This past Sunday we headed up to Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth for the Siblings are Special class. The boys were eagerly anticipating this class–they were so excited to learn about taking care of a baby (melts my heart!). The class started off with a tour of the Birth Place, so the children could see what the labor and delivery rooms look like (with and without equipment). The instructor pointed out where the babies are warmed, weighed, etc.
The highlight of the tour was getting to see a newborn baby. One of the mothers had graciously volunteered to step out of her room with her baby daughter (born that past Friday). All of the kids were in awe of the newborn! J (my five year-old) said that the baby was smaller than he thought it would be. 😉 After the kids oohed and aahed over the baby, they went downstairs to learn a little bit about the birthing process and how to care for a newborn.
Thanks goodness for this class, because I really wasn’t sure how much detail to go into with J; he has been asking about the whole birthing process, and I wasn’t sure how much detail to go into without traumatizing him. The instructor was fantastic and handled everything well–even the questions! The boys were then taught how to put a diaper on a baby and how to feed the baby a bottle. It was so cute to watch all of them. We decided then that my almost 4 year-old would make a better babysitter, since he was gently cradling and feeding the baby while J was busy tossing it in the air and showing everyone its butt cheeks…
I thought the class was great, and the boys said they really enjoyed it too. C’s favorite take away was seeing the baby, while J’s was riding the elevators, so we’ll see what happens in late April when the baby arrives! 😉
Jessica — too cute! It will be interesting to see how they react to the reality. I think you’re doing an excellent job of trying to prepare them!
I know, I am so curious to see if the enthusiasm is still there after the birth! 😉