Pelvic Flooring

Tonight was the first of my pre-birth sessions, delivered through our hospital, and (thankfully), paid for by our health insurance. They aren't actually held at the hospital; they are held where (hopefully), I'll be staying in the 2rd and 4th day after the birth. Frances Perry House (the hospital) has a deal with the Sofitel (swanky city hotel) where mothers and babies can stay their last two nights, with hot and cold running midwives, at a luxurious hotel suite, provided everything goes ok. So... the classes are run in one of these hotel suites (hopefully not the one I'll be staying in!)

The first session was "Physio and Relaxation" which was a women's only class. The physio side of things was focused on exercises and other things you can do to prepare yourself and your body for the rigours of birth. We spent a good deal of the time focusing on the pelvic floor muscles and how to exercise and strengthen them.

The relaxation side really should have been called 'Active pain management', as we looked at our natural response to pain and how to work through that. To do this, we were actually put in pain by holding ice cubes in our bare hands for one minute, which is the approximate length of a contraction. It's surprising how much an ice cube in your bare hand actually hurts! My natural response was to focus inwardly and breathe through the pain, sort of like meditating through it (which, as far as natural responses go, is a pretty good way to be - much better than talking, complaining, jumping up and down or screaming, as some of the others did).