I just remembered another funny incident from our first childbirth class last week. Near the end of class, we worked on relaxation techniques. To help our partners be able to discern how we moms feel when tense versus relaxed, the teacher asked us to tense up different parts of our bodies then relax them while our partners touched us.

When she told us to "tense up your nose," I had no idea what to do. Flare my nostrils? Frown really hard? It was all we could do to keep from laughing hysterically. Fortunately, the lights were dimmed, so no one saw my strange facial contortions.

I really couldn't see much use in at least half of this exercise. If I don't know how to tense my nose, chances are pretty darned good that I won't do so while in labor.