Childbirth Class 5 & 6

We finished up our 6 week childbirth class on Sunday.

Class #5 - This class included the hospital tour. I was surprised at how big the maternity rooms are! Labor, delivery, and recovery are all in the same room unless you end up with a c-section. I definitely like that. There are also 3 refrigerators on the maternity floor stocked with clear beverages you can have during labor and ice cream for afterward. Nice!

Class #6 - This class covered post-partum and breastfeeding. Apparently one dad in the class thought you were released from the hospital the same day the baby is born and it was quite a surprise for him to learn that was not the case. Personally I want to stay as long as possible before having to go home with a baby!

The class wasn't what we expected at first, but it got better and I'm glad we took it. I didn't really learn much I didn't already know from a medical standpoint, but I didn't know much about labor positions and hospital procedures. I'm interested to see if I use any of the relaxation techniques and labor positions before I can get the epidural.

I had my (almost) 37 week appointment today. I'm measuring at 38 weeks, so pretty much right on track. Last week I was told I was going to have a big baby, and I asked the OB (a different one from last week) about that this morning. His reply was "That's what it looks like, but you're also short stature." No one seems to be concerned and have not mentioned having a growth ultrasound, so I'm trying not to worry about it. What I don't want to happen is me to be in labor for hours and hours only to end up with a stuck baby and a c-section. If it's going to end up as a c-section, I'd rather just go for that from the start.

They'll finally start checking me for dilation and effacement next week. I was a little perturbed last week when I found out they don't start checking at 36 weeks like a lot of practices, but it's probably better in the end. I would have ended up obsessing over it and whatever they tell me isn't going to mean much anyway. I have most of the signs of pre-labor (NOT pre-term labor) that are listed in What to Expect When You're Expecting minus losing the mucus plus. We'll just see what happens, but I certainly hope it's sooner rather than later.

How far along: 36 weeks 6 days

Next appointment: Next Wednesday

Any new aches/pains: I've started having occasional bouts of lightening crotch which always catches me off guard. I'm having more and more Braxton Hicks, but there's no pattern to them and they don't hurt. His hard little head is still buried way down in my pelvis which makes for pretty constant pubic bone pain, but it's not too terrible.

Maternity clothes: I'm down to just a handful of outfits I can wear which includes 2 pairs of capri pants for bottoms. My feet have swollen and won't go down, so I can't wear anything but flip flops. Luckily no one seemed to notice (or they ignored it) last week when I wore flip flops with a maternity business suit. Classy.

Sleep: I wake up every 2ish hours all night long. Surprisingly, I'm not exhausted during the day but I don't have much energy when I get home from work.

Best moment this week: Ask me tomorrow when I'm full term.

Movement: He's still squirming around in there.

Food cravings: Anything sweet. All I want to do is bake yummy things.

Belly button: It's still in and almost completely flat. I told P last night that this is the only body part that hasn't failed me.

What I miss: Having more than 4-5 outfits to choose from. Being able to wear shoes. Being able to clean the bathtub without it feeling like I've run a marathon.

What I'm looking forward to this week: Full term tomorrow!!

Weekly wisdom: If you have a lot of things to accomplish on the weekends, just pick one and do it. Then re-evaluate how much energy you have.