Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Inspiration Wednesdays: RealBirth


 Early on in the hospital when labor was pretty mild & I was still smiling.

No, I'm not pregnant - that shot is from last year on August 30th when my husband and I rushed to the hospital to have our baby, Juliet. We were freaking out (of course!) but felt prepared after our  childbirth classes at RealBirth.

I cannot rave about this place enough. I was semi-confident that labor & delivery would be routine and I could do it. But after the classes - in childbirth, breastfeeding and infant care - we both felt excited about our baby's birth in a new way. Without scaring us with horror stories or pressuring us to go natural at all costs, the teachers at RealBirth gave us the tools to have an educated birthing experience and first days of parenthood.

Sure, we went the traditional medical route and chose a hospital birth, but it certainly wasn't a lay-back-and-let-the-doctor-handle-it birth. In the classes, I loved their tips on prenatal massage, walking the halls as long as possible and really feeling like the driver of my delivery. But the best part was that they treated my husband as the full partner he was in the birth. We felt comfortable asking questions and loved the hands on learning. Swaddling isn't as hard is it looked!


The result - a happy healthy mom, dad & baby

After the hospital stay, when we were forced to parent Jules on our own (um, with the help of our parents & friends...), the skills we learned in the breastfeeding and infant care classes really helped. Knowing the basics, we could focus on the new parent freak-outs no one can prepare for - like the first night home - and not sweat whether our baby was eating enough or going to have that flaky skin on her hands forever. Spoiler alert: it goes away.


I tell all my local pregnant friends to check out RealBirth & recommend founder Erica Lyon's book The Big Book of Birth to anyone who lives outside New York City. After your baby is born, they have new parent classes, drop in nursing groups and more. A great resource for any new parents out there.

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