Onyway...

Michelle and I had parenting classes this week. The classes are split into two sessions - an hour with the physiotherapist and an hour with the midwife.

There were a few people in the class: A girl with her mother, a woman on her own, an obnoxious couple, and a very young couple.

Of the mother and daughter team the mother seemed to adamant that we all realise that she too had been pregnant at one point. During each segment of advice she would exclaim "Oh ah remember that" or "Ah don't miss that, Ah cin tell ye." after which the physio would pause and briefly acknowledge her with the strained politeness of a public servant.

The physio herself, who's name quite rudely escapes me, was a lovely woman, though when she spoke to the woman who came alone she did so in the same tone that you might use to speak to a small lost child: condescendingly gentle.

The next couple were nice enough though, as I said they were quite obnoxious by which I mean they (mostly the gentleman of the two) were simply a little louder and more self confident than Michelle and myself. That being said it did raise a few eyebrows when the midwife asked how the ladies were sleeping and he said that she tossed and turned so often that he sent her to the couch (His partner, quite meekly and clearly embarrassed, quickly clarified that she sleeps better there).

The young couple were pleasant and young. They earned a few unsure looks from the teachers when the class were being told of things that would happen just before labour started. After each segment of information the girl would speak up and tell us all that she thought these things had happened to her over the last few days. The third or fourth time this happened I half expected her waters to break right at that very moment.

Lastly there was Sandra, the midwife from Larkhall (a fact which she imparted several times). She was good; informal without being unprofessional and informative without being condescending. Often times when giving her advice she deviate from her initial point and tell a wee story in a kind of Billy Connolly-esque way. After each segway in conversation she would then return to her original point by saying "Onyway..." which I think is Larkhall for 'anyway' and the first time I'd ever heard the word pronounced that way.

Onyway... The classes were quite good. While they never really presented much information that we hadn't read about, it was reassuring to hear the advice from someone you could speak to rather than Heidi Murkoff.

4 week, 2 days to go.

'Till then.