Friday, June 10, 2011

Hypnobirthing Classes, Part III

Lisa requested that we bring a large exercise ball to our final Hypnobirthing class. I worried about this for 3 weeks, mainly because the subway is extremely crowded on Saturday mornings when we travel to Seoul for our classes. Of course I felt like an idiot when I brought up my anxiety in class only to find out that I could blow the ball up when I arrived at the class, and then easily deflate it before our subway trip home. Once again, I blame baby brain. Lately it seems that common sense has abandoned me.

Our final birthing class was my favorite of the four classes. We started with a discussion of the signs of labor, but with Hypnobirthing, we speak in euphemisms to keep things positive. A mucous plug sounds pretty nasty, so we instead call it a uterine seal. Bloody show is instead referred to as birth show, contractions are called surges, and our water doesnt break, our membranes release. Actually, I got all of the answers wrong because I forgot to use the euphemisms, and somehow I dont think I am going to care what contractions should be called when I am experiencing them! Lisa informed us that another sure sign of labor is that the mother poops a lot in the days leading up to labor (bodys way of clearing everything out and making room)- no euphemism for pooping, but Joe suggested the usuals: taking a dump, dropping the kids off at the pool, or good old shitting. We also talked about nesting. I was happy to find out that true nesting doesnt usually happen until a few weeks before the baby comes. I can barely find any motivation to clean at all. You know things are bad when Joes closet is more organized than mine.

After we finished talking about the days prior to labor, we completed a hypnosis activity geared towards releasing our fears surrounding birth. Most of our concerns are financial/logistical, and they all revolve around something that is completely out of our control: when the baby decides to come. So, for the first time in my life I have decided not to worry at least for now. By putting this in writing, if I start to worry closer to babys due date, please remind me of what I just wrote.

Next we practiced exercises and positions that we can use during contractions and pushing. I have the option to birth in any position I want. When I tell my Korean co-workers that I probably wont be lying down, strapped to a bed, they usually make comments about how westerners are more concerned with pain than the safety of their baby. One thing you learn quickly about Koreans is that it is pointless to argue with them. Most Koreans do exactly what is expected of them and they rarely behave (or think) outside of their cultural norms. I do a lot of smiling and nodding.

We finished the class with a birthing video that was about as close to porn as you can get. The women were enjoying their births so much that it was disturbing, and the music definitely added to the porn vibe. Note- this was not why I enjoyed the last class so much!

The week after our final Hypnobirthing class, we attended a class focused on what to do after the baby is born. Of the four original couples, one was missing because their baby boy arrived 3 weeks early! 2 new couples joined us for the class, both ready to pop at any moment. 1 couple was from the states and the other couple was from Thailand. This class was primarily focused on breastfeeding, and I am really happy that Joe was present. He was shocked to find out that breastfeeding is practically a full time job when the baby is a newborn. However, when he found out that men too can breastfeed, he didnt volunteer to share in the burden! One of the men present actually knew someone in high school that was able to shoot milk from his nipples. I guess he wasnt very popular.

In addition to breastfeeding we practiced swaddling, calming the baby, and burping the baby. Joe got pretty into it, as you can see from the pictures.



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