Childbirth Classes: Week 1

We had our first childbirth class last night. We are taking Unmedicated Childbirth classes through Good Sam/Trihealth. I was really excited to start these classes because I am very interested in learning different techniques used to have a med free birth. We had to bring two pillows and a blanket. I was excited going into the class and very disappointed once we got there. It turns out, the first week was nutrition. At first, I thought it wouldn't be too bad if we were talking about infant/toddler nutrition. For the first half of the class though, we talked about prenatal nutrition. I mean, I'm nearly 31 weeks. I'm pretty sure it's a little too late to tell me what I should and shouldn't be eating. The most frustrating part was that it was like sitting in a 5th grade classroom. She told us how many servings of grains, fruits, and vegetables we should be eating. She had a nice little slideshow with a projector. She had to prop the projector up on a couple of VHS tapes and it wasn't positioned far enough away to actually make it legible. And it was crooked.

She actually gave us some really good information. Like the time she told us that we shouldn't cut up raw chicken and then use the same knife/cutting board to cut fresh vegetables. Hmm, I hadn't thought of that.

To top it all off, she turned off the air conditioning! Ben and I were right next to a vent and she turned it off during our break because she said she was cold. I'm sorry, but when you are in a room with 7 women, all at least 7 months pregnant, you do not get to dictate the temperature. Bring a sweater. It got so hot in that room! We were right by these big glass windows and the sun was coming in and hitting us on our backs. At one point, Ben put his arm around me and I almost told him not to touch me because his hand was too warm and it was making me hotter. I think he realized this too because he put his arm down before I could even tell him to. And don't get me started on the chairs. I could not get comfortable. I almost stood for the second half of the class.

Truthfully, it wasn't all bad. The part about the infant nutrition really was good because I honestly did not know anything about it. She taught us when we should be exclusively breastfeeding/using formula and when we should start to introduce cereal, then actual baby food. She talked about different bottles, ways to make your own baby food and what to avoid in the first year to avoid food allergies.

She talked heavily on the importance of breastfeeding. I'm planning to BF so I was fine with listening but I know it's not for everyone. I felt sorry for anyone in that class who plans to formula feed because this lady probably made them feel incredibly guilty for making that decision.

I'm glad that we got the nutrition part out of the way. Now, I'm really looking forward to next week when we will actually talk about the labor/birthing process. I know Ben can't wait either. :D