Last night we attended the second of two classes at the hospital, called "Labor Day" and "Labor Therapies."
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| A helpful laminated poster showed us what to expect during the stages of labor |
The classes taught us useful tidbits (when to go to the hospital, a short overview of breathing techniques) and included a demonstration of the mechanics of delivery using a baby doll and stuffed pelvis.
Overall, though, the nurse spent much of the five hours imparting her own brand of homespun wisdom. Here are some choice quotes:
"I don't make no bones: labor hurts."
"It's work. A lot of things in life are work."
Holding up a plastic model of dilation, she helpfully clarified: "Your cervix is not plastic."
"The floor of the vagina is the roof of the rectum."
On childbirth: "It's wet business."
On the benefit of breathing techniques during contractions: "When we're distracted, we're not thinking 'uterus.'"
"Gentlemen, you don't have to push - because your pushing is not going to help the baby."
The nurse advised us not to blame our child for years to come if labor is difficult or doesn't go as we planned. "It's not the baby's fault if you have a hard labor."
In some cases, she said, breastfeeding is hard because a woman might have flat nipples. "Sometimes you have great equipment and the baby is just lazy."
"The milk comes in such cute containers."
"I hope ladies planning to breastfeed weren't turned off by the ladies in TIME magazine with their bazoombas hanging out, breastfeeding eight-year-old babies."
The nurse reminded us not to get frustrated if the baby doesn't interact much at first: "Keep in mind, newborns are little lumps."
"No matter what choices you make, in the end you win the prize - a son or daughter."
"It is real. There is a baby at the end of this."
These quips are all fine and good, but there is so much that Carrie probably already knows, or will know, when it comes to labor, delivery and nursing.
ReplyDeleteThere is no Answer. There is only Learning.
And sticking to What. You. Want. That is the bottom line. And it is really good to Know what you want.
If you Want to go natural/vaginal... insist on it, as long as you feel it is Safe. If you Want to nurse, stick to it, no matter what, unless the baby is in serious danger. (I will always be grateful to Megan Bellwoar, watching me nurse, 2 weeks into my first, nipples bleeding, baby frustrated, and she calmly saying... "get to 6 weeks...just get to 6 weeks..." This diligent advice allowed me to be a successful nursing mom).
It is all about what You Want. If you want these things, you will have to work to have them. Because First Babies Are Hard. Period.
Hang in there friends. Don't get freaked. You are embracing the wild, the normal, the natural and the Joy.
xo