Childbirth classes

TaraandRichforever

Has anyone taken the childbirth classes offered at Riverview medical center? I am delivering there and Im not sure if it would be worth it to take the childbirth class there because its not cheap.

jenwmiller

Hi.... I am new to N.J. but I did child birth classes with my husband with a woman named Theresa Fischer.  (maybe Fisher)  She is associated with Hackettstown midwives and honestly her classes were really, really good.  My head is so in a cloud these days and I cannot remember how much she charged but trust me when I say that I know it was reasonable.  Her cost also included a copy of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.  In addition to cost- she was very down to earth and super informative.  Our classes were on Sunday evenings which may not be a good time for everyone but were good for us.  We could both attend without it interfering with our work schedules and there were 5 approx. 2 hour classes.  I really highly recommend her.

Good luck with your decision.

thirdtimemama

How much is Riverview charging?  I delivered both of my children there and will also have my third there in the spring.  We took the class before the first was born.  I don't recall what it cost but it was 6 years ago.  Hackettstown is pretty far and would, IMO, cost you as much in time, tolls and gas as just taking where you plan to deliver.  I will probably take a refresher class as I didn't take one for my second and I am probably 'rusty'.  Having some literal things to do/focus on while in labor could be very helpful or calming, especially for a first time mom.  I can't imagine doing it without some class, but plenty of moms do.  If money is a true issue, you may be able to get a discount if you work with the hospital, have you looked into that option?  At the very least you can arrange for a labor and delivery tour (prepare some questions ahead and get the most bang out of your free tour). 

 

Best of luck.  

bubbles231211

I took the one day weekend childbirth class there back in October.  I think it was semi informative,  but I agree for the cost (130 i think we paid) it wasn't all that worth it.  Basically they go through the following:

what it means to be dialated and effaced, the signs of labor, what to do when we go into labor, different types of tools they use on you, what to pack for the hospital, different breathing techniques, a tour of the Labor & Delivery unit, and watched a bunch of movies on epidurals, c-section, vag birth, ripping/tearing (I forgot the word for it), about having a new baby, and post pardum.  THere maybe have been some other things but that's basically the big things I remember.

My class was from 9-5, but we went quickly through it, and we were out by 3:30.  It included breakfast and lunch.

bubbles231211

Oh and you may want to look into - some insurances will coverage a percentage of childbirth classes.

TaraandRichforever

The one day class is $115 and the one that is one day a week for 5 weeks in $125. We could afford it but if it is useless I would rather not waste the money when I could use it for something else for LO. I already asked our insurance company and they said they dont cover the classes.

GenRN45

I am also delivering at riverview, but did not take their class. The class I took was actually more expensive, but much more informative and geared towards the natural Birth I'm planning, even though it includes one class on interventions. I highly recommend the classes (which were held saturday Mornings from 10-12 for 6 weeks).

they were taught by my doulas: yourbestbirth.org. you can look there for more info.

my OB (Dr Loh collado) is the chief of OB at riverview, and she said that she recommends their class (my doulas) because she knows what's covered and how well they do it. She also referred me to my doula.

TaraandRichforever

GenRN45 how much are they?

GenRN45

i just asked my husband - how bad is it that neither one of us remembers exactly. I think it was a bit more than $200. Like $225 or $250.

Here's more info about their classes from their website.