Thursday, January 31, 2008

Breathe (and, it’s only a job…)

Tonight we start learning how to give birth. Well, I suppose S’s body has been learning and adjusting for 183 days. But now we will attend classes on what to expect, how to deal with things, and what to watch for! My role will start to expand now, as I prepare to support my wife through the amazing feat of bringing a life into the world!

Now that we have duked it out with the MW and the MBC, we are WAY more comfortable with our birth plan. I think, and hope, the things we learn during the classes they offer (15 hours of them) will really enhance that comfort and knowledge. I can’t believe we are to the point that we are starting to actually physically prepare for the big day!

We have also signed up for a few other classes at the wonderful locally owned baby store. We will be taking cloth diapering and wearing your baby (to help us pick out a sling we like most) in the coming month. These two classes will help us achieve some of the parenting style we hope to be able to incorporate in our lives. I say hope because in our fear-based world people tend to tell you all the negatives they experienced. Not only do they share their negative experience but also they almost try to make it sound inevitable that you will likely be in misery like they were. (How many more people can tell us we will not like our dog after Tot arrives…give me a break have you see her?) True, I am the hopeless optimist in our family but I tend to strongly believe in self-fulfilling prophesies. I like to do my part to make sure that if I am mentally predetermining my future, I would prefer it has a good outcome. (Don’t get me wrong I understand the concept of, “If I’m prepared for the worst I will be pleasantly surprised by the mediocre.”) So, we are determined to try and hopefully be able to incorporate some of the following in our quest and reality of being parents:

1. Water/natural birth at a birth center
2. Co-breast feeding
3. Going home the same day as the birth
4. Cloth diapering (well, we may cheat a bit with these)
5. Wearing our baby
6. Loving our pets even after Tot’s arrival
7. Parenting with Love and Logic (please excuse the excessive use of religion in this book, the concept is the best part! Thanks for the book dad!)
8. Continuing to travel
9. Removing the societal norm of fear-based decision making (i.e. LIVING LIFE)
10. Working together as parents to maintain consistency in our techniques
11. Maintaining a healthy understanding and balance between our wishes and desires for our children and their temperament, aptitude, and goals.

Cerebral and full of high hopes? We hope so! This is one very important job! We are now in the business of creating a future adult.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks like a great list (especially the "still travel" and "still love our dog" part). I think we have "we will leave the house, even if it seems like a hassle" and "we will still go to restaurants" on our (sadly, still hypothetical) list.

--a fellow southern Wisconsinite, and a regular lurker

E. from Pot o' Gold said...

I agree with you guys on the thinking positive thing. It was a daily assignment for us because we took HypnoBirthing classes. Any time someone tried to tell me their horror birth story I would mentally tune them out and imagine a normal, risk-free birth.

"Still go to restaurants" and other places with the baby was on our list. We do that. We're lucky to have a "go with the flow" baby - or maybe we're not lucky. Maybe we helped to make him this way. :)

Hope you enjoy your classes! It's exciting to be nearing the end!

Clark said...

I took Princess to most continents of the world before she turned 5 - travelling with children is possible, and fun and a completely different experience....

Tot is coming into an amazing environment with her mothers - and don't listen to all those who will tell you the horror stories. You can and will do whatever you choose to do.

BTW I don't think I've commented before but I'm a long time lurker!

Holly said...

Great list! I don't think we thought that much at all about how we'd handle anything.

You two are going to be wonderful mommies!

CanadianMama said...

Great list!
I would love to do the water birth but it's not offered where I am, I'm jealous!

Dr. Grumbles said...

looks like you are both well prpeared for a very important job!

Keri said...

Are you looking to be mother(s) of the year? My goodness! I think you might be giving this boychild a perfect life! :)
You're going to be wonderful! - all of you!

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