Parenting Classes – Should You Go?

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!ย  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!

Jared wearing the Empathy Belly Jared 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!

5 Comments

  1. Michal Levy says:

    How nice to see such an involved daddy, and a dedicated blog!
    I am glad that you found your courses useful. It’s good to hear feedback from dads, because the courses are for them too!

  2. Jared says:

    Michal,

    I really didn’t have a choice at first to be this involved. My wife’s blood pressure went through the roof during labor and they gave her magnesium. As you probably know, she was pretty much bed ridden until her blood pressure came down and they took her off of the magnesium. I was in charge of all the feedings, diaper changes, … You name it, I did it. I am very thankful that I took these classes because I was on my own a lot these first few days. It was nice knowing that I was doing things right!

    Now I choose to be this involved because it was an awesome feeling to be there for my son when he needed me, and I want to continue being there for him!

  3. jencc says:

    hi, jared! thanks for dropping by momexchange. i’m jen, “head mom” (aka writer) there! ๐Ÿ™‚ i’m always in awe when i hear involved dads! tell your wife that i say that she’s a lucky lady! btw, that pregnant picture of you—precious! yes, “empathy belly”. sure is heavy! i gained 29lbs on both pregnancies and i felt like a whale!

  4. Jared says:

    Hi Jen! I sure didn’t feel precious! ๐Ÿ™‚ Most of the guys only had to wear the Empathy Belly for a few minutes, but the teacher “liked” me. Since I was the last person in the class to wear the belly, I had to wear it for the remainder of the class…which was an hour. Empathy is not the right word. I don’t know how you women do it! I couldn’t image wearing that thing for 40 weeks! Hats off to all moms!

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