FTM question: classes

ilianabeltran118 · December 2013

What classes, if any, are you signing up for before baby? Could be my own ignorance, but I thought there was just one main class but there's all types of stuff offered at my hospital from delivery expectations to how to care for baby to baby and the dog. What's actually useful?

Katiecave · December 2013

Agreed. I'm a little overwhelmed by all the options....

mooncusp22 · December 2013

Also wanting to hear! And when do we start classes?

ksulli · December 2013

I didn't take any. I wanted to and should have taken a birthing class, mostly for DH so he would know what to expect, but I was working crazy hours & trying to buy & sell a house.

I read a few labor books instead and felt that I was well informed and reasonably ready. I also read a BFing basics book to know what to expect and some simple trouble shooting- most of that you can find on kellymom though. I also had a fair amount of infant experience from working daycare in college and babysitting.

amyjeanaz1 · December 2013

I took the regular child birthing classes with my first baby. I really enjoyed it. When I had my son I took a breast feeding class, just because. This time I won't be taking any classes at all. When you call to sign up for they classes, they are pretty good at telling you what dates you should attend based on your due dates

MamaFantastic · December 2013

I took a BFing class, a hypnobirthing class, an infant care class, and a natural birth class (which had a lot of crossover with hypnobirthing). I took them all in the 30s weeks.

buffyjsa · December 2013

The birth center where I go requires first timers like myself to take a bunch of classes, and they recommend starting about 32 weeks or so, trying to finish up a month or so before your due date.

hlm184 · December 2013

I've started a Bradley course. In Jan/Feb I plan on taking some of the hospital classes - newborn care, breast feeding, car seats, infant CPR sort of stuff.

pbandjmom · December 2013

I plan on taking a lot of them - hospital tour, breastfeeding class, infant CPR, baby care, and birthing. I'm a freak and love the idea of this stuff. I'll be going to them after the new year.

pdilly2b · December 2013

It depends some on what you want for your birth. If you want to try med free, then I think classes geared at that are really important for learning what to expect and how to cope with labor, as well as teaching DH how to help with those things (not a bad idea for everyone to have some knowledge of this, just not as important, IMO, if you aren't trying to make it all the way without drugs). If that's not your cup of tea, then I think a hospital tour, breastfeeding class (if that's what you plan to do), baby care, and infant CPR would leave you well prepared. Some places offer a combo breastfeeding, baby care, and infant CPR (I took one of these offered through Lamaze International - just google them).

snowclouds · December 2013

I took classes (breastfeeding, tour of the hospital, hospital class...cover labour and such). I found them to be amazingly useless once labour and baby were there. The hospital tour was good because it tells you what the hospital does and how they check someone in and what you can expect. Breastfeeding class was good at telling you how it's very easy if you're doing it right. It is probably a good class to take anyways to get the basics down in your head.

A class I wish I had taken is a Hypnobirthing or Bradley method class. And yes, they do have a lot of stuff in there that is so not me at all, but almost everyone I know who had a really calm and good birth experience did some type of relaxation practice for the birth. I figures I'd practice a bit and wing it...that didn't work so well so now I'm looking into a Hypnobirthing class.

ilianabeltran118 · December 2013

Thank you ladies, all this info is very helpful!

jjelfert · December 2013

I'm taking a hospital tour, breastfeeding class, infant care/ CPR class, and labor class in January/ February.

ckred27 · December 2013

I took the hospial tour, labor class, caring for newborn and infant CPR. It def helped make me feel more prepared and less like I was going in blind.

reginahcampbell · December 2013

I'm a FTM too and I prefer more information than less. I've got my classes starting in January. Childbirth, Additional Comfort Measures for Natural Labor, Newborn Care, Infant CPR, DH is taking the Expectant Fathers class, Pediatric Care for Newborns, Breastfeeding for Beginners, and Breastfeeding and Returning to Work. We'll also be doing the hospital tour.

ksulli · December 2013

snowclouds said:
I took classes (breastfeeding, tour of the hospital, hospital class...cover labour and such). I found them to be amazingly useless once labour and baby were there. The hospital tour was good because it tells you what the hospital does and how they check someone in and what you can expect. Breastfeeding class was good at telling you how it's very easy if you're doing it right. It is probably a good class to take anyways to get the basics down in your head.

A class I wish I had taken is a Hypnobirthing or Bradley method class. And yes, they do have a lot of stuff in there that is so not me at all, but almost everyone I know who had a really calm and good birth experience did some type of relaxation practice for the birth. I figures I'd practice a bit and wing it...that didn't work so well so now I'm looking into a Hypnobirthing class.

The read/relax/wing it worked for me, I was pretty happy with my DD's birth, although I think a class may have benefitted DH (he read one of the books for prep instead).

olenkapdx · December 2013

I'm going to take whatever they offer through the hospital. There is some hippie pregnancy center near my house that offers some classes too. I don't know a dang thing about babies so I have to get schooled.

Cecilbear · December 2013

I signed up for a 4-part hypnobirthing class and the optional breastfeeding class. I signed up in late November for the classes that begin the first week of January. We'll also take the tour of labor & delivery.

speechie517 · December 2013

Our birthing center requires and provides a course. I've not sure what it entails. I may also take an infant CPR class. I plan on reading breastfeeding books and a few natural delivery books before baby comes.

CurlieWhirlie · December 2013

I took a Bradley class with my first, and will be starting a refresher in January for this one. Highly recommend, for all the information offered.

Serenla · December 2013

I'm trying to take a natural birth class but it might not be in the cards. As for BFing I'm not taking a class but I will be going to a few LLL meetings and speaking to the women there after reading some books.

Smores730 · December 2013

I took an infant care class (that covered CPR and delivery), and a breast feeding class. I had done a lot of reading so I didn't learn too much in the infant care class, but I found it extremely helpful for my DH and our upcoming experience of learning to be parents. He felt more confident and I felt less of a know it all.
The breast feeding class was great as well. You will get a nurse come in to show you how to breastfeed in the hospital, but it's nice to have previous exposure and some questions cleared up before you're thrown into it.

spano41 · December 2013

My hospital offers a comprehensive course that is supposed to cover everything (labor, breastfeeding, newborn care, first aid). It's 4 Saturdays for 4 hours each day. They also offer a supplemental class for people having multiples, cloth diapering, and hypnobirthing. We will probably just take the main course but might also take cloth diapering.

Edit: we'll also do the hospital tour but i don't really consider that a class.

pannk · December 2013

Hypnobirthing, hospital tour, infant care, and CPR. My OB and I have been discussing if I should do a breastfeeding class or not since I had a reduction and won't know if I can breastfeed until a couple weeks after the baby is born. I might just get a lactation consultant after the baby is born if it's necessary.

Sarahjess06 · December 2013

I didn't take any classes. I figured women have been giving birth forever, my body would know what to do..... And it did.

To each their own, but I personally won't be taking classes again this go around.

Also we didn't even do a hospital tour. We never even left our room until it was time to go home.... So we didn't need it.

hlm184 · December 2013

Sarahjess06 said:

I didn't take any classes. I figured women have been giving birth forever, my body would know what to do..... And it did. To each their own, but I personally won't be taking classes again this go around. Also we didn't even do a hospital tour. We never even left our room until it was time to go home.... So we didn't need it.

Our hospital tour wasn't a "this is where the cafeteria is" sort of thing. It covered where to drop off/park, where to register, what kind of room they had for labor, and how they'd move you to the recovery rooms and such, as well as visitor policies, etc.

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