Ahhhh....That's Nice!

Sitting in childbirth class the other day, the instructor went over some of the different techniques the partner could use to sooth and calm. For example, something as simple as a hand massage. It has been ages since I've been the recipient of a hand massage; it was more than likely the last time I had a manicure and I can't honestly recall how many years have passed since that has taken place. I don't pamper myself very often, but I digress.

Memories of my teenage years came flooding back to me as my husband gently kneaded the palm of my hand. My friends and I used to give each other hand massages during church. Yeah, we heathens used to write notes to each other during the sermons, too. That is, until the Sunday the pastor stood up on the pulpit in front of the whole congregation and read a note aloud that two of us had left behind in the pew the previous week. Pure humiliation! The notes stopped at that point, but the hand massages continued. And those were pure bliss.

It's amazing how something so simple can put the entire mind and body at ease. I don't know how relaxing it will be during labor and delivery, but it sure worked its magic back in those days of innocence. And for now, my husband has yet another chore to keep me comfortable during my last weeks of pregnancy.