Childbirth classes?

lajoliedreamer

I did a search and didn't see that anyone else had started a discussion on this, so hopefully I'm not repeating...

Has anyone started looking into childbirth classes yet?

My MIL highly recommends the Bradley method which she did 30+ years ago. It's a 12-week class so I'd get a lot of info and get to know other local mamas-to-be; however, the method isn't new and I'm sure there have to be other options out there. I'm not saying old equals useless, there is probably a good reason why it's still around, I just want to feel like I'm making an informed decision.

So I turn to you ladies - what classes have you used for previous pregnancies/will you use for this pregnancy?

shevaCC

My DH wasn't on board with Bradley classes, though I've heard some good things about them. He just wasn't willing to go to a weekly class that lasted several months. I ended up finding us a weekend class that was sorta Lamaze, taught by a retired nurse. It was decent.

Look for classes that match the kind of delivery you want. Some have a stronger focus on med-free pain management techniques which isn't for everyone. Most focus on giving birth in a hospital. And even if you want one kind of delivery, pay attention to all the available options presented in case things go differently than you planned.

Knottie1458416769

We might do an online thing. Our clinic offers a range of classes from birthing to breastfeeding and emotional health. The only one i signed up for is a tour of heir facilities (although can't imagine any use out of their spa or Xbox while laboring). The time commitment just seems a lot - weekday evenings for several weeks - when I start my day at 5am and leave the office 12 hours later, I don't have the energy to go sit in a class.  Hubby also works 70hrs/wk and was like can't I just read about it online 

MorningStarSmiles

Our hospital offers classes so we just signed up for those. It's 5 classes, once a week in the evening, and they start 2 months before I'm due. I'm a FTM so though I've heard of different types of classes, I don't have any personal experience with any of them. I would ask your doctor. They probably know of the different types of classes offered out there and can tell you a little bit about each one.

MrsMaryK2016

My SIL took her class with a doula who came to her house. She said the girl she had was there for two hours, went over what to expect with a natural birth, medicated birth and c-section along with recovery after each and nursing. My SIL said this particular doula didn't care what type of birth you ended up choosing as long as you chose the one that would be "the least stressful for you so you can actually enjoy it."

I think I'm going to do the same thing since it's super convenient (around your schedule and at your house) and won't completely bore my husband to tears and/or terrify him. A 12 week course would never work for us.

jarethinafrock

We took Bradley classes last time around and I highly recommend it. It covered everything imaginable and one thing I really liked about it was that it really made my husband feel comfortable and confident in the delivery room - exactly what I needed to feel at ease during my 16 hours of labour. I'm happy to answer any specific questions that you might have about Bradley.

Knottie1458416769

What happened at each of those classes? 12 different lesson plans? Would you do it again or do you feel you already know all the basics and don't need a repeat course? 

Seattleite86

Im doing an online class i get through my doula center and a full day saturday class with the doulas as well.

hellopartyof5

I definitely recommend doing a class because you meet other mommies to be! I already knew most of the info when we went to our hospital course, but MH did not so he found it incredibly useful. We also met a couple that were still close with!

jarethinafrock

Knottie1458416769 said:

What happened at each of those classes? 12 different lesson plans? Would you do it again or do you feel you already know all the basics and don't need a repeat course? 

Each class addresses a different theme and they are as follows:

1- intro to Bradley method
2- nutrition during pregnancy 
3- pregnancy
4- the coach's role (your SO is referred to as The Coach)
5- the first stage of labour
6- the second stage of labour
7- planning your birth
8- variations and complications/postpartum expectations
9- first stage of labour rehearsal
10- second stage of labour rehearsal
11- comprehensive review 
12- preparing for your new family 

Having gone through the whole series, I don't feel like I would necessarily need to do it all again. I know that some instructors offer refreshers, but I probably will just pull out my old workbook that came with the class and just review certain parts that I might be rusty on. There are also a few stretches that might have helped last time around that I probably should start doing again in case they were in fact helpful.  

Damn it, I just lost a giant paragraph I typed up. So pissed.

When it comes to the actual class, the format was generally the same. We would do some stretches/exercises. We would talk in depth about whatever topic we were covering that week. Sometimes a few short activities would follow. The instructor, who was also a doula, would generally have a few birth stories from that week for us and that was very intriguing. We would have a snack (classes were from 6-9pm so we would get pretty hungry) and watch a few videos, oftentimes videos of actual births. Now that I think back on it, that probably sounds revolting, but I maybe it helped "desensitise" us.

