First Time Parents at Aviano

Today I had my very first appointment, a mandatory first time parents class. I got up extra early to get ready, giving myself time to have some cereal and make my grocery list. Having one car makes week day outings and all day event, so I like to be prepared. 

 Most of my morning went by slowly... Snack, gas coupons, post office, etc. I had planned to have lunch with Steven and then attend the class alone afterwards, deciding that there were more important appointments for Steven to leave work for. So I was happily surprised when he called to tell me he wanted to come and that his superior said it was fine.

We had lunch at the bowling alley (I had a YUMMY cheeseburger and curly fries). Then we headed over to the clinic.

In true military fashion, the class ended up being more of a briefing than anything else. We met in Women's Health and then a nurse took us to the "classroom" upstairs to start. We were all given a folder with information sheets, print-outs, and DVDs inside. And for the next two and a half hours we sat while people from all different areas on base came in to talk to us. Nutritionists, lactation consultants, legal, WIC, dental, fitness consultants, and family advocacy all stopped by to give us info and tips on how they could help us through pregnancy and birth.

Legal and nutrition were the most helpful, in my opinion. Legal informed us that our baby will have an italian birth certificate, and that we have to submit paperwork for our names to be added to it. Apparently, in Italy, the country does not recognize the parents as legal guardians unless they submit a form requesting to be placed on the birth certificate. The government believes that this reduces the number of abortions, because a mother can have her baby in a hospital and then leave without any consequences. Her baby belongs to the Italian government unless she decides otherwise. The legal representative also gave us information on when we can start our baby's paperwork and lots of other important info that we will need once the baby is born. The nutritionist gave us handouts with ideal pregnancy "super foods" that would help with our baby's development. He gave us meal plans and also a list of what to avoid.

Over all, I'm glad we went. There were times when I wanted it to just be over, but it definitely would have been A LOT more boring if Steven hadn't been there. Also, the whole experience made the pregnancy more real. :)