Ready or Not Part 2

After writing my post about just how prepared we are, I thought it would be appropriate to share how exactly we got to this point. Though we're still anxiously awaiting our maternity photos, here are a few from our post-photo shoot self pics, along with a few from my birthday!

To begin at the beginning, the story of little pea goes back to Christmas 2010. While lying on the couch together, we started have a more serious discussion about our future and when we would want to seriously consider adding a baby to the mix. We shared our feelings with each other about what our visions were for the next few years, and decided that after another full year of being just us, we would be ready to think about babies in 2012.

My birthday morning surprise!

Enter January 2012 and we both felt the same way. Me with a bit of a stricter timeline, considering I did NOT want to conceive in January with our trip to Thailand in February and being maid of honour in my cousin's wedding that September. 9 month pregnant bellies and bridesmaid dresses don't mesh well. Knowing that the average couple takes about 6 months to conceive, my idealistic hope was that we would follow this same path and be on track for a spring baby. More in the forefront of my mind was being realistic about the fact that we could very easily be looking into fertility treatments come January 2013, given family history.

July 2012 rolls around, bringing the opportunity to join bebo mia's Fertility Yoga program. It was difficult hearing the struggles of the other women in the class, knowing that I had yet to experience these challenges and trials, but that this very well might be what's to come for us. I still can't believe it was only 3 days after our final class that I made that trip to the clinic and heard the very casually delivered news of "Oh, well your test came back positive, so you're pregnant." Unreal.

Being involved with bebo mia had exposed me to so much information about pregnancy and parenting, and the resources I had at my fingertips were extensive, and overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that we were on a mad search for a midwife before leaving for Calgary! Though we were still discussing the idea of a home birth, Eric was fully on board to go with a midwife, knowing that their services are covered, and it would simply mean a more personal experience for appointments and knowing for sure who will be there on the big day. Kensington Midwives has been incredible so far, from my midwives themselves to the feel of the office and always being greeted warmly by reception. The fact that they book appointments weeks in advance doesn't hurt for a crazy planner like me too!

Cake time!

But onto what this was really supposed to be about: our classes!!! We have been through the gamut of classes offered by bebo mia, and have taken something different from each one. I was so excited to get into the classes and spend some time with Eric while getting the information we need to make informed choices for our labour, birth experience and for our baby.

The first step was choosing our doulas, which I've posted about already. We feel really comfortable with our doulas and had a really great initial meeting with them, going over concerns about a home birth and what their support would look like. I have to admit that we have wavered a bit on whether or not we really need to have another support person present, but I know that there will be no doubt after the birth that we made the right choice and will definitely appreciate having our doula there.

Our first class was the Childbirth Ed Crash Course. Bianca was fabulous as our instructor and after witnessing over 100 births, definitely knows her stuff! I believe we took this class before watching The Business of Being Born, so this was the first time I'd really been educated on the effects of interventions. Even knowing that we wanted a more natural birth experience, I really appreciated how things were presented in a very factual and non-biased way, simply stating the different options and the pros and cons of each. While discussing the stages of labour, it became pretty clear how important our doula's role would be, and I think both of us, especially Eric, will be glad to have her there when things get a bit crazy! Oh, and this was the class where we found out that circumcision (which we'd been discussing and debating and researching already) costs about $400. No idea. And another piece of information to add to the decision-making process.

Next was our Baby Care class, cleverly titled "Is Poop Supposed to be That Colour?". I've spent my fair share of time with babies, but not as much around newborns, so there were definitely things I still needed to know. I'm pretty much good with everything but the cord stump. That grosses me out. This black, rotting lump of ick, just hanging on my baby's cute little belly button? Let's hope it doesn't last long. We talked a lot about babywearing in this class too, so it got me really excited about tucking baby into a snug little wrap one day soon!

Baby's favourite: MELON!

The class I was most intrigued with was bebo mia's new Sleep Class. I'd read a little bit about the different sleep "methods", from the benefits of co-sleeping (which is not the same as bed-sharing!!) to the ever popular "Cry It Out". I had an idea of how we would approach sleep, keeping an open mind since sometimes everything changes once baby arrives. The class was from an Attachment Parenting standpoint, given that Brandie, our Sleep Expert, is trained through Dr. Sears and in the process of accreditation with Attachment Parenting International. She went into detail on the science behind infant sleep and crying and the short and long term effects all types of "sleep training" can have on babies. It was super informative and she was able to discuss all sides of sleep while respectfully maintaining her personal standpoint. Loved it!

Last but not least, the Breastfeeding Class! I had heard so much about Taya, our Lactation Consultant (with a background as a homeopathic practitioner and training directly under Jack Newman), but had yet to meet her until this class! Let me just say...Taya knows her stuff. Her passion for helping families in their breastfeeding careers is obvious in the way she speaks and presents each topic. I knew I wanted to breastfeed. After this class, I knew I would be willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how difficult it may be, to make sure I can do this for myself and baby. I understand that sometimes there are special circumstances, but after hearing from Taya, there is rarely a situation where breastfeeding would be impossible. Difficult, challenging, uncomfortable and frustrating? Sure. Which is why it's up to mom to decide how important breastfeeding is and how far you'll go to achieve it. (I'm half writing this with such conviction so I can look back at it if things don't go well and I'm seconds away from throwing in the towel!) So, go me! You can do it! Let's keep trying! Breastfeeding all the way!

I think my heart is a puddle on the floor... I'll miss this.

I'll have to use a separate post for our Hypnobirthing series. It'll be interesting to see how much shorter my posts get once baby is here! But I really wanted to share our experience with all our classes, and would obviously recommend any of them. I may be a bit biased when it comes to bebo mia, but if I had one piece of advice for anyone expecting a baby, it would simply be to get educated. Whether that's through all your own research, joining a mom's-to-be group or fitness class, or getting signed up for any prenatal education class, just be informed because there are SO many choices and decisions and opposing points of view out there, and all it takes is being educated to make the choices that work best for you. I forget which instructor it was, but someone really said it best. How many hours of research go into making a big purchase, like home appliances, electronics, a new car? How many tours would you take before buying a house? Now, take the magnitude of those decisions and multiply them by one little baby who will quickly become the most important person in your life. This is where I can justify probably seeming a bit opinionated at times, after the hours and hours of research I've done and classes we've taken. I know things could be turned completely upside down once baby is here, but at least I've done everything possible to be informed and prepared to make the transition (hopefully!) as easy as possible! Hence why that "ready or not" question can honestly be answered with a YES, and WE CAN'T WAIT!