Baby birth classes

newmom0415 · September 2014

hi! So this is my first pregnancy, and I heard about some child birth classes, I was wondering if anyone recommends them for the 1st pregnancy, idk much about child birth, I've been reading all these books, so I'm not sure if my husband and I should go to these child birth classes or not? I would love anyone's input! Thank you so much:)

FitMom3510 · September 2014

When is the best time to start going normally?

Duffgurl · September 2014

I think they are a must. Plus its fun. You meet other expecting parents and they have snacks lol. I say try to go when your in the late 2nd trimester if not beginning of 3rd trimester.

Sharon&Paul · September 2014

They are good for the first pregnancy. They will give you a tour and tell you hospital policies. They have a set time they schedule. I want to say after 30 weeks, but I don't remember. i never found them necessary after the first pregnancy.

starshollow · September 2014

I went last time. I went mid February for my April baby. It was nice to get A tour of the hospital so we knew where to go and what to expect. It was also nice to meet other parents. I definitely recommend that first-time parents go, but I think after the first it isn't necessary anymore.

BabiesEverywhere · September 2014

Please please please take a class.

lindsayanne14 · September 2014

As pp have said, take the class...both you and your DH. They are full of information and especially informative for men who may not know much about what to expect. At my hospital you couldn't take one until you were in your third tri, but I registered for it much earlier.

klynn0423 · September 2014

With my first, I did a hospital tour but no birthing class. After going through labor, I really really wished I had taken a class. There is soooo much information that would have been helpful to have and it would have been a lot easier (and probably less stressful) to prepare.

phoenixrising702 · September 2014

Yes! Take a class (or two). You usually start during your second trimester, but it is never too early to start reading and doing your research (and exercise since labor is....well....laborious

) Ask your doctor/midwife/doula/mama friends for their recommendations....or I'm sure that there's a lot of recs on here too.

DixieNormous330 · September 2014

Go to the classes. I recommend doing the multiweek classes. H insisted on doing the one day class and I got nothing out of it our first kid. With this one we'll be doing a refresher class.

Hummingbirdbaby3 · September 2014

I was going to say no and that its a waste. But it really is good your first time Around to learn everything you can. It may make you change your views on delivery issues.

ally3242 · September 2014

I took a few classes and they were so beneficial. I would recommend them to anyone.

redneckmomma25 · September 2014

I did not take a class. Not sure it would have changed anything. I feel I had plenty of knowledge going into labor. Except about nubane. I can't assume they would be a waste of time though. So take a class.

Mel&John2013 · September 2014

Yes, they're really helpful. If for nothing else then to just kind of tell you what to expect. Like that you get an IV. Who knew??

We just did the one day class and I thought that was sufficient, but I had already gathered a lot of information from my doctor.

BigAppleBiggerBelly · September 2014

I think it depends on what your dream birth looks like. If you have a scheduled c-section or know you want the epi ASAP, you might not need a childbirth class, or you could take one that goes over signs of labor, when to call, what to expect at your hospital, etc.

If you want to try for an unmedicated delivery, I would definitely take a class focused on that. There are a bunch of different methods - hypnobirthing, Bradley method, etc - and each one will teach you methods of staying calm and breathing through the pain. We laughed at the seemingly idiotic moves they made us practice, but "shaking the apples" (bending over a chair while my husband grabbed my hips/butt and shook them vigorously) helped me through more than 50 hours of labor.

Check to see if it's covered by your insurance. My insurance last time reimbursed us for childbirth, newborn care, and infant CPR classes.

ScarletOflaherty · September 2014

We took one last time because it was DHs first, and he said they didn't cover anything that wasn't in his 'Dude, you're gonna be a dad!' book. Not a bad experience, but not really useful.

RIngReady · September 2014

I absolutely recommend signing up for classes.

Our hospital did them and you signed up for the class based on your due date. I want to say they started about 3 months prior. Classes covered the basic stuff, what to expect, here are the forms you can fill out beforehand, breastfeeding, exercises and calming techniques to use during labor, and a hospital tour. The information was decent-nothing I couldn't have found online or probably on TB, but what I loved most of all, was the opportunity to chat with local moms going through their first pregnancy too.

I actually made really great friends in the group and 5 of them. They have become my son's playgroup friends and we still do Mom's Night Out once a month. They have been my support group when I needed it and we have all swapped babysitting, toys, tears and laughter. The class was okay, but the friendship and support have honestly been critical.

MagalinaH · September 2014

Our hospital thankfully, offers them for free. We'll take 5 classes (1hr/week) in January and February.

pepperjack76 · September 2014

I took the hospital tour and some classes around newborn care and CPR, which I highly recommend. I did not take the birthing classes because I was already convinced that I was getting an epi and so I did not need to know about that. It turns out the epi did not work the way it was supposed to on me so the l&d nurse was teaching me how to breath as I was going through it. Even knowing how it turned out, I still would not have taken the class unless I knew I was going for a non-medicated birth.

Ncountrygal · September 2014

I always put my vote in for childbirth education. The more informed you are about labor and interventions, the more confident you will be.

Just a small heads up, hospital classes, while much better than nothing, tend to be very policy focused. If you are hoping for a really good understanding labor, delivery, techniques to help you through it, and medical interventions, look into Bradley, Lamaze, Hypnobabies, or Hypnobirthing. I did Bradley and credit my classes for much of my positive experience. I'm actually looking forward to doing it again!

WeLiveInMaine · September 2014

I did enough reading that I didn't learn anything new from the class. It was kind of disappointing, I didn't have anything in common with any of the people in my class. I went mostly to meet other parents.

Dani428 · September 2014

I ended up taking two classes last time and highly recommend a class about taking care of a newborn where they show you how to swaddle, give the baby baths, change a diaper, etc. It was so fun and really helpful, and i got good freebies lol. The birthing class didn't really help me honestly...once I was in the moment the nurses were the biggest help guiding me...BUT that's just me.

miahbelle · September 2014

We did a DVD child birth class at home. We found one on Netflix, ordered it and watched it. We didn't have to pay for classes or travel, but my husband didn't know anything about childbirth so it helped a lot. Especially if you don't lean well by reading. I feel like everyone should be well informed, so you can make good decisions when the time comes. My birth center requires FTPs to take birth classes and we couldn't find one that fit my husband's strange work schedule, so we did DVDs. I am hoping to do hypnobabies this time!

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