October 9, 2017 (Updated February 16, 2023)

Weekend Recap

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

58 comments

Hi guys! I know some of you probably have the day off today for Columbus Day, but I figured I’d pop in anyway to say hello. I’m so glad many of you (pregnant and not!) enjoyed my Pregnancy, Body Image, and Intuitive Eating post on Friday – thank you for sharing your thoughts, too!

Matt and I stuck close to home this weekend and tackled some serious baby and house-related to do lists. But first, on Saturday morning, we slept in and then I made us pancakes. 🙂

gluten free blueberry pancakes

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These were our usual fave made with the Simple Mills pancake mix; I added 1 Tbsp chia seeds to the batter and blueberries, too.

gluten free blueberry pancakes

Delicious! I topped mine with some plain Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and extra blueberries as you can see above.

Despite the fact that run dates haven’t been part of my weekend routine for many months now, the weekends still feel a little weird without the comforting rhythm and routine of my usual favorite weekend workout. It was a nice morning, so once we finished eating Matt and I decided to play tennis – but unfortunately everyone else in the world had the same idea. We drove around to different public courts for awhile before giving up and going to get lattes at Java Shack and stroll around a bit instead. Bummer!

We ended up strolling to Whole Foods and getting lunch/brunch – they do made to order omelettes on the weekends so I got one of those with some bacon, roasted potatoes, and veggies. It was the biggest omelette in the world so I had some leftover for the next day too!

whole foods made to order omelette

From there, we headed to the hospital for something important: an Infant Skills 101 class! Alternate title: how to keep a baby alive when you have no idea what you’re doing. It was 2.5 hours and covered swaddling, bathing, diapering, common things to know/look for, when to call the pediatrician, etc. Very helpful, and I really liked the teacher, who was a retired labor and delivery nurse. She was very calming and reassuring, which I appreciated.

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We have a ton of these baby-related classes coming up – tomorrow night we’re doing a breastfeeding class (partners are also encouraged to attend, which I like – it will be good to have Matt know what’s going on/how to help, too), next week we have an infant CPR class and a hospital tour, and then we still need to sign up for a labor/delivery class. All of the labor/delivery classes seem to be 6 to 8 hours long – sheesh! For those who did one of those classes – was it worth it?! Or is there a similar video we can watch so we know what’s going on without doing such a long class? I feel like that sounds bad, and obviously I want to be prepared for what’s to come, but… thoughts? Am I the only one who feels like sitting through an 8 hour class seems like a bit much? I mean, people have been having babies for a very long time and these classes didn’t exist then, right?!

Anyway – we ran some errands after the class and were starving by 5:30 – early dinner it was! We hit up Faccia Luna for salads + pizza.

faccia luna salad

faccia luna pizza

And then we randomly decided to go see a movie! The dogs are still at their 2 week training boot camp (more on that in my 32 week pregnancy update) so we didn’t HAVE to rush home, and we know stuff like this will obviously be quite hard once we have a baby, so why not right? Even though we had just had pizza, movie theater popcorn was clearly necessary. Mmmmm!

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Also – I love movie theaters that have reclining seats where you can put your feet up! Very pregnancy friendly. 😉 We saw “It” – creepy! I hadn’t been to the movies in FOREVER – such a fun treat.

On Sunday we slept in (see also: no dogs, no baby yet – must take advantage), had leftover pancakes from Saturday for breakfast, and then got down to work. We had a MASSIVE to do list awaiting us – first and foremost was to finish putting together baby furniture and figure out what configuration of the baby’s room made sense so that we could see what space we had left to measure and order a baby bookcase. This involved lots of moving things around in the room, in and out of the hallway, etc. Zara observed the process but was shockingly not much help. Rude.

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Also on our to do lists yesterday was general tidying up around the house – moving so many things around to accommodate the baby’s room has made the rest of the house a bit of a hot mess, so it felt good to get things more organized. I still need to do some more work on my office later today, though – it’s kind of a disaster right now.

