Tonight we are covering more labor specific stuff. First Shellie goes over the stages of labor. I won't go into detail here, but she basically tells us the differences between early, active, and transition and follows up with the pushing stage and delivering the placenta. She covers various options we have for laboring in the hospital (ie. the tub, shower, positions for pushing, etc.). I'm happy that she goes into detail with this and does give a pretty good range of options. We watch a birth video documenting one couple's entire natural labor and delivery in a nutshell. They tell us that most first time moms only labor for 10-12 hours and I think that's a load of crap. Overall, everything is helpful though.
Next we discuss options for induction and pain management (IV and epidurals). I know my options but hope I don't have to use these. We watch a video about epidurals which is also helpful, despite my not really being interested in one. Shellie asks if any of us are planning to not have an epidural. I answer with "we're winging it," because that's my exact plan. Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. I do not want to set myself up for failure by saying that I won't have an epidural, because if I'm in the hospital for over a day and feel like my body is splitting in half, I'm sure I'll want some relief. But I'm also not planning on signing the epidural waiver when I walk in the door either. We're really just gonna see how this goes. And I'm just biased from my sisters' experiences with induction (LONG) and hoping to dodge that bullet while we're at it, too. I'm sure I'll be much more easily persuaded come April 18, though.
I guess they interpret my not immediately signing up for the epidural as a sign that I have a fear of needles. Nope. Drawing blood ain't no thang and what do I care about a needle I can't even see? I really just want to be able to walk the kid out and avoid being confined to the bed. I don't feel the need to justify myself because I know it's a lost cause so I just leave it with my short response.
(Side note: literally two days after this class I was chatting with 2 of my cheer moms. One just had a baby 2 weeks ago while the other has had 7 kids. The woman with 7 kids has had all of them naturally with fairly short labors and reassured me that I could do it naturally even though everyone will tell me I'm crazy. The other delivered naturally this time after having terrible experiences with epidurals in the past - now I'm not sure I believe the 1% spinal headache statistic.)
We end the night with a few breathing exercises. Honestly, I've already forgotten these which is terrible because it's pretty much the one thing I wanted to take away from the classes. I'll need to do some refreshers. Overall the class is helpful in giving a snapshot view of labor from start to finish. It would certainly be helpful in coming up with a game plan if we didn't already have one.
Next week we tour the L + D unit.
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