirth class they offer but in the natural birth class they also briefly cover pain medication options so I want to learn about that in case I change my mind during labor.
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series?
I haven't actually started yet. The class won't actually start until January and is 4 classes so I'll be done almost 4 weeks before my due date.
I'm glad to see people found breastfeeding classes useful. I was thinking of taking one but didn't even realize you do it before the baby is born. My hospital offers one and says the cost covers the mother and partner. So question, did your SOs attend the class with you?
@Xstatic3333 my H did the same thing when I talked about nipple cream. And when we were a BRU he feared going in to the section with the pumps and such. Part of me was concerned that the class would make him uncomfortable but you're right, these are things they're going to have to deal with (and worse)!
The rest of it was listening to the instructor describing the process and what physically happens to your body during and after birth. Also many videos were watched, for better or worse.
Thinking of taking the newborn care class and definitely want to re-up my infant cpr certification!
My DD came out covered in vernix (which made no sense since I was overdue) but I literally did skin to skin right away and my husband makes fun of me still cause I was like EWWWW shes crusty.
It absorbed into her skin pretty quickly but it was pretty hilarious
We've got our 2nd Bradley class tonight, and part of our homework this week was tracking everything we ate, and doing our daily exercises. I really feel bad that I didn't do better... I mean, I know the point of tracking is accountability; but I really wish I'd done better, and I hope the teacher isn't going to go over these with a fine tooth comb. It was a crazy busy week. I'm feeling like I sucked.
We didn't track anything for Bradley either and I forgot to do stretches like, 4 of 7 days. whoops. #badstudent
@jlellis603 I bet that was a scary realization! It's awesome that your hospital lets you eat though! We have our hopsital tour in December so I'm really curious to see how it goes!
Married: 9/2013
Love my LEO!!
TTC #1: 9/2015
BFP: 2/1/16 MC 2/8/16 @ 5wks
BFP: 5/22/16 RAINBOW BABY
EDD: 1/30/2017 *IT'S A GIRL!!!!*
Kirsten Grace 1/20/17
We also talked about engorgement, supply, and local breastfeeding resources. They recommended not using cabbage leaves for engorgement, because that apparently could cause your supply to dry up.
I am also loving how involved DH has been with the classes, and it's really bringing him into the process. I do have one class related complaint, but I will save that for the MBF thread.
But the "pregnancy" portion was super short. She mentioned that there are forewaters but didn't explain how the uterus and placenta worked-- I felt like a lot more could have been covered and wasnt...
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series? 1 of 2
How are you liking it so far? I liked it a lot! The instructor was hilarious and down to earth. She had a lot of good stories from her time as a doula. A lot of it was review for me but I think it was really important for H to learn how labor was going to go. I tend to be the take charge person in our relationship and I think he was just assuming I'd tell him what to do when I'd really prefer more support and knowledge from him. Next class we'll do the breathing exercises and that's what I'm most excited for.
Did you learn anything surprising? I wouldn't say this is surprising, but her #1 advice for those hoping to avoid interventions was "don't get in bed." She said we'll want to get in bed during but we need to fight that urge by walking around, squatting, getting on the ball, getting in the tub, etc. unless we decide to get an epidural (which she was not at all judgy about, just trying to help those of us who want to avoid it). I also didn't realize that transition is relatively short and that pushing will probably hurt less than transition. That's super good to know!
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group? She advised our partners to speak directly to us and give us simple choices, like "Do you want to go to the tub or to the ball?" and told them not, under any circumstances, to rub our arm and tell us to calm down. I thought that was very solid advice.
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share? During intros she asked my poor H what he'd done to prepare for the birth and he couldn't come up with anything. Neither of the other guys could either, but he was first.
What class # are you on, if it's a multi class series? #1 of 3 was last night
How are you liking it so far? I like it because it was very informative. The topics last night were signs and symptoms of labor and the stages of labor.
Did you learn anything surprising? One thing that stuck out to me was when she was talking about the birth and the delivering the placenta. The information said that the placenta detaches and is delivered between 5-20 minutes after the baby. But then she said that in the hospital they give Pitocin to deliver the placenta faster. What if you want to delay cord cutting? Why does it need to be sooner? She mentioned possible bleeding if it's left too long but that doesn't seem like it has to be faster all the time... Anyone else know about this?
Anything else you learned that you'd like to share with the group? Seriously thinking about being in labor has made me wonder about having another woman with me at the hospital. Of course I still want my husband with me but he got a little nervous when she was talking about helping through contractions. None of my family is around here and I don't think I could deal with my MIL or one of my SIL's (even though I love them both to death). But H's oldest sister has had 2 kids and she's very calm and direct and helpful. I'm thinking about having her in the room at least until pushing to help me and keep H more calm.
Were there any funny or interesting moments you want to share?
Any questions for the group?
Married: 9/2013
Love my LEO!!
TTC #1: 9/2015
BFP: 2/1/16 MC 2/8/16 @ 5wks
BFP: 5/22/16 RAINBOW BABY
EDD: 1/30/2017 *IT'S A GIRL!!!!*
Kirsten Grace 1/20/17
Also they do the pitocin because you don't want your body to deliver the baby and then stop. Like sometimes your body doesn't realize and just stops contracting. Believe me. You don't want that to happen
Married: 9/2013
Love my LEO!!
TTC #1: 9/2015
BFP: 2/1/16 MC 2/8/16 @ 5wks
BFP: 5/22/16 RAINBOW BABY
EDD: 1/30/2017 *IT'S A GIRL!!!!*
Kirsten Grace 1/20/17