Childbirth Classes

gawjuslayd · April 2012

Has anyone looked into Childbirth Classes? DF and I are considering Virtual Childbirth Classes along with actual classes.

Any thoughts?

rels09 · April 2012

I think the type of class you choose depends on the type of birth you want. We just went to our first Bradley class last night and thought it was good, but Bradley is very much geared toward med-free birth, which isn't for everyone.

mishfull · April 2012

I am not doing classes, I didn't with DD and won't with this one.

Mizsoccer83 · April 2012

The only one I signed up for is a free one at the hospital that is for care of newborns, etc. I dont plan on taking any others.

jlrschmidt · April 2012

I would really like to take Bradley classes, because I am going to try to a med-free birth, but Lamaze sounds good too. The only thing I'm finding is that they are typically 12 week courses, so I am already having trouble getting into one in the appropriate time frame! I think I found one that is 8 weeks (each class is a bit longer than the 12 classes are to accomodate the other 4 weeks).

Good luck!

britvahok · April 2012

I'm taking the online classes from Baby Center. We're not going to take any classes through the hospital.

gawjuslayd · April 2012

Ambsies:
I personally found my 8 week Childbirth Preparation class to be a HUGE waste of time. But then again- I read my pregnancy books and I spend too much time on TB talking pregnancy and childbirth. DH does not, so he admitted that he got something out of the classes.
Our classes were particularly bad: our teacher had been teaching this subject for too long, the materials were old (including worn out VHS childbirth tapes probably from the early 90s), and we seemed to be the only ones in a "stable" relationship. One couple started fighting during a relaxation exercise and then stormed out of the class, others talked and texted constantly.

I only went to one when I had DS 11 years ago and we were the unstable couple. LOL. I was also a lot younger, immature, and uninterested. I too read everything under the sun, but I want to make sure that DF has the full child bearing experience.

JayandEmm · April 2012

It looks like we're not taking any, because I forgot to tell my midwife to sign me up for Birthing From Within (natural birth) starting in early June. I'll ask at my next appt next week, but Im pretty sure Im too late. The next class starts in August sometime around my due date. :[

So I guess I'll see if I can find some online somewhere.

Nikko Blue · April 2012

I'm taking a 4 week class starting mid-June at the hospital.

cedenton · April 2012

We're taking an all day class for childbirth that includes medication options and relaxation methods. We're also taking a two-day (4 hr) Parenting a Newborn class and I'll be taking a breastfeeding class. It was $90 for all that and it's reimbursable by my flex-plan (though I'm going to try to get DH's to pay for it.)

kelnyc · April 2012

We are taking a 2.5 hour breastfeeding class ($50), an 8 hour Childbirth Intensive class ($160), an Infant CPR class ($70 per couple), H is taking a 2 hour Father-to-Be class that talks about his role in coaching and the early weeks. They are all offered through our hospital, including a free tour.

SIL actually teaches Infant Care classes at another hospital, so we'll be taking an 8 hour session of that with her for free as well.

latnprincess · April 2012

I didn't take any with first pregnancy. I'm not sure how helpful they would be though, so I can't say yes or no. I mean everyone hears about breathing techniques and focal points, etc. So I just did that.

NHRunner · April 2012

We started a childbirth class last week, it goes for 8 weeks and is through our hospital. They basically go over what happens in the last trimester, childbirth in general and delivery methods. Fortunately our hospital is fairly progressive... birthing tubs, birthing stools, etc. I may take an separate optional waterbirth class, as it is required if you are thinking of that as an option.

awakenedoleander · April 2012

I've taken a breastfeeding class, tonight I'm taking a water birthing class (required if you want to have the option of having one at the birth center) and later in May I'll be taking a 5 week hypnobirthing course. The breast feeding class was so-so. I did learn a bit, but I'm sure its not anymore than I would have learned at the hospital or from the books I've been reading. I did like being able to check out all the pumps so I could figure out what would work best for me. (You cant check them out really at the store because they need to stay sealed).

My husband learned a lot though. I like that he's going to hear all this information from someone other than me. I feel like he'll take it in more, and be better able to support me. Even if they're a waste of time for me in the end, I know my husband is getting something out of it. I'll update you on the water birthing class if you're interested.

awakenedoleander · April 2012

Water birthing class was kinda lame. Stuff I already knew. They did give us a tour of the birth center and stuff though which was nice. I think the class was good for my husband. But so far we're batting 0-2 when it comes to me. haha.

leeandradittman · April 2012

Mizsoccer83:
The only one I signed up for is a free one at the hospital that is for care of newborns, etc. I dont plan on taking any others.

Us too, although it wasn't free, it was 20 bucks... which is fine. The labor rehearsal one was 70$ and so we aren't taking it... just going to read a bunch about it. I hope we don't need to take this one, we're just going to "wing" it but be as prepared as possible at birth!

hooslisa · April 2012

rels09:
I think the type of class you choose depends on the type of birth you want. We just went to our first Bradley class last night and thought it was good, but Bradley is very much geared toward med-free birth, which isn't for everyone.

i just did a double take. i'm in the dc area too and just took our first bradley class this week. must be different classes.

to answer the question:

after researching a bunch of different class options, the bradley classes were definitely more what we were looking for.

i'd like to put myself in the best possible situation for a successful, natural birth. i wanted my husband to be an active partner in the plan. ...and i also liked that the skills of the bradley method weren't methods to "cope" with pain. they are actually methods to help minimize pain. they are transferable skills that can be used for things other than labor. it was the right fit for us.

i had also read on one of these boards a while ago that someone said they didn't want to take the classes at the hospital because that they might be biased to teaching you how to be a "good patient" rather than a critical thinking one. that concept made sense to me and influenced my decision to go with an independent educator.

lizziealyssa · April 2012

We'll be taking an 8-week series of Bradley classes starting mid-May.

I know several people that have taken from the instructor and loved it. She goes over post-partum subjects as well. They also said it was more helpful for the man than the woman because a lot of what we will learn goes out the window when in labor. Bradley is good about focusing on the husband being the labor coach, which is what we are wanting in our birth center experience. But that's not for everyone!

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