On labor, exercise, and sweating...

AC has really gotten involved with his Dojo as of late. What started out as simply a way to get in shape has turned into a serious hobby and a host of new friendships. Not only has AC lost weight and improved his fitness, but in general he seems calmer and more focused. The Cuong Nhu style that he practices reminds me of my own yoga training at times, what with the focus on linking breath with movement, stilling the mind, and the overall mind body connection. I am happy that AC has found something he enjoys doing so much that he willingly goes to the Dojo as many as three times a day for classes if his work schedule allows.

Now that the Dojo is running weekly camps for children, AC has been helping out with the kids when he can, and he always returns with a smile on his face and a story about something cute the kids did that day. Several times this past week, he's said "I love kids!" which warms my heart. He is going to be a great baba, despite his apprehensions :)

Yesterday I observed as he participated in a demonstration at Dillard's to attract more kids to the Dojo. At first the children watching were reluctant to join in, but once one kid agreed to come up, a bunch of others got up the nerve as well. I was impressed with both AC's athletic prowess and his mastery of the techniques, but also with his ability to assist the children, gently guiding them into the correct forms with encouraging words and miles of patience. Most of the children seemed polite and willing to listen and learn, but there was one little boy who repeatedly interrupted, complained, showed off, and behaved quite aggressively. At one point, when AC was attempting to work a particular defensive move with him, the kid kept trying to punch AC in the face. Of course his dad was standing nearby and watching, so AC had to be tactful. I think he handled it really well and probably a lot better than I would have.

Afterward we briefly hung out with the people from the Dojo in the food court and AC's sensei started asking me about my pregnancy and how I was feeling. I'd heard from AC that his wife (whom I've met) did natural childbirth with both of her boys and even delivered the second one at home with a midwife. I was curious to learn more, so I asked him about it. Maybe that was a mistake. I don't think he meant to be preachy, but it kind of came across that way to me. Or it could just be the pregnancy hormones making me more sensitive, but I definitely felt some judgment toward medicated childbirth and even hospital birth coming from him.

I have no problem with people wanting to deliver naturally at home with midwives if that's what they want to do (in fact, I think it's very impressive!), but I think it's wrong to assume that that is what everyone wants or needs or that that scenario is even safe for everyone. Since I'm considered high risk, I definitely need to give birth in a hospital setting. As for the pain medication, personally I am all for it, for myself. After hearing various childbirth stories, I just can't imagine withstanding hours of contractions. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, except when it comes to the pain of menstrual cramps--I can't stand them! I would do almost anything to avoid them.

I had really bad cramps as a child and teen (I say child, because my period started when I was 10, so yes, I would still consider myself a child) to the point that I vomited a couple of times and had to take handfuls of ibuprofen to quell the pain. I remember on numerous occasions having to just lie down on the floor wherever I was in the house because the pain, nausea, hot flashes, and just general feeling of sickness were too intense for me to bear. I have lost countless nights of sleep to menstrual cramps and spent many a perfectly nice day lying in bed with my heating pad, feeling miserable. The scary thing is I know there are girls who suffered even worse than I did! The situation has definitely improved a lot since high school and college, and now my menstrual cramps are much more manageable, but I still have this dread of them. I just don't want my childbirth experience to be miserable, nor do I want to become so exhausted and worn out from the pain that I don't have the strength to push and end up with a c-section. So, yeah, I plan on asking for an epidural if the pain feels too intense (which I'm assuming it will).

Even though I do think the sensei was a little pushy in extolling the benefits of natural labor at home and ridiculing medicated hospital labors, I think I must have been overly sensitive that day, because something else that someone said really ticked me off. One of the sensei's friends is in town and came to participate in the demonstration. Now, this guy not only looks out of shape, but he is out of shape--I feel I can make that judgment because I saw him performing, and he just seemed sluggish and breathless and slow. I also heard him telling someone that he needs to lay off the PBR and do more push-ups and sit-ups (seriously, the guy has quite the beer gut!).

The reason I am being so critical of him is that he had the nerve to tell AC that the reason he sweats so much is because he's out of shape, and that Cuong Nhu isn't enough to get in shape--he needs to do some real cardio, like running, swimming, or biking. First of all, who are you to talk? Second of all, AC has always sweated an abnormal amount, even when he was a little kid. I think he just has overactive sweat glands or something. Even at his fittest (when he came back from boot camp having lost 20 pounds and able to run for long distances with heavy weights on his back), he still sweated buckets. Third of all, excessive sweating during exercise is both a sign of being especially out of shape AND of being especially in shape (or at least that's what I've read) since the body becomes better adapted to cooling itself through sweating. Fourth of all (ok, that sounds stupid, but whatever), AC does get a good cardio workout, at least from the more intense, hard style classes.

This is the same B.S. I've heard people spout about yoga, that it doesn't count as cardio, that it's just a bunch of stretching with a little bit of toning and muscle strengthening. Well, obviously it depends greatly on the style of yoga one does and the level of intensity, but believe me, yoga can definitely be a great cardio workout! Just try doing an intense 90 minute Vinyasa flow class without having your heart rate get up into the cardio range.

Anyway, sorry for the rant! I just needed to vent :) Now I feel silly though because AC just told me that the guy ended up conceding that maybe AC's just naturally a heavy sweater. So, now I feel like a jerk! But I'm posting this anyway so I'll remember how crazy I was during pregnancy!