Another aspect I liked was the fact that we bonded with the other couples. There were 6 couples in all and I became really close with two of the mothers. One ended up giving birth two days before my daughter was born and the other gave birth on the same day as me. It was so nice to have them around for support, especially during those sleepless first few weeks with a newborn. 

atcwag

We did a childbirth class offered by our local
hospital. TBH, I didn't get much out of it that I didn't already know - I'm a planner and a researcher. However, it was nice for DH and I to
do something baby-related together and I think he got some good info out of it. It was 1 night/week for 5 or 6 weeks I think?

MrsDho11

Our hospital (Kaiser) offers a few classes. I've signed us up for:
preparing for childbirth
newborn care
breast feeding 

the childbirth one is a full day, and the other two are half days, I believe.

jenesiso

Call me cheap but I'm gonna save my money and look everything up on YouTube. Afterall nothing really goes the way you expect it to, and human instinct kicks in. Besides I've gotten so much advice from other mothers I don't feel the need to go overboard. 

Knottie1458416769

@jarethinafrock thanks! Sounds interesting. I don't think it's for us bc of the time commitments but sounds like you enjoyed yours. We will probably just do online or if there's a one day Saturday type class 

camcbeth

I took the birthing class with my 1st. It was 6 weeks every Thursday night and I really didn't learn anything new, but I do not regret taking it. I'm glad I did it and did get a few take aways from it. Also, I had scheduled a tour with the hospital, but my daughter arrived early and was born the day before the tour. I don't know what information I missed, but I was a bit lost in the maternity wing and my little one did go to the NICU. I still have no idea where that was. I had an epidural so I couldn't do much walking, however it would've been nice to have known the layout. Lastly, I skipped the breastfeeding class the first time thinking I had done a bunch of research online and thought it would be easy. Wrong! She just wouldn't latch correctly and I felt like I didn't know enough to solve surprise issues like milk plugging the ducts. This time I am skipping the birthing class, taking the tour, a breastfeeding class and a sibling prep class with my daughter. Even though I have been through breastfeeding once, there might be something to take away this time that I don't already know. 

msu_gal

I am going to take some of the classes through our local hospital.  Mostly to prepare DH, who is completely adorably clueless.  But also because I would love to try to make friends that are having a baby at a similar time. 

lrg14

I'm also thinking I'll do an infant care class, breastfeeding class, and a tour. DH doesn't have much interest in any of them, but one of my GF is due 2 months after me so she might do them with me.

MrsMaryK2016

I have a question. When are you guys planning on taking these classes? I don't want to do it too early but I also don't want to push it too late. What's the sweet spot? September? Early October?

msu_gal

@MrsMaryK2016 the hospital I'm taking mine at recommended the birth prep series in the 3rd tri and the breastfeeding and child care prep classes in the last month.  I may do those a little early cause I'm not sure I will feel up to it in the last month 

jstinkz

I did the hypnobabies home study because there are not a lot of classes are offered near me. I loved it.

atcwag

MrsMaryK2016 said:

I have a question. When are you guys planning on taking these classes? I don't want to do it too early but I also don't want to push it too late. What's the sweet spot? September? Early October?

We did ours over the summer months last time around (DS was born early October). It was a bit earlier than the recommendation, but it worked for our schedules. I'd say Sept/Oct is a good time. 

MrsDho11

MrsMaryK2016 said:

I have a question. When are you guys planning on taking these classes? I don't want to do it too early but I also don't want to push it too late. What's the sweet spot? September? Early October?

My hospital handled that decision when I called in by saying they recommended about two months out.  Definitely try to schedule now though, I got the impression mine were starting to fill up.  I got to sign up for the three I wanted, but I'm pretty sure I only had one date left for each as an option.

leighry

I took exactly zero classes with all of my pregnancies.. I took a couple breastfeeding support classes after giving birth but they're all the same. A video of a kid nursing. That didn't help me. I kept going after each kid thinking it would be different but it wasn't. I did have a VNA nurse come out with my 3rd to help with nursing (as ordered by my pediatrician to help support baby's growth so it was covered) and I found that to be super helpful. I think she definitely kept me from worrying and helped me relax so nursing was a positive experience that time around.

