After our Midwife Home Visit earlier this week we then had the first of our two Antenatal Classes on Wednesday at our local Children’s Centre. I wasn’t sure what to expect and how many other mums-to-be would be there but when we turned up there were seven other couples there also looking a little nervous! Plus Jane the midwife we have seen the most and who we really like was running the session which was a bonus. We didn’t find out how pregnant any of the other ladies were but from looking at them and their questions/comments I think I was one of the furthest away from my due date.

Jane ran the session in an informal and collaborative way by getting us to answer questions about the early stages of labour and the actual delivery of the baby and placenta as couples before asking us all what we had written down. This was a good way to get us all talking and joining in rather than simply talking to us like a lecturer. As I have been reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting and my various apps’ weekly updates and sending links to Sam we did OK with all of the questions so there weren’t any big surprises as such. It was interesting to find out what other people’s birth plans were as the lady sat next to me and her husband seemed to have studied Hypnobirthing practices to prepare – Jane reminded me that I had expressed an interest in it too so I need to start reading my book to find some early labour coping methods ASAP so they are effective.

I think I was the only expectant lady who was planning a home birth which I was quite surprised by but from their comments they all seemed pretty worried about the prospect of something happening to them or the baby at home and then having to make the journey into hospital afterwards. Luckily Jane had made us feel really confident about our choice of having a home birth earlier in the week so other people’s questions didn’t change my mind at all luckily.

There was an absolutely brilliant moment during the class though. Jane had brought in a couple of fake pelvises and a dolly “baby” and put them on the table next to her. About halfway through she picked a pelvis model up to show how bendy the fake ones are then Sam turned and whispered to me: “Oh, that’s what they are. I thought they were animal skulls”…! Yes, really. He thought they were skulls for the children to play with at the Children’s Centre. I couldn’t help myself but dissolve into silent hysterics – you know the ones where your shoulders jutting up and down give you away? As the more I laughed the more Sam did! We were asked what we were laughing at so Sam had to confess his silly comment to the whole group who also all found it ridiculously funny. Well, at least we both made an impression!