Today I'm going to dad-sit for my mother. She's coming to collect me, then we'll go get Dad, then I'll stay with Dad while she goes out again to get his meds and runs other errands. I'm looking forward to the down time because hanging out watching movies with Dad and working on crochet is a lot more restful than my crazy weekend has been.

Granted, Sunday Lamaze was better because we actually got some SLEEP on Saturday night and it was 12-4 rather than 9-5.

First we watched the medical intervention part of the movie and then Teacher did show and tell again only this time related to that segment of the movie. She'd explain the item and then pass it around the class. So we saw a bulb aspirator, ID tags, umbilical cord clamps, forceps, a vacuum extractor, catheter thing that goes in the epidural needle, internal fetal monitor, extrenal monitor belts, pitocin tubes, etc. A bit of a talk about breech babies and turning them and then the other section of the movie about ceasarean sections. Then a longer talk about medical interventions like Stadol shots or different epidurals and what stage it is appropriate to give them in. In the movie they had sterile water injections which I hadn't heard of and thought were interested but my hopsital doesn't do those. I plan on asking Terri or Dr G. about it because perhaps if enough people start asking they'll start doing it. It interests me because it sounds like something I can tolerate a lot better than some of the other options. Paul was pretty grossed out over the epidural part of the movie and after all the risks were listed he later told me he could def. see why the whole idea of one turns me off and why I'd leave it as a last resort and avoid it if possible.

A break, then we reviewed the breathing patterns from yesterday and learned a new one. We practiced that for a while and then on to learning to push. Practiced that on the floor. But I forgot to ask WHY they want you to hold your breath during pushing when everything I've ever read about physical effort says to exhale with the effort and NEVER to hold your breath. I'll have to ask Dr G. or Terri that also on Wednesday.

Then how to squat with your partner sitting in a chair helping you. More homework over the next few weeks for building up to squatting for 15 min out of every hour and leanring to focus on the breathing despite distractions and coordinationg hand signals with your partner. (This is starting to feel like trainign for the Diseny marathon to me.)

Finally the relaxation/guided imagery exercise where we lay on the floor in the dark. That was ancie way to end the day. Then we got our completion certificates and went to visit Dad at the hospital.

Told Dad about class today and he alternated looking grossed out with looking very interested.
Dad's got a pretty old-fashioned idea of childbirth and he still gets queasy over the idea of watching people give birth on video even if it's for childbirth educations classes. My describing the ceasarean bit had him scrunching up his face in dismay.

Baby woke up and I tried to get Dad to catch a feel but she wasn't feeling cooperative. Maybe he'll get a feel later today. Then home for sleep.

Paul told me on the way to the hopsital parking garage that Dad's face when I stood up and walked over to the bed to get his hand was funny. First he was looking at his hand like, "What does she want with my hand?" then he was staring at my belly like some kind of scary thing was going to happen.

"He looked like a mixture of 'oh my god, this is weird! Help!' and 'Oooh, maybe I get to feel the baby... neat!'" Paul explained.

Amusing because my mother tells me to shut up and bends over to press her head against my belly to see what she can hear without warning. I think if she could run off with my belly to go cuddle it she would. LOL.