Chuck and I started baby classes this week. We took a class called “Bringing Home Baby to your Pets” on Wednesday evening, given by two doulas with Birth Matters! in the city. The class was incredibly informative, with lots of great suggestions for how to prepare Keanu for the arrival of his baby brother or sister. We got a CD of baby noises that we play quietly and we’ll gradually increase the volume so that Keanu gets used to the noise, among other goodies to help us get him ready.
Today, we took a class at Rochester General Hospital, where the baby will be born, about caring for the baby. We had a great nurse (who will be teaching us at our other classes as well), and she covered characteristics of a newborn baby, cleaning the umbilicus, general bathing before and after the cord falls off, calming the baby and putting the baby down to sleep. It was lots of information in a two-hour period, but I think that the nurses will repeat lots of it for us during our stay at the hospital. Definitely helpful to know what to expect, though…it takes away some of the anxiety!
Our next classes start in a few weeks; we’ll be taking a 5-week course on Wednesday evenings about late pregnancy and delivery and also one breastfeeding class. Knowledge is power, right? 