Inhale, hee hee (Mommy learns how to breathe)

We had our first childbirth preparation class tonight at the hospital where Zack will be born.

I was a bit nervous going into it, to be honest, probably because I wasn't sure how many of my questions would be answered, how many of the blanks would be filled in and in how graphic a manner.

Plus, Scott and I each worked long days and he had to be up at 3:30 a.m. today, so I was a little worried one or both of us would start snoozing.

But it went really well (and we stayed awake!).

We were originally supposed to participate in the June classes (there are four classes in each session) but got pushed back when that month's classes filled up far beyond a comfortable capacity.
There were about 10 other couples tonight, so it was a good number. Most of them were around our age, although we're one of the earliest due dates in our class. (And yes, Dr. C., Scott agreed that I was one of the smallest bellies there! Go abs!)

Our teacher, one of the obstetrics floor nurses, began with some basic pregnancy symptoms (I had them all) and then a general overview of some pre-term/term labor symptoms (I think the Braxton-Hicks contractions are the only ones of those I've had so far).
We watched a video that was not the R-rated, no-blurring, too-much-info version video but a much tamer intro to what's to come next class for sure.
Then, we got to the fun part of practicing some breathing on the floor. I can relax really well but am not a good hee-hee'er quite yet. All in due time.
At one point, we had to focus on an object to try to relax our breathing and slow the number of breaths we take in a minute. I chose the coffee pot in the room, came up with an entire scenario of me pouring the coffee from our pot at home, what it smelled like, how warm it was, adding my creamer... and yes, did relax my breathing. And upped my desire to cram coffee down my throat in a couple of months when I'm able to. :-)

It was a fun experience overall.
I don't feel overwhelmed like I thought I might feel (or like I have been starting to feel these past few days). Instead, I felt a bit calmer leaving the hospital tonight.

I'm wiser, I'm only going to get more prepared in these next few weeks (both at home and at classes) and I have a great coach and partner.

Scott is not just amazing at counting breaths in a minute or keeping me calm and relaxed. He has made stressful or painful moments fleeting with a funny joke or a warm hug. He has taken so much burden off of my shoulders by taking care of things like laundry, dinner and dishes.
And we have a deeper and better love for one another now than at any other time in our relationship.
I'm so lucky.

And I'm so excited for Little Baby Z.