by Emma Riley Sutton

Created on: April 22, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2008

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I did was find a doctor. I found at at which hospitals she had privileges and went for an unannounced visit. The first hospital said they didn't do tours. The second hospital showed me everything, even an in-use labor and delivery room. That was an accident and an empty labor and delivery room was shown to me. The nurse took me into a little room with Winnie-the-Pooh everywhere. She asked if I had any questions. The first question out of my mouth (I still don't know why it was this question) was "Are those childbirth classes really worth it?" Her answered surprised me. "Absolutely not. Talk to your doctor. Talk to me. Talk to your mom. Save your money and buy maternity clothes or the baby some little sleepers." She went on to explain to me why the classes were unnecessary.

She explained that every birth was different. One class, even if lasted for 20 years, could not cover all the different scenarios that could play out. Not only was every birth different, every woman handled it differently. "They will show you the tape of a birth and scare you to death. The woman is screaming her head off, calling her husband every name in the book." She laughed. "What they don't show you is that she screamed even more when her husband took the splinter out of her finger." That made sense to me. I had always wondered about that and I didn't have to wonder anymore. Pain tolerance is variable between people. I had never thought of it that way when it came to childbirth.

She explained that different doctors had different ways of doing things. I found out that the doctor I had dismissed the nurses from the room as soon as the baby was born and she assessed the baby to be fine. "She believes that you and her have developed a bond," the nurse said. "The nurses are strangers to you. More than likely you want to have someone there you trust to help you or answer any questions you have. I've assisted her many times and she is more than qualified." I knew I liked my doctor the moment I spoke to her the first time. Now I knew I liked her even more. She would be taking care of me and my baby before it got here and her taking care of it during the first minutes of life outside the womb would be nice.

The nurse explained the concept of a "birth plan." She told me to talk to my doctor. "She [my doctor] will know if she suspects any complications during labor and delivery. If there is, she will have the plan. If all looks normal, then

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