Childbirth classes. Yay or Nay?

jennifercurry1 · August 2015

I have been debating on and off for a while on whether or not to take childbirth classes. I'm the kind of person that just lets things happen and I figure out how to cope along the way, if I have "advise" on things and the event doesn't go as planned and the advise goes differently it's hard for me to keep on track. I'm no means super mom and I am a FTM and love to know more info on what's going to happen, but I just don't know if I want/need to pay for classes that I may or may not benefit from.

Has anyone not taken the classes? Do you regret not doing it?

maiatene · August 2015

I didn't see the need to. I was in a room of medically trained professionals so nothing I could say could trump their collective knowledge. I watch plenty episodes of baby story, birth story, YouTube, movies and read so many blogs, books and thought-pieces I felt I was as prepared as I was going to be. Birth day was uneventful, but between all my research and convos with my doctor if things went left I felt educated enough to speak up if I didn't necessarily agree with something. If you want to take a class I recommend infant cpr and tour l&d.

mommabear2410 · August 2015

We're currently on our second week of class and the so and I really enjoy it and feel we have benefited already

NicoleAndDerrick · August 2015

We have just been doing a lot of research and watching YouTube videos at home. I am the same way, I'm not much of a planner but if I do have a plan and it goes off track, I lose my shit. So I'm going in with a few breathing techniques and an open mind. If my Dr. says "do this" that is precisely what I'll do. For me it's all about my daughter. If I'm in labor and they feel a c-section is necessary, cut me open Doc! As long as she is safe and healthy, I'm good with whatever comes my way!

cmjn94 · August 2015

I'm kind of poor and cheap and I didn't want to pay for classes so put me down for "no." But hey, we were made for this right? Between my own instincts, the nurses, and having at least kind of a clue what's going on I'll be okay. I mean the baby is coming out no matter what. But seriously, I'm not too worried.

I know my body and the doctor knows babies and between the both of us we can do it.

brittanispears · August 2015

maiatene said:

I didn't see the need to. I was in a room of medically trained professionals so nothing I could say could trump their collective knowledge. I watch plenty episodes of baby story, birth story, YouTube, movies and read so many blogs, books and thought-pieces I felt I was as prepared as I was going to be. Birth day was uneventful, but between all my research and convos with my doctor if things went left I felt educated enough to speak up if I didn't necessarily agree with something. If you want to take a class I recommend infant cpr and tour l&d.

That's what I was thinking: to just take CPR and first aid. We did the hospital tour, as well. But a lot of people I've talked to said Lamaze went out the window when d-day came. My mom has recommended walking and swimming to help me to relax in preparation for labor. She said the longer it takes you to relax, the longer your labor. She's done it 3 times, sans medicine, so I trust her advice. But her threshold for pain is a lot higher than mine LOL.

lucky10liz · August 2015

My hospital offered free classes so we didn't have to pay. I feel more at ease having gone to my classes. It makes me feel more prepared.

millereliz13 · August 2015

It was good for my husband to encourage him to be my advocate and how to comfort me during labor. I liked meeting the fellow new parents.

McRad · August 2015

Side note, I heard insurance may cover the cost of birthing classes. Don't quote me on this, as I haven't contacted my insurance yet and we all know each company differs on what they cover and don't cover, but it may be worth checking into if the added price is playing factor in you taking one or not.

Louisl · August 2015

I was on the fence as well but I'm actually really glad we took a class. It was just a 1-day deal, we couldn't commit to several weeks. While it was definitely more informative for my husband (because I've been doing so much reading, talking to people, and reading stuff online) I was surprised how much I learned. It was taught by a nurse so it was nice to get that perspective. I'm pretty go with the flow as well, but feeling out of control and like I didn't know what's going on was one of my fears and taking the class helped with that. And just knowing my husband is more informed and not going in totally blind, I feel like will help him be there for me emotionally and be calm.

meghan82 · August 2015

my sister didn't take a class or really read anything and she had a good birth experience (with an epidural) and is an awesome parent. she said she googled a lot of stuff on the fly after my nephew was born. hubs and i took a one-day class (i am a classic nerd and like information). it was 8 hours long and i'd say it had maybe 2 hours of info i found useful plus the hospital tour. it was horribly overpriced, too. one thing that i did like was that it was very open/non-judgmental in terms of people's choices-- there were some people who were 100% committed to epidurals, or 100% committed to non-medicated birth, and both were covered equally because most people were undecided. so a a full range of options were presented. but on the whole we were kind of disappointed with it. personally i am subscribed to a ton of websites (the bump, pregnant chicken, what to expect, baby center) and read up on everything and i take a prenatal yoga class which covers all of the breathing/relaxation stuff so in the end the class probably isn't something we really needed. i'd say prenatal yoga is by far the most valuable investment i've made. worth every penny and then some.

