This week, we looked at births where something goes wrong – we saw the difference between a normal birth, a semi-emergency caesarian, and an emergency caesarian. We also had the chance to hold a foetal scalp probe, the vacuum that is used to aid in birth, and see the forceps (albeit at a distance).
We then watched a birth DVD, but not the one that you read about in the various books, a much milder version. Apparently, people have complained about the other video being too graphic and scary, but what’s the point of a video if it doesn’t prepare you for the big day?
Lastly, we looked at the relative merits of breastfeeding and bottle feeding. It looks like the success of breastfeeding is tied to how well the husband supports the wife’s efforts: it sounds like about 80% of the people who try and breastfeed give up earlier than they’d like to.