Class #6

Class #6 was interesting and bittersweet as it was the final class. We started by discussing diapers. Most of the ladies intended to use cloth diapers and our instructor demonstrated how to use the cloth diapers that she uses with her daughter. It comes in 2 parts - the cloth diaper and the pants that it slides into. She has 20 diapers and 3 sets of pants and they actually were used with her son first. We all received a few cloth diapers as Christmas gifts.

We then discussed what should go into the birth plan. This led to a lot of discussion as the detail that was encouraged was definitely in depth. The initial section included the couples names, doctor, whether it is the 1st, 2nd child, etc, the Strep B result and a short intro. The next section covered the initial stages of labour. It included whether you want food and drink, how you wish to labour, movement, when you wish to go to the hospital, etc. This area lasts through to about 6cm. The second section was critical as it was the time at the hospital when you are at the 7-10cm phase. It included how you wish to labour, how you wish to be examined, drugs (if and when), use of shower (or bath), use of clear fluids (water, tea, miso soup), etc. The final section was after bith and it included requesting skin to skin contact with your child, whether you wish to store the cord blood or to allow it to remain connected to the clild until it ceases pulsing, whether you wish the baby fully bathed or wiped down, etc. Needless to say, there were many questions and lots of discussion.

We next discussed what should go into the birth bag. The bag we had as an example was the Doula's bag. It had a sarong, a birthing skirt, a nursing bra, a headband, 6 1.5l bottles of water, rasberry leaf tea that was sweetened with honey in ice cube form, packets of miso soup, a cup, bendy straws, disposable cups, mouthwash, breath mints, a kneeling cushion, pillows, multiple pillowcases, a sweatshirt, multiple pairs of socks, a homeopathic kit (has to be on the birth plan if intended for use), rescue remedy, and a few other things I don't seem to have recorded.

We then got into the exercise component. We started on our hands and knees with cat/cow, into circles and then side bends and rocking forward and back. Then we sat with our feet together and did circles, rocked back and forth and then added singles arm stretches behind us as we rocked forward. Then we stood up and did pelvic tucks, hip circles amd with our hands on the floor we swayed side to side and then did stretches from one leg to the other. Then came the calf raises for 3 minutes, lunges and then squats.

We ended the evening with 2 videos. The first was the home birth of twins (the second was breech but was delivered safely with no intervention) and the second was a circumcision (I couldn't watch the whole thing - it was so upsetting). We ended the evening with a picture and info on the next course which consists of 12 weeks of the excercise component of this course for the moms-to-be.I truly enjoyed the course and am so glad that we did it. I feel better informed for what we're getting ourselves into!

Class #5

Class #5 was pretty cool. First we watched 'It's my body, my baby, my birth'. It was an educational film about natural childbirth - whether it takes place at home, at a hospital or a birthing center. It was good to see examples of natural childbirth in each location and the support of husbands/partners, midwives and/or doctors. And it wasn't a feel good, OMG natural childbirth is the most wonderful feeling in the world type of movie. The women actually talked about how they felt - ranging from pain to pleasure. It was honest and enjoyable.

Then came the really interesting part. We applied our exerises to the labour and birthing processes. We started with labour. The first scenario had us doing hip circles while standing, our husbands/partners behind us and moving with us. They had to press firmly on each side of our glutes while we moved. It felt pretty good as my pelvic area relaxed. We then faced the wall and swayed our hips side to side. The husbands/partners did the same thing with their hands but this time pressed firmly for 30 seconds (for a contraction) while we belly breathed. It really felt nice. After the 'contraction' they had to move each hand to our neck/shoulder area and massage it. Yes, it was a good one!The next scenario had us on all fours on the floor doing hip circles. In this position we coud be examined without any pressure on the baby. We then sat with our backs propped up with cushions a la the way birthing takes place in hospitals, etc. We felt the difference in that it felt like we were contracting our abdominal area due to the positioning. We then got into pushing. First, the ladies layed on their sides and the husbands/partners propped our heads with pillows and put a pillow between our legs. They then lifted our top leg, one hand on the knee and one on the ankle towards the ceiling. We then belly breathed in this position. The next position had us put the foot against our husband/partner's hip while we pulled our thigh toward us and they held the knee. We then belly breathed in this position, pulling the belly to the spine and then one floor back, our foot using our husbands/partners for resistance.The next exercise had a dual purpose. The first was trust and the second was a good transverse exercise. The ladies lay on their backs with their feet on the floor and our husbands/partners had their hands under our necks. We had to belly braethe into a pelvic tuck. With our head and neck relaxed our husbands/spouses raised our heads off of the floor while we were in the tuck position and we had to count 1-2-3. etc. without letting our stomach poke out. It was a great abdominal exercise. Then we got back on the ground and the husbands/partners had to practice motivating us to get up to go to the bathroom - in the midst of it we we given advice on havng water and a straw during labour, bringing your own mouthwash just in case your nausea resuts in you throwing up and bringing extra pillows and pillow cases with you to use during labour.We then got into hamstring stretches and the calf raises for 3 minutes. The guys participated and they suffered!!! It was good though because they had to continue 'breathing through the pain'. We then got into the squats, touching out 3rd eye (piuitary gland), heart and baby before going into the squat and rolling back up. The guys joned us for the last 5 and they were pretty good.

