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October 2015 Moms
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How are you preparing for labour?

millette2015millette2015 member
in October 2015 Moms
I thought I'd start a thread for us to share what we are doing to prepare to give birth to our little ones!

My husband and I were enrolled in a free prenatal class this summer, which we totally failed by attending 1/5 classes (yep, we fail parenting already). I also work a lot with relaxation techniques for my job, so I've been trying to practice those with my husband so he can coach me through using them during labour.

And if you want two great books, I'm really enjoying "Mind Over Labor" by Carl Jones and my husband just got "The Birth Partner" by Penny Simkin which gives a lot of great practical suggestions of how your partner can help you through labour.

I'd love to hear what others are doing or plan on doing to prepare themselves and their partners!
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Re: How are you preparing for labour?

  • batmom05batmom05 member
    We just finished our breastfeeding class tonight and we are skipping birth classes.

    Our ds is taking a big brother class next week.
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  • 102215duryee102215duryee member
    Knottie59387608 said:

    DH wants us to go to a birthing class together but I'm not feeling it lol. I'd rather go in blind and not afraid than informed and terrified. I'm a whimp. Haha

    This is what I did with my first lol. I truly believe in mind over matter so I didn't want to scare myself into thinking I couldn't. I feel I can trust myself and my body. My first went so wonderfully and I feel its because I had the mentality of 'I can do it, come what may'. I tell some of my fellow prego ladies that I basically laughed my DD out. I made it a fun time, joked around, and made it relaxing for me.
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  • komorebikomorebi member
    edited August 2015
    Walking and stretching. I'm also reading Childbirth Without Fear,always a good reminder. And focusing on my last birth to try to channel some of that easy energy, lol.
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  • beckles112beckles112 member
    My husband wants to do a childbirth class, but I don't. I think it's stressing him out that I'm not worried about labor. I feel like it's better for me to know nothing and to just trust my body to do its thing. It's done a pretty good job at this baby growing thing on its own.
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  • millereliz13millereliz13 member
    We are taking birth classes, I feel it has been helpful so far. It really emphasizes my husband as my support during labor and gave him tools as well as myself tools. We tour the labor and delivery floor next week with our class.
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  • devonsd315devonsd315 member
    We are going to our childbirth class tomorrow! I wouldn't say I'm excited, but just really interested to learn, and we get a tour of the maternity ward. I like to be prepared so I'm glad I will have seen where I'm going to deliver before it actually happens.

    I'm also planning on doing some online Lamaze classes in the few weeks before my due date. We didn't have time to do any in person, but I figure the online ones were better than nothing. I'm planning on getting an epidural, but even my pro-epidural L&D nurse SIL recommended them.
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  • kindlycrystalkindlycrystal member
    I've done some research on my own so I know what to expect, but I'm not really stressing over it (yet). We have an appointment with a L&D nurse in a couple weeks to go over any questions we have, then my OB will send us to the L&D ward for a tour when I'm around 33-34 weeks. I plan on getting an epidural, but have looked at other techniques for managing pain just in case. 
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  • laceyjaeplaceyjaep member
    I took a birthing class with my first. My birth experience was the exact opposite of everything she taught. So, it did nothing at all to help me. HAHA! This time my stradegy is to go full denial until I am in labor. ;-)
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  • comlandcomland member
    We asked our doctor if classes are something we should do. He response was something like, "You can if you want to, but the nurses are great and will help you through everything." That was enough to convince us, we are skipping classes! I am doing pre-natal yoga and going on regular walks or swimming laps although I feel less and less like getting into a swimming suit these days. 
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  • MirandaC1984MirandaC1984 member
    We're doing a breastfeeding class and a birth and beginnings class in September. I'll be 33 and 34 weeks respectively. We've had two different friends who alrady have children tell us it's a waste of time but I'm excited to do it anyway. 
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  • mrsdobbiemrsdobbie member
    I LOVE my childbirth prep class. The teacher is a 70 year old lady who is just hilarious. She showed us what the baby coming out is like by putting on a turtle neck sweater :P It's like going to a comedy club every week. She is also very knowledgeable though and teaches us but still makes it fun. We are so lucky to have her!

    We also went on our hospital tour this week. It made me feel a little more relaxed about the whole process. I am a bit more nervous about once we get out of labour and delivery tho(which is so nice and updated with all private rooms). The mother baby unit rooms were pretty outdated. But I guess that's what you get with free health care in Canada. At least I will only be there a day.

