Greg and I only have one more class to take….well actually I only have one more class to take because Greg is out of the country =) So far we’ve taken a birthing class, a car seat class, an infant care class and a Fathering class (just greg went to that one….very brave of him don’t you think?), all I have left is what i’ve heard is the most important class…the breast feeding class…that one I have the most questions about! The classes have been good….the teachers have been hit or miss….the folks in the class have been interesting.
The classes: I would like to think that we would have been just fine if we took no classes at all (except maybe the b-feeding one) but there were certainly small bits and pieces to gleam from each class. The birthing class had a great teacher…but we had to watch those birthing videos. Those are SCARY! I wasn’t nervous at all until I watched those. And then of course because of all the hormones, I cried at the end….I looked around the room and noticed that I wasn’t the only one all teared up though. I talked to my Dr. a couple days later and he commented that he wished they didn’t show those videos….it’s a lot harder just watching someone in pain, having no control over it or the situation, then actually being the one in pain….this I can agree with….and can see….that made me feel better…..but I still think that they should show those movies to 13 year olds…..I think there would be fewer pregnancies! That and a shopping trip to Babies R’Us to see the prices =) The infant care class was just your basics….we would have been fine to miss that and the car seat class (though after going around the room we were very glad that some of the others were there!) Greg enjoyed the fathering class, which was taught by a father…he learned a few things, got to practice other stuff more, and what was nice is that the teacher covered things like what to do if the baby just won’t stop crying and you think you’re going out of your mind….things i think some guys might have a hard time taking. It was also a good eye opener for Greg to hear about how long things might take (don’t think I’m taking any credit away from him….he’s as competent at all this stuff as I am!!!) but to realize how often the baby will eat….how long it will take her to eat…how much she might sleep….how long it will take to change a diaper….those things that he thought might be all a matter of minutes and turns out are going to take a lot longer then that….that was good for him to hear…
Some of the people who show up to take these classes….Boy am I glad they are there! The questions they would ask and the things they would discuss….Now, I’m NO baby genius….and I realize that any question is a good question….but if you are asking things like, “should i rip out the lining of my baby car seat because I read that babies can suffocate on too much bedding?” and “I don’t want to get a car seat stroller combination because it will keep his/her head from being round” (well yes….if you leave him/her in there all the time…duh) those are just a couple of examples I can remember off the top of my head…..there were many times that Greg and I found each other kicking one another under the table =)
