What Do We Do With You?

March has been the month of classes. We decided against birthing classes. Lots of people told us it wasn't worth it. My doctor's opinion was that some women feel empowered having the information and some women are just overwhelmed by it. I believe I fall within the latter. I've decided that when I get to the hospital, they're going to tell me what to do and a really long time after that, you will arrive no matter what I learned or didn't learn from those classes. However, I did start to feel like I couldn't go into this totally blind, so your dad and I started reading the Labor and Delivery chapter from "What To Expect When You're Expecting." We had to stop last night after reading the An Episiotomy section. It had me screaming and covering my ears and your dad closing his eyes and wiping his forehead. Now I'm back to thinking I should just go into this blind. What I don't know won't make me scream before I have to.

The first class we took was Going Home: The First 90 Days. This one was important to us. We wanted to know what to do with you when we weren't in the hospital with a bunch of experts. A lot of it was common sense, but it's funny how sometimes you don't really think about something until someone says it out loud. We learned about bathing you before and after the icky part of your belly button falls off. We practiced making a baby Bean burrito (swaddling) which your dad is better at than me. I, however, was better at the diapering. Not sure I should be admitting that though. In his defense, the diaper was a little small for the doll we were working with. The teacher went over safety issues, breast feeding, bottle feeding, bathing, and more. She made us aware of just how much you will poop, what it should look like, and how much time we'll spend just feeding and changing you. But the best thing I learned--and I had no idea that there were products being sold just for this purpose--was about Tummy Time. Tummy Time will be my favorite!! This time is for you to practice moving your little noggin and strengthening your neck, but more importantly... it is time to get your back side naked to give it a little air. It is the time I will spend grabbing, patting, and tickling your little bum. I can't wait, because there is nothing cuter than a baby butt, and now I find out that there is actually an excuse to set aside time to get it!

We also took an infant CPR class so we know how to help you if you stop breathing and what to do if you start choking, besides freak out. I think your dad and I both felt like we learned everything from the book they sent us. However, we also both agreed that reading about how deep you push into the chest for CPR and how hard you hit for choking is much different than actually doing it. We were glad we got to practice on the CPR mannequin. I'm hoping that having this knowledge is like bringing an umbrella when there is a chance of rain, that I'll never have to use it.

I do feel better after taking these classes, but I'm convinced that there aren't enough classes or books to really prepare us for what we're getting into, for the overwhelming responsibility of taking care of you, of raising you. I think we'll get most of it right, hopefully the really important things, but some of it we just won't. To help make up for our inevitable mistakes, we plan to teach you all about tolerance and forgiveness. It should help when you think we're driving you crazy.