Yesterday, we attended our second childbirth class. This time around, we discussed more of the "details" of labor, spending a considerable amount of time discussing pain and how to deal with it. We watched lots of videos of laboring women, all of whom opted for a natural childbirth. If you use your imagination, you can easily figure out how they looked, sounded, etc. By the end of class, we felt pretty bad for them. But all the women in the videos survived and did not seem to be traumatized by the experience, which was reassuring.
At the end of the class, we got to "practice" labor positions. The first position was squatting, not necessarily an easy position to get into when you're carrying a watermelon in front of you. The second was what they call "slow dancing." Basically, the laboring mother stands, supported by her coach, and the two sway back and forth (think of junior high and high school dances). Admittedly, we didn't make it through the exercise without giggling, but I think you have to have a sense of humor about the process to avoid unnecessary worry about inevitable labor pains.
Next week's topic: pain management options. After this week's class, I say, "Bring on the pain meds!"
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