February 2016 Moms

Birthing Class

Hi, Im a FTM and wondering if I should invest in going to birthing classes. Did anyone learn anything actually useful that they didnt know before the class, or is it just a bunch of common sense knowledge combined with breathing exercises that i can research for myself? Thanks!

Re: Birthing Class

  • satuttle1014satuttle1014 member
    edited October 2015
    I'm a FTM as well and I have heard mixed reviews on classes. Some find it incredibly useful and others not so much. There are some online classes too so I may look into those, videos and books. I don't want to be spending tons of money on classes and also dragging my DH to some since I know he will be complaining and I don't want to listen to him lol This is just my opinion but how much will I remember during delivery? It will probably be the last thing on my mind, recalling information from the class.
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  • I'm a FTM and we just finished our 3 week long baby class last Monday. I will tell you I was disappointed with the content, but with that said, I'm glad we did it cause DH and I had a lot of conversations that I don't know we would have had or thought to have had without the classes
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  • Also a FTM. I'm planning not to have any interventions so I knew I wasn't going to feel ready if I didn't take a class. We're taking a Bradley class, which has been really helpful as far as mental preparation and day to day things I can do to get my body ready. It's also been great for DH to learn more about what to expect when I'm in labor and how he can help me and interact with my midwife in a way that will help things along and ensure that things are as close to our plan as possible. The class also covers breastfeeding and infant CPR, which others have told me are a good idea to take a class on even if you're not interested in or feel like you don't need something more involved.
    Durham, NC
    EDD: 2/20/2016
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  • Didn't take one with my first and we did fine. The midwife I'm going to now requires it and includes it in her fee. So DH and I will be going to one soon. This particular class is supposed to be more geared toward the partner and how they can help assist. So I'm hoping it'll be really good. DH missed our daughter's birth so this will all be totally new to him
  • Didn't take one with my first and we did fine. The midwife I'm going to now requires it and includes it in her fee. So DH and I will be going to one soon. This particular class is supposed to be more geared toward the partner and how they can help assist. So I'm hoping it'll be really good. DH missed our daughter's birth so this will all be totally new to him
  • FTM as well. I am just taking the classes my hospital has. I've got experience with infants already, just not my own. I scheduled them all
    For December so I won't be TOO uncomfortable sitting in chairs for hours.
  • cMichelle0423cMichelle0423 member
    edited November 2015
    I'm a third time mom and decided to take our first birthing class a few weeks ago. VERY beneficial for myself and especially my husband. They went over laboring positions, how to find natural pain relief, and helped us build our birth plans. This will be our first med free birth and our first birthing experience outside of a hospital (doing a birth center birth). I definitely learned a lot, and looking back, had I known some of this stuff, I probably would have had better birthing experiences with my other two (not that they were necessarily bad). Also, learning breathing techniques wasn't even a significant portion of the class. There was nothing special about "learning" how to properly breathe. The doulas (who taught the class) probably spent 5 minutes discussing breathing techniques out of the entire 5 hour class.

    ETA - Even my husband who was very skeptical about taking the class said he left with a lot of useful information and that he's glad we went.
  • I'm excited to take the class (we start tomorrow). Ours is relatively cheap and I want to learn everything I can. I've done a ton of reading about pregnancy and some about infant care, but I've sort of avoided reading about birth, lol. So I think it will be worth it. Plus, still not decided if I want an epi or not, so I think the class will help me decide.
  • I took a birthing class last time and didn't find it too helpful. When it came to deliver, I pretty much followed my nurses' direction and suggestions.
  • My husband and I are studying the Mongan Method (Hypnobirthing) and I have to say that we've already learned a ton from the classes. This is a private class not endorsed by the hospital. We wanted an independent view since we plan to birth with out intervention. Regardless of what kind of birth you plan to have, I've heard that hospital classes can be useless and I knew they weren't for me.
  • We did one with our first and while I didn't feel like I learned anything new, dh definitely did. I also liked the peace of mind I got from helping me feel I was being prepared. Knowing me, if I wouldn't have done one, I probably would have kept wondering if I was missing out on important information. So even though I didn't really learn anything new from it, I'm glad I did it.
  • I took a birthing class with my first. The main thing I remembered from it were the Lamaze breathing exercise that helped SO much during labor. I also took a breastfeeding class that had some helpful info.
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  • I'm a FTM and we are taking free classes from our hospital and a 4 week one night a week class and even fter 2 classes I already feel much better about it. My husband and I both feel like we learned a lot and I definitely feel better knowing I tried to learn as much as I can. Our 4 week class went over pain management, what you can and can't do with different types of medications, what to expect, fears, and the nurses experiences with women in labor, we watched videos of labor and birth and went through all of stages as well as things that could go wrong. The free classes went through safety, parenting, caring for baby, breastfeeding, labor and delivery, and ways to make pregnancy more pleasant. All in all I thought they were awesome and very helpful.
  • Thanks ladies! Im hoping i can have a non intervention birth, but i understand that might not be realistic. I can still hope and prepare though. So thank you for sharing, i definately will take the infant cpr and breastfeeding class (i think im more terrified of cracked and painful nipples than i am about labor!)
  • chandeany said:

    Thanks ladies! Im hoping i can have a non intervention birth, but i understand that might not be realistic. I can still hope and prepare though. So thank you for sharing, i definately will take the infant cpr and breastfeeding class (i think im more terrified of cracked and painful nipples than i am about labor!)

    Have you considered having a doula? I had one with my first and had an amazing natural birth. I'm hiring her again for this birth.

