Friday I went in to visit Dr. Woodland for what was my fifth OB appointment. It was pretty basic, but more fun because Mom and Dad decided to tag along. Since I go all the way out to Camden Physicians in Plymouth they came and got me and we rode together. Within minutes Alison called me back we weighed and then and we waited in the room. It was the standard stuff but it was very exciting when Mom and Dad got to hear the heartbeat. Mom was so interested that she got out of her seat to get closer... so cute. And Dad just had a big smile on his face. I think it made Mom, especially, feel better to meet Dr. Woodland. She was a bit nervous that I had not picked an OB to be my doctor, and she even asked Dr. Woodland a few questions to put her mind at ease. And both Mom and Dad agreed that she reminded them of Aunt Margaret.

Saturday morning we went to our second, and final, birth class. This class really centered around the birth process, possible complications and options as far as pain relief. After reviewing the materials, I think I’m going to try to avoid narcotics and will be interested in the epidural. I don’t do well with pain meds in general, and usually end up vomiting. Most of the narcotics they can give you before the epidural have nausea as a side effect — I can’t imagine anything worse than puking during labor so I’m going to try to avoid it!

One of the more interesting exercises of the day was when we split into two groups: men and women. Each group had to make a list of things they fear about the new baby and a list of things that they look forward to. The women had very emotional concerns such as being good enough or ready for the baby. And the things we looked forward to were similar including looking forward to meeting and bonding with the baby. The guys on the other hand worried about providing and protecting the safety of their wives and children. As for the things they looked forward to, it all seemed a little farther down the line like teaching them to read and taking them to baseball games. The best part? Tj’s contribution to the list was that he looks forward to when the child is old enough to run to the fridge and grab him a beer! HAHAH. Really. He said it was one of his favorite memories with his dad and made him feel very special as a child. And I guess other guys in the group agreed and were like “Oh yeah! I did that too... that’s cool!” Oh, husbands!

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