I was dumb about babies! But I would never admit it! When my wife asked me to go with her to take some parenting classes, I was against it.

I figured it would be just the basic information…like how to change a diaper. But man was I wrong!

We took two classes…

1. Bringing Home Baby – What to expect the first three months.
2. Lamaze – Relaxation techniques for labor.

Bringing Home Baby

Bringing home baby covered a ton of information! We learned about bottle feeding, breast feeding, changing diapers, colic, circumcision, bathing, an tons more.

There were tons of things I had never even thought of. Did you know a baby is not supposed to sleep on their stomachs? The only suggested way for a baby to sleep is on their backs. This is help prevent S.I.D.S. It is also recommended for a baby not to have a blanket or bumper pad in their crib! So how do you keep them warm? Layered clothing.

Did you know there are two different methods of circumcision? They still do the old school method with a scalpel, but the new method uses a plastic ring and piece of string!

How many bowel movements should your baby have in one day? What color should it be? What consistency? (I know this is gross, but once you have a baby you tend to talk a lot about poop! I don’t know why…)

Lamaze

Lamaze class was interesting. It was mostly for the woman, but also helped the guy understand their role during the labor and birthing process.

We also learned what would happen during the birthing process. They brought in all of the instruments that the doctor would use.

They showed us the crochet hook (a hook used to break a woman’s water), the monitors that would be placed around the momma’s belly, the epidural needle, and much more.

We watched a few actual births on video…not for the guy with a weak stomach.

We also learned how to comfort our ladies. Massage techniques, what to say, and especially what not to say!

What do you need to bring to the hospital when it is time? They gave us a checklist of items. Make sure to have this stuff packed before hand!  Nothing would be worse than trying to get everything packed up while your lady was having contractions….

Where do you go in the hospital when it is time? They took us on a tour of the maternity ward, showed us the rooms, the nursery, and explained when and where the baby would be during the stay.

And last but not least, the guys had to wear the Empathy Belly. This is a big belly you wear that is filled with warm water and lead plates. It weighed about 35 pounds! The instructor made us bend over, get down on the ground and get back up, and do other silly tasks. Have a laugh at the below pics of me wearing the Empathy Belly!

Was It Worth It?

I would have to say….Yes!

These classes took a lot of the unknown out of the big scary picture! I wasn’t totally clueless about what was going to happen, where it was going to happen, and when it was going to happen.

With the knowledge I learned from these classes, support from my wife and family, and a little common sense, I have been successful in becoming what I believe to be a good Dad!