    I also highly recommend Mambino Organics Calendula Nursing Balm. Awesome awesome stuff! :)
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  • I am a FTM and I signed up for birth classes and breast feeding classes in December and January. I am thinking it will be definitely worth it.
  • I'm a STM and we did not do a birthing class with my first. When the time came to deliver, the labor and delivery nurses were awesome and just instructed exactly what to do. Personally I'm glad we didn't spend the extra money for a class.

    That being said any extra education is never bad. If you have the time and the extra money, it can't hurt. But in my experience I didn't need it at all. I would, however, recommend taking a tour of the hospital in which you will deliver. We did and it gave us some peace of mind knowing exactly where to check in when we got there, what the rooms looked like, and what to expect. That was very helpful.

    I can't speak for taking a baby care class. We didn't do that either. That probably would have given us a ton of useful information but we managed to figure it out as we went. And again for breastfeeding class, might have been helpful. But we did hire an lactation consultant (recommended by dr) to come to our house when we had trouble with nursing after giving birth. So worth the one on one (hands on) help too. Just thought I would mention it. All the best!
  • We did a Bradley Method class with our first and even though we always intended to give birth in a hospital, it was a good class to help us with natural techniques for pain control etc. It was also pretty hands on in terms of making sure the partner knew what to do and expect which I am not sure my hubby would have gotten from a book alone. Lots of birth video watching which my husband was a little scarred by lol

    Faaaaar more hippie than we tend to be, but definitely helpful.
  • chandeany said:

    Thanks ladies! Im hoping i can have a non intervention birth, but i understand that might not be realistic. I can still hope and prepare though. So thank you for sharing, i definately will take the infant cpr and breastfeeding class (i think im more terrified of cracked and painful nipples than i am about labor!)


    IMO if you are going to try for an intervention-free delivery you definitely should take a class geared toward that goal. I learned SO much in my Bradley class that was truly invaluable when I was in labor. It was also great for my husband to learn different things that he could do, or even shouldn't do, that would make my labor easier. I 100% credit my Bradley class for my ability to achieve an intervention free childbirth with my daughter. I'm already signed up for the refresher course in December and I can't wait!!
  • I am taking a Bradley Method class because I to would like it to be natural as possible and with as little intervention as possible. My OB even told me that I would not benefit from the hospital classes given my birth plan. He also told me that I needed to take a class in natural birthing if I had any hope of having a natural birth. I guess a lot of women cave from what he told me if they haven't had some sort of natural birthing class to teach them ways and methods on dealing with the pain of having a baby. 
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  • @Shatzegirl I just starting throwing the idea around of hiring a doula..I want to try for a natural birth and have heard they're very helpful. Any idea how they work with insurance? Are there insurances that cover them? I know there's a million different insurance plans and what not, just looking to get an idea :)
  • @Shatzegirl I just starting throwing the idea around of hiring a doula..I want to try for a natural birth and have heard they're very helpful. Any idea how they work with insurance? Are there insurances that cover them? I know there's a million different insurance plans and what not, just looking to get an idea :)
    Yeah, doulas are so great! I think there are some insurances that cover them. Some doulas offer sliding scales and/or let you make payments. I'd try calling your insurance and see what your benefits are. Are you seeing an OB or midwife? I saw a midwife with my first and seeing one now, too. I just feel like they're on the same page as me compared to an OB. (I saw an OB for most my pregnancy with my first and switched at the end.)
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  • @Shatzegirl the office we're going to has 2 midwives and 2 ob's, but I prefer the midwives! I agree, I feel like we're on the same page..when I told one of the ob's that I wanted to try a natural birth her reply was "well labor hurts" I was like yeaaaaaa Im not really expecting a day at the spa, thanks lol..I'm definitely going to ask them about a doula at my next appt, thanks!
  • im a STM - my first delivery was without an epidural which I want to do again. I took a class geared toward natural childbirth called BirthWorks during my first pregnancy but t didn't give a ton of strategies/techniques for dealing with labor/pain. I'm interested in learning more in that area this time around in case I end up with a really long labor this time around! Anyone have thoughts on which class would be best? Bradley method? Hypnobirthing? Hypnobabies?
  • @Shatzegirl, i think a Doula is a great idea, I just have to check with insurance to see what they cover. And thanks for the Mambino Organics Calendula tip! I found some on Amazon.

    @Karen249, Did you have an epidural or get through it without anything? Good tip on the hospital tour. I have to wait because it is in the process of being converted and revamped so Im super excited that it will be brand new equiptment and rooms.

  • @chandeany...yes I did get an epidural. I had no birth plan when I went in. Or at least my birth plan was to be "flexible"... to wait and see how it goes. I didn't want to get so set on anything and be disappointed that my birthing plan didn't go as planned. I did wait as long as I could to get an epidural. And let me tell you boy was I so glad I did!!! Pushing wasn't a cake walk by any means but having that pain management made it so much better than I ever thought and having felt the pain of contractions for hours that day I know I made the right choice. I will be doing the same thing this time. Best of luck to you with whatever you decide!
  • Great for first timers but we never used a lot of what we learned once it came to actual delivery...instructor said 3/4 are vaginal and that was the opposite for our class, including me (an emergency C).
    Kathy B.
  • You may want to see what they offer at your hospital in the way of birth classes and then go from there?  We just finished the all day birth class at the hospital where we'll be delivering and I can't see needing another class in addition to it (unless I had a personal preference toward one specific method.)  It was a very, very informative class that not only included when to come into the hospital, stages of labor, all possible interventions/complications, but also comfort positions (which we practiced) and visualization and breathing techniques (which we also practiced.)  It was pretty awesome and will be fully reimbursed by our insurance!

    I think it's really a matter of personal preference of course, but maybe check out what your hospital has and decide how much more in depth you want to get afterwards.  Good luck!
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