I have to reprogram myself to sit quietly in an uncomfortable chair and raise my hand. At least, unlike Adam Sandler, I am among other adults where it is not "cool to pee your pants."
Many hospitals offer classes to take before the baby comes. I like to mentally prepare myself for most things in life. For some reason, this did not ring true for labor and delivery. I opted not to take the class. I had no desire whatsoever to watch someone else having a baby on a video. This is completely and 100% a personal choice. It just was not for me, but recommend going if you think it will put you at ease. I decided to let the doctor and nurses walk me through as I went. My friends would laugh at me when I would say, "I think I am just gonna wing it."
Having said all of this, I DID take other classes offered and highly recommend them. Here are some that my hospital offered:
- Baby Basics - My husband and I went to this one together. Neither of us had ever changed a diaper, swaddled, or fed a baby before. Practicing on a doll is a lot different than the real thing, but baby steps (no pun intended) help.
- Breastfeeding - I was a little wary of this one. The stuffed practice boobs in the class definitely tested my maturity level (same as the real name of the Gold Catchers), but my doctor recommended I take this one. Low and behold, breastfeeding can be a lot harder than I thought. As one of my expecting friends said, "I thought you just popped a boob, slapped the baby on there, and you were good to go." Not so much! This class tells you what to expect and give you tons of helpful hints. The most beneficial part for me was the instructor explaining the best way to store up milk for when I went back to work.
- Infant Child/Safety and CPR - The hospital did offer this class, but one of my mommy friends had the great idea to have a small dinner party with our other expecting couple friends and have an instructor teach us CPR and Child safety after dinner. I have not had to use the baby choking rescue procedure, but many friends have. I am very glad to have this in my arsenal and ready to go just in case.
Helful Hint: Someone gave me the good advice to wait and take these classes in my third trimester so all the tips were fresh in my brain.
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