Per the suggestion of Matt's best friend and his wife, I enrolled Matt and I in birth classes. Five weeks of birth classes. I think it is safe to say that I am more prepared than Matt for what is going to happen in that delivery room. And since he has very little knowledge, I thought the classes would be good for him. And me.
Let me first start off by saying that Matt is no wimp. He doesn't get grossed out by blood, guts, and gory stuff. He can hunt and gut what he kills, can handle stinky smells, and doesn't often bat an eye when it comes to "icky" stuff. However, when it comes to the female body, he would rather not know certain things. Being raised without sisters, and his mom keeping things of that nature private, it's no wonder he is the way he is. I've tried to bring up things to him like breastfeeding and he would just rather not know. He is also a very calm person. He doesn't get upset quickly and remains cool when things are uncomfortable.
I, on the other hand, am the complete opposite. I grew up watching brain surgery on TV while eating dinner, took stitches out of my dad on several occasions, and the more I can learn about medical "stuff," the better (unless it relates to feet and then I am completely grossed out). I will also admit that Matt is a good match for me because he doesn't get upset or stressed quickly. I do that for the both of us. Especially now that I am pregnant because my Type-A personality, along with hormones, have made me VERY anal and easily worked up.
We had our first birth class a couple weeks ago. I don't think either of us knew what to expect. And I certainly don't think either of us expected to jump in so fast! Right away the teacher started showing diagrams of the female body, how the baby is positioned before birth, how the baby affects the bladder, etc. She had a model pelvis and showed how the baby moves through the birth canal (awesome!) and she informed us on how to recognize the signs of labor. Terminology was used that had Matt squirming in his chair and had his face as white as a ghost.
It's a good thing Matt and I sat in the back of the room because he had me giggling like a little girl the whole time. He told me several times that he was going to kill his best friend for recommending this class. During a video we watched, where they showed an actual birth, I thought Matt was going to pass out. He squirmed and wiggled and mumbled things under his breath. I, however, got emotional and started crying while watching the birth. Funny how we reacted so differently to the same exact thing.
After we got home from the birth class, I asked Matt what he thought. And even though it's new and pretty gross for him, he still plans on cutting that umbilical cord, being part of every second, and told me he is really glad we are taking those classes together.