MrsEusini

I don't really know if I will. I mean, I'm planning to labor at home for a bit, then head to the hospital. I plan to get an epidural, as well. I don't know if any classes out there really support that. Most that I know of are all about natural med-free births, and I'm just not about that for my first, at the very least.

irshdancr5500

@MrsEusini  My hospital has childbirth classes for free, maybe you can see if yours offers anything? I plan on taking my hospital's class in the next month or so and then seeing if I want to take anything beyond that. But I figure something held at a hospital will talk about all of the options they regularly see, which would certainly support epidurals.

fiscally3

@MrsEusini I took lamaze class with my first, and it was very thorough, talked about natural vs. medicated, as well as c-sections.  She went over a lot of things that I didn't know, like how they break your water and what an internal heart monitor is (which happened with my oldest).  Advice for what to do while in labor.  A lot of the hospitals near me offer Lamaze with an epidural classes.  I think you might still find it beneficial (As I ended up having a c-section, I still found it helpful while I was in labor.)

For those of you worried about the cost check with your insurance, ours at the time reimburse us like $70 of $75 course.  

sea628

I read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon and took the 1-day natural childbirth class at my hospital. That was enough. The class at the hospital was awesome because I used laboring movements I learned there with ds.

hollowway

I didn't do birth it classes with DD.... I wish I had, more to prepare my fiance than myself. I had read books and was mentally prepared and ha my birthing plan (never goes according to plan btw)... but he had no idea what to do. He kind of just there very anxious as I dealt with the contractions. He rubbed my back, got me water/ice and a cool wash cloth for my forehead. But he really had no idea what he was suppose to do besides that. This time, he'll be more prepared. But if you're first time parents, I definitely recommend it!

hellopartyof5

Also! If you want to take CPR classes, you should do so in the 2nd trimester.  Apparently in the 3rd trimester its hard to do because of the big ole belly.

ficbot

I don't know what to do about this either I am a first-timer, he is not and I think he did a class last time. He told me he would do it if I really wanted him to, but he is not very interested in sitting in a class for four weekends in a row and the hospital has a lot of information online so I may just do some research myself. I don't really want to go by myself to a class.

Thewizardofrhythm

I highly recommend a class of some sort. Its bonding for you and your partner and provides practical information you may need for labor. I took an intensive class and my H and I really enjoyed it but i guess everyone is different. Our class was called unmedicated birth in the hospital setting but it went over every possible scenario. Its also covered newborn care and breast feeding. We took it in the third tri. It was 3 hrs every Thursday for 8 weeks. We also met other new parents in it that we are still friends with 2 years later. For us the information was useful but mostly it just got my husband and I on the same page. Pregnancy is really different for partners and once the baby comes shit is cray. I found classes to be the place we could find common ground together. It was also the first place we started parenting together in that It spured discussions on topics we never could have anticipated and forced us to discuss and decide things we may not have prior to the babys arrival. 

ZoeFer

@Thewizardofrhythm if i remember correctly , you were from NYC. Did you take these classes in the city ? If so, would you mind sharing the name of the hospital/institute you took the classes from ?

shevaCC

Thewizardofrhythm said:

I highly recommend a class of some sort. Its bonding for you and your partner and provides practical information you may need for labor.
*snip*
It was also the first place we started parenting together in that It spured discussions on topics we never could have anticipated and forced us to discuss and decide things we may not have prior to the babys arrival. 

This is so true! Apart from premarital counseling (we're Catholic so they discussed children and family) we hadn't come across situations where we talked much about parenting. I was in a much less intensive class due to DH's preferences (squeezed into one weekend) and we still had a lot of discussion material.

hnaleshire87

The hospital I'm giving birth at has birthing classes, and they offer one type that is once a week for 4 weeks, or an express class where we learn everything and get the maternity tour, in 1 day, and we're there for 8 hours.  We chose the express class because I only have the whole weekend off every other weekend.  Maybe there are express classes that you can look into?

