My First Pregnancy Experience – Part 2

One of the things first-time pregnant women look forward to is the baby shower and all the cute little stuff that is out there for babies.

Husband and I knew that his family wasn’t going to make it, being at the other side of the country and all. But, nonetheless, we were excited! We planned it for the Saturday on thanksgiving weekend. We wanted to take advantage of the family gathering. We reserved a ramada section at Kiwanis Park in Tempe (AZ). I figured that way there was less to clean up and we wouldn’t have to rent tables. Plus, the weather was perfect! If you’re from Arizona, you know that fall weather doesn’t really start until the end of November. We had the grill going for burgers and hotdogs. We played a variety of baby shower games, ate cake and opened presents. We had received a giant box full of presents from husband’s side of the family a couple weeks before but waited until the baby shower to open them to make it more special.

The baby shower took place about 3 months before my due date. We wanted to wait to purchase anything until after the baby shower, but we also wanted enough time to save money to buy stuff we needed that was not gifted. We mostly received lots of clothes and diapers, which was greatly appreciated. Few of the big stuff we purchased such as the crib, was gently used from Craigslist or Kid to Kid, which is a thrift store located in Ahwatukee. The travel system we purchased new because purchasing a used car seat is not guaranteed to be in safe working order. Check out this article on Very Well about car seats.

As my due date grew closer, I started researching about labor and what to expect. One of the things everyone seemed to agree on was birth classes. I believe most hospitals offer these, but you would have to contact your hospital of choice directly to inquire about it. The hospital where my OB/GYN was designated to, has birth classes and hospital tour combo package. However, because they have to be scheduled, it was not possible. I waited until the last moment to call and their available bookings were sporadic. We had to attend the birth class at a different hospital and the following week did the tour at our hospital.

Husband and I both learned a lot about what to expect. These birth classes are very informative and I highly recommend taking them at least once. The class we attended was about 6 hours long plus an hour for lunch. We covered the difference between true and false labor, as well as breathing techniques to get through the stages of labor. 

They provided us with sheets full of information and at the end of the class, we got a certificate of completion. As a result, we felt more at ease by the end of the day.

During our hospital tour, we were shown the stages you have to go through if you have an impromptu visit to the ER. First, they take you into the triage to get examined and get a determination about how it’s looking in there. From there if you are found to be in need of observation, they will take you into the labor room. If it is found that you do not need to be further medically observed, they will send you home from triage. Once in the labor room, you wait until baby comes. From there, you rest for a couple hours before being transferred to the postpartum room, where you stay until you are discharged. The most valuable reason to tour the hospital, in my opinion, is knowing where to park in case you have to be rushed in. My labor was scheduled, but if I had to be rushed in, not knowing where to park would’ve been such an unnecessary stress-addition.

Planning and doing these activities were definitely the easiest part of pregnancy!

If you haven’t seen My First Pregnancy Experience – Part 1: Food, Nausea & Exercise, check it out!

*All info sheets and certificate courtesy of Banner Gateway Medical Center