We ended the evening talking about when should you go to the hospital - and it wasn't when your water broke. Since we live on a small Island, it turned out to be when the contractions are 1 minute long and 2 minutes apart. In my case, since I live 30 minutes from the hospital I would probably have to leave when they are 45 seconds long and 3-5 minutes apart. Granted, this is if you are trying to labour mostly at home.Needless to say, tonight was really useful and many of my classmaes loved it.

Class #4

Class #4 was interesting as usual. It was our second class with just the girls. It was good too since it was breastfeeding night. We started by discussing our discomfort with the concept. Many of the ladies expressed concern over breastfeeding in public and what would people think since they knew how they felt seeing women breastfeed in public. It was a fascinating discussion about getting over perceived societal norms that literally put your child at a disadvantage (immunity and adjustment wise). One lady who is having her 2nd and is from another culture talked about her experience in getting used to western norms - she found a balance in that she did (and still does) breastfeed discretely but she continues to breastfeed her toddler because it is what she believes is right.

We then watched a Norwegian documentary titled 'Breast is Best'. I have to admit that it was an excellent program. First they discussed the importance of skin to skin contact and even included the role of the male in that segment. The next part was on latching and the proper way for the child to nurse. It provided advice on expressing naturally and by pump and also methods to work on blockages. I was interested to learn that breast milk can be stored in the fridge for 2 days and frozen for up to 3 months and should not be reheated in the microwave. I also found it interesting tht the Norwegian doctors advised breastfeeding a minimum of 6 months and 1 year as ideal; however, one should breastfeed until nursing is refused by the child. The documentary also discussed the problems with pacifiers and many nipples on baby bottles and went into detail showing alternative methods to feed a baby (ie. a syringe, spoon, cup, etc).

After the video we discussed homeopathy for a while. I knew nothing about it so it was fascinating to learn about the various remedies. We then got into the exercises - belly breathing, circles, 3 minutes of arm circles, 3 minutes of calf raises, lunges and squats. We ended the evening with a preliminary discussion about circumscision and why many parents are choosing not to do it anymore. It was an eye-opening discussion because I know at one point that all boys were circumcised here but now it is a matter of choice.

Class #3

Maternal fitness class #3 was interesting. It was the first class without the men so I expected it to be somewhat intense. First we watched a DVD of a home birth. Again, it was amazing. This time I noticed the husband's role more and the couple had involved their 2 children (they helped by feeding their mom fruit, putting cool towels on her head, etc). The birth was so relaxed and the baby was so calm afterwards. We then discussed what we saw and this led into what our fears were concerning birth. In most cases it was fear of pain, followed by complications. One lady expressed that she was afraid to lose control and that she'd take it out on her husband. I was concerned about not having the ability to chose how I'd like to give birth. We then got into how to prepare our minds and bodies for childbirth and in the process destroy these fears.Before we got into the exercise portion we then talked about using evening primrose oil to soften the cervix leading up to birth (starting at week 36). We also discussed the importance of walking. Then we discussed what do do to prevent Group B Strep. This covered everything from garlic, to probiotics, to saurkraut, tea tree olil and vitamin C. Then we got into eating to reduce blood loss during birth. This discussion involved collard greens, kale, spinach, molasses, lentils, broccoli, wheat grass juice and barley juice. We then discussed mother's milk tea and spent a lot of time on rasberry leaf tea. I need to read more about it more because everyone had been drinking it during the first trimester and had increased intake in the second but I had read somewhere that women were encourged not to drink it in the first trimester.... I guess it's just one of those things. Finally we discussed using a sesame massage ole (Aura Cacia massage oil to be exact) to masage your belly daily nd then to massage the baby as well after birth.

Then it was exercise time. We started with belly breathing and hip circles on our knees. We got into more stretches and twists while breathing and a few extensions. When we got up off of the floor we then got into more hip circles, lunges, hamstring stretches and calf raises (for 3 minutes straight - ouch). We ended with squats and they were actually easier this week. I felt so calm afterwards.

Class #2

Tonight was the second of 6 classes for the maternal fitness class (I think it is titled 'Birth Matters' but I'm still not sure). We started with introductions again as a husband who wasn't in attendance last week joined his wife (and all of us). We didn't go into doctors or how far along people were this time. We had to say an attribute we'd like our children to inherit from our spouse and an attribute we would not want to pass on from ourselves. I said that I wished the child would have DH's artistic nature and to not inherit my anal retentiveness (or my genetic deficiency). DH said that he wished the child would have my desire for knowledge and learning and not be as obnoxious as he is.

