Sophrology: Part I

Let's start with my 30-week (and then some) picture, taken on Friday:



It's not a great picture, but I had just gotten home and had taken the shirt I had on over off and decided that this would be good enough.

It's been forever and a day since I had gotten my hair cut, so since our Friday morning class was switched to Thursday this past week, I decided I would tag along with Hee Suk to finally get some hairs chopped off. The main motivators were some split ends and a little concern over how much hair was coming out when I brushed my hair when pregnancy is supposed to "bless" you with an abundance.

I was anxious going to the hair salon. I didn't want to hear over and over again how dry and thin my hair is (it's always been like that, and you just tired of hearing it from a country generally full of luscious thick hair), and I just sometimes dread getting it cut. More often than not, I cry after getting a haircut because it's just not what I wanted.

Hee Suk got his hair cut first, and as soon as the hair dresser called him to the chair, she asked him how far along I was. "Oh, she's not very big..." You can imagine how I reacted to that, albeit internally. I was proud of myself for not getting all teary-eyed and for not letting it prevent me from getting my hair cut. Yes, I am sensitive.

She totally made up for it, though, by giving me a great cut. You can see my "new hair" in the picture above. It's the same stylistically and whatnot, but it made me feel really awesome. Pretty much all of the color from when I dyed my hair two years ago is gone now, and it makes me feel great. One of my young students commented that I looked good, and while I typically don't, I readily accepted the compliment. I felt great. Later on, an adult also commented that I looked good, so I felt like a million dollars. It's funny what a decent hair cut can do for one's spirits!

And of course, Hee Suk always looks amazing. ^.~

Anyway...

Sophrology: Lesson 1 of 3
Today was the first day of our Sophrology course to help prepare for a natural childbirth. A lot of it was a repeat of the information we had heard in our Intro to Sohprology course, but it did have other useful information.

We watched a really fantastic birth video of a woman who used Sophrology to control her mind and breathing. The mother looked so in-control and peaceful (even while pushing on her back!). She really did a wonderful job. I was very inspired by watching her give birth, and I need all of the inspiration I can get at this point.

We had been given a bag as we entered the room (which Hee Suk grabbed), and I didn't even bother peaking in since we were late. I had heard the woman say it had a little snack inside, but when break time came around, I was very, very pleasantly surprised! Oh, yes, there are pictures:




Now, I know most of you might be thinking to yourselves, "What's the big deal? It's just a sandwich--doesn't even look very appetizing at that."

It is not "just a sandwich." My friends, this is TOAST. And no, not toast as in bread put into a toaster of sorts. Toast is basically like an Egg McMuffin, only I don't know exactly how one of those tastes and am sure that these eggs are not just microwaved. There's ham, a sort of omelet with vegetables in it and often other goodies. It's just so yummy to me for whatever reason. I haven't had one this entire pregnancy, so since I was hungry and had been deprived for so long, it was heavenly. They were so kind to give food for both husband and wife!

Unfortunately, there will be no toast next week. That's okay, though. It was awesome.

Anyway, back to Sophrology:

There isn't a whole lot more to say about today's class. OH. Yes there is.

Just so that we were informed, the nurse doing the second half showed us what real forceps look like. I had only ever seen drawings. They are terrifying to me! I understand that in some emergency situations, they can make a huge difference. It doesn't change the fact that they are the scariest-looking salad tongs I have ever seen.

At the end of class, we were given a little booklet and CD of music that is good for aiding in the method of Sophrology. If you've taken the course, something will be marked on your clipboard that reflects this, and they will go ahead and play the music for you when you come in to give birth. I hadn't asked before about being able to play music, but I find this a nice gesture.

Otherwise, it's been a long day, and I still need to get some yoga time in, not to mention my Bible study!

Thank You, my King, for a blessed (albeit tiring!) day and for continuing to hold our little one in Your hands as You shape Him according to Your will. I pray that we are able to parent him in such a way that shows Your incredible love so that he, too, will be comforted by Your amazing grace.