irshdancr5500

We just went to our hospital's class yesterday, and it was awesome! It was 6 hours and included their specific hospital policies, a tour, and lots of information about anatomy, the labor process (C-section, epidurals, and without drugs), breastfeeding, and taking care of a newborn. My husband and I spent the following 8 hours or so then taking about all of the decisions we wanted to make before baby comes. It just opened the door to so many discussion topics and helped DH realize he can and should have opinions on how things go. It definitely brought us closer in this process.

tjljsc

Our hospital has amazing resources and we're signed up for the maternity/childcare class, maternity tour and a breastfeeding class. I'm a huge researcher and am doubtful that I'll have some great increase in knowledge after the weekend don't kill your baby boot camp,  but I'm also smart enough to know that I don't know what I don't know. They're experts and I'm sure there will be some good nuggets of info I'll be glad to have learned. Like others have said, I also think this is a great opportunity for my husband and I to bond and discuss things we may not normally even think to talk about pre-baby. I'm due the end of November and we're  doing all classes in early October. 

arcticseal-2

With my first I took the local prenatal classes offered in my small town which were, I think, 3 or 4 evenings....

With my second, because I knew how I laboured (I apparently have a low pain tolerance and contractions every 5 mins before 4 cm dilated) and because I wanted to try for a VBAC, we interviewed a doula (but didn't feel she would be fully supportive when/if I got an epidural).  I also read this book:   https://www.amazon.ca/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/1558323570.  It was really helpful.  We borrowed it from the library and took it to the hospital with us.....    I read parts of it to my husband and told him about more of it.  I felt much more prepared going into my second labour and did end up having a VBAC but a big part of that was the hospital I delivered at.

This time, well, I don't think I'll be doing much of anything.   Maybe signing out the above book....

MollySm

With my first, H and I went to the 2 day weekend class offered by the hospital.  I knew a ton already, but it was great to get comfortable seeing exactly where you'd be.  It was good bonding for H and I to spend that much time only talking about baby's  arrival, and they spent a lot of time showing the partners different ways to rub our backs, massage, or push on our hips that might be helpful, and also talked to them a ton about how what feels good one min might hurt us the next minute, so to be sure to just listen and agree :-)  It helped him feel more comfortable with the whole process.  And it was great hearing about the options that particular hospital had available, ideas for if labor stalled, etc.  I highly recommend it.  

kvruns

we're planning to do a 2 night express type class. I'm still a little worried because if you take them individually it is 9-10 hours of classes but if you do the express its either 6 or 7 depending on if you do 2 night or all in one day. I asked my Dr. about it but she said the express is fine and the individual classes would likely be overkill.  It will cover newborn care, childbirth prep, breastfeeding, and I thought one other main topic but I can't remember. H is also taking a 2-3 hour "bootcamp for dads" class which I think he's looking forward to.

We lucked out and won a package of classes at an event we went to which is nice because otherwise the classes would be $120

lajoliedreamer

In the end, DH and I decided to do the 12-week Bradley classes. Pregnancy and the thought of labor has had me feeling completely out of control so we thought that a more intensive class was worth the money. So far we're about halfway through and it has been great for my anxiety and for us both to feel more comfortable in DH being able to support me through the labor.

A nice bonus is that the instructor is also a doula and gives an amazing discount to her students so we wound up deciding to contract with her as well. This also helps the anxiety because DH was going to be the only one in the room with me (as a direct support) and this way there is someone else if he needs to step out to the bathroom or to grab food or a short nap or whatever.

I still need to schedule the hospital tour, but will probably do that in October.

yosemite2018

I signed up for Baby 101 in September which goes over basic infant care, car seat setup, diapering, bathing, feeding, umbilical cord care, etc. My mom (a lactation consultant) said she can teach us that stuff but I wanted to go to the class so that I can meet other parents to be and since SO has no experience with babies I thought he might take a class more seriously. It's 4 hours on a Saturday.

We're also signed up for a 3 week (3 hour each weekend) childbirth class in October. It goes over how to know when you're in labor, the different types of childbirth and options (I'm going to try a natural birth), and how your partner can best support you. The instructor is a doula who had awesome reviews for her class on Yelp.

I'm skipping the lactation class since my mom will teach me that, and she is actually the one who gives the hospital tours so we'll do that (she gave us a mini one a few months back after one of our appts), and we will sign up for infant CPR. I want my dad and sister to take infant CPR as well since they will be babysitting so I might just hire an instructor to come do a private class for the whole family.