The Learning Curve

August 24th, 2009

33 Weeks pregnant


Yesterday, Danny and I took a parenting class. We learned all about what happens after a baby is born. A lot goes into to making sure the baby is ok and healthy. The hospital will test for everything under the sun within hours after the birth. They will test for all kinds of diseases and will test her hearing by putting little headphones over her ears. So wild! They also talked about how important skin-to-skin contact is. When Mia arrives, the doctor will place her right on my chest. We learned that the first 60 minutes after a baby is born is called the "Golden Hour". Skin to skin contact is very important for bonding. I can't wait to do that with Mia!

In addition to the tests the hospital does after the baby is born, we learned how to diaper a baby, how to swaddle a baby and how to bathe a baby. We were each given a baby doll to practice on. It was hilarious to watch the husbands play with their dolls. Some would turn the heads completely around ala The Exorcist, while others would take their doll's arms and legs and put them in completely inappropriate positions, much to the chagrin of their wives. My husband was no better. Even so, he did a stellar job when it came to diapering. I'm so afraid of bodily fluids, even my own that I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the diaper "mess" situation when it occurs, and it will most definitely occur. Everyone says that when it comes to "gross out factor" it's different when it's your child. I'll have to reserve my judgement until the time comes but for now, I'm very lucky that Danny does not get easily wigged-out by bodily fluids and he realizes that there will be many a dirty diaper to be changed in his future.

Swaddling is interesting too. A neighbor of ours just had a baby boy that we were fortunate to see a week after he was born. He was being taken out of his car seat and he was crying and fussy. He was not very happy but when she took him upstairs and wrapped the swaddling blanket around him, he stopped crying almost instantly. Apparently, babies love to be wrapped up like little mummies because it reminds them of being in the womb. That feeling must definitely fade with time because when I recently got a body wrap at high-end spa, all I could think about was the itch on my nose and the fact that my hands were bound by thick layers of seaweed. Not fun. But for most babies, swaddling is a comfort like no other so I have to say I got pretty good at it.

Only 5 1/2 weeks left until my little one comes into the world and there is still so much to learn. I just ordered cotton balls and baby shampoo and I'm sure there are going to be plenty of things we're going to need that we'll find out about after I give birth. Until now, I will continue to perfect my swaddling technique until my little angel blesses us with her arrival.