Get your mind out of the gutter. It’s not what you think.
Last night we went to the first of two breastfeeding classes. We’re still several months away from Baby Day, and we’ve been busy searching for new doctors in West Virginia. However, while we decided to wait to take the childbirthing classes in WV (so we’ll be able to go together), we went ahead and kept our breastfeeding appointments here in NC (especially since they’re free). I’ll end up missing the second one, but the first one was certainly… educational.
At first, I wasn’t really sure if I should be going. After all, while there are plenty of things a husband can do as the “coach” during childbirth, I wasn’t quite sure how much use I’d be at breastfeeding class. (“So, um… sweetie? Do you want me to… um… hold that for you?”) I also wondered if I would be the only man there. Fortunately, there were other men there, and there are a number of things I picked up that will prove useful down the road. I’d recommend that all potential fathers join in on these classes if you’re given the opportunity.
Before we got there, we joked about whether or not I’d be embarrassed when they pulled out the big plastic breasts. Well, it wasn’t plastic (it was cloth), but it wasn’t long before it came out. The “life-like” baby dolls, which were actually for use in the diapering portion of the childbirth class and were a little too big to be representing newborns, were just “life-like” enough in some ways and just un-“life-like” enough in others that they were sufficiently creepy.
Man… I’m a week late. My wife and I never had the opportunity to go to any classes with her on bedrest right after our wedding until our daughter was born. I’m glad that you’re finding something useful in all of this. Here’s hoping that everything is continuing to progress normally.