if you took a childbirth class, poll inside!

LindseyJW

i am creating new materials for the class i teach and wondered what kind of handouts you got that were most helpful.

if you care to share:

1. type of class you took

2. handouts you got

3. what handouts were most/least helpful and why

4. what do you feel was missing from the handouts

Sofka

I took the 2-day class offered by Reston H, this was 3 yrs ago and I don't remember what handouts we got and if they were helpful, perhaps the hospital packing list one (which I remember all of us adding to out loud). I am pretty sure I recycled all of them (if I even took them). Sorry - not too helpful!

 

umdbride

hmmm, this is kind of a tough one...i took a class through Shady Grove hospital and honestly thought it was more helpful for DH than it was for me.  I guess I already had an idea of what to expect from the nesties and other resources, but DH had no clue that labor took hours (he thought you waited in the waiting room until you were ready to push because it was only an hour or two, haha!).  I also hoped to go natural but didn't realize I needed to sign up for a bradley or birthworks class much farther in advance, so I kind of felt stuck with the hospital class.

I think we got handouts about breathing patterns, when to call the doctor (pre and post-delivery), and things about PPD.  I thought I'd use the breathing ones but never looked at them and the diagrams of the breathing rhythms were hard to understand.  The most helpful handouts were probably the post-delivery care of me and baby, when to call the doc, etc. A timeline would have probably been helpful for DH (like how long each stage of labor typically is, etc.).

I ended up going natural and faster than I expected (my water broke at 5 am and contractions started almost right away 2 mins apart) so everything went out the window.  I got to the hospital and got right in the tub, I also had midwives so I felt like I had a lot of coaching and didn't use anything learned in class.

I know I was in no shape to even want to look at a handout so I'm thinking maybe they'd be most helpful if they were geared toward the dads/partners/coaches?

oh!  one idea is to give them a fill in the blank handout that has all the info they'll need upon admission to the hospital.  even though we pre-registered I still had to fill stuff out upon arrival and DH didn't know all the info.  also maybe a handout about what to expect at the hospital post-delivery. i had no idea how many tests, etc. they did to the baby and I and I felt like nobody really explained it well.

 

WinesNot Whines

1. type of class you took - Birthworks - private instructor (not associated with a hospital or medical group), 8 weeks, 2 hours each week.

2. handouts you got - We got a big bound book full of information at the first class. The instructor also had a library of childbirth and parenting books, and we were encouraged to borrow her books and take them home to read them. I borrowed some of them (Ina May and a couple of others).

3. what handouts were most/least helpful and why - I liked the handouts that prompted discussion in the class. After the class was over, I also went back and read the pages on how to get the baby into the optimal position for delivery, and I also reviewed the information on natural pain management.

4. what do you feel was missing from the handouts - Nothing specific. However, I wish I could've found a class that had more information about what to do AFTER the baby arrives. I did take a class like that at the hospital, but it was minimally helpful. The most helpful part was when they played the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD for us.

Sofka

I have to agree that the class was definitely for DH, I didn't learn anything new b/c I was reading lots of books

 

vtkgirl77

1. type of class you took - General Childbirth Class at Holy Cross Hospital (I don't even remember the name)

2. handouts you got - Honestly, I don't remember. If anything, I think I may have gotten copies of the PowerPoint slides?

3. what handouts were most/least helpful and why - Don't remember.

4. what do you feel was missing from the handouts - I don't remember but I will tell you my favorite parts of the class. I remember one night she brought in all these massager products and the partners had to try out the products on us. It would've been nice to have a sheet listing where we could get them because I remember that I really liked one of them but I had to scourer the internet to try and find it.

Like other's said, I felt that the most important component of the class was prepping the partners, giving them and the mom's an opportunity to ask questions, and explaining different ways that the partners can support us during and after labor.

LindseyJW

thanks so much everyone!

StringerBella

i took the classes through SG also.  I thought that they were essentially useless.  The handout info was good.  But I felt that the was waaaaay to much about relaxation techniques, and that it was really long and drawn out.  Maybe our instructor was just to new age-y.  6 weeks was just way too long for what was in the classroom part.