the lamaze classes and other preps

it's my terrible birthing experience with iñigo, which pushed me to enroll in a lamaze/childbirth class for this pregnancy. as much as possible, i want myself and baby TL to be free from any drugs during the delivery as i blame the epidural anesthesia i had for the low apgar score of iñigo after he came out from me. well... i'm thinking iñigo must also be too groggy from the drugs as i was that time. i'm also leading my family now into a chemical and drug-free lifestyle as much as we can so it's a good idea to start it from birth, right?

 

aside from my desire for natural birth, i also want to avoid the other mistakes that have had happened in my first and one of the biggest mistakes i made by the way was letting iñigo grow big (he’s almost an eight-pounder) while he’s still inside my tummy. with my slim frame, it was a miracle that i was able to deliver him via normal procedure.

 

so for six saturday mornings, jude and i diligently attended the lamaze classes under ms. rome kanapi in santuario de san jose parish center in south forbes, makati, while iñigo was left home with my cousin.

 

the fee is quite pricey as we shelled out php 4,000 for the entire program but that’s nothing with all the practical information and tips we learned from the classes such as prenatal exercises, breathing techniques, preparation of childbirth plan and other details regarding childbirth, which i find very empowering not only for the mothers-to-be but more for the fathers-to-be as it could help them in coming up with an informed decision concerning their partners in any unlikely event... and not just depend on what the doctors will say, you know...

 

but more than the knowledge acquired, what i appreciate more about lamaze is it really  encouraged the guys to get involved in the childbirth experience of their partners—from the   labor stage up to post-partum. the men were made aware of what we feel  and fear.

 

 

 

jude trying out one of the floor exercises taught to us by ms. kanapi

 

 

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aside from preparing ourselves for the delivery day, we have also readied now baby tl’s things such as his crib, clothing, feeding bottles, diapers, etc. i started to shop for his new clothes (as there are also hand-me-downs from his kuya iñigo… can’t help me not to recycle as most still look new) on the day i found out his gender. talk about being excited and shopaholic, haha.

 

 baby TL's nook in our flat

 

one of the first stores we raided is the export overruns store of baby clothings in #48 zodiac st. bel-air, makati city. it's where i bought some of the onesies, frogsuits, and towels. i was happy with my loots especially with one of the frogsuits as i thought i bought it cheap but got disappointed later on when i shopped in landmark and the same towels were selling at a lesser price, hmpf!

 

 

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aside from all those i mentioned, we are also preparing the big brother-to-be we have in the house, i.e. kuya iñigo, for the the coming of baby TL as i know it would require a major adjustment for him since he’s used in having all our attention. we have already talked about his younger sibling as soon as the pregnancy kit turned positive and encouraged him to kiss, caress, and talk to my tummy as much as possible.

 

 

 

i'm also grateful for this book, which i bought from booksale (or diplomat?) and i have been reading this to him since last year, just one of his books collection...

 

 

i’ve already shared here that iñigo sometimes pretends he’s still a baby--even tried to climb the crib as he insisted that it’s for him--but with the help of the book, we’re able to point out the cribs are for babies only like our baby TL and that he’s the big brother in the book. =)

 

 

iñigo practicing how to carry a baby brother. we brought him with us in the last session of lamaze class... pasado na ba? =D