>>>I took some birthing/labor/"baby boot camp" classes beforehand, so I knew I'd be facing it. But knowledge and first-hand experience are two different things....prepare yourself for the bizarre, young Ninja :)
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>>Ours are coming up pretty quickly. We were a little nervous because she is due on July 9th and the classes start in about 2 weeks. We thought it was cutting it a little close to the due date. If she would go before those classes, I would be lost. I'm sure after the few hours of classes though I will be an expert and never feel lost or unsure.
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>Let me boil it down to the essentials. Your job when the time comes is to be there with her and comfort her any way you can. The breathing lessons and all that tend to go out the window. If you should miss a couple of classes, don't sweat it. You don't have to be an expert on every aspect of childbirth -- that's why they have doctors and nurses there. And if the pain gets to be too much for her, go for the epidural. It doesn't have to be a horribly painful experience or a macho contest.
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>I can also tell you that as long as there are not complications (knocking wood), it will be about the coolest day of your life.

Probably should remind him to ask the nurse at what point in the game is it too late to receive any pain med or an epidural? There is a point and it comes sooner than you think. :o)