With just a few more weeks until Bubble joins the family, we thought it would be beneficial to attend the local Childbirth Classes at the Hospital ... which fortunately is just a block away from our house! While Abigail was having lots of fun with Kyla ... our Pastors eldest daughter ... we spent 3 consecutive Wednesday evenings from 5.30-8.30pm (ish) learning the 'American way' to have a baby!! ;o)
There were 9 'teams' in our classes ... the mums-to-be and coach(es) ... some 'teams' where husband and wife like us, others were mums-to-be and grandmothers-to-be ... 'teams' were between 2 and 4 people in size!! We were the oldest couple there by about a decade, the only ones who already had a child (it's usually for first timers!) the only ones who didn't know the sex of their new arrival ... and the only ones who spoke with a funny accent but that's nothing new to us!!
It was a good chance to get to know a few more people, learn the differences and visit the maternity ward ahead of time ... so we will know what to expect when 'Bubble goes Pop' ... because that's what Abigail keeps telling us is going to happen!! One of the highlights ... which wasn't part of our UK classes last time round, was the chance for the 'fathers-to-be' to wear an empathy belly ... too good a photo opportunity to miss ... but to be fair, we had some fun recreating the poses so you can judge for yourselves who carries a 'baby belly' the best!! ;o)
Amazingly, while giving birth is the same the world over, there are a lot of practical differences to having a child out here. Having the same doctor that you've been visiting over the whole pregnancy deliver the baby, so you have a good chance to get to know them and for them to get to know you ... and both Jenny's doctors are really lovely! All the forms and names of pain relief are different ... and there IS NO GAS AND AIR option ... no wonder 80% go down the epidural route! The maternity ward is really nice with all single ensuite rooms ... which explains why it's so expensive to have a baby out here, between $10,000-$20,000 and that's without complications (thank goodness for our medical insurance!!). The labour and delivery beds look amazing and are referred to as 'transformer beds' and come apart in more ways than you thought possible ... much more hightech than anything on the NHS back in the UK! There is computer system where all the staff can monitor your progress when you're in labour from any room/station on the maternity ward. You appoint your new baby a pediatrician beforehand who will come to the hospital to check the baby over but there is no midwife/health visitor coming to check up on you once you've been discharged. These are just a few of the differences that come to mind!! ... and giving birth seems to be much more of a spectator sport out here ... with a lot of people having half a dozen close family and friends in the room for the majority of the labour!! (No thank you!)
While Jenny has been having random contractions for the last couple of weeks, Jenny's mum is not due to arrive from the UK until next Thursday (April 7th) so we're hoping that Jenny can keep her legs crossed til then. We're also hoping that Bubble will make his/her grand entrance before Easter Sunday (April 24th) when her mum flies back to the UK! Abigail is telling anyone and everyone that 'Nana is coming to play with Abigail and Daddy ... and Mummy's going to hospital' ... here's hoping she doesn't kick Jenny out of the house as soon as Nana arrives! ;o)
