gonna do some learnin'

Well, at 29 weeks, 1 day, I have officially entered in to the 30th week of my pregnancy! This is crazy to me. I have about 9 weeks left until I'll have two daughters in my arms! Wow.

This Sunday, Ian and I are going to our first childbirth class (there are 3), and then right after that, a caring for a newborn class at Mt. Sinai, where I will be delivering. It will be a full day, but I’m really excited. I’m hoping the childbirth class doesn’t freak me out, but I don’t think it will. I’m excited to be going to a class; learning something new, meeting new people. For the childbirth class, here is what we’ll learn:

Parents-to-be share common fears and concerns regarding pregnancy, labor and delivery, and parenting. The course demystifies the labor and birthing experience through:

♦ Discussion of pregnancy, labor and delivery
♦ Discussion of cesarean birth
♦ Presentation of breathing and relaxation techniques for maintaining control during labor and delivery
♦ Discussion of analgesia and anesthesia options for labor and delivery
♦ A review of the video tour of the maternity facilities at the Mount Sinai Hospital
♦ Videos and other audio-visual aids

For our “Caring for a Newborn” class, it says:

A two-hour class devoted to teaching baby-care basics. Topics include bath demonstration., swaddling, diapering, temperature taking, dressing, infant safety and basic needs.
So, we sure will be learning a lot! We’ll be pro parents by the end. :)

I’m kind of bummed, because in reading about the rules of the hospital, Ian will only be able to spend the night in our room if we get a private room (vs. a semi-private). Of course a private room is not fully covered by insurance; you have to pay the difference out-of-pocket. So, we’ll have to figure out what we want to do about that. I’d really like for him to be there, but it may not be in our budget. Anyone else have this experience; your partner not being able to stay the night with you? Just wondering if it’s standard, or a Mt. Sinai thing.

In other news, I have two butternut squashes in my uterus. Or, rather, two babies who each apparently weigh the same as a butternut squash. And to illustrate that, here is a picture of the most phallic butternut squash ever:

Ok, I just did a google image search, and I guess they all kind of look like that, but still. This one seems extra phallic to me.

Have a lovely weekend all!

~M