Last Thursday, August 5, was the first day of prenatal class. There are four sessions – every Thursday in August. So far we’ve learned about:

• Anatomy and physiology terminology
• Nutrition/exercise
• Stages of labor, medications, breathing techniques, interventions, C-sections
• Hospital admission procedures
• Post-delivery care

Next week we’re doing car seat safety, newborn care, and taking a tour of the hospital.

So far the class has been both informative and painful. Informative because it’s info we didn’t know. I feel reassured by how nice the hospital is, how I’ll get my own room with a rocking chair and shower, how I’ll be able to walk around and won’t be confined to the bed… TV doesn’t pain a pretty picture of labor. However, it’s been painful because there are some stupid people who ask really stupid questions, and then the nurse instructor only answers those questions. I ask questions like:

• “Does doing the perineal massage really help avoid an episiotomy?” {Her response was something like “when a doctor does that it usually causes tearing,” which wasn’t my question. I was asking about doing the massage daily prior to labor…}
• “If the baby’s lungs aren’t developed but the baby is large for its age, why not leave the baby in there?” {Her response: “Women with diabetes have babies that get too big too soon.”}

It’s all good though. Getting our $40 worth.

From BabyCenter.com (“her” ch:anged to “his”):

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn’t much more than an average rutabaga, but he’s beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he’ll start to look more and more like a newborn. He’s also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you’d now be able to discern its color and texture.

On Thursday, August 5, we went for an ultrasound. I was 24 weeks, 2 days. Based on measurements of the baby’s head, the tech estimated me to be 25 weeks, 5 days. Definitely confirmed that we’re having a boy.

I live in a rural area. I was told by staff at the hospital in which I will be giving birth that there weren’t any lamaze, Bradley method, or hypnobirthing classes in our area. However, with a little research, I found a Bradley method class relatively close by in Clermont. We totally can’t afford the class but it’s good to know that it’s even available.

About the upcoming class

Yes, I have a series that will begin August 20 (fridays) from 7-9pm. The class is held at Restoration Specific Chiropractic on Hwy 27 by the Citrus Tower in Clermont. It is a 10 week series which covers the following:

Class 1: Exercise

Class 2: Nutrition and Pregnancy

Class 3: The Coach’s Role

Class 4: Introduction to First Stage Labor

Class 5: Introduction to Second Stage Labor

Class 6: Planning Your Birth

Class 7: Variations and Unexpected Situations/Postpartum preparation

Class 8: Advanced First Stage Techniques

Class 9: Advanced Second Stage Techniques

Class 10: Being a Great Coach/Are You Ready? and Preparation for You New Family/Newborn Care

I also include some information and demonstration on cloth diapering and baby wearing if the couples are interested.

The class fee is $400 which includes the 10 week series, student workbook, coach card, certificate, unlimited phone and email support, and free refresher classes later in your current pregnancy and/or future pregnancies.

Update from BabyCenter.com:

Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball.

Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby’s odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn’t mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you’ll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure. {I’m told this is a nasty, unpleasant experience – I’ll be doing it on Friday.}

I go in for my next ultrasound on August 5, my birthday and my and Blake’s 7-year wedding anniversary. Hopefully we’ll get some pictures that look more human than the last ones. Right after the ultrasound is the first day of prenatal class at the hospital. Sounds like a very romantic anniversary, huh?

From BabyCenter.com:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he’s more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby’s increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing his for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won’t faze him when he hears them outside the womb.