The cervix is when you do the pushing, right?

So next week marks seven months pregnant. The end is in sight. And as we get closer to our big day, a lot more baby related things are happening. We continue to add to our nursery, having now bought a change table and heading out this weekend to get a glider. We also started prenatal classes. This has been a frightening experience, let me tell you. Now I know that not everyone is as neurotic as I am. I know many women do not run out and buy every pregnancy book on the market as soon as they start thinking about getting pregnant. Many women do not even bother with this once they are pregnant. Many women do not belong to 7 different baby sites and do not have stacks of pregnancy magazines. But surely, surely people come across an itsy bitsy bit of information somewhere on their nine month journey. Sadly, most of these people are not in our prenatal class.

There have been many fine, informed, thoughtful questions, such as:
** Why is the baby blue when it comes out? Aren't they supposed to be flesh coloured?
** The woman in the video was squatting when she gave birth to the baby. Can you do that? Why would you do that? Do you have to arrange that with your doctor ahead of time?
** What do you mean by "waste products" in the bloodstream?

There is also the woman who confused the definition of the cervix with the definition of stage two labour, the one who "doesn't believe" in diaper rash, and the guy who was amazed when his friend had a caesarian and was conscious the next day (I think he expected her to be in a coma).

And then there's our labour nurse instructor (who teaches the course continuously throughout the year and has been for several years) who says such fabulous things as:

** Where is Edmonton anyway? Is that in Manitoba?
** I don't know that rate of caesarians/epidurals/episiotomies for this hospital even though I work here.
** I don't actually know much about pain relief medications used in labour. I didn't do so well on this part in school.
** You'll have to ask your doctor about that.
** I was asked to leave the room while a patient was having an epidural because I was stressing her out so much.

Anyway, after getting the hospital tour and finding out what happens to our baby after birth, Mark and I decided that we had had enough and aren't going back to our last class. We're just going to wing it on the missing elements. But we did meet one nice couple and exchange emails so maybe I'll have a pregnancy buddy.

I've also been enjoying a pleasant amount of sharp, intense back pain that radiates down to my butt. I think this was brought on by a lot of driving over the course of a few days followed by hours sitting in my computer or therapy chair. Needless to say I am looking forward to my internship ending next week so I can rest my body a little. But there's also been lots of fun stuff. My belly has grown huge and the baby is kicking constantly. He's like a little companion that talks to me all day through morse code. I'm getting very anxious to meet him. I didn't really enjoy the first five months of pregnancy but have been liking this later part a lot more. Still, it's the baby I'm after. October can't come fast enough.