At our Bradley Class last night we practiced some pain management positions that would be helpful. In order to simulate the pain, we were given large ice cubes that we held in our hand for the duration of an actual labor contraction. Though I know ice is really nothing in comparison to true labor pains, it was an interesting experience because it was dealing with a discomfort with pain management all the same. I found that I was most comfortable when I wasn't sitting. We tried standing & facing each other, standing while leaning over a counter, and then kneeling on the floor while facing & leaning over a chair. We also tried one where I sat down in a chair and Paul knelt in front of me - but sitting just wasn't comfortable - it put a lot of pressure on my stomach and made me feel squished.
Next we have to try some actual "pushing" positions because I'm worried I wont be familiar enough with those and end up making the whole thing worse. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to want to squat, so its up to me to find some other positions that I'm comfortable with.
We also learned a lot about what to expect from my body AFTER birth - which was very helpful to me. I really have no idea what to expect and did wonder about bodily functions including my first time urinating and how much blood and discharge to expect. She also stressed the importance, once again, of being as bed-ridden as possible the first two weeks. She was explaining that after her first & second child she bled for the entire six week duration and insisted with her third child that her husband stay home and allow her to rest for the first two weeks. She said that the rest really paid off, and she'd healed almost entirely after the two weeks.
I guess we'll just see what happens.