VioletandRose · August 2015

My fiancee really does not want to go. To be honest, I don't know how I feel about an all day, 8-hour class, either. Most of the mom's I've spoken to have also said they are a huge waste of time. I am pretty well researched in terms of childbirth; I'm not sure what they more can tell me that I can't find out at the maternity ward tour. Plus it is $150 at my hospital and I kind of figure, anything that expensive probably isn't a necessity. For instance, they offer free breastfeeding classes because they are "so important," but I have to pay $150 to learn how to birth my child? Ok then! The doctor told me that we really should go, but she also said we should really go to their newborn care class – which we did – and I found it to be a huge waste of time, targeted toward parents who literally had NO IDEA what they are doing. Like, I know how and when to change a diaper, and how to dress a baby. I thought the class would be more in depth than that, and it wasn't. I don't want to pay for the childbirth class only to have the same experience.

Mom2b100915 · August 2015

I would also have to pay 100 bucks for the childbirth class, so we decided to skip it. I figure whatever is gonna happen is gonna happen.
I did take a 40 dollar breast feeding class.
I think I only retained about 5% of the info though :-/

mommy_wife_nurse · August 2015

Our classes at the clinic were free. We loved them even though a few things we knew just from reading the book provided by our OB. They really went into detail about what tools/instruments might be present during delivery, why they would use certain ones, to explain it is all your choice, explain the difference between labor medications if you decide to go that route....etc... If the classes offered to you are free, I would jump on them. Of you have to pay, that's a choice you have to make yourself. Just remember if you don't take the classes to ask your nurse or OB any and all questions you may still have about L&D.

julianas1029 · August 2015

I asked my doctor about this and she said that if i was getting an epidural to skip lamaze class. She suggested that i do at least the intro prenatal, infant cpr, and a breastfeeding class. The intro prenatal class offered a lot of information that could be found online but i still learned things i wouldn't have thought to look into on my own.

FatPony · August 2015

I plan on just showing up at the hospital and going with the flow.

jennifercurry1 · August 2015

Thanks everyone for your input!! My MIL really wanted us to go, my husband is 100% against it. I think just to keep the peace between both my MIL is going to pay for one 8-hr class on a Saturday so I can "get info". It's $40 for everything from labor to breast feeding so it's not very expensive but I didn't want to pay for it either since I didn't really want to go.

KLHauck12 · August 2015

I might be late in adding this in....but we just went to ours today. We loved it! Lots of information and I feel so much more prepared! I know that every experience is different but I feel more knowledgeable about the process of labor and possible relaxation and pain relief options! I really liked how much they emphasized the role of the support person! It helped to see and practice how to work together as a team to manage the contractions and delivery. Also our class is at the hospital where we are delivering so it was nice to hear the specific details of how our hospital handles certain situations!

rizzlig · August 2015

This is rather late too! But, DH and I took a Hypnobirthing class which was an all day thing since we could not commit to several weeks of classes. I am planning to have a med-free birth (of course we will see what happens) but not everyone in the class was and it's totally fine. It's more about having knowledge of what is going on with you body and being able to manage pain. I feel 100 x more prepared and would highly recommend it,

kfry22 · August 2015

There is a thread or two like this already. One has a really good poll with lots of input. Use the search feature to find it. I would link to it but can't as I am on mobile

lilmagic00 · August 2015

I felt it was unnecessary, but I went ahead and just signed up for it.

BethanyFaber · August 2015

Taking child birth classes will inform you of your options, and give you some advice on some situations that you don't want to wait until the moment to just go with the flow. I am planning a natural child birth and while I understand that I am obviously planning on something that most these days don't see the point in, I have learned a lot about different birthing positions, different ways to cope with pain, the benefits vs. the risk of different medications and procedures that are common and some of the not common procedures during child birth. Even if you don't choose the take child birth class, remember that you are in charge. It is your baby so you have the right to tell them you don't want an episiotomy, or that you don't want certain medications, or that you don't want them to break you water. Unless a situation arises that something is medically necessary, you have the choice on everything.

MSturtebury · August 2015

We are taking classes and I think they have been super helpful, almost more so for my husband who is getting much more excited about the birth process, and feels much more involved and essential. We also learned a ton of hands-on techniques for easing contraction pain, which he has been able to help me with during braxton-hicks (when we have no professionals around). I also feel much more at ease with our timetable for the birth day. That being said, we went to a community hospital where 7 classes was $230, where if we'd gone to a birth center or the other fancier hospital it would have cost closer to $500 for the same amount of information.

MandahGirly · August 2015

We had our childbirth class this weekend and I definitely think it was worth the money. It was definitely more helpful for my husband as he honestly did not know much about the birthing process. I felt like even though I knew a lot of the things that we talked about already I definitely feel more prepared for what labor will hopefully be like.