After we went over the homework from the week we moved into our next topic--Labor and Delivery.
We learned about the stages of labor and what typically happens during those stages. We also watched a couple of short videos of women actually delivering their babies.
We focused a lot on understanding how the stages differ and what to do during each stage. In the first stage (Early Labor) I'll be at home and trying to relax. The contractions shouldn't be too intense and they are between 3 and 20 minutes apart (so no pattern). As I move into Active Labor the contractions will be more regular and get more intense.
MIchelle wants me to stay at home for as long as possible. She has found that this results in shorter labors. The reason for this is because the stress and craziness at the hospital often slows or stalls labor. She can't check dilation, but she has a way of telling by spending time with the mother (during her labor of course) and she is usually within a cm! Pretty impressive I think :) She said that it is ideal to get to the hospital between 6 and 8cm.
We learned about different positions for me to be in during labor in order to alleviate pain. The often "seen on tv" way to labor is on your back, but that is the WORST thing to do! There is NO gravity helping the baby move down, so it takes much longer and is more uncomfortable. There are a lot of things I can do to move and rock and change positions to help the baby get ready. Walking doesn't get labor going, but it can help position the baby. There is also some massage Cameron and MIchelle will be able to do (if I let them touch me...hehe!).
Next week we are going to learn about interventions, just so we are educated. We will also start making our birth plan. The birth plan is where I'll write that I want to hold the baby as SOON as he's born and I want them to do as many tests as possible of him while I'm holding him. We also don't want to clamp the cord right away because he needs that blood. I'll share more about the plan once we've written it!
This all sounds SO exciting! Oh yes, I remember . . . it WAS exciting! Although we went to Lamaze classes, I don't remember learning any of the things you've found out. I certainly hope you get to discover that gravity helps, because I can attest that lying on your back all those hours does not make sense.
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