Childbirth Classes - are you taking them and when?

MattysGirl81 · February 2009

We plan on signing up for the classes that our hospital offers, I'm just not sure when the best time is to do it. The 2 options are when I'm 31-33 weeks or 35-37 weeks. Does it really matter too much?

rommelea · February 2009

I would do 31-33. If your baby is early you could still be in classes when he/she is born! I will be in mine at 30-35 weeks.

HappyTXChick · February 2009

I took them with DS 32-35 weeks.
I don't think it really matters.

MidwestTexan · February 2009

DH and I are skipping the classes.

If I were you, I would take the first session (31-33) in case you deliver early.

leannerae · February 2009

Yes I am (instead of knitting class) and I am taking them (let me check my planer...) Weeks 31 -33.

Plus it comes with a bonus free breastfeeding class!!!! With free lunch! Double bonus for a lady like myself who loves to talk boobs over my afternoon meal :-)

BearkatLou · February 2009

My dr and hospital prefer I take them 14 weeks before my due date. I'll be starting them in 2 weeks!

chels0120 · February 2009

We are taking one. But our predicament is we will be moving for my dh's new job around mid April, first of May. This will put me about 6 weeks before EDD. So we have found two options. One is a 6 week course that goes for an hour each week. The other is one 8 hour Saturday course! So depending on what happens with the move, we're covered.

LGMHRS · February 2009

I'm not taking one but if I was I'd probably go with the earlier option in case you deliver early or aren't feeling up to going to classes at that point.

shipian · February 2009

If you are really set on doing them I would do the earlier class. It's not that far fetched for you to deliver at 37-38wks and the later class would be cutting it close. We are doing a weekend set (Sat-Sun 9a-3p) when I am 32weeks.

*blondie* · February 2009

I agree with others and take the earlier one. Dh and I might take a set of classes from 30-33weeks. I say might because they are tought by an ex-doula who has never actually been pregnant and much less given birth herself, so I'm leary.

DSteed-to-be · February 2009

My hospital requires that we finish 6 weeks before our due date, so ours starts in 2 weeks and lasts for 6 weeks. I'll finish then at 30 1/2 weeks.

ksayles · February 2009

We're going in May. They do not offer them every month.

gettingmarriedi · February 2009

The only one that fit in our schedule is at 37 weeks so that is what we are doing. We realize it is late, but we'll take our chances.

afg · February 2009

I'm just signing up for the class that I have to take to get the hospital tour - it's about 2 hours long or something. I'm signing up for the one that is 6 weeks before my due date.

Otherwise no I'm not doing it.

krista_rosey · February 2009

I start mine at 32 weeks. But I have 3 childbirth classes, then 1 breastfeeding class, and then a newborn classes all spread out over 5 weeks. My sister didn't start her childbirthing classes till her 35th week and she ended up going early so she missed the last class.

JCM052707 · February 2009

I would take them earlier rather than later to be safe.

Mine start at 17 weeks (for many reasons, that's not the norm).

WendyBird&Chris · February 2009

The earlier the better. My Hospital reccomends 24-28 weeks. So I have to call and schedule mine soon. Ours is a 4 wk course and it's one 2 hour course per week.

mpls_cat · February 2009

The classes are really affordable at our hospital so we're taking a parenting class and a bf'ing class. The parenting class is between weeks 32-36 and the bf'ing class is at 36 weeks. We had scheduling conflicts that prevented us from taking earlier classes, but we really didn't want to forget anything so we didn't want to take them too early.

mrsolsenk12 · February 2009

Mine starts at 30 weeks until 36 weeks (It is a 6 week class).

CHETNEY · February 2009

My last day of class is only one day before my due date!

I wanted something to look forward to (besides D-Day) to make the time go faster! I wasn't really planning on doing any classes so if baby wants to come early, it'll be fine i miss a couple classes..

Mike&Care · February 2009

My hubby was open for the class idea, until we realized we'd have to get a babysitter 4 weeks in a row and shell out $150 for the class. I compromised with him and so now we are ordering this video:

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000PLXFSS/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A1X5DSSPDJR087&v=glance

and we are making it a date night at home. I am excited. I remember from the last time that I used nothing that I learned in the class during birth. That was just my experience though and probably is more because I researched and read so much on my own, that it was just repetitive. We are doing a hospital tour at 32 weeks.

mommastemme · February 2009

Eh, with DS I was really gung-ho about taking a birthing class and I didn't learn anything! The one we took mostly focused on breathing and I knew that I was getting an epidural and so I felt like it was a huge waste of time. This time around we are not taking a class but I am taking a bfing class because DS and I had some problems and I am hoping to avoid most of those this time around! Also, if I were you I would take the class sooner rather than later because you never know what the end of your pregnancy will bring! Good luck!

Aimee&Bill · February 2009

We are doing them over two Saturdays in April. My DH schedule gets really busy starting in May and he wanted to go to everything with me. I will be doing the Breastfeeding in the beginning of June.

Chrysallys · February 2009

I'm hoping to start Bradley classes next month but I'm waiting on a call back from the instructor.

MizMac · February 2009

We're planning on doing a Bradley class, which is 12 weeks and starts when I'm around week 25. ?The instructor recommended taking one that ended only three weeks before our due date so we wouldn't have a lot of time in between the class and the birth in which we would have to self-motivate. ?That is something to think about ? the closer to your due date you take the class, the fresher the information will be! ?Of course, baby could always come early and mess up your plans, but that's what babies do!

tiffany0486 · February 2009

i have heard that its not worth it to take the classes. In nursing school I had to coach patients through child birth so I figured im just going to skip the classes.

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