Human anatomy, pain mitigation options and strategies,
massage secrets, the power of acupuncture, British parlance, Gina and I learned
a little bit about all of them this weekend. Seeing as how we know nothing
about what having a baby is all about, we felt it prudent to take a class to
hopefully learn at least something about what to expect and how to prepare for
what our teacher calls first battle of life.
Going in, one of our major concerns was the fact that Sofia
is still in the breech position; it turns out she hasn’t yet moved either. But,
Jenny did provide several different techniques we will try in the hopes of
encouraging Sofia to get into the appropriate position. Although some of them
sounded ridiculous and aroused suspicions that either she had gone senile or
was engaging in some twisted joke, she assured the class that she hadn’t lost
her mind and was also being sincere. So, to the techniques learned.
The first procedure she suggested was to have Gina get down
on hands and knees and then to light what she called a cigar. As a quick aside,
Gina and I met briefly after the first day with the other students in the
class, an American and French couple, to discuss whether she was actually
referring to a cigar as in Fidel Castro exploding stogie, or perhaps rather was
referring to something else entirely and simply using weird British English. We
never definitively decided. Either way, what was clear was that after Gina is
in the right position, I need to obtain a very hot item, kneel behind her, and
proceed to slowly bring the item we are calling a cigar slowly towards her left
pinkie (toe). Then Gina will tell me when the heat becomes unbearable, at which point
I then quickly pull it away, immediately replicating the process with the right
foot. Apparently the idea is to repeat this over and over for an undisclosed period
of time. We were told this is a highly successful technique (NOT highly successful, but worth a try I believe is what she said) in inducing infants
to escape from the breech position. The next idea given was to perform an
Indian bridge. The idea here is to invert the baby as much as possible while simultaneously
holding a torch (flashlight) against the part of the belly we want Sofia to
move towards. Apparently infants are like moths- bright lights are simply irresistible.
Despite our best efforts she hasn’t yet decided to move and yesterday we visited
the doctor and learned that we are rapidly running out of time. So for the moment
we are still attempting to convince her to abandon her current hangout but also
planning for necessary alternatives.
In addition to attending our infant preparation classes this
past weekend Gina and I also went for a swim in Lake Zurich. Our apartment is
only a few blocks from the water and there happens to be a line of parks and
swimming areas that begin only ten minutes from where we live. When we first
moved to Zurich we noticed that our neighborhood felt like a ghost town on
Saturdays and Sundays and we assumed the Swiss were simply a very reclusive
people. It turns out they all just go to the beach on the weekend. I don’t
blame them. The water is cold and clear, the grass and the trees are a vibrant
green, and the Alps soar up high towards the South; it’s a beautiful place.
That’s it for now.
Wait! There's one more thing. I need to add (this is Gina, by the way) that on Saturday we went to a pot luck thrown by one of our lab mates, which turned out to be a surprise baby shower! It was so much fun. Besides good food, we were treated to a nice, big diaper cake, more useful than tasty, but I guess that's what one would expect from diapers. All in all it was a good weekend and we are so lucky to work with such good people.
Yesterday, on the other hand, wasn't as much fun. We found out Sofie still hasn't turned, and because of this we had to schedule a C-section. We won't know the exact date until Friday, but we'll let you know as soon as we can. We also won't get to meet the doctor until the day before the surgery, which Ben wasn't too thrilled about. But I trust this hospital, so I'm not too worried about the actual procedure. It is apparently too dangerous to deliver a feet-first baby, and because of the placement of the placenta and the cord wrapped squarely around her neck, it's too risky to try the physical turning maneuver this hospital is known for. So basically that leaves us with one option, and we decided to take it! Of course there's still a slight possibility she'll turn by the C-section date, in which case we'll go al natural, but it doesn't seem too likely at this point. She's already a healthy 5.7 lbs and counting, so it's getting snug in there! I should know!
In any case, we'll let you know that date of the surgery, but in the meantime, think turning thoughts for us!
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| Swimming at Lake Zurich |
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| Gina loves the water |
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| Cool boat |
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| Baby Shower |
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| Sofia's first playmates |
