The Birth Journey- with Dianne Hamre

I wanted to write about a class that Daniel and I took before welcoming Piper into our family. It is called “The Birth Journey”, and taught by our doula, Dianne Hamre, who is very close to my heart. I don’t want to give away the whole schedule of the class (that would just spoil the fun), so I will give you a general idea of what is involved.

When Daniel and I signed up for the class, we weren’t too sure what to expect. We wanted to take Bradley classes, but they were expensive, long, and this class was included in our birth experience at the birth center. After many conversations, we discovered that this class was just as good, if not better than Bradley classes. It was a one-day workshop- and I started counting down the days to our class. We had heard so many great things and positive stories! I couldn’t wait to learn about birthing my baby naturally and building confidence in my body and my labor. We expected to leave feeling empowered and informed- but what we didn’t expect was the effect it would have on our marriage.

What a gorgeous day for a little walk!

 This class mainly focuses on the importance of support during labor. For many women, this support is their husband. To start the class, we reminisced over the “good ol’ days” of dating, falling in love, getting married, etc. Dianne was sure to establish a good foundation of bringing us back to love from the beginning. Then we practiced a few trust exercises where the husbands were blindfolded. After that, the men were able to experience, as close as possible, their OWN contractions (with ice!). Dianne wanted the men to get a little taste of what their women go through during labor and the confusion, fear, and pain that could likely set in. We used these opportunities to encourage each other and help to provide relief with touch and words. 

This is us experiencing and working through a 'contraction' together.

 Then came the hard part. Without giving it all away, the pregnant (VERY pregnant) mamas were blindfolded, led away from their partners, and thrown into an emergency scenario. Completely alone. We then were given our own obstacle (still blindfolded), with no help from our partners. No words, no touch, no idea where I was or what I was doing. It was terrifying. I finally was unable to hold back my tears- and I soon found out that there was barely a dry eye in the room.

Dianne did this to reveal how important it is to have support during such a difficult time. When Daniel and I were reunited, there has never been a moment (except for during our labor), that I have felt closer or more comforted by my husband. I NEEDED him. And I WANTED him. I couldn’t do this without him, and I definitely didn’t want to.

We left this class a new couple. We felt refreshed, closely bonded, and ready to take on our labor, no matter what it presented. I strongly believe that this class prepared us for our rough labor and strengthened us mentally and spiritually to face the obstacles that kept trying to block our way. And believe me, there were lots of them!

I am eternally grateful to Dianne for providing her time and energy to invest in the couples whose lives will soon be changed forever.  At one point, she leaned down to me and whispered in my ear “You can do this Aubrey. Your body was made for this, and you are ready for this”. Those words still resound through my mind. I will never forget them. Thank you Dianne. 

There were quite a few more activities involved in the class- but you will have to take it to find out for yourselves! It is absolutely worth it. If you are interested in taking this class, it is offered at BabyMoon Inn and I have included this little flyer above with more information. Call Dianne for prices and to schedule your day; usually around your 37 week mark. If you have any more questions regarding the class, also feel free to contact me! You won't regret it.

Here are a few more pictures from our labor. Doulas also take pictures and document your birth story! We had two doulas- I think that Kelly took the top 2 and Dianne took the bottom 2.