We then got into the fitness part. The guys participated in most of the exercises this time instead of just ensuring that we ladies were holding the correct posture. Plus we had some great belly dancing music to exercise to. We started with belly breathing and then pelvic tilts on all fours, squatting and standing. We then did hip circles standing and on all fours. The ladies had to do elevators and contrating while the men held us in the correct position but then when we did the 100 contractions (between the 4th & 5th floors this time) they had to join us in the last 30.We then got into kegels (to strengthen, stretch and relax the muscle). We did holds and then elevators (pelvic lifts). The guys probably had a time of it because some of the visualizations (i.e. "relax the muscle by opening like a flower") were more directed to a feminine audience - still, it is important for their prostate so they did the exercise. We then learned to go from a seated to standing position (go from all fours, bring one foot forward to arms, hands above knee, push forward into standing). Finally we did some squatting using our spouse to assist us to get down to our cushions.This was preparation for the first video on ladies in Brasil who give birth squatting. It showed many natural births in this manner, some with a birthing bar but most with no assistance. I was amazed at the calm nature of the mothers. I also saw my first ever placenta delivery (and my second a few minutes later).

We then took a break while three of my classmates had splints fitted for post-pregnancy (I assume we'll learn more about splinting and how to use it to strengthen your transverse post-delivery). We then watched our second and final video of the evening on home births and the role of midwives.There were lots of questions ranging from birth plans (we received an idea of the detail that can go into one) to why many women were au naturel in the videos (basically you should wear what you're comfortable wearing and some women will wear a sarong instead of a hospital gown). The class will be going on a tour of the maternity ward on Saturday, Dec 8th but we'll be in NY so we'll miss it (no problem since we don't need to worry about that for a while!).It was less uncomfortable than last week but it still was a lot of information that we don't know about yet (like how to get through the "ring of fire" - we had to be told what that was...). It was definitely fascinating and I want to read about some of what was discussed - particularly information about hydrotherapy and also the role of doulas and midwives.

Maternal Fitness Class

Tonight's class was excellent. DH and I were a bit nervous going there. It didn't help that we saw a schoolmate of DH's parking when we did. DH freaked a bit with concern that the schoolmate would tell his mom who would in turn tell DH's mom who has no idea that we're doing any of this. Anyhow, his friend looked almost relieved to see someone he knew when he realized it was DH.We started by introducing ourselves. The class is led by a doula and there are 5 couples, including us. Everyone else is pregnant (from 8 weeks to 27 weeks) and the doula had her baby (by waterbirth) about 12 weeks ago. So yeah, DH and I are a bit early in the process. We spent this evening concentrating on 5 exercises:

1. Belly breathing - You take air in through your nose and into your belly (expanding your belly) and then breathing out through your mouth and bringing the belly back to the spine.

2. Pelvic tilts - starting with flat back and legs hip distance apart (either standing, hands above knees, or on all fours), we bring our pubic bone towards our belly button then return to flat back (repeating 10 times). We also did it on our backs. We first had to get onto our backs by sitting with our legs to the side, bring our side down and then roll to our back. When we tilted our pelvis we could not tighten our buttocks or legs. It was actually more difficult than we thought. To make sure we breathed we had to count out loud. Then we had to roll to our side and push up with our arms (excellent for your back and abdominals). We're supposed to do this exercise sequence 10 times in each position.

3. elevators - perhaps my favorite exercise for my transevrse and recti (I do this exercise a lot in my bellydancing class). You sit up with your hands on your upper (below ribs) and lower (above pelvic bones). Then we breathe in and expand belly and then breathe out and pull the belly to the spine in 5 increments (or floors). After doing that a few times we had to hold it at the '5th floor' for 30 seconds. Then we had to pull our bellies back even further to the '6th floor' (basically to where DH had his hand on my lower back) 5 times. We're supposed to do 10 of these each day.

4. contracting - this exercise had you going from the '3rd floor' to the '5th floor'. We had to do 100 (which counts as a set) and we are supposed to do 5 sets each day. It was tough but it was excellent because I was sore after 1 set!

5. pushing - we didn't get to try this because you have to do it in private. Basically, when you go to the bathroom you need to elevate your feet with a small stool when going for a bowel movement. Breathe in and expand belly, bring belly to spine and then push back to have the bowel movement. Apparently the pelvic floor ends up open and relaxed. I have not tried this one yet..... I will have to think about how to go about elevating my feet.....

We then watched a DVD about childbirth, medical intervention, birth options, etc. It was not in depth but it got you thinking. We briefly discussed home births, water births and midwives after the DVD. Then we closed for the evening. DH and I discussed the class on the way home and admitted that it was informative and we had no clue what we were getting ourselves into!!!! Anyhow, I expressed that I was not happy that my 'high risk' designation may not allow me the full range of birth options but I may like to labour in a water bath. Also, if I do not have to have a c-section, I would prefer to give birth either kneeling, on my side or perhaps seated. I do not think that I want to be on my back unless I have to.... I guess we'll see.My goodness, this was a lot for one night...