Birthing class 101

We went to part 1 of our birthing class yesterday, focusing on labor and delivery. We talked about the different stages of labor and methods of coping, vaginal vs. c-section births, interventions (read: epidurals), and how to push effectively. The instructor had the men participate throughout, acting out various situations and positions. Witness our friend Aaron demonstrating the "bad dog", a position to cope with early stages of labor:


Now witness the rest of us cracking up (and his wife Dana in full-on hysterics):


Other highlights and lessons from yesterday:
- Steve can't handle pain as well as I can (he got downright loopy during a pain exercise where we held handfuls of ice for the length of a big contraction)
- Stay at home as long as possible before going to the hospital...until I can't walk or talk during a contraction
- Watching a video of an unmedicated woman going from 7cm to 10cm made us both cry in fear, reinforcing to us that epidurals are good....BUT,
- Understanding everything involved with an epidural (getting it in, getting a catheter, possibly slowing down labor, then needing pitocin, staying in bed immobile throughout) made us pretty darn scared too
- Comforting to know that almost everyone in the room had the same fears that we did

With our friends, happy to have class one behind us...Kris and Colleen, Dana and Aaron, Steve:


Just the moms: