The best thing about being pregnant…

Jamie and I went to our first childbirth class this week. I really enjoyed it! There are ten couples in our class, all with due dates in July or August, so we have the makings of a great new moms class (Although I already know so many new moms and new moms-to-be that camaraderie seems like it will be easy to come by). It was nice to share and laugh and worry about the experience with other people.

We got a tour of the Labor and Delivery section, and also our recovery rooms. Both areas seemed very comfortable and inviting. I realized that I had been in the recovery rooms exactly five years ago to that night, when I visited my baby niece Anna Clare on her birth day: May 20, 2003.

One of the first things we did in our class was break into two groups: women and men. Each group had to discuss and fill out a worksheet: best things about being pregnant, worst things about being pregnant, biggest fears, etc. The women approached this task very differently than the men. Whereas the women wrote down everything everyone said, the men “discussed” the question and then wrote down “the best answer.” This became very amusing when the two groups were asked to report back to the larger group. When our instructor asked the women about the best part of being pregnant, our spokesperson said, “feeling the baby move, seeing the ultrasound for the first time…” and when Jamie (the spokesperson for the men) spoke, he said, “Having more junk food around the house.”