My baby is about the size of a small lime – 1.6 inches. I only have a week and a half left in my first trimester! I can’t believe how fast time is flying. I’m due in 200 days … ok, THAT doesn’t sound so soon 
I’ll be giving birth at the Mayo Clinic, and they sent me a booklet of their perinatal classes. I am super impressed with all they have to offer! They have the standard Prenatal Class that most hospitals offer. It includes a tour of the birthing area, information about the hospital, pain management options, care of a newborn (how to bathe, feed, change them, etc) and postpartum care. And they also host a “reunion” a couple months later so we can meet the babies of all the women in the class with me. Mayo also has a “Prenatal Class: Comfort Measures Plus” class that covers everything the normal prenatal class covers, but focuses less on pain drugs and more on natural methods of pain relief. I’m so impressed that my hospital has a class like this! Hubby and I are signed up for this one. I would like to attempt labor without pain medication … but I’m not hard-core about it. If things aren’t progressing the way I want them to progress, I’ll take the drugs without guilt.
We’re signed up for the Infant Passenger Safety Class. 2 hours seems like a really long time to show me how to install a car seat, so I assume we’re covering more than just that.
We’re going to a Breastfeeding Class. I DO plan to be hard-core about this. Whether the kid’s getting it directly from my breast, or I pump into a bottle, I really want my child to have breast milk for the first few months of his/her life.
We’re also signed up for a Cesarean Birth Class. I don’t want a c-section and nothing indicates that I’ll need one … but things happen. And when a c-section is needed, it isn’t usually optional, it’s NEEDED. If that happens, I want to know what going on. I am always more comfortable if I feel I know what’s going on, particularly if I get to retain a little bit of control, like choosing what kind of drugs I want with the c-section. Hubby and I decided that a single 2.5 hour class and $15 fee is worth the piece of mind.
These are the only classes Hubby and I are signed up for right now … but both sets of our parents are taking a Grandparent Class! It covers childbirth and parenting today, grandparenting/memory making, encouragement verses advice, safety reminders, long-distance grandparenting and a tour of the obstetric facilities. Both sets of parents are pretty excited about this class. Mayo also offers a class for siblings (separated by age) AND a class just for kids who will be attending the birth. I am so impressed at all these classes. All my hospital HAS to do it take care of me and the baby, I love that they have expanded that to include my entire family.
The first class is April 21st, and we’ll be all done by June 21st just in case the babe comes early. I just had a friend give me A TON of maternity clothes, I haven’t had a chance to look through them yet, but if they all fit I won’t need to buy any more clothes. I’m pleased with how prepared I feel. I think, for the end of the first trimester, I’m doing pretty well.