Birthing Class w/ Rome Kanapi (Session 3)
1. Hospital bills. Hospitals usually adjust the price of everything depending on your choice of room. Like, charges for the equipment, doctor’s fee, medications, and all the other things you’ll be paying for in the hospital will be increased if you get a bigger room or if you choose to stay in a birthing suite. Reason is that they assume that just because you get a bigger room, you can afford to pay more.
2. A lot of people will be interviewing you while you’re in labor. So it’s best to prepare the answers beforehand, write it in a sheet of paper, make photocopies of it, and give it to whoever is interviewing you. The usual questions that they will be asking are:
Your name, age, blood type and RH factor
Your husband’s name, age, blood type and RH factor
Last menstrual period (LMP) and expected date of delivery (EDD)
Number of pregnancies (G / “Gravida”), live births (P / “Para”), term births (T), premature births (P), abortions/miscarriages (A), and living children (L)
Your menstrual cycle -- Age of first menstrual period, regularity/irregularity in cycles, days of menstruation, and number of pads used on a heavy day
Name of OB-GYN and Pediatrician
Medical history -- pregnancy, allergies to food/drugs, diseases
Pregnancy tests done -- CBC, FBS, urinalysis, ultrasound, congenital scan, bio-physical test, non-stress test, etc and results
History of smoking and alcohol consumption
Supplementary vitamins taken
3. Enema. Unlike the usual pre-op enema which uses 1-2 litres of PNSS, they will only use this small bottle of Fleet Enema once, and you’re done! Definitely not as uncomfortable as the other kind of enema.
4. Newborns could only see in black and white, so it’s best to use black and white clothing, toys, and mobiles during the first few months. They could also see better at close range, about 8 inches away from them at birth and 12 inches at six weeks.
5. Exercise balls are very useful. It takes pressure off the back and hips which can help you manage labor pains, and could also help hasten the cervical dilation. That’s why it’s recommended to be used in labor in the United States. Also, once the baby is born, this could be used to rock the baby to sleep by bouncing up and down!
6. One of the roles of the husband during labor is not just to provide emotional support, but also remind the wife of the breathing exercises and pain management techniques while she is in labor. There’s a tendency that she’ll forget what to do because of the pain. But of course, the husband has to be firm while coaching the wife.
7. Breathing exercises when you have the urge to push but you’re not yet allowed to push -- instead of deep breathing, do light breathing instead like “hee-hee-hoo” and “choo choo,” then hold the bottom of the belly up using your hands to take the pressure off the cervix. However, this could increase the oxygen levels in your body which could make you a little dizzy, so if this ever happens, you could cup your hands over your mouth and nose, then breathe to balance the oxygen and carbon dioxide.
8. Safety First came to demonstrate some of their outdoor and indoor products. Their strollers and playpens are surprisingly durable, and can carry the weight of an adult! They are also lightweight and can easily be stored.
9. Ogalala taught us the importance of using toys for the development of children’s motor skills, hand and eye coordination, grip, and even creativity. And also, children learn through play. There are different toys for different ages and milestones. They are not just toys, but they’re educational, too!
