What's Goin' On

I taught Kim's Bradley class, cycle 4 class 11, while she was in Williamsburg, VA; it was the "Are you ready?" class, so we finished watching Orgasmic Birth, went through the workbook materials (especially the Bradley Energy Saving Techniques article), and talked about what to pack for the hospital. Today was class 12, so cycle 4 is over, now. I'm sort of sad. Of the five cycles I've attended, even though each one is unique, this one was so inspiring. All four couples started out reluctant to speak up in class and brought with them a general air of confusion. By the end of the cycle, their final labor rehearsal was incredible - each couple was in tune with their partner, moms were relaxing beautifully and everyone left their final class with a quiet air of confidence.

Two of the four couples are due in February; both of them have approached me about doula services, but only one actually contacted me after the class ended. I'd love to attend all of their births, I think they're all going to have beautiful labors, but I'm trying to stick to one client per month. So, it'll be interesting to see what happens if both February couples want to hire me...

Oh, and I busted my ankle again leaving Kim's house - it was really dark on her front step and I couldn't see - but fortunately, it was a light sprain. It's almost healed, just a little bruised, now.

My March mom and I went to Molly Shaker's prenatal breastfeeding class, which was great. What I don't get is: why would you pay $35 for a class and then not ask any questions at the end?... There were a lot of people who just looked clueless and scared in that room; all of them were first time parents. (After Molly took that poll to see who was a first timer, I wished she would've polled the dads and other support people to see how many of them had attended a birth, that would have been interesting.) One of the great things about Molly is how her communication style is so matter-of-fact but doesn't sacrifice tact. She and Melissa are both really good at that, and I try to emulate them when I talk about birth-related stuff.