Homework??

I thought I had finished with the homework thing a looooong time ago, but apparently not!

We started our childbirth class this week, the first of five Wednesday evening classes. I'm so glad that we are going to them, it was really helpful to hear that other people are going through the exact same things we are....we're normal!! It also made me realize how blessed and lucky we are that our baby is healthy. One couple is having a baby with a birth defect that was thought to be fatal at first, but now they have a 70-80% chance of survival. They both had such positive attitudes about it. I'd like to think if we were faced with the same situation, we'd be able to look at things positively too. So for now, we're counting our blessings that little Cliff is growing stronger and healthier every day!

We got to see a video of the first stage of labor - contractions, what it's like when and if your water breaks, when to call your doctor and go to the hospital, and an anatomy lesson on the whole pregnancy process. I think Brad got a little freaked out when the video came up to stage two - the actual delivery process - but the instructor turned it off before we got into it! He'll be in Las Vegas for a work conference (don't you feel bad for him?) the night of our last class, so hopefully we'll see the birth video before then. If not, we're definitely going to look into borrowing it from the hospital so he can see it - he needs to be prepared too!

We practiced relaxing towards the end of the class....sounds easy, right? Not for me, I just seem to have a hard time with allowing myself to fully relax. So our homework is to practice relaxing as a couple 3-4 times this week before our next class. Next week, we're going to do some more relaxing with some new breathing techniques thrown into the mix. Should be fun - hopefully I won't fall asleep while I'm there!

My other homework this week is from my doctor. I have to try and gain a pound a week for the remainder of my pregnancy. My last appointment was two weeks ago, so I was hoping not to have gained more than 2-3 pounds....and I actually lost a pound! So my cumulative weight gain is 13 pounds so far. I feel like I'm eating all the time, so who knows why I'm not packing it on....but I'm not complaining! Other than that, everything is fine with me and the baby. His heart rate is still good and he's as active as ever.

I am getting bigger though, I promise - I'll try to post a picture later this week of my big belly!