Becoming a father part IV: Birthing class

My wife and I decided that we wanted to have a natural birth. By natural I mean an unmedicated birth with little medical intervention (that's the trouble with learning - most people would have got what I meant by natural birth, but now I know that some people would have taken offense...) Having just gone through the most intervention-filled conception process, we decided to go the opposite direction in terms of our birth process. Our family was convinced that we were nuts. "Medication is there for you to ease the pain and you're not taking it?"

Maybe I should start by explaining that my wife and I are marathon runners. Not Olympic caliber, but we get the job done. Training for a marathon is a long process ending in something painful but well worth it in the end. I don't fault people who like to run but think a 10-K is just about as far as anyone should have to go. We just keep on going. Looking at birth the same way, our decision fits in context.

We began by going to Bradley birthing classes. Every Tuesday for 10 weeks, we spent two hours talking with a group of similarly minded folks and a knowledgable teacher. We learned signs to watch for, relaxation techniques, and laboring positions. We saw countless birthing videos. We talked about nutrition and exercise. We discussed about the benefits of unmedicated labors and breastfeeding. We went to additional classes on breastfeeding and infant care. And by the end of the class, we had an inkling of what to expect. I felt empowered and confident that we could do this.

I can't imagine what the people who just did a Saturday Lamaze felt like after leaving their class. Not that they're wrong, just different. And comparatively unprepared?