How important do you think the birthing classes are?

kp28 · April 2009

My DH & I might have to miss them. I work 2nd shift on a rotating schedule and switching the hours aren't possible. Anyone else running into this?

cutelilfishstick · April 2009

DH and I can't fit them into our schedule either. The doctor told me to just pick up a book and do some research and that I'll do fine. I'm personally not worried. My mom never took one either and said she doesn't regret it.

Reagan's Mommy · April 2009

Not important unless you want to have a natural birth. Otherwise, just find some good books/resources about what happens to your body during labor, talk to your OB about pain management, and just take a tour of the maternity ward of your hospital.

There's not really any information at those classes that you can't find on your own. I wouldn't worry about it.

AutumnBride929 · April 2009

It depends. If you plan on getting an epidural, I've heard you don't really need to take a class because the hospital staff will guide you.

If you plan on going natural, I would definitely not attempt it without taking a class to obtain the proper training.

AliciaSpring · April 2009

I am still trying to figure out if DH wants to take these.

FutureHardings · April 2009

I'm not taking them. Not because of schedule conflicts... but I decided that I do not want 'natural' childbirth, I want the epi... and I honestly just believe that natural instincts will guide me.

Hotomale · April 2009

DH and I both travel for work so we can't do the traditional classes but we're doing an "express" class that's all day 1 Saturday. Is there anything like that you can do? It's something I wouldn't want to miss out on.

LoveEeyore · April 2009

We signed up for an all-day one when I was pg with DD and ditched after a few hours. Nothing new- after being on here, and the nurse took care of everything. Plus all the techniques that they teach DH for helping- massage, tennis balls- were useless to me. Apparently when in labor I don't like being touched. At all. I wouldn't worry. B/t the nest and any books you read- you'll be be fine.

Genevieved · April 2009

I have talked to some OB's around here and they say that women who do birthing classes tend to do better and I guess if you can't make it reading up on it is better then nothing.

BlairWaldorf · April 2009

We're not taking one. ::shrugs:: I had girlfriends that took them at our hospital & said they were pretty much worthless.

They said the BFing class was totally worth it, but I'm not BFing.

springtime81 · April 2009

I just want to say, that even if you know you want an epi (which I knew, too), it is still useful to learn coping and relaxation techniques. You may end up laboring for quite a while at home before you're ready to be admitted to the hospital, and it's good to find some method to deal with the pain. Also, you could be delayed getting the epi in the hospital because you have to wait for your doctor to approve, or just because you have to wait for the anesthesiologist to arrive.

I ended up getting lucky and woke up in the middle up the night with contrax <5min apart and dialated to 4cm, so I didn't have to cope much Stick out tongue But next time I may not be so lucky!!

kp28 · April 2009

Thanks ladies. That helps alot. I did check into the one day deal too but that won't work with my off days either-so SOL. But I do plan on NOT going the natural route. So the epi will be my friend that day-God willing.

bjbrit · April 2009

We ran into the same problem. My husband is a pilot and works every other week, so finding a class was hard. However, I'm going to try my best to have a natural birth, so I wanted to be prepared. I was luck enough to find an instructor that would come to our house, and do 3 condensed classes. We've had one so far, and we both loved it. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed (selfishly) that she doesn't sell her house and move before I deliver, because I'd like her to be my doula.

Also, you may want to check with your hospital. Ours has a "Super Saturday Class" which is all the info. in one long day.

ArcticFox · April 2009

I took one and it wass for the most part a time waster. We did learn about stuff like symptoms of labor, stages of labor (which you can look up/read) and then breathing/relaxation techniques.

However my labor was so horrible I never used any of the techniques.

What I do recommend though is a tour of the hospital. Know right where you need to go to check in and what to expect at the hospital. I'm really glad we took a tour!

mitzi goodson · April 2009

I was very disappointed that DH & I couldn't fit even the express class into our schudules so we purchased a DVD that has 7, 45 minute classes on it. I am not sure if it will be worth a crap but we are going natural so anything to me at this point is better than nothing at all, we are doing the hospital tour & I am taking the BFing classes too so I am just hoping that my body will know what the hell is going on...LOL. I have all the faith in the world that DH & I will be just fine after reading & watching the DVD Yes Yes

Evelynsmom · April 2009

We took them with our first child and it was good to get a medical/unbiased point of view of labor and birth. I liked all the different suggestions of how to help the labor process and for getting comfortable. It's been 5 yrs but we're not going to go through them again.

Maybe your OB office could recommend a video or on line course to fit your schedule.

hokiebride05 · April 2009

My husband and I watched 4 classes so far of the Laugh and Learn about Childbirth series (got from Netflix). We found the instructor's sense of humor mildly annoying - but other than that thought pretty highly of DVD and learned a lot about the stages of labor and relaxation techniques!

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