Two weeks (approximately) left!  natural_childbirth_heart[1]Last night we had a childbirth class on “Natural Strategies” — since we’re trying to minimize the risk of autism with our next child, and we have no idea what the environmental trigger factors are (if any), we’re trying to be prudent and minimize interventions as much as possible.

The course was pretty good; the high point was a demonstration where we held a bunch of ice in our hands until it was unbearable to simulate contraction pain, then did the same thing while using “natural pain management” techniques (really, distractions).  Robin reported the difference was pretty amazing in the amount of discomfort perceived and the amount of time she could stand to hold the ice.

The problem was that the class was 3 1/2 hours long and there was about 1 1/2 hours of valid, new material in it — at best.  The rest of the class was either rehash of the mainstream childbirth class (which was a prerequisite for this one) or anecdotes about other natural deliveries.  I don’t think the extra material had much value, and certainly wasn’t worth blowing the entire evening on.

I do think the instructor was really good, and the new information we got was definitely useful.  I’d just work on trimming the fat from the course and let us out an hour earlier.