Birth videos, classes, and stories. Oh my!

Well, after watching this TED video over and over, I was inspired to watch more birth videos and read birth stories. Water births, home births, hospital births... Lots and lots of births. Some videos are edited and sweet, and make Kip say, "That didn't look so bad!" And others are raw footage that make me wince and say, "Nooooo way!!" and Kip calmly replies, "Well, Hannah, we've gotta get her out somehow."

Let's be honest. I'm scared. Of the pain, of course, but mostly of the unknown. The last part of the TED video, where you can see what the little baby's legs are doing and how she's trying to get OUT of there?! Helloooo, why did I not realize she'd be moving around and squirming during delivery too?! One story I read talked about feeling her pelvic bones shifting and making room as the baby descended into the birth canal. Whaaaat.

All that to say, my confidence is fully and completely in the Lord, and I know He'll take care of me, and that this is what He designed my body to do. But the stories still give me the goosebumps. It's all so exciting, emotional, scary, and unpredictable! One minute, I'm terrified, and the next I just can't wait. I think, if the Lord gives us more babies in the future, I'd like to have a home birth. It just sounds so much more comfortable and personal. Maybe we'll wait until we have a house so we don't scare any neighbors in our apartment complex. :)

Well, tonight is our first birthing class. Neither of us are really sure what to expect, but we're excited to get to spend some time getting to know our midwives (Jean and Betty) outside of the regular prenatal appointments. I'm a little afraid Kip and I won't be able to make it through the class without laughing... This is all so new to us, and let's be honest... sometimes conversations about bodies are just funny. I know the information will be very useful and I'm excited to learn!