Training for the parents

Three things to report on:

1. We had another appointment with the baby doctor last week. We are now visiting her monthly as we go through this final stretch. She did an ultrasound to see if Baby has turned upside down toward the head-first birthing position. We think Baby has turned a bit since our last ultrasound, but I think the doctor was expecting it to be pretty much in the birth position. But she says we'll wait another month until the next appointment, and she'll do another ultrasound to check its position. Right now, it's pretty much upright.

So now we have to coax the baby to turn. There are methods for getting babies to do this, but they are medically risky (ranging from experimental accupuncture to physically turning it - I wasn't going to ask more about that, but the doctor said it was painful for the mother), and the worst-case scenario is a C-section if the baby ultimately doesn't turn (to avoid a breach birth). But it has time. So I've told Baby to be good and to start turning. Perhaps you'd like to send your own requests to Baby, and I'll pass them on. Otherwise, the baby is at an average weight - 1.9 kg (it can/will get up to 3.5 kg by the time it's born), but in terms of size, the doctor keeps saying it's big. So perhaps there's not much room in there for it to turn!

B. Friday night we had the first session of our five-week baby-preparation course. We found such a course in English, and eight or nine couples are taking part. We are the only Americans in the group (I always expect to find more Americans in groups like this or in something like French language lessons). The other couples (and all but one father came too; the one who didn’t show had a previous commitment, so in the 21st century, pregnancy truly is a joint “project”) are from Ireland, China, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, France, India (wife)/Italy (husband), Uganda (wife)/England (husband).

The first session was mostly about diet (and how women can deal with constipation). The instructor is a midwife who has worked all over the Geneva and neighboring areas. She told us that she would speak in general terms and that everything did not have to apply to everybody. But if you were to believe that you had to or should be following everything she said about what to eat, how to exercise and stand and avoid stress and heavy work, then you should be feeling guilty and that you have already been a bad parent before your baby is even born. I don’t think we’re doing even half of what she said. I know – the point wasn’t to make me/us feel guilty. And I shouldn’t because at every trip we’ve made to the doctor and clinic, we’ve heard that our baby is normal and healthy. So I think we’re doing pretty well.

Besides hearing about diet, we learned many interesting things. In Switzerland, unlike in the United States, where “drive-by births” became popular and the political buzzword several years ago, the typical hospital stay after birth for the mother is a full five days! Yes, that’s for a normal birth! And here they won’t send you home even after that long if there is nobody there (father or other family) to care for the mother. Swiss insurance provides for 10 days of home visits by a midwife (not necessarily 10 visits, but just 10 days of care). So we’ll take advantage of that. You are also entitled to three lactation consultations a year after birth. If we need any other instruction or advice, besides our pediatrician, there is this free clinic staffed by midwives that we can walk into or call. These classes are taking place at this clinic. So, the first months of raising a child should be a piece of cake (yeah, right)! At least we have many resources (even redundant ones) at our disposal – instruction or advice will not be far. And besides, both sets of grandparents will visit us during these first few months as well.

III. As today is Father's Day, Sarah gave the father-to-be - moi - a gift - a little letter from Baby with some coupons for some time out for Dad at Starbucks. No doubt I'll enjoy those!