Today, Sean and I attended baby boot camp. These classes can be extremely helpful if you haven’t spent too much time around newborns, or it can be a refresher if it’s been awhile since you’ve had a child. These are normally taught by registered nurses that have vast experience in labor and delivery and the postpartum period. For me, it wasn’t too much new information since I’ve spent quite some time as a nurse helping take care of infants and mothers, but it was an eye-opener for my husband that’s only held one baby in his entire life.
The class went over going into labor, what to expect at delivery, and the postpartum period. Some things that you may want to discuss are:
What should I expect in early labor, and when should I go to the hospital?
What will I need to bring with me in my hospital bag? Will the hospital provide a lot of the essentials to recovery and send me home with some?
What are my pain management options - pharmacological and non-pharmacological? When’s the latest the anesthesiologist will give me an epidural?
What will my diet be leading up to labor? Will I still be able to eat or is it going to be just clear liquid or ice chips?
Are there other methods of delivering baby rather than just being in bed on my back? Water births? Squatting?
What are your c-section rates or thoughts on episiotomies versus tearing during birth?
If you’re having a boy - should I expect to have baby circumcised before we leave or at a later appointment?
Are there lactation consultants to help me with breastfeeding afterwards?
What’s not normal during postpartum recovery?
Are there support groups I can attend during the postpartum period?
What to expect from baby during feeding and how to tell if they’re hydrated and fed? (Importance of diaper counts!)
Help on learning to swaddle a baby, change a diaper, and how to hold baby
What are the signs that my baby blues is starting to develop into postpartum depression? (Because mental health is SO IMPORTANT!)
Preparing for baby is more than just making sure you have enough diapers, wipes, and onesies ready for baby at home. The nursery and gear can be totally set up, but if you aren’t mentally ready to take on baby, make sure you’re asking the right questions. There’s no such thing as a dumb question when it comes to the care and well-being of your child. Even as a nurse that’s helped a lot of moms after delivery, there’s still so much that I don’t know about when it comes to baby being at home.
Disclosure: Sometimes these classes can be giving outdated information, or they just haven’t “updated” with the times. There’s so much advancement in childbirth from the early 2000s, that it’s still best to discuss with your provider on what their recommendations are. With that being said, here are some photos of Sean learning what it’s like to carry around a belly and how to be a new daddy!
Sean had no idea what to expect from the class, but by the end of the class he said that it was becoming more and more real for him! As you can see below, he becomes very protective over our make-believe simulation baby.
This is the kind of face I expect to see in the first few weeks postpartum with the baby. A daddy who is lost, a baby that’s half naked, and me behind the camera laughing. I can’t wait to see you be a daddy!
