Mommy Talk

Keiko, a Japanese teacher at our school, came to the office for a visit this afternoon. The last time I saw her was in mid-February, when she was put on bed rest in the hospital due to premature contractions. She was in her 33rd week then. 3 weeks later, after an emergency C-section, she gave birth to a healthy little boy on March 3rd.

Her visit today was unannounced and I guess she didn't expect to see me in the office so late in the afternoon. As soon as we saw each other, we screamed and locked hands like excited high school girls. Then we spent the next half an hour sitting knee-to-knee, exchanging pregnancy experiences and birth stories (well, she was doing the telling of course). Having been deprived of contact and connection with women who are able to relate to my current condition, I held on to Keiko and asked her about EVERYTHING, from what it felt like when her water broke to what kind of container she's using to store breast milk. She was also able to share her experience giving birth in a hospital in Taiwan, which really helped to put me at ease (most of the stuff I've been reading online talks about situations in North American hospitals. Hospitals in Taiwan generally don't provide this kind of support, for patients in Taiwan are not accustomed to actively seeking out information on their own).

Keiko is going to bring her little boy to meet everyone in the office early next week. That should be a lot of fun!

I called the hospital this morning to ask about the birthing classes they offer. There's one next Saturday (June 20) that talks about Lamaz and other childbirth techniques, what happens while we're in the hospital, and they'll give us a tour to the delivery room. Only dads who have completed this class will be allowed into the delivery room, so you can say this is a prereq to the privilege of witnessing your own child's birth. I don't know about Bill, but I'm kind of excited about going to this class. I think I'll feel much better-prepared than I do now.