Prenatal Class

I enjoyed today's class a lot. I enjoyed the exercise/relaxation part (and the massage part, naturally) more than yesterday. Now that I knew what to expect, I didn't feel like I was fumbling around trying to keep up at an aerobics class.

The information part was a natural childbirth movie which I thought was quite good. Covered a lot of bases in a short period of time. I was glad that the first-timers at class had the opportunity to be exposed to the many options and variations and to see what a natural birth can be like. Quite a bit of time was spent going over how the baby comes through the pelvis, and it really struck me just how much work birth is for the baby too! I'll be cheering this baby on when our time comes. It's a team effort! I also want to pay specific attention (assuming I have the presence of mind) to the movements of the baby throughout the labour and birth process.

Check out this cool animation of childbirth (it is not graphic):



Lucia and I went over my birth plan today. She referred to herself as a doula so from now on that is how I will refer to her. I believe she is certified as a nurse-midwife and I wanted to acknowledge that, but given my understanding of her role in the birth process, "doula" is the best fit. I loved it when she said that, to her, the labouring mother is a queen. Yessssssss.

Anyway she said she was completely in agreement with all of my desires. She thought I might have some work to do with the OB regarding cervical checks. She has two pediatricians in mind. One is a woman who lived in England for a time. She will most likely be ok with all of my requests pertaining to newborn care. However she works at the seguro social (public hospital) and wouldn't be able to miss work if my birth happens during her shift. The other pediatrician might be more resistent to my requests. I think Lucia was planning on talking to them very soon so I might know where we're at in short order. The good news is that they both speak English so I'd be able to forward English language literature to support my requests.