What's in Your Head?

One of the first activities I do in class to get to know people is always a big hit. Imagine entering a childbirth class, meeting an instructor for the first time, being in a room full of strangers, and knowing you are going to talk about how babies are born -- yeah, that can be a little bit stressful. Enter the Operation Brain Surgery Head! He looks silly, and he instantly brings us all back to pulling bread out of his basket and butterflies out of his stomach. Maybe it won't be so bad, say the collective grins and chuckles. 

This is the first opportunity participants have to just throw out their worries about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, or babies. Everyone gets a pencil and a slip of paper, and the instruction to WRITE! As the head gets passed around, papers get tucked inside the hole at the top. Once the head has made the circuit, each person pulls a strip out and shares -- this offers anonymity. The person who reads the strip offers what advice he or she can, and at this point in the game (being the first class), they often feel unsure of their answers. My Job:  I acknowledge the worry, often offer a brief, evidence-based counter to the worry, and share when in our schedule that topic will be covered in more depth.

There is a secret, though: most of these worries are repeats, meaning, people often have the same worries! This makes my job easier, as I get good at matching worry to class. It also makes the parents' jobs easier, as they see the normal part worry plays in the process of preparing for their babies. I have had students tell me, once they were able to have a place to write their worry down and get it out of their head, it lost much of its power.

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How this looks: John pulls a slip and reads, "I'm worried about having a big baby and a long labor!!!" To his credit, he admits already he doesn't know how to answer and looks to me. 

"Labor length is often thought to be related to the size of a baby, but we know the position of a baby is more of a factor. After the break in a few minutes, we will learn about Optimal Fetal Positioning, and what can be done to help get these babies into better positions. Statistically, 

first labors are longer. There are ways to help shorten labor length, such as being active and upright. In next week's class we will get into the stages of labor and talk more about that." 

And so it goes for every worry. If I don't have any information to offer off the top of my head (meaning it was more unusual), I take the break to dig something up. I offer my findings, and I make a promise to find additional sources of information in the coming weeks. My biggest caution is to never leave anyone feeling more worried when they leave than they were before they came. In fact, I ask that at the end of the first class, and I make sure we have about 7 minutes to debrief and digest.

How do I address worries that aren't found in a biology textbook? A worry that comes up almost every time is "money." While I don't have any segment of class dedicated to how a family can afford their baby, I do offer many tips on saving money in almost all my classes. Whether it's finding a doula on a budget (class 3), or skipping the expensive breastfeeding gear (class 5) or unnecessary baby supplies (class 6), I like to think (because I am a cheapskate!), if they are along for the ride, they will get some ideas about reducing their expenses a bit.

This Operation head is likely hard to come by. I don't know, check eBay. But I have seen two at thrift stores -- I bought one to give to my mentor doula and trainer, and I left the other one on the shelf, not realizing probably somewhere out there, it could be a valuable resource. If I ever see another one, I will buy it! In the meantime, I have seen at least two options that would work for creative minds:

Wal Mart, not sure of price

Michael's, $4.99

I would cut a hole in the doll above's head, and probably carve out a hole in the wig forms's as well, and add a wig, of course! It's okay to be fun and silly -- it helps put people at ease and keeps them interested. If you have any questions or would like a more detailed outline of this activity, ask. 

Happy silly, effective, creative teaching!

I plan to offer creative tips for educators once or twice a week; "like" me on Facebook to stay in the loop!