I can't believe we've already finished birth class #5! Time is flying by. This week's topic was second stage labor. Let's just say second stage labor won't be a walk in the park. It's when baby descends into the birth canal, turns, and mom pushes baby out. Lucky for us ladies, the super painful part of this stage (called "transition") only lasts 30 minutes or so. Our birth instructor said we can expect to vomit, shake, feel nauseous, and have hot flashes and cold sweats. And our 'tudes aren't supposed to be too pleasant, either. We may get rude or angry at our coaches. Tyler is really looking forward to this stage, let me tell you :) Lucky for us all, we talked in class about how we're going to get through it.
Remember last class when our teacher made us attach ice to our feet to simulate the pain of first stage labor? I was convinced she'd do that again. Actually, I was kind of afraid of what she'd come up with to simulate the pain of second stage labor given it is way more painful. Imagine our surprise when we didn't have to simulate the pain at all. Yesss!
And I can't end this post without telling you that our salads were hit! Almost everyone ate them and a few of the ladies even went back for seconds. We're kind of proud of ourselves.
Here are some interesting things we learned at class this week:
1. Leaving baby attached to the placenta until the cord stops pulsating is a good idea because it will give baby all of the good blood that's still in it.
1. Some women take home their placentas and eat (yes, I said EAT) them. Others have them put in pill form. Apparently ingesting your placenta will replenish your body with the iron, etc. lost during childbirth, ward off postpartum depression, and increase mom's milk supply. Tyler said he would eat his placenta if he was a girl. Seriously. I, on the other hand, will not be eating mine. It can stay at the hospital with all of the other placentas that get left at the hospital, thank you very much.
3. To push really effectively, it helps to hold your abs tight when taking deep breaths in.