I had my leftover omelette and some toast with nut butter and banana for lunch, and then around 4 after doing more work around the house I felt myself starting to get restless and irritated – my cue to get a change of scenery. Whenever I feel like that getting outside and/or getting in some movement always vastly improves my mood. It was really humid and warm and gross out, so I decided to take myself to the pool for a swim instead! Normally my swims as of late are really calming and low key, but I was craving something more invigorating so I swam a bit more intensely this time. It felt really good to zone out and move!

swimming pool arlington va

I also had a lane to myself the whole time which was awesome. 🙂

At 6, Matt and I had a special treat – a couples massage! He bought me gift certificates for massages at Ballston Therapeutic Massage for my birthday, and since he bought 5 he got a 6th one free, so we decided he should use that one and come with me this time. 🙂 It felt soooo good – they do a good prenatal massage!

We grabbed Sweetgreen salads on our way home and spent the rest of the night relaxing on the couch. We just started season 3 of Narcos – so far it’s really good!

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I’ve been loving getting into bed really early lately and reading and relaxing, so I got in bed around 8:45 and read some of A Column of Fire – I’m about halfway through now and loving it… SO GOOD.

So there you have it – a productive weekend. We’re both working from home today and going to do a bit more baby room stuff later this afternoon with my mom – she’s going to bring over all the baby clothes (she washed everything for us – thank you, mom!!) and we’re going to start putting those away as well as some of the non-baby clothing gifts we’ve received. Only 5 weeks out now – time to get a serious move on!

Have a great day guys!

p.s. Last week I participated in a Dietitians Taking the Anti-Diet/Intuitive Eating Approach round table event! The recording is now available for purchase if you’re interested – here’s my affiliate link to check it out (click on “register”, and then under question 5 select option C – or D or E if you are interested in checking out the other round table calls too). Our discussion was geared towards dietitians and those in school to become dietitians who would like to implement the philosophies of intuitive eating and health at every size in their work with clients. We talked about how to incorporate the non-diet approach into sports nutrition, public health/clinical work, and more!

