Land of Lamaze...

Today was our Lamaze class. Overall I would say it was very informative and I'm glad we did it. I think we learned some techniques that will help us during the labor. The best part of the class was all the massages DH had to give me!! We were sent away with instructions to practice those between now and when labor begins so DH is ready to roll them out on Birth Day to help relax me. Yeah that can be arranged. DH is truly committed to supporting me and I know he's going to do an excellent job!! We have started discussing having a doula and are looking into it to help both of us. It seems as though having someone whose been to multiple births and knows what to expect would prove very helpful and possibly be the make or break for whether I get an epidural or not. I really would love to labor without medical intervention. I just feel I can do it if supported in the right way. Today we saw the internal monitor that they hook up to the baby when the mom is given pitocin, which almost always follows an epidural. Uh yeah. Now I'm even more motivated to avoid the epidural so I don't end up on pitocin. It's a wire with a screw hook on the end that they screw into the baby's scalp. Yeah I said into. Like under the thin skin on their head. According to the instructor 97% of women in the US get an epidural. She was very careful not to talk badly about them, but she also didn't exactly instill confidence that birth can be accomplished without them either. She did say both her labors were unmedicated. My number one concern throughout this pregnancy has been LD's well being. I think being a parent lends itself to selfless acts and worrying about your child's well being above your own. So I'm always surprised when women don't want to know the effects of things on their babies. The women in the class were so focused on having a baby in a pain-free way that it didn't seem important to them to hear the possible effects of the epidural. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against women who have epidurals, I haven't labored yet and have no idea if I'll even be able to labor without one. My biggest concern is people making decisions while not fully aware of the possible outcomes of said decision. Obviously you sign an informed consent before having an epidural, but when you are in labor and in pain and feeling absolutely awful, the last thing you are worried about is understanding and asking questions regarding the informed consent. You have to educate yourself ahead of time. Next week is our babycare and CPR class, taught by the same woman. It's another one I'm really looking forward to. My doctor's office called me last Thursday, the day after my last neurotic episode, regarding the 3 hour glucose test and told me they don't have patients change their diet at all. So I went for my 3 hour test last Friday. I made it through the 3 hours without puking or passing out, I've heard both are possibilities. I'm hoping to hear back Monday with a more definitive answer of whether or not I have gestational diabetes.