Worth the payment

A month or so ago, I mentioned to my husband, if I listened to my mother, we would sign up for a Lamaze class. (She had not actually mentioned a Lamaze class this pregnancy, but I know she is an advocate.) He said well your last birth was so bad, we probably should take one. I figure he would not want to do anything of the sort, but since he said go for it, I did. The next day I signed up, which is super quick for me to do anything. It has been well worth the $75. Before going to class I figure as to not build up unrealistic expectations I would pitocin and epidural for all my births. So why I took the class is a quandary. But yet that first 12 hours before my epidural on my first birth was long and painful, might as well pay $75 to make it not to long right? Hopefully my labor will be under 12 hours this time, since it is my second. Well my class has given me hope, she tells us every class, to think, "I can have an easier safer shorter labor." At first I thought yeah right, but now I'm beginning to hope. It helps that my husband is being a huge help, and advocate for me. Every time I share fears with him, he says you'll do great, and then explains to me by it will be better than last time. Between learning techniques and talking with my husband, I have dreams of being able to have a baby without an epidural. (Not that I have any problem with women having epidurals, I totally think its the woman's choice, its just something I would like to do without.)
Last pregnancy I read a lot of books about natural childbirth, but nothing that really explained how to do it, as a result I figure it was as easy as pie, because that's what most books say. It in fact is not easy as pie, it is called Labor for a reason. This pregnancy I didn't want to give myself unsustainable hopes, so I had read nothing at all, until this past week. In attempt to find a yoga breathing through labor book at my public library (it was checked out) I found a half a dozen other books to read instead. (All about Lamaze or the Bradley method.) I just finished my first one.Thank you, Dr Lamaze by Marjorie Karmel. It was a very interesting and informative. It has been a great supplement to the class, and since she explains how she learned the breathing execrises I understand them a lot better than just going to the class. I've learned to breath into my lungs fully since the book, if I'm taking deep breaths I am usually a stomach breather.
In a way it has shown me just how far the "medical community" has come in letting woman have children, but in a way I think, its been 60 years and we still are doing this?! First off I wonder, why is the US's hospital system so behind the times when it comes to women birthing babies in comparison to other industrialized nations? It was behind in the 1950s and it is still behind today. Second off, I hate when nurses say, "do you want a little something to take the edge off?" Apparently this phrase has been in practice for over 60 years. I probably hate it, because demerol does not take the edge off for me, it made me nausea, out of sorts, and all sorts of yucky, with the pain just as strong. I couldn't wait until the something to take the edge off had worn off. I very much enjoyed the book. The book made me extremely nervous at some points, making me think a natural birth is impossible, because it shares horror stories, but it left me with the last impression I can do this! (Please no comments telling me I can, I hate that.)
I would totally recommend the book, to anyone considering natural childbirth. Although I also hate that phrase, it implies childbirth with drugs is unnatural or medical intervention is unnatural. I think the phrase should be drug free childbirth. Anything that keeps the baby and mother living is a good thing in my opinion, and unnatural sounds so negative. Another aside, reading the book would not be enough for drug free it is just a nice supplement.
I'm now actually really excited to go into labor after 37 weeks, not before, to see if I can do it.
Here is my other complaint about our hospital system. I quote from the book,

"A nurse has just taken your blood pressure and written it down, when one of them marches in, take it again, and writes it down again. Two minutes later the doctor arrives. He does not look at what the others have written but take it a third time. Nor does he write it down. This gives you plenty to think about."

I hate that part of the hospital. When we had my son after he was born, during the interval of two hours, three different nurses would come in and check me and my son. Of course if I was sleeping this woke me up, and since my son was almost always sleeping it woke him up. Even if he wasn't sleeping he was a few hours old, so he didn't like to be naked, cold or prodded with instruments, especially cold ones. One time a nurse came in 5 minutes after a previous one, I asked why are taking all our vitals again, another nurse just was in here doing all this? She very sternly, almost yelling told me, something to the effect of she the previous nurses superior so she doesn't care what vitals the previous one took, since she was higher up, she needed to take them again. I didn't ask more questions, because I was extremely tired and did not feel the need to be yelled at again , but I thought so why the heck did you send the previous nurse into see me, if she is incapable? Oh the woes of bureaucracy in an America.