no birth classes

ifwisheswerefishes · May 2012

are there any moms doing the natural way who are NOT taking any classes on breathing, Bradley Method, etc? our local hospital does not offer any natural birthing classes, and we would have to take a class at our community college instead.

is it worth it? or are there books i can read, things i can do that won't require me to take a class that will cost us a lot of money, and still have my natural birth with some semblance of knowing what i'm doing?

footnotegirl · May 2012

I did natural(ish) birth (had to be induced, but no epidural or other interventions other than the Pitocin). I only had a single 1 day everything class that covered childbirth, baby care, etc. So really it didn't cover much childbirth at all.

Honestly? Most of what I learned in that class I picked up in books and online. And frankly, anything I didn't pick up there? You just won't be prepared for and will have to come to understand it by living it.

AnaKat405 · May 2012

My MWs have encouraged me to take some sort of birth "method". Several suggested hypnobirthing and the last one I spoke to kept pushing a new one -- called Birth Boot Camp by Donna Ryan -- on me so hard that I'm convinced she's friends with the lady. I told her I'm aware of it, had even looked at the website, but based on the price + curriculum and the fact that it is so new... it's not something I can see myself investing in.

I also looked at hypnobabies, but what I don't like about that is when I read birth stories using it, the women are reliant on certain mp3 tracks throughout various stages of labor. I think it's great that it works well for those who subscribe to it, but needing to listen to something in order to benefit from it at that particular moment is just NMS.

I think the best I can do for myself is learn as much as I can about the physiology of the different stages of labor, what to expect it to feel like and how that correlates to what's going on with my body. Being able to understand why I'm experiencing something is the best way for me to be able to reconcile it so my rational mind doesn't go into freak-out mode.

And, aside from all that, I just don't see how I need some "method" in order to be successful in doing something that has been done for ages without any required classes. I think I would be fine with instinct and intuition alone and the only thing that makes me hesitant in my ability to trust myself is everyone else suggesting that I need more than myself to do it. THe way I look at it is, the baby is going to be born whether I've taken a class or not, the only things I can do are those that will make the experience less painful for me.

Birthing From Within and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth have both been suggested to me and I plan to get copies to start reading during my third trimester.

tokenhoser · May 2012

I did spend money on a doula, but not on classes. Personally, I didn't feel like classes would teach me anything I couldn't pick up from books, and I prefer books to having to be at a certain place at a certain time week after week.

The Lamaze handbook is good, as is "The Birth Partner". There's a reading list in the FAQ in my siggy. Some people love classes and get a ton from them - that's great. But it's totally doable without a class, and even without a doula (but I did love that woman a lot).

DownToEarthGirl · May 2012

I honestly loved our birth classes - I learned a lot just b/c you can talk with real moms and get real life experience. It was much more memorable than when I ready Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, Ina May's Guide, and others, but it was the bonding time with DH and the other couples that was great. DH wasn't stoked on the classes, but came around when I told him that I spent 4 times that much on my wedding dress for one memorable day and that wasn't a drop in the bucket as to what we spent overall for a weddign. DH didn't know anything before the class (although I kept sharing info with him and making him read parts of the books with me), but was so informed and a wonderful birthing partner after the classes. Plus we ended up being great friends with one couple in the class and it was great to have an instant mommy to talk with and spend time with during my maternity leave. They're our friends still to this day (6 years after our classes).

It was only like $250 and honestly it was better spent on the birth classes than any other medical bill or baby crap we bought. I couldn't buy another amazing experience like that from anywhere - even at Disneyland.

That being said, we did the 10+ week Bradley classes that covered all stages of labor, relaxation and labor progression poses/practices, and even newborn care and breastfeeding. Very anecdotal, but of the 8 couples in our class, 6 had natural, unmedicated births - one had a c-section prior to 37 weeks due to pre-eclempsia and the other was late, induced, got an epidural.

The two people I know IRL who didn't take classes, but read books to prep for natural birth did not get the birth they wanted the first baby. However, both took classes and got the birth they wanted with #2 (and #3 in one case).

fryrat · May 2012

I have not taken any classes at all. I have been doing a lot of research online on relaxation techniques, the stages of labor, and watching utube videos for comfort techniques.

sschwege · May 2012

For us it was worth every penny and I would have easily paid double or triple for how much it helped (we did Hypnobirthing). That being said there are plenty of women on here who have done it without a class, so it's definitely possible!

Just as a side note, it's also a nice way to meet moms and dads-to-be. We are still good friends with the other 3 couples in our class and it's nice because our kids are all the same age

chris&kendra1 · May 2012

I am not planning on taking a class. The hospital has a free childbirth class, but I looked through the schedule and I really don't think it's necessary for me. I have read a lot of material on my own and prefer to learn things at my own pace. I do have a doula, so I think that will greatly help in my birthing experience...but I really don't feel like the information offered in the class is going to be anything that I couldn't find in other pregnancy/childbirth books.