This past weekend Darren and I spent in lamaze class at Nyack Hospital.  It was  two-day accelerated course to teach us everything we need to know as we prepare for the arrival of baby Herman.  We were both a little skeptical going in as many people said lamaze was rather useless and a waste of their time but we found our course and instructor to be fabulous.  Our two days were more about birthing, relaxation, managing expectations, how to determine if you are in labor, the pros and cons of delivery drugs, information on breastfeeding and basic infant care.  While we learned several breathing techniques and relaxation methods, it was only part of the course.   Included in our course, the instructor gave us a tour of the entire maternity center, the labor and delivery room with all the equipment that is used, the room we will have post birth and the nursery.  She also showed us the Neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) should an emergency situation occur.  Not every hospital has this type of unit so we were happy to learn they do should an unforeseen emergency arise. 

Overall, we were really impressed with the maternity center at Nyack Hospital.  The maternity floor felt much less like a hospital as their recent renovations have created a warm, homey environment for giving birth.  I’m really happy we will be there as it seems like the right place for us.  If you are giving birth at Nyack Hospital, I highly recommend the Lamaze Course taught by Virginia Stellato who is a lamaze certified childbirth educator.  The course is offered as an accelerated weekend class or a 2 hour class for six weeks.  We felt It was well worth our time and I think everyone in the class felt the same way too.   Five weeks to go…. :)