- anne

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58 comments
  • Mer
    Our doula gave us an in home class. Maybe that's an option? The only class we took was infant CPR at the hospital.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Our doula unfortunately doesn't offer classes... that would be awesome though!
      Reply
  • Michelle
    An 8 hour class when you are 6 weeks out! Stimuduws show you can't retain much after 2 hours of learning something new. You are right women have been delivering children for millennial. I would spend time looking online.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Right?! I don't understand why they don't offer a 2 hour version... I want to learn the basics but 8 hours seems excessive and you're right, how much will we remember?!
      Reply
  • Jennifer
    We found the birthing class really helpful. I read a ton of books and watched a bunch of videos, but having an 'expert' give me information face to face was great. I had to be induced due to health concerns and I was able to get more information about that and how it might change the labor process.
    Reply
  • Lea J.
    We attended a 6 hour labor/delivery class and while it was a long day, I'm so glad we did it. The instructor was awesome and I felt so much more prepared and empowered at the end. I ended up having an emergency c-section so most of it ended up not applying and even still- it was not wasted time at all.
    Reply
  • Erin G
    I think whether to take the labor/delivery class depends on what you're comfortable with during labor itself. If you're planning on an epidural, I honestly don't feel like a class is necessary. There are tons of people in the Hospital guiding you through the process; I didn't feel like I applied much of what I had learned in the class. But if you're hoping to have an unmedicated birth, you definitely need to study up on how to handle labor/birth with no medicine. Just my two cents! Also, I would definitely recommend looking into a lactation clinic you can go to with baby girl if you're planning to breastfeed. My Hospital offered one available for free to all mothers who had given birth there. Breastfeeding classes are awesome, but I found it necessary to work with my baby girl and lactation consultants to help make breastfeeding work for us!
    Reply
  • terri d.
    I thought that the in-person full day birth class was helpful since it was my first baby. The parts that are useful include the following: you get to learn about some of the intervention options ahead of time and can think about them - talk to your partner - and be ready with a decision if you have to deal with that when you get there; it helps to know that all experiences are different and in my class, we watched videos of those varied experiences - this can also be a help mentally since you don't know what will happen in your situation; and you can ask questions - really good, especially if you've heard about lots of other birth stories and don't know what is typical or not. I agree that it seems like it's just going to happen but there are a lot of decisions that could be made and it is helpful to pre-game a bit. There is no way to be completely prepared but I felt like it was helpful...plus, they give you some strategies if you plan to labor at home for a while. Even taking the class, I still had no idea if my water broke (it did), I was in labor for what felt like forever (38 hours), and ended up having a c-section...no matter what, the baby will do whatever she wants. Of all the classes I took (baby care, birth, breastfeeding), I found breastfeeding to be the least useful...but that was just my experience. Good luck with all the new adventures!
    Reply
  • Linda
    I didn't take a class. The nurses and my doctor were great. Baby still came out fine. She is 8 now. Love Narcos we are in season three also. We need to watch when we don't need to do work so we can read the subtitles.
    Reply
  • Katie
    My boyfriend has been trying to convince me to go see It but it's not happening. I told him that I would happily go see another movie with him though! haha
    Reply
  • Caitlin
    Our doula offered group sessions with a couple of other doulas and I found this much more helpful than the hospital class. However, at the hospital class you will learn a lot about the hospital policies, what they provide, etc. which can be helpful. If you are going for a natural birth I highly recommend finding a private class. They usually aren't 8 hours (!) but they provide a lot of good info re: coping strategies. The class is probably more important for your husband to attend than for you. I will say I did a lot of birth and labor prep (classes) and reading and it was very helpful.
    Reply
  • Kathy
    Everyone is different, but I found that taking classes and spending time educating myself on childbirth and thinking through the type of birth experience I wanted was well worth it. While you can’t plan out your perfect birth and anything can happen when the time comes, you can learn about your options so you’re empowered and prepared to make choices. For instance, do you want a natural birth or do you want medical interventions such as an epidural? Do you know the different types of interventions, including drugs and devices (!) you may be offered? Do you know how to recognise the different stages of labour and how you will cope with pain? How do you feel about being induced? When you’re in the thick of it you may need to make decisions about things and you may wish you knew your options ahead of times. And, it will be helpful to know your hospital/doctor/midwife’s policies too. For me, when I was pregnant I didn’t know how much I didn’t know til I started learning, and now that I’m on the other side, I’m glad I educated myself. But everyone - and everyone’s birth - is different! At the end of the day a happy, healthy baby (and mama!) is most important. And that’s great Matt is going to breastfeeding class! When it’s the middle of the night and you’re trying to get your baby to latch and doubting everything it will be helpful to have someone else there who can help. :) Good luck with everything and yes, enjoy going out and sleeping in now while you can!
