Hee Hee Hee Hooooo... (repeat)

Hee Hee Hee Hoooooo... Such an attractive exercise.

I'm practicing my breathing.

We learned to breathe last Wednesday in class 2 (of 5) of our Childbirth Prep course that we are taking through Kaiser. Funny that breathing is such an art. Not too fast, or you'll pass out. Not too slow, or you'll feel like you're suffocating. How many "Hee's" should there be before a "Hoo"? Don't forget the deep, cleansing breath at the beginning and end of a contraction.

It's a good thing I'll have my sister there to help me remember all this. We do get the chance to "practice" in class, but I think this is more for the labor partner than the mom-to-be. I'm going to forget all this as soon as the first contraction hits, I just know it. I might forget it sooner, given my current mental capacity these days.

To "practice" this breathing during a contraction thing, the class instructor made each of the pregnant women hold an ice cube in their hand during the "contraction" to simulate being uncomfortable and trying to breath through that. I'm not a big fan of the ice cube. A) An icy, aching hand seems a poor analogy to a cramping abdomen, and B) if I'm not going to remember all this anyhow, why go through frozen extremities bit?

All in all, though, I have appreciated the childbirth preparation class we are going through. While perhaps not what I'd pick for a date night with the husband, the evenings have proven informative and practical. Amanda is getting to attend with Jacob and me, since she'll be serving as the doula/labor partner (allowing Jacob to just .... enjoy? is that the right word?... the birth experience). I've been grateful for how confident and knowledgeable she is, even just during the classes. It makes this labor business feel a little less intimidating.

Speaking of labor... I watched my very first labor video in class last week, and they've promised (threatened?) another one this week. Um... birth is a little traumatic. The more I learn, the more nervous I get. Don't get me wrong. I'd rather be informed and nervous than ignorant and taken by surprise. But having not actually attended a birth before, or seen any videos up until last week, I am becoming more aware of just how much a woman's (and by that, I mean MY) body has to go through to get this baby from inside to outside. And the different between reading about it (something I've done more than my share of) and seeing it is vast. How much more different will it be to actually experience it? I'm nervously biting my lip even now as I think about it.

I posted this on my facebook page awhile ago, but it bears repeating... For a particularly humorous look at Lamaze classes, read this Dave Barry article. :)