All due in the next few months

Here are two pictures of the members of our childbirth class.

We started the class in small groups talking about what we wanted to happen during labor. It was as usual a very interesting class since I had no idea there were so many options to consider. The most I knew about labor is from small stories that my relatives or friends mentioned to me. In fact, I was then convinced that maybe going to Medical City wasn’t as good an idea as I thought since we have relatives who are doctors in Cardinal Santos. So, why not give birth in Cardinal Santos? We also got a sample of a bill of the same OB and now have a better idea of how much it costs.

I really like the classes so far and it is a good thing that I didn’t get lazy or think that it was useless. There’s more to this childbirth class than just lamaze, it is about knowledge of pregnancy, giving birth and the huge change of having a child. Best of all you get to bond with people who are undergoing the same experience as you and compare notes. It may mean waking up early on a Saturday morning but I find myself looking forward to these sessions.

Knowledge is Power or so they say

Lloyd and I attended our second childbirth class. However, this one was held in the Forbes area which is much nearer than going all the way to Katipunan. Thank God his office mate felt lazy and backed out so the slot opened up for us.

It was a very enlightening session at the start and relaxing near the end. Why do I say that? Well, Rome’s topic at the start was the 4 stages of labor. Labor has always been something that seemed quite scary to me and it is the very reason I wanted to take this childbirth class. I thought that by learning more about labor and what it really is I could work with the pain and not be frightened.

Rome told us to look at our workbook and she described the thining out of the cervix and the dilation. Which means that it would be opening up to let the baby out. Man, I visibly freaked out when I saw a diagram of 10cm dilation because it really hits you when you realize you have to open up that much for the baby’s head to come out! Lloyd of course was laughing at me again since I am so visibly shaken. However it was really nice to learn about the timing of contractions and all.

Then we proceeded to the relaxing part when our partner performed touch therapy and massage. Who knew a used tennis ball could be so useful in releasing tension in your back? What I appreciate the most is the fact that Lloyd participated with me in this and he will be my coach when I go into labor. He’ll be part of my labor and the birthing process. I mean it is only right since I wouldn’t be in this condition in the first place without him! ^_^

On other news, I decided to buy a maternity belt. I have been feeling extremely heavy lugging around this weight in front of me. I’ve felt so awkward and unstable especially with people teasing my about my “duck” walk. My office mate  suggested a maternity belt and Rome said it does help relieve the pain for some women. She suggested I try folding a scarf/shawl and tying it around my belly. I tried it and it did work! I went to Having’ a Baby and they had a real maternity belt that was thick and really meant for supporting the entire belly area. It is a bit warm to wear but the support has really lessened the pain. This is a godsend for me since I walk to work every day and waddle about the office. At least I don’t have to walk anymore clutching my belly for support.

Lastly, my weight is starting to catch up with me. I’m now around 133.5 pounds. Which means I’ve gained approximately 15 pounds. Everyone’s telling me I’ll get even more humongous in the next two months. Sigh, as if I didn’t feel huge already. I admit I’ve been a bad girl, I know I’m supposed to avoid sugar but sometimes I get crazy! I don’t finish entire tubs of ice-cream or eat donuts but sometimes iced tea is just too tempting. I try to water it down by adding water if I find it too sweet. I still haven’t had soft drinks since Feb so that’s good. But we do have an open package of Hershey’s kisses and a tub of cookie dough ice-cream in the ref. I like to have a taste of chocolate even just a little bit to brighten up my day. I swear, I will do better in the next few days!

First childbirth class

So the day actually came when I attended my first childbirth class. It was held in the ISO in Ateneo, Katipunan. I was a little worried since we were running a bit late but turns out there were other couples who came much later than us.

It was a very interesting experience especially since we were able to talk about our expectations and fears about pregnancy and childbirth. Lloyd finally came clean on his fear of actually holding a baby. If you’ve seen him with a newborn you’d be scared too at how he seemed so fearful and nervous with the baby. I talked about my fear of not entirely avoiding the “bad” foods that had sugar and preservatives.My OB was quite specific about the foods that I’m supposed to avoid.

Another subject that came up was the weight gain that the ladies in our group had. I’m so happy to say that I had the least weight gain. Rome was quite surprised that with the other ladies in our group they were announcing they had weight gains of 15 to 25 pounds! Lloyd said one of the gained 30 pounds. I only gained 12 pounds so far. Maybe it’s because I offset the weight gain of eating 3 times a day with the avoidance of junk food.

In the later part of the class, Rome was teaching us all some pregnancy exercises. I brought a towel instead of a mat to lie down on the floor but was a bit embarassed when I realized everyone else had a decent mat! Worst of all is that Lloyd mentioned that the towel was obviously taken from a hotel since it was emblazoned with a “Paradise Hotel” in huge letters! This is what I get for grabbing something at random from my parents’ house. I don’t think anyone noticed it though. I told Lloyd we’d have to buy a yoga mat asap. Haha!

Last but not the least is the workbook that Rome gave us to write our expectations in and for me to put my weekly food diary. Siyempre one of the questions is a fill in the blank one where it says “My wife’s pregnant body is……..” Lloyd took a look at it and teased me “Huge!” Of course he wrote something else.

This coming Saturday we’ll start attending the Makati class since it is more convenient for us. Our Sundays are busy enough as it is. So it’ll be a different group and hopefully it will still be as interesting as the first one.