Prepared Childbirth Series

Last night was a RIOT!!! I dragged Marc to childbirth class at the hospital. HAHAHA!!!

Originally, when he said he would go with me, it didn't seem like it was a big deal so I signed us up for the three Thursday evening classes for a total of nine hours. But when it came time to get ready and head out the door, he was full of regrets that he had ever agreed to such a thing. Thanks to rush hour traffic, I got to listen to his complaints for a full hour as I drove us to the dreaded classroom full of hormonal, pregnant women and their partners. He explained that this was just something women with nothing better to do sign up for. Of course that hurt my feelings a tiny bit and I wondered why he agreed to it in the first place if he was going to be so ornery about it. I told him he needed to get over it because I'm the one who paid the $150 for the classes and he can just relax while I chauffeur him there. Plus, I'm the one who gets to go through the pain of childbirth, so the least he could do was be nice and supportive.

Upon arrival to the hospital, we found our class full of expecting couples. I figured Marc was miserable being there so I did the honors of introducing the both of us and our unborn son. We found out that we don't get the maternity tour of the hospital due to the swine flu, and with the extra time we will practice more breathing exercises and relaxation techniques. That works out great for me because I am shooting for an all natural drug-free childbirth. In between texts and emails on his blackberry, Marc told the instructor that he was already prepared for me to go into labor because he watched a youtube video of an elephant giving birth. Needless to say, he wasn't the only less than ecstatic daddy in the room, and everyone laughed at his comment.

By the second half of class, everyone seemed to be a bit more comfortable in that room. I mean, hey, we're doing it for our future children, right. I don't want to go so far as to say we enjoyed ourselves, but honestly I really did! It's helpful for me to think of having a baby as a natural process rather than a medical procedure. And I find comfort in the fact that Marc will better understand what I am going through.

Believe it or not, when we got home Marc said that he was GLAD that we went to the class with me! WHAT?! He said he appreciated how informative our teacher was and that it was a good thing to be prepared. I think it also made him appreciate me a little more. He saw that almost every single mom-to-be was quite a bit heavier than me and that I am very healthy in comparison. He told me several times that I was the cutest girl in there! Maybe he just felt bad about his previous complaints, but I'll take the sweetness any time!

So, for next week, we are going to get an early start over to childbirth class to beat rush hour traffic. And to kill time, we are going to do my favorite thing and have a bite to eat across the street at Jerry's Deli. Marc definitely realized that childbirth class was the least painful thing about having a baby, and I'm grateful for his reluctant compliance! Whew!