marathon baby prep weekend

This past weekend was a baby preparation marathon weekend for me & Anselm. On Saturday, we went to The Right Start (a specialty store for baby and products) to learn about baby registry items. After spending a few hours browsing through strollers, car seats and other baby essentials, we headed over to Babies R Us that afternoon to look for more baby things and compare products. For anyone who's ever tried to register for baby items without the help of an experienced mom or guide, the entire process can be very confusing and frustrating. It was a relief for me that Anselm actually went to register with me - I almost went alone, thinking how hard can this be? Let me tell you, it was soooo painful. We were like the blind leading the blind, wandering from aisle to aisle. There are so many things out there that you never knew existed, yet they are all necessities! How are you supposed to pick out your favorite model or style if you don't even know what the item is? (for the non-parents out there, have you ever heard of a Pack 'n Play, co-sleeper, or papasan!?) Anyway, Anselm & I were overwhelmed from all the products and lemme just say, registering was not nearly as fun as I imagined it would be, and we have a long way to go... still gotta pick out furniture, toys, nursery decorations... *sigh*

Today, (Sunday) we spent all day taking a comprehensive, abridged one-day class designed for expectant parents who don't have time to take the traditional birthing preparation classes which are typically held over a course of 5 weeks, 2 hours a week. The class we took was called "Super Sunday Prepared Childbirth" and it was held at Hoag Hospital from 9 am to 4 pm. There were 15 couples in the class and some of the topics we covered included:

• Stages of labor and birth
• Signs and symptoms of preterm labor, fetal kick counts
• Pain management strategies, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological (with or without meds)
  
• Cesarean birth (why does it happen, what to expect and how to recover)
• Hospital admission procedures

and some other topics such as how to properly install a car seat, and learning & practicing techniques on how to relax and breathe during labor. It was another looooong and draining day. We watched a bunch of videos and I think I saw more of the labor and birthing process than I ever wanted to.

I hope your weekend more relaxing than mine!

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