Try this at Home

Last night we attended another session of our childbirth preparation class.
We practiced dealing with the pain of contractions. This is something that you can all do at home. Feel free to try it! Those of you who have birthed babies may have some interesting comments to share.

The teacher, LJ, handed each couple a cup full of ice cubes.
She asked us to take a big handful of ice in our right hand and hold it for one minute.
I-Ya-Yi! oooh ooh!
The ice burned my hand. It ached. I hopped in my seat, laughed, exhaled deeply. Then a minute was up. Contractions typically last one minute.

The rest of the class was looking at me and laughing. Each person then shared their reaction. None complained of the painful sensations I had felt. And I am the only one having a natural homebirth! Daniel said "I'm from Canada. I didn't even notice".

After a five minute rest, LJ asked us to again hold ice in the other hand for a minute but this time to focus on our exhales.
ouch! ouch.
But this minute passed faster and easier. This time I was prepared for the intense ice sensation.

Rest, next we held the ice and focused on relaxing from our toes to our head. Not so bad.

The next round LJ asked us to focus right in on the pain and the sensation. I looked at Daniel nervously. But surprising, this minute passed the fastest yet.

We continued this exercise for a total of eight times. I may choose to practice a few more times at home myself. It's an interesting experience into your reactions to challenging situations.

It could be a fun party game. Let me know if you do it.