    Reply
  • Kristina
    Good luck with the final weeks! I thought taking a birth class of any kind was super helpful. We took a very long one (10 weeks) which was slightly overkill, but we knew the questions to ask and I felt like it was important for my husband and I to be on the same page. Also, when it came to the actual birth process, I was happy to have all that knowledge and knew what was happening. Best wishes and hope the dog situation works out!!!
    Reply
  • Dana J
    Anne, you must check out Stork’s classes - https://storkchildbirthed.com/- fabulous 2-3 hour classes at night, they were perfect! Enough to feel informed and somewhat prepared (as best you can be, ha) without info overload or taking up valuable pre-baby weekend time. We did the babycare/CPR and birthing classes two years ago, and I highly recommend.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Oooo I like the sound of 2-3 hours - that sounds much more reasonable! Thanks - will check it out!
      Reply
    • Anne
      Aaaand just signed up for one of their classes. 3 hours feels WAY more reasonable - thank you!!
      Reply
  • Emily @ Pizza & Pull-ups
    The hubs and I have a date to see IT tonight, was it good? Out labor class was 6 weeks long and met once a week for two hours at a time. It was super informative and I'm glad we signed up for it, but we actually decided to skip the last two classes. It was a review and then labor role playing activities, which I suppose could be good practice, but it was not how I wanted to spend my evening at that point.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Yeah we are definitely getting tapped out on all these classes considering how many we have left - it's a lot! And yes, IT was really good! Creepy :)
      Reply
  • Laura Fox
    Hi Anne! Good luck with everything! I have a 6 week old and you'd never believe how quickly time flies when you're in the middle of things. I hope someone recommended this to you (if it's redundant, my apologies) but the "my brest friend" pillow has literally changed my breast feeding game. The boppy isn't the best right off the bat when babies are so little and this pillow was more than worth the investment. Good luck with your endeavors! Stick through the challenging moments of breast feeding if they come, things will get better!
    Reply
    • Anne
      That's a great tip - thank you!
      Reply
  • Lara
    I really enjoyed our all-day birthing class. It was the only pre-baby class we took (we took infant CPR shortly after A started on solids) and there were small portions spent on breastfeeding and infant care, but the bulk of the class was focused on labor. It really helped me understand how it would all unfold, and it gave Jim a lot of things he could do to help me through it.
    Reply
  • Mary
    I took the labor and delivery class at Virginia Hospital Center and it was very helpful. As others mentioned, the more information you have, the better decisions you can make. Plus it put my mind at ease just being more prepared. I felt nauseous and had to leave the room when they talked about epidurals, which is silly now, since that is pretty much the easiest part :)
    Reply
  • mary
    if you decided to use a doula, you can definitely skip the childbirth class as she will provide you methods and expectations for laboring, and she will be there to coach you through the process when the time comes. but honestly - even without a doula, i'd skip the class. you really can't be prepared for what will happen! as long as you have breathing techniques and understand your own birth plan, your intuition is your best guide!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Yeah I mean that was kind of why we hired a doula, so I wouldn't feel like I had to read 10140938394823948 books beforehand... :)
      Reply
      • mary
        and you are better off spending that 6 hours doing something FUN before baby comes!!!! :)
        Reply
        • Anne
          Right?!?! I'm going to see about finding a shorter option!
          Reply
  • annie
    We took a 6 hour class separated into 2 3 hour sessions, and thought it was SO worth it. Yes, women have been delivering babies for centuries, but the decisions you will be making for yourself and your baby are very different from those 20, 50, or 100 years ago, so it's naive to think you don't need to be fully aware of those. Our class discussed various birth procedures, the types of complications that can arise, how to work with hospital staff to make sure your wishes are being heard in an effective way, as well as some coaching for labor, particularly with breathing while pushing. All of our hospital staff commented on what a great team my husband and I were and how in sync we were, what a great coach he was, and that was all from our preparation in our class. YMMV depending on what class you take, but I do think if you do your research and find a good class (the good ones are often taught my LDR nurses), they are worth the time and money.
    Reply
  • Caroline
