Getting Smarter

In a previous post, I told you about our first baby class. Since then, we have taken a few other classes that are offered through our hospital. Being first time parents, these have all been very helpful. Plus, it's been fun to meet other people in the classes that are going through many of the same experiences that we are. In fact, on our way into a recent class, we ran into someone that we met in a previous class only to find out that his wife just gave birth. It was fun to share that excitement with him! So here are the new classes that we have completed:

• Newborn care and behavior. In this class we learned a lot about what to expect after the baby is born. We learned about newborn appearance, how to wash a baby, getting into a basic routine, how to dress your baby properly for the weather, etc. All very basic stuff, but it was nice to be able to ask some questions and just know what to expect a little more.
  
• Prepared childbirth. This is the stereotypical child birth class. We learned everything we need to know about the actual labor and childbirth process from hospital procedures, to positions and techniques for managing pain. I'll spare you the details :-)
  
• Breastfeeding I. This was just what it sounds like. I attended this class with Sara so that I could learn more about how to provide support and make it easier for her to breastfeed. Part I of the class, which we took last week, was all the basics. We'll take part II next week which will get into pumping and other issues related to Sara returning to work.

After next week's class we'll be all done with classes. While a lot of the information that we learned in the classes could have been learned from books, talking with friends, etc. It's been a good process for us because we could ask questions, get comfortable with the hospital (the classes are held just down the hall from the labor and delivery rooms), and they even provided some incentive for us to stay on track with our planning.