Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Ring of Fire



Drew and I have been attending a class for new parents with our midwife practice, and this week's session was eye-opening to say the least.  Actually, I may have preferred closing my eyes.  This week we discussed the stages of labor, complete with videos. 

Watching each stage of labor including the grand finale, I was also struck by how long the whole process takes.  Drew and I will most likely be at home during early labor when contractions begin, managing the pain using techniques we learned in class until we can be admitted to the hospital.  That stage can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours.  It sounds mind-bogglingly long, but we have a plan.

To pass the time, we will be watching The Hobbit, which I hear runs about 6 to 12 hours depending on your sound system and the megapixels in your TV.  If early labor exceeds the average or The Hobbit turns out to be shorter than expected (only a slight chance when Peter Jackson's involved) we'll just turn it into a marathon, relieving the stress and pain with quotes like:

I figure this approach will not only provide much-needed distraction, but also motivation.  If a tiny hobbit can make it to Mordor, I can get through labor.

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