« Tha-Thump | Main | Week 24 Belly Shot »
March 17, 2005
Birth Prep Class #3
Tuesday's class was the second in the pain coping techniques classes, after last week's class that dealt with the positioning, breathing stuff. This week it was water, vocalisation, partner support, massage and breathing.
Bonu (our educator) went pretty indepth about the water thing, which was nice as there's another couple besides PreZ and I who are considering water birth. But she also pointed out just using water as a relief tool during active labour, or to break up the time as well and give you a mental boost, in much the same way that changing positions can. Apparantly sometimes just standing in the shower for 30-60 minutes or so can really give you a new lease on it all.
The vocalisation part was not the part that I felt very into. The only part that really made sense for me was watching the pitch of the sounds you make. Lower chest-based sounds work very well, and that you should avoid high pitched sounds. Low-pitched really engages your chest and abdomen and muscles etc, which high-pitched doesn't. I think one of the reasons I didn't feel any connection with that method was the video we were watching, about a woman (who was also a singer) supposedly using vocalisation. I didn't really feel that she was utilising it much as a tool rather than just random exclamations at times. So the video didn't really underscore the uses of the technique much.
Then we watched two videos on partner support. The first video was really irritating to watch. Granted, the woman in labour was annoying, I don't think she was at all prepared for birth, and really seemed surprised about the duration and the different stages of labour etc. Her husband made most people in the room watching the video want to throttle him. He was the cheerleader type, and his little spiel that he'd talk through during her contractions was highly annoying... "you're riding the wave, yes, you're on the wave, like a ship, you're a ship" etc. along with the incessant "you can do it" stuff. It was like watching Bikram labour and birthing really.
When PreZ and I went to Bikram yoga, they'd keep up a running dialogue during class, and I mean constant running dialogue. The instructor whom we usually had on fridays generally toned it down a lot, didn't talk all the time, and it was pretty soothing when she did. Occasionally if we took a weekend class, we got a newbie instructor, Eric. Eric was a fresh recruit from Bikram's teacher's training, and he did the dialogue exactly like he was supposed to, in a cheerleading kind of fashion too, where you'd almost expect to hear "no pain no gain!" being called out too. I know that I found it highly distracting, as did PreZ, and I personally would keep a mantra in my head during Eric's classes that went "shut up! shut up!". I found it really detracted from my practise, and made me agitated rather than calm, things that I found anathema to a yoga practise, even one for the more A-type personalities like Bikram's hot yoga.
So, the husband in that video was much like Eric. It obviously worked for his wife though, she seemed to need that kind of attention, as she was "high needs" as our instructor put it. The husband did deserve kudos for being there 200% for his wife the whole time whilst putting his own needs on the backburner, and for being a strong advocate for her needs, because he'd go to bat for her occasionally if there was something she wanted or needed to do and the staff weren't paying her much attention. However, it was definitely not the support I'd want or need, or not in that form. I'm very confident in the fact that PreZ will be there the whole way through, and supportive, and an advocate etc., but I'm sure his presence will be much different and less yappity than that husband's was. More calming, for me at least, because having a support partner around like that husband would only increase my stress and agitation levels and anxiety. One other thing in that video that I thought was a huge mistake on the part of the caregiver, was when the baby's head was crowning, she says to this high-strung stressed anxious woman "oh, it'll feel like you're splitting in half, but it'll be over soon". It was so the wrong thing to say to that type of person. She was having a hard enough time dealing with just labour contractions in active labour and transition, hearing that you're about to feel like you're going to split in two at the crotch is so not reassuring at the best of times, least of all when you're extra stressed. That comment did make our entire class laugh though, so I think they were all as incredulous about it being said as I was at the time.
The second tape we saw, which was also made in 2003 as opposed to 1989, was very different. This couple looked like they were both on tranquilisers or something they were so calm. It made a nice contrast though. Not much else to say about the tape other than the fact that the partner was a great support partner for his wife. The tape did give a good idea of the actual duration of labour. As they kept showing little time stamps as to when she started early labour, when she started active labour, transition and when the baby was finally born.
After labour support partners we moved onto massage, which was fun. We got to practise some hands on techniques as well, stuff for the partners to remember. Also a few pressure points that stimulate labour/contractions, which we obviously get to avoid now, but which we might consider when actually in labour and if it's not progressing quite as much.
Also emphasis was placed on eating well during early labour while we can, and drinking plenty of water all the way through, a practise that's generally discouraged in hospitals. Apparantly this is because of the possibility of needing general anaesthesia in certain cases for emergency c-section. Needless to say this is a very rare occurance, even among c-sections (many are epidural/spinal) and Bonu pointed out that the risks of not hydrating enough and having eaten before hand were much more severe than the risks involved in the case of maybe having to have that c-section under general anaesthesia. But obviously to let caregivers know before any surgery that you had eaten/had fluids. If they can do emergency surgery on trauma victims where they need to administer general anaesthesia and don't know if the person ate before they got hit by that car or whatever, they can adapt to this too. Apparantly the biggest difference is how carefully they intubate you. Also, there's controversy even in the medical community about the eating thing, with some doctor's saying that undiluted stomach acid is surely worse for the lungs than food if aspirated.
Other reminders included to have foods on hand for after birth too, as you'll be hungry like a horse from all the expended energy.
Next week's class deals with technology. So all the last resort stuff for me. Epidurals, foceps, episiotomies, c-sections, etc.
Posted on 02:15 PM to: Pregnancy