Birthing Class

Saturday, Greg and I attended an all day labor and delivery class at the Northside Cherokee Hospital where I’ll deliver. I’ll give Greg credit, he only mentioned that he’d rather be hunting three times; I was the one checking my cell phone for text updates on the noon Tar Heel vs. Georgia Tech football game. Go Heels!

We covered a lot of useful material between 9 and 5 am, but most of what Nurse Kathy prepared us for were the “what-ifs.” Since Panda is just going to slide right out my vag after a few not-too-painful contractions and an epidural, we won’t have to worry about inducing, vacuums, forceps, or C-sections. Positive thinking, people!

With 11 years of labor and delivery experience, Nurse Kathy really knew her stuff. I hope she’s our nurse! She delivered the material very professionally, but did make all 8 couples laugh when she cautioned against husbands greeting their wives naked and ready for lovin’ after that 6-week post partum check-up. I believe she referred to this scenario as being greeting by a naked torpedo. I could picture this scenario perfectly…

Otherwise, we did tour the Women’s Wing and see the labor rooms. They are much larger and nicer than the last hotel we stayed out and feature a Jacuzzi tub, a pull out couch, and a DVD player. The downside to staying there: you’re hit with an $8,800 medical bill when you check-out (the average cost of giving birth in the US) and must go home with an infant!