April 23, 2010

The Benefits of Prenatal Classes

I signed up for prenatal classes this week!

To be honest, I wasn’t going to sign up for them. I personally believe that whatever tips I learn about labour will go out the window once labour actually arrives. After all, I could go as far as to undergo intense training and education on how to breathe and what to expect but in the end, I’ll be breathing and handling the pain in my own way anyway. So are prenatal classes really that necessary?

While I still don’t think they’re necessary, I do think they’re quite beneficial. Here are my reasons why:

Meet Other Parents-To-Be
My husband and I don’t know too many other couples with children. The couples we do know with children are past the baby stage and so it will be nice to meet other people experiencing first time parenthood at the same time as us.

Ask Questions
Prenatal classes offer excellent opportunity to ask an experienced professional questions you may not have had the chance to ask anywhere else. I personally don’t find I’m provided with sufficient time at my monthly doctor’s appointment to ask all the questions I’d like to. And the Internet doesn’t always offer accurate information!

Learn the Signs of Labour
I may be doing my own thing once I go into labour, but how do I really know I’m in labour when it happens? It will be nice to learn these signs and symptoms so I’m prepared.

Learn About Pain Relief Options
The most important part in my opinion! We have all heard about epidurals but are there other options available? And if so, how effective will they be? And if I do want an epidural, when do I need to ask for it?

Bring Daddy into the Loop
My husband is very interested in my pregnancy and is also nervous about labour but because he isn’t going through it himself, it’s difficult for him to understand every pain and worry I’m experiencing. By attending classes with other soon-to-be dads, he will be able to hear their questions and concerns as well as listen to what other moms-to-be are going through. Attending these classes together will help him feel more involved.

We don’t start these classes for another month but I look forward to sharing what I learn as I go along.

April 21, 2010

28 weeks Pregnant – The Home Stretch is Here!

I’m now 28 weeks pregnant and boy I’m feeling it! The energy I felt for most of the second trimester has all but disappeared and in its place are feelings of exhaustion, breathlessness and a heavy front side! My belly is growing every day and, as a result, my balance is off kilter and my back is sore.

Pregnancy perils aside, I’m excited to be entering into my third trimester. With the home stretch in full view, I’m getting more excited for motherhood everyday and I’m also relieved to know that if he were born today; my son would have a 90% survival rate.

Where has the time gone? It seems as though I was celebrating my 12th week just yesterday! Now my baby is about two pounds and measures at about 14 inches from head to rump. He’s also fattening up and gaining muscle (that explains all of the baby aerobics going on while I try to sleep!).

In addition to growing, my baby son is also sucking his thumb, hiccupping and dreaming. Yes, dreaming. What do babies dream about, no one knows. Perhaps they dream about the music mommy played through her belly that day. Or maybe they dream about that horrible garlic dish mommy consumed for dinner! Who knows? What I do know is that my son is now a little person, discovering his own personal world as I busily prepare for him to enter the big real world in just a few short months!

April 19, 2010

Taylor Swift Makes My Son Dance

That’s what I think anyway. I’ve read that beginning in the fifth or sixth month; many babies can hear and respond to music from inside the uterus. Apparently music stimulates your baby and is a great way to bond before you two actually meet.

So, in the name of bonding, I decided to play some music for my unborn son. Placing my iPhone iPod directly on my belly and turning on shuffle, Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” blared through the speakers and into the depths of my uterus. To my admitted surprise, my stomach suddenly began to bounce! From the right side to the left, I could feel my son kicking away. It was so funny that I just had to show my husband when he came home. His reaction was a little different than mine though. Here’s how it went:

Husband - “You’re playing Taylor Swift to our son? And he likes it?”

Me – “Yes, you should have seen my stomach move! It was like he was having his own little dance party in the there!”

Husband – “Maybe we should try another artist, you know, besides a teen girl country singer.”

So to make my husband feel better, we play some more “manly” selections (if JayZ and Red Hot Chili Peppers are considered manly.) All we get is a small kick. I guess my little boy may just have great taste in women already!

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