Tracks to Clementine

Homework

Firstly, let it be known that someday my child will be wearing this.

Secondly, we went to our first birth class last week. It was boring.

I don't think the remaining six classes will be that way: the first one was mostly dull because the chairs were arranged in such a way that we couldn't all see each other, the questions that were initially asked were done so in a way that made people hesitate to answer them, and I'd already read and processed all of the material covered in the two hours because I bought the book used in this class series in my first trimester (possibly even before I knew I was pregnant).

Obviously, the two bore-factors in the above were especially noticeable to me due to my job. I had to spend some time convincing myself not to think too much about it, but that was tricky because of the third bore-factor of already having read all of the information. If there had been new information I would have been good and distracted and focused.

My favorite part of the class was watching two women in particular whenever labor pain was mentioned (such fearful looks, but so endearing!) and the moments when the instructor's personality really came out. She seems pretty great overall (and is one of the authors of the book we're using) and I've decided not to get too judge-y about her first-day skills as not everybody who knows content knows how to set-up a room for maximum not-boringness. And I supsect that we'll be much more hands-on starting tomorrow (day 2 of the series).

We had homework for this week, including reading chapters 1-9 of the book. I'd already read chapters 1-7 (I stopped when it hit more labor-oriented things as I didn't want to freak myself out too much in earlier trimesters when I couldn't do anything about it and I didn't want to ruin the class for myself...ahem), but re-read them because that's the sort of person I am with homework. I also have been practicing the exercises that were assigned. I am refusing, however, to complete the diet diary.

That's also the sort of person I am with homework.

I am not going to do it because I decided way back in my first trimester that I wasn't going to do the food diary because I would obsess about it and it would drive me crazy and do me far less good than just eating well. (To note, it's not a diary of exactly what you eat, but rather noting for which meals you ate certain foodgroups and how many servings. So, sort of great, but indeed with much potential for crazy-making.) I'm also not doing it because, duh, if it were going to be useful, it would have been back in that first trimester when learning how to eat while pregnant. I'm thirdly not doing it because it has nothing to do with what I want out of the class.

What do I want out of the class? Well, I want to be able to actively learn and practice labor pain coping techniques with a group of other expecting parents, think about some baby things I wouldn't have thought of because I'm not the same as the other parents, do some more figuring and asking about breastfeeding (it will be happening, but I want more resources about what to do if it's difficult when it is difficult), and generally spend some time in a room with people who share one thing specifically but are very different from me and Yellow Dog on the surface level. Being around mostly artists and educators I often forget what regular people are like and having a kid is a pretty regular thing to do, no matter how individual and incredible it is.

Now that we're down to nine weeks to the due date of small Squirmus (or Ribsy, depending on the time of day and the location of certain extremities or how much Beverly Cleary one has been reading), it's becoming even clearer that a real baby is on the way. Clearer because of expanding belly, clearer because of baby clothes in the house, clearer because the dates are rolling by...and I like it. It's getting a little scarier, but in the best way. I'm running out of Science of Pregnancy items to focus on--it's really funny how the earlier weeks of pregnancy are all full of details about systems and growth but the later weeks are all "putting on some fat layers"--and that means I just get to think more and more about this new child and how that child makes me a mother and Yellow Dog a father and how wrong wrong wrong any thoughts I'm having about it are going to seem once the Inside Baby is the Outside Baby.

It's quite likely the only time I've so eagerly looked forward to being wrong.

Now it is time for a hearty lunch without writing down what I ate.

(I have to admit that--though I'm standing fast on not doing that food diary--I'm also a little worried about getting in trouble for not doing it.)

Posted by Ida at October 15, 2007 01:55 PM