Classes at the Stillcafé
We attended our first of four, 3-hour birthing classes at the Friedrichshain Hospital, or Krankenhaus im Friedrichshain, originally built around 1870. These classes are paid for by my new health insurance, which is pretty great. The location is a nice brick building with a small "Stillcafé" or nursing cafe, for later perhaps.
The midwife that teaches the class is informed with over 25 years experience and was good at engaging the group with questions. For demonstration, she had some fun models: a knitted uterus, a textile placenta with umbilical cord, a bony pelvis, and a 50-year old 'vintage' baby doll. She spoke quickly which was challenging, but with H's translations of key terms I survived. It gets easier the more I listen! We learned about the three stages of labor and closed with a relaxation exercise. Next week we'll hopefully start with a tour of the birthing center.
Berlin's largest municipal park is directly next to the hospital. It had azaleas and lavender in bloom (azaleas remind me of Arlington, VA) and also an 1848 veterans memorial with a small exhibit. You are never too far from a museum here!
The midwife that teaches the class is informed with over 25 years experience and was good at engaging the group with questions. For demonstration, she had some fun models: a knitted uterus, a textile placenta with umbilical cord, a bony pelvis, and a 50-year old 'vintage' baby doll. She spoke quickly which was challenging, but with H's translations of key terms I survived. It gets easier the more I listen! We learned about the three stages of labor and closed with a relaxation exercise. Next week we'll hopefully start with a tour of the birthing center.
Berlin's largest municipal park is directly next to the hospital. It had azaleas and lavender in bloom (azaleas remind me of Arlington, VA) and also an 1848 veterans memorial with a small exhibit. You are never too far from a museum here!
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