    I also thought 6-8 hours seemed too long for a labor/delivery class. We ended up having a private teacher come to our apartment for about 3 hours, and it was really helpful so I do recommend it. That being said, if you have a doula, I don't think you really need to do both. I'm sure she will meet with you before and discuss all of the same information. Sounds like you are getting really well prepared!!!
    Reply
  • Amy
    I took a 3.5-hour class (it happened to be with our doula, but I don't think that's necessary), and both my husband and I found it invaluable. Eight hours does seem like a bit much, in my opinion, but I think it's worth it to take some kind of in-person instruction, particularly if you're interested in trying for a natural labor. (My personal stance was "I want a natural labor, but we'll see what happens.") We learned a lot of physical techniques my husband could use to help me during labor, and it was really nice to have an actual person there to assist us. It was also nice to be able to get personalized feedback on some of our questions and plans. Overall, I think classes can help you build confidence and form some fundamental ideas about how you'd like your labor and delivery experience to proceed (knowing you might need to throw it totally out the window, of course!).
    Reply
  • Carrie (This Fit Chick)
    Ooo that's awesome that you are doing classes! I'm way behind on the baby train-- and many years away, but I didn't realize that was a thing to do! SO jealous you have the day off today. I'm unfortunately working away...
    Reply
  • Marci
    The bright side if you do the class is you'll never do it again for the next pregnancy(ies). It also depends if you plan to be medicated, labor at home or not, etc. I found it not that helpful looking back. It is probably more helpful for husband if they are completely not familiar with how things happen. I would not watch too many videos...they will frighten you!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Haha yeah I feel like the childbirth stuff is a fine line between being aware/knowledgeable... and getting totally freaked out about what's to come!
      Reply
  • Allison
    I just took a long birth class and while I don't think it was worth the 6 hours, it was worth doing it with my husband. I've been doing a ton of research and reading on my own, but my husband hasn't been so it was nice to hear these together to spark conversation between us.
    Reply
    • Alice
      I agree. I did the same thing and I felt like it was really helpful for him to know what was going on, too.
      Reply
    • Anne
      Yeah, I agree that it will be really nice to have Matt in the loop on everything! Although I'm also clueless because I haven't read up on anything... #unprepared
      Reply
  • Gillian
    I didn't remember anything from my class! Was 8 hours over 2 nights and such a waste - wish I had spent 8 hours relaxing or learning about what to do when the baby is here! It's such an uncontrollable situation - birth - that I felt going in with the attitude of they will look after me and tell me what to do, when to push etc was the best. No expectations besides a baby arriving so no room for disappointment! The midwives are amazing - they'll tell you what to do. So exciting that it's nearly time. x
    Reply
  • Courtney
    My husband was working across the country for the majority of my pregnancy while I stayed with my parents. No way in hell was I taking a long class alone, so I didn't take any classes! My labor (water breaking to birth) lasted less than 8 hours, and I was fine! The nurses, midwives, or doula are there to help you, and will tell you what to do when it comes time. As long as you have a support person you will totally be okay! Just my opinion, but since the classes seem to be highly encouraged I thought I would give you a different perspective and opinion!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Wow = 8 hours, that's amazing! If only! :)
      Reply
  • Amber @ Bloom Nutrition Therapy
    I am SO craving pancakes now! I'm really glad they do classes like these for new parents. I really feel like I would have NO idea, lol!
    Reply
  • Megan
    I was totally set on not taking the childbirth class but a few people said it really helped them figure out what to expect and said it was helpful for their husbands/partners. If you're nervous about delivery it'll give you lots of information about what happens and all the different ways it can happen. Ours was all day and I could have done with out it. Especially since that turned out to be our LAST day without a baby (I went into labor that night). It was helpful that we had the hospital tour fresh in our minds but I didn't use much else.
    Reply
  • Jenn
    We took a labor class series at the hospital (it probably was 8 hours or more all together) and I found it really helpful since my labor did not go as planned. However, I did not have a doula, so that may impact your decision. The one thing I wanted to mention is that we made a GREAT group of friends in labor class since we were all due at the same time. Our kids are 2.5 and we still get together monthly.
    Reply
  • Stephanie
    Hi Anne - I have a 15 month-old and took the labor and delivery class at Sibley, which was 8 hours. I thought it was way too long and I didn't get a lot out of it. There was a lot of time spent practicing different laboring positions, and going through the different stages of labor, but the information you got in those 8 hours could definitely be compressed into 2 or 3 hours. There wasn't anything in that class (other than the hospital tour) that you couldn't learn from reading a book on labor and childbirth or going to a shorter class. Also, they spent very little time discussing C-sections (and actually stated that you wanted to do everything to avoid one), which I found to be really unhelpful and discouraging (I ended up having a scheduled C-section because my son was breach). However, I did find the classes at Sibley on breastfeeding and the infant basics to be much more worthwhile.
