Relax? Are You Kidding?

When something the size of a watermelon comes out something the size of a bagel...how in the world can you remember to breathe?

You have to have someone remind you - in my case, my husband.

We have been in a Lamaze class for the past two weeks where we are learning not only about labor and delivery, but how to recognize contractions and when to call the hospital. Most importantly, we're learning breathing and relaxation techniques.

I plan to try to put them to use on the 45 minute drive from our house to the hospital.

I'm a stressed-out person by nature. As much as a try to relax with massages, facials, pedicures and manicures ... I am a type-A worrywart planner. There is so little I can control once I go into labor (outside of the lights and music), that I feel the only other thing in my control is the pain management. And while I inherited a pretty good pain tolerance level from my father - why push it?

During the last Lamaze class, the teacher made an imaginary line indicating how we felt about epidurals. One side of the line was: "no drugs, ever, don't even mention it." The other end of the spectrum was "drugs from the minute I come in to the hospital."

She then had the husbands position themselves on the line based on what they felt their wives would want. Then she asked the wives to position themselves and see if the husbands got it right. Adam had it spot on: Drugs from the minute I come in to the hospital. We then joked if the line extended out it he would have stood there representing: Drugs for the last five weeks of pregnancy.

We have two more classes left, including one on Valentine's Day. I will do everything possible in these next five weeks to keep my stress and blood pressure levels down and my relaxation up. History dictates otherwise....