It seems that almost everyone who’s pregnant in Bermuda has been to the baby classes run by Rita Stevens and Liz Boden of the Nurses’ Practice. Almost everyone seems to rave about them too. So one Saturday morning earlier this month, Mandy and I went to the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute for Rita and Liz’s Early Bird class.
Our first concern was who we might bump into. At that stage, Mandy was only about ten weeks pregnant and we hadn’t started telling people yet. With Bermuda being such a small place, and these classes being so popular, there was a real risk that we’d run into someone we knew.
Luckily, that wasn’t the case. We were one of only five couples, and all the rest were expats. It made me appreciate just how lucky Mandy and I are to have family close by who will be able to help us look after our baby.
The class was a lot of fun – informative but entertaining. During the first part I found myself having flashbacks to school biology classes, as Rita described the development of the foetus with the aid of a dated, albeit still relevant picture book. I flipped ahead to look at pictures of birth, almost fainted, then quickly flipped back again.
It was educational, but my interest was more practical: what should we be doing (or more particularly, not doing) to ensure we don’t damage our unborn child. Rita and Liz weren’t shy in offering advice. Some of it was obvious (don’t drink or smoke), some less so (don’t use aerosols). Some of it was advice Mandy wanted to hear, such as Liz’s recommendation that everyone should buy new pillows (Mandy’s been trying to get rid of my old, discoloured, but extremely comfortable pillows for some time now). Some of it she definitely didn’t (avoid eating chips). Confusingly, a few things (don’t eat peanuts or anything derived from them) seemed to contradict advice we’ve read elsewhere.
Knowing what to take as gospel and what to take with a pinch of salt is tough, particular since Mandy and I tend to deal with the unknown in different ways. When I’m given advice on a subject I know little about, I usually react as if Jesus Christ himself was advising me. Mandy, on the other hand, is naturally more sceptical. Add some hormones to the mix and choosing to remind Mandy of something we’ve been told can be perilous for me.
The list of dos and don’ts could have seemed intimidating, but Rita and Liz’s sense of humour was always there to lighten the mood. For instance, while describing the perils of aerosols, Liz gaily skipped across the room in an amusing send-up of the Febreeze commercials.
We’ll be seeing more of Rita and Liz in August, when we’ll be doing their Lamaze classes (about birth), and again in September, when we’ll be doing their Amazing Baby class (about early development). I’m apprehensive about the former, as I’ve heard that it includes a graphic video of birth and a field trip to the hospital’s delivery room. But if it’s anything like the Early Bird class, at least I’ll be laughing as I pass out.
You can reach the Nurses’ Practice on 292 0264 or email Rita at nurserita at tbinet.bm
