Child Birth Class- Part 1

On Sunday night, Rich & I had our first child birth class! It's an 8 hour class, broken up into two Sunday nights from 4-8pm. An 8 hour class seemed like a lot to me, and I was wondering if we'd be bored! I certainly have never experienced child birth before, but I wasn't sure how they would fill all that time.

There are 10 couples in the class. Rich & I are by far the youngest, and also had the last due date. Sort of funny- my high school swim coach and his wife are in the class too! I was by no means a star swimmer, so I doubt he even recognizes me. But he has the closest due date of November 16th! I am thankful that we have plenty of time to process all the information we learn before January 18th.

The class took place at Central DuPage Hospital, which is where we'll have the baby. It was cool to see the actual entrance that we'll come in when I am in labor. We will have a tour of the labor/delivery area and mother/baby area next Sunday & I am really excited for that! During our first class, we talked a lot about signs of preterm labor and the different stages of labor. We also talked a lot about relaxation and breathing techniques. That was probably my favorite part of the class! I got about a 20 minute backrub from Rich- whoohoo!

Rich did so great and was very encouraging, even though we were just practicing. He is going to do such a great job during the birth of our baby! He knows me so well and will really be able to help me handle everything. I am so thankful for a husband who likes to be so involved! Rich never acts "too macho" or disinterested. Even during wedding planning, he liked being involved in all the decisions. The same is true with the baby. He is going to be such a wonderful Dad!

Can't wait for Part 2 next week!