    Reply
    • Anne
      That's good to know - thanks Stephanie!
      Reply
  • Kristin
    I did not take a class because I honestly did not want to know what I was getting in to. I think that it actually worked for me. All of the nurses/ doctors kind of just tell you what to do and it all works out. I also did not want to have a "plan" in my head and did not want to have any expectations of what was to come. The whole process kind of felt like the most intense and longest tabata workout (2 minutes on, 30 seconds rest... haha), but I honestly just though of it like that and helped me to get through it haha. As long as you have people around you to help you, then everything will be fine!
    Reply
  • Laurel
    We took a class that was every Sunday night for 2.5 hours, for 6 weeks (which I found excessive)The labor and delivery parts were sort of interesting but very slanted toward natural childbirth (which, more power to anyone who wants to go that route but I knew I wanted an epidural!). Honestly the only helpful class was the breastfeeding class (I ended up hating breastfeeding and exclusively pumped instead but that's neither here nor there haha) but I did enjoy spending time with my husband at the classes and getting psyched for the baby's arrival!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Wow, that's a LOT of hours of classes!!
      Reply
      • Laurel
        It was! It was the only program my insurance company covered fully so I was like, ehhh why not. But there was a lot of filler (like games with the other attendees, weird meditation, etc.). Definitely didn't need to be anywhere near that long. Just teach me how to keep my baby alive and I'm good. :D
        Reply
        • Anne
          Haha for real. Covered by insurance is amazing though - I don't know if mine will cover any of these!
          Reply
  • Anna
    Hi Anne! We had the same thoughts on labor classes, too long! We watched the Labor & Delivery videos on Baby Center and found them to be great. Short segments so you can watch them at your own pace and not judgy about medicated v. unmedicated delivery. Especially appreciated doing these (free, convenient) videos since we found out late that I was going to need a scheduled C-section--glad we didn't lose the time/money on a full day of labor classes! Excited for you guys!!!
    Reply
    • Anna
      Also, just remembered, skipped all the testimonials :D Sending healthy and happy thoughts!
      Reply
    • Katy
      I think these are what we watched too! Skip the lengthy hospital L&D class, imho. The only class we took was the breastfeeding one, and even it wasn't that useful in the long run. There's so many good resources out there that are free and accessible anytime - plus your doula will guide you through the whole experience! I feel like we way overprepared (mentally) and didn't need it in the end - things just kind of happened naturally and we figured out how to care for our baby as we went along. ? Try to relax and enjoy these last few weeks!
      Reply
  • Nicole @ Laughing My Abs Off
    For a busybody, your weekend was so satisfying to read about 'cause it was so productive hehe :) But also had those very necessary moments of relaxation! I can't believe you're so close now, that's crazy! And omg I love Sweetgreen so much.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Haha yes it was VERY productive! All of a sudden we are feeling like time is going more quickly and we need to get a move on with the baby prep - ah!
      Reply
  • julia
    I didn't have time to read all the other comments, but our 8 hour birth class covered a lot of what you are doing in separate classes. I'd check with the hospital or your doctor's office to see what's covered, but ours included the hospital tour and a lot of what you did in the infant skills class. My class was immensely helpful because the nurse who ran it worked at the hospital where I was delivering, so I got to learn about and see exactly what my experience would be like--where we would go when I was in labor, the set up of the labor and delivery rooms, where my husband could get snacks for himself, etc.
    Reply
    • Anne
      The 8 hour class does involve a tour, but the 6 hour class (which we were looking at) didn't. No infant skills stuff is included though. We ended up finding a 3 hour class option from an outside provider that seemed like a good in between option! :)
      Reply
  • SHU
    I'm a pediatric endocrinologist, so during my residency I guess I felt like that was enough of a class - watching many women give birth to help care for the newborns! That said, I honestly don't think a class is necessary especially if you are planning an epidural. (NOTE: I had one with #1 and #2 and definitely am planning on it with #3! I don't like pain and in my research I couldn't find any good reason NOT to get one. But understand that's a personal choice for everyone :) ). Find out if your pediatrician offers lactation support - often you need it after discharge, not just in the hospital. Or you may not need it at all - definitely varies! I'm 2 weeks behind you so I've really enjoyed following you through this - I think you're planning really well with lots of flexibility and an open mind!!!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Yeah, I wouldn't take a class if I were you, either! Sounds like you'll be very prepared. :) And I'm definitely not planning on trying to be a hero during the delivery - we'll see how things go, but def not against an epidural. In my research I've found the same thing!
      Reply