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Welcome to Holland
Curriculum Topic: Group Activity, Educator Demonstration, Virtual Friendly
Activity Type: Multi-topic, Birth Planning
Supplies: "Wecome to Holland" story (see Handouts)
Instructions:
- Conduct a Discussion/Q&A. Questions such as these may be posed to the group, then reactions to the situations sought.
- Has anyone reluctantly moved to a new community, leaving behind friends or family?
- Has anyone ever lost or had stolen something very meaningful to them?
- Have any of you ever lost a loved one?
- Ask how they felt immediately, what emotions followed in the next days or weeks, etc. You will most likely hear all the stages of grieving from your students. You need not speak directly about the loss of a baby to help your class understand the grieving process.
- Tell them the class the story of "Welcome to Holland." A short story, Welcome to Holland, was written by a parent to explain their journey raising a child with special needs. They say it is rather like leaving on a trip to Italy that you have planned for a long time, but instead of landing in Italy, you find yourself in Holland. It is not bad, just different. It is an appropriate story to begin a discussion of unexpected outcomes. It can apply to any unexpected outcome, not only to having a child with special needs. It is the change of plans and the ensuing acceptance that is important in this analogy.
- Brainstorm possible emotions one might feel if they had a cesarean delivery instead of the birth they planned. Emotions to expect would be: relief, excitement (that the baby is here), anger, disappointment, resentment, guilt, worry (over recovery or scar), fear (for future pregnancies), etc. Discuss the normalcy of these emotions and give information on support groups in your community or on line.
Reference: Adapted from the Lamaze Toolkit
Download Handouts
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