1st Time DaddyMy own experience of becoming a first time parent

Tonight was the first of our antenatal classes. There are 4 weekly classes, followed by another 4 weeks of Hypnobirthing classes.We met our couples expecting a baby around the same time as us. There were 7 couples, plus one woman on her own. I couldn’t help but feel for her, the rest of us had each other for company but she was on her own. I guess that’s life though.

The purpose of these classes is really just to get us ready for having a baby. We learn about labour and birth, what happens to the body and why, how to cope with the pain (that’s what the hypnotherapy is for), and giving us some information about taking the baby home. One of the things I think will help me, and hopefully help my wife is learning how the baby actually moves down into the pelvis. It goes head first down into the pelvis, with the head sideways, then as labour progresses and the baby moves further down and swivels round so it’s face is pointing towards the woman’s back. I found this part interesting as it will help explain what all the pains and contractions are, what is happening and why.

I’m worried about seeing my wife in so much pain. I’m not sure how well I will cope with that, but I know that it will be 100x worse for her, so I need to be there for her. I think logically and like to know how things work, so knowing the “inner workings” of labour will at least give me something to focus on so I can hopefully keep my cool and be calm and reassuring for my wife. That’s the theory at least.

By the way, I’m not even going to try to explain the whole childbirth thing, but I recommend reading some of these articles to get your head around what happens.

In other news, we have traded our little hatchback car in for an estate car. I feel like a dad already driving this thing around town. It’s definitely needed, especially as we have a dog too! The car psychologically makes me feel a bit more prepared for the baby too. One less thing to do before it arrives!