I can’t believe how time flies…seriously. In my case, I feel as though I’ve been going at warp speed these last few months. Can it really be true? Do I really only have 50 days to go? That’s like…only a month-and-a-half away! Am I ready? Are WE ready? All these questions.
At almost 33 weeks, I know Baby Maxity is not fully baked yet. So, he’s not ready to come out. He needs to put a little more meat on him first. Still, as each day passes, The B and I feel more and more confident and ready to take the plunge into parenthood.
Last night, we attended our second prenatal class. At first I thought these were going to be as cheesy as a bag of puffed Cheetos. But, actually, the classes have been really great so far. The first night we discussed labour. Yesterday, we addressed relaxation techniques.
As I was listening, I couldn’t help but relate it all to sport and running. Personally, I’m betting labour will be a lot like a marathon. You see, there are a lot of similarities: there’s a coach, fueling and breathing techniques to master. Becoming a master in all of this will help to increase my odds of a positive experience. (I’ve been assured there is such a thing in labour!) And then there’s the surprise factor: You can train and visualize all you want for a marathon, but sometimes things don’t always turn out the way you planned. For example, last year at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, it suddenly got warm, especially towards the end. I had to adapt and as a result, was forced to slow down. The lesson I learned: expect surprises.
The B will act as my coach and “Sherpa” during labour. We were told that once I move into active labour, he will time my contractions. He also learned some really comfortable massage techniques to help ease the tension and the pain. (And was told to practice them on a nightly basis…Woohoo!) But most importantly, he’ll help me concentrate on my breathing and coach me through the tough contractions. While I will be doing a lot of work, The B will also be very, very busy.
Since beginning running and yoga, I’ve come to realize the importance of breath. Through the practice of good breathing patterns, I can often endure the muscle burn of holding a yoga pose for a long period of time. And during the last few miles of any race, focus on my breath has helped me to finish strong. That’s the same strategy I’ll hopefully apply to labour.
When it comes to fueling, our instructor told us to keep snacking until we get to the hospital, then we have to stop. Oh well…so much for the late Big Mac snack attack! (Kidding).
After watching a video and seeing a woman going through labour, I kind of got freaked out. (I still can't imagine something so big coming out of my vajajay.) But the more and more I think about it- the more excited I get. The best part, I'm told, is that as soon as the baby comes out, the pain stops. But by then, (hopefully) I'll be on cloud nine holding my Baby Maxity.
At almost 33 weeks, I know Baby Maxity is not fully baked yet. So, he’s not ready to come out. He needs to put a little more meat on him first. Still, as each day passes, The B and I feel more and more confident and ready to take the plunge into parenthood.
Last night, we attended our second prenatal class. At first I thought these were going to be as cheesy as a bag of puffed Cheetos. But, actually, the classes have been really great so far. The first night we discussed labour. Yesterday, we addressed relaxation techniques.
As I was listening, I couldn’t help but relate it all to sport and running. Personally, I’m betting labour will be a lot like a marathon. You see, there are a lot of similarities: there’s a coach, fueling and breathing techniques to master. Becoming a master in all of this will help to increase my odds of a positive experience. (I’ve been assured there is such a thing in labour!) And then there’s the surprise factor: You can train and visualize all you want for a marathon, but sometimes things don’t always turn out the way you planned. For example, last year at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, it suddenly got warm, especially towards the end. I had to adapt and as a result, was forced to slow down. The lesson I learned: expect surprises.
The B will act as my coach and “Sherpa” during labour. We were told that once I move into active labour, he will time my contractions. He also learned some really comfortable massage techniques to help ease the tension and the pain. (And was told to practice them on a nightly basis…Woohoo!) But most importantly, he’ll help me concentrate on my breathing and coach me through the tough contractions. While I will be doing a lot of work, The B will also be very, very busy.
Since beginning running and yoga, I’ve come to realize the importance of breath. Through the practice of good breathing patterns, I can often endure the muscle burn of holding a yoga pose for a long period of time. And during the last few miles of any race, focus on my breath has helped me to finish strong. That’s the same strategy I’ll hopefully apply to labour.
When it comes to fueling, our instructor told us to keep snacking until we get to the hospital, then we have to stop. Oh well…so much for the late Big Mac snack attack! (Kidding).
After watching a video and seeing a woman going through labour, I kind of got freaked out. (I still can't imagine something so big coming out of my vajajay.) But the more and more I think about it- the more excited I get. The best part, I'm told, is that as soon as the baby comes out, the pain stops. But by then, (hopefully) I'll be on cloud nine holding my Baby Maxity.
1 Comments:
Hi! Funny, I just read your post now and once again, we're having the same thoughts. I posted last night about my birthing class, and how I plan to use breathing techniques that I use when I get one of those horrible side stitches while running (deep breath in and pushing it out as hard as I can, no matter how silly I sound). I closed my eyes during my birth class video. It was AWFUL - from the 1980's and this woman was in pain... I was just tired and didn't want to look at it! So true that preparing for a marathon will be like giving birth. I agree - we have a plan in our mind, but everything could change at a moments notice!
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