Childbirth Prep 101

Mr. Jarcy and I completed our first class in childbirth on Tuesday night and are feeling much better about the impending experience as a result.  Well, I'm thinking he feels better than me--I've been alternating between a mild level of terror to extreme overconfidence.  (Working on leveling that off with some meditation moments after I type this up.)  

During the class, I did something I swore I would not do--I watched birthing videos.  I declared early on that I did not want to view any because 1) I am queasy when it comes to blood/guts, and 2) I did not want someone else's birth to affect my own.  No videos for me, thank you very much.

But then it became clear that our childbirth educator was not going to allow me a free pass and we watched some.  Surprisingly, I felt relieved afterwards (although I did have my hands covering my eyes for some parts).  They were miraculous, beautiful and somewhat hilarious.  One video in particular had a series of women in various stages of labor and it focused on how they got through it.  Every one of them had a pattern or rhythm they seemed to create just for the occasion.  One woman kept doing light squats while getting hosed down in the shower.  Another kept stating, "It hurts, it hurts."  One lady laid on her side and made a yodeling sound.  Regardless of the activity, they all did it rhythmically and as labor progressed so did their commitment to the activity.  It was comforting.  

The wild card in one video was this exotically beautiful woman who was very quiet, naked and draped in a bed sheet. She seemed to be in a state of Zen while her spouse stared longingly into her eyes.  I think they were going to start having sex until they realized she needed to deliver a baby first.  My god, we should all be so lucky to have her birthing experience.  It seemed just as good as what got her there in the first place!