    I wish we had infant care classes where we live but we will just have to read up on it and figure the rest out on our own.
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  • Sweet Sadie MaeSweet Sadie Mae member
    I didn't prepare 4 years ago and I'm not preparing again. When I had my daughter the nurses told me how to push one minute before I had to start pushing and I did fine.
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  • OperaSingerMommyOperaSingerMommy member
    I'm taking childbirth, breastfeeding, and infant cpr classes this month and trying to read up on the birth process and stay healthy. However, I am trying to be as go-with-the-flow as possible for the actual day since anything can happen! I have so many friends who planned for an epidural but didn't get there in time or planned for unmedicated but had a last minute c-section. I certainly have an ideal "plan" but if that goes out the window, oh well. I just want baby to be healthy!
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  • J1DJ1D member
    I'm pretty sure we are skipping any classes. I've been obsessed with babies forever so I've seen like every single show about birth ever made, talked to all my friends who would share their birth stories, read about birth all the time ect ect. I feel like a birthing class would REALLY benefit my husband but his schedule doesn't allow for it and have no desire to go by myself. Also that man has a memory of  negative 2 and even less of an attention span so I guarantee he'll get bored, space out and learn next to nothing and remember about zero of what he did learn. 
    I've taken care of infants before so I'm not worried about that. My husband has not but I've noticed when he helps babysit my nephew that he learns fast and that what he lacks in skill/knowledge he makes up for in just actually caring and being interested in the baby. We babysat my nephew one weekend and I was so tired in the morning he told me to go back to bed. I said, ok, just half an hour. I woke up 4 hours later in a full blown panic and went running out into the living room expecting fire and tears and poop and chaos!!! Nope. Baby was clean, dressed and playing quietly with his toys. My hubby said they had breakfast, got his diaper changed, cleaned up baby, got him dressed, cleaned up breakfast, that baby had played and had a snack but would probably need lunch soon and that everything was fine. o_0 Wow. This was the first time my hubby had EVER babysat solo, ever changed a diaper, or dressed a baby or fed a baby. And he did it all, by himself, perfectly for 4 hours. My nephews actual Dad who lives with him can't even figure it out... So I think my hubby will probably suck in the labor and delivery room but be a- ok with the baby once he gets here. I'll take it :)
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  • star8627star8627 member
    We are doing a 1 day 8 hour Childbirth class. As a Type A personality, knowing what to expect will make me much calmer. Plus I have never been a hospital patient, do I'm hoping being there and touring the maternity ward will help ease my anxiety about being I'm the hospital. I did a breastfeeding class bc my mom couldn't breastfeed so I had no reference. Both my husband and I have Infant CPR certification as part of our jobs.
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  • bgriestbgriest member
    My fiancé and I are taking a natural childbirth class starting at the end of the month. I wanted to take it more for him than me. Lol. I want him to learn how to be comforting and to keep me calm hahaha. Something he isn't always good at although he tries!

    I also plan on signing up for a breastfeeding class soon. Whenever I can afford it.

    I want to take a child CPR class but might wait until after he is born to do that. Only 8 weeks left and I have 1 day off a week and not enough time or energy to get everything done.
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  • zaclinazaclina member
    I love how half of us are type a and the other half are "I'm going to wing it". My friend whose expecting is winging it while DH and I plan to have classes, hired a doula, and downloaded P Simkin labor book. ;;) Either way, baby gonna come out!
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  • justagirl04justagirl04 member
    I was all kinds of excited to go through pregnancy and take classes. Then I got pregnant and everything went out the door. I went back and forth on whether DH and I should take classes as this is our first and we aren't around babies at all. But then my doctor made the decision for me when she said I couldn't have an epidural due to my health conditions. Her recommendation was go to the birth classes and talk to the hospitals anesthesiologist ASAP. Then at least I'll be informed of what's going on so when I freak out I'll have some idea of what's going on.
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  • CupcakesandquiltsCupcakesandquilts member
    edited August 2015
    Last pregnancy I took several classes. What was most helpful though was hiring a doula. I also thought the breastfeeding class gave good information.
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  • komorebikomorebi member
    bgriest said:

    My fiancé and I are taking a natural childbirth class starting at the end of the month. I wanted to take it more for him than me. Lol. I want him to learn how to be comforting and to keep me calm hahaha. Something he isn't always good at although he tries!

    I also plan on signing up for a breastfeeding class soon. Whenever I can afford it.

    I want to take a child CPR class but might wait until after he is born to do that. Only 8 weeks left and I have 1 day off a week and not enough time or energy to get everything done.

    My SO is usually my worst nerve trigger bit he is so good during labor. He did a class with me and watched the business of being born on his own. And i don't require much out of him other than drink refills and hard backrubs.
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  • gogracegograce member
    We took a child/infant CPR class. We were signed up for a breastfeeding clinic this morning, but I opted to sleep in instead. The hospital we're delivering at is an hour from our apartment, and we just went back to school this week. I've never been so exhausted in my life. Sleeping sounded like a better option.
    We're signed up for another class on October 3, but idk if we'll actually go.
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  • midge519midge519 member
    We are going in with a plan but expect it to change if needed. We both have two other children so we've BTDT. 

    With my first I listened to everyones stories and just went in with a wing it attitude. I had a great support system in my mom more than my ex. With my second it was just my mom and I and she was amazing again. This time SO and I have talked about bringing these massage ball things we have with so he can help me by massaging my back if that is something I want at the time. He is super supportive and I know that he'll help keep me calm better than anyone else. 
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