Yesterday, Eric and I had our first child birth class. We were supposed to have our first class last week, but we were both feeling so bad from the flight that we didn't go. In any case, I was very excited for our first class and I've really been looking forward to just learning more about the whole childbirth experience. When we were looking into classes, Eric pretty much left the decision up to me since I am the one that is going to have to push out this baby. The thing I really liked about the Bradley Method classes was that they covered more than just labor and delivery - the classes go into things like nutrition, exercise, breast feeding, information about tests, procedures, interventions, and tools for advocating for yourself during labor and delivery. These were all very important things to me, especially since I am planning for a med-free and intervention free labor and delivery. We did a lot of research when choosing and OB and a hospital and we're so glad that we have and environment that is supportive of the type of birth we want to have. My doctor told me that I could walk around, eat, and even drink during labor and the nurses at the hospital we've chosen are also supportive of this (as far as I can tell from the experiences of others that have delivered there).
Anyway, back to the class! Our class yesterday was fabulous. We learned some relaxation techniques, went over some basic exercises to strengthen muscles used during labor, and then focused on nutrition, particularly during the third trimester. Now, those of you that know me well know that I am a total nutrition freak - I can probably tell you the number of calories in almost any food, I use more tablespoons in one day than most people use in a month, and I measure everything. So, when we started to talk about nutrition during pregnancy I was very interested to hear what was recommended. To my surprise, it was almost exactly the type of diet I followed before I was pregnant. High protein and lots of veggies. The couple additions to the pregnancy diet are 4 servings a day each of milk/dairy and carbs from whole grain sources. Now it's not like you are forced to follow this diet by any means, but I think it is definitely a worthwhile one to try and incorporate. The purpose of the diet is to ensure that the baby gets as much of its necessary nutrients from food rather than supplements, and getting nutrients from food was something that I strived for prior to pregnancy so this seems quite logical. I think I was doing pretty well before learning about this diet, but having some concrete targets for food groups will definitely help, especially if I'm tracking my meals. If any of you are interested in learning more, the diet is called Dr. Brewer's Diet and there is a ton of information about this online:)
All this information about nutrition could not have come at a better time. During my trip to Sri Lanka, I came to terms with my changing body and weight gain in general. My doctor kept telling me that he doesn't care how much weight I gain as long as I'm eating healthfully and continuing with my exercise regime, but it didn't really sink in until recently. I've decided that I regardless of what I do, my body is going to change, and that is OK. If I'm gaining a lot of weight despite eating well and working out, then it must be because my body needs to gain the weight and if it needs the weight now, I'm confident that it will also shed that weight later, when it doesn't need it. Finally, after almost 6 months I've been able to come to terms with this and it feels so good to finally be in a place where I truly am enjoying and embracing all aspects of this pregnancy!
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