Thoughts on child birth classes?

wicklc

So I was going to sign up for a child birth class and a breast feeding class- however the classes are kind of expensive so we were trying to budget and now today when I went to sign up they are all full and I can't get us signed up for one that would take place before our little gal is here. Are they that important? I am kinda stressed about this. I know they do offer an online class but in the end I want to make sure its worth the money...plus there is a huge chance that I will have a scheduled C-section since I am a high risk pregnancy/ Type 1 diabetic.

Thoughts??

VelociMama

I'm planning on signing up for a birthing class if for no other reason than to help meet and mingle with other moms, but I'm looking forward to hearing what others have to say about their experience with this. Good question.

cmaxmor

Have you checked youtube? There are a lot of free resources out there.
When I was pregnent with my first child we went to a class. We left halfway through because the woman leading it kept referring to childbirth as "juicy". Gross. Also, I knew that I wanted an epidural and the classes seemed focused on "natural" childbirth..

blink1021

With my first child I did not go to childbirth class. My husband and I did not see a reason to go plus they were crazy expensive. I gave birth with no problems just remember in a contraction to breath through it. I kept trying to hold my breath for some reason. I also opted out of breastfeeding because I was on medication for pregnancy induced high blood pressure for the last half of my pregnancy and felt bad enough about subjecting him to the medication while inside I did not want to expose him once he was born since they had to take 6 weeks to ween me off the medication after birth. Although found out later that it wouldn't matter because I never produced milk anyway. Honestly not sure if you would even remember what you learned in childbirth once you get on the delivery table anyways. So don't stress about it you will be fine plus my nurse coached me through it and my husband picked up on what she was doing very quickly. After he stopped describing what it looked like down there he was very helpful.

niccolebarnes

I didn't go to any classes with my first and everything was completely fine. The doctors/nurses do a really good job of telling you exactly what to do.

I wish I would have taken a breast feeding class though. You think it would be easy to breast feed, but it's not. I had the lactation consultant in my room numerous times and it still wasn't enough. If I would recommend any class, it would be the breast feeding one, but that may be just because of my particular circumstance. My son just didn't want to latch.

chickybuns

I am going through the class, but it is free at the hospital where I am delivering. Like these ladies, I've heard mixed reviews on it. There are a lot of resources theses days, so you will just have to balance out what you want with the cost.

keyalus

I took a series of "crunchy" Birthing From Within classes from a local doula group. I also did a HypnoBabies home study class. I really wanted a drug-free/no-low intervention childbirth going in so I felt it best to educate myself on pain relief techniques. Of course, I ended up with a C-Section due to a sunny-side up baby who didn't want to descend, but that couldn't really be helped LOL!

I think if you really want a natural childbirth, classes are fairly important. I used a lot of the techniques we discussed and I had a clue of what to expect going in. We also reviewed what happens during an epidural and a C-Section so I felt less fear about it when I realized that I had to have one. If you wait until you get to the hospital to learn pain techniques, you'll miss out on stuff. That rice sock my teacher told me to make? It came in so handy during my awful back labor!

My nurse was helpful and encouraging of natural birth, but when her shift ended I had a second nurse who was not so great. If you have a specific birth experience that you'd like to have, I wouldn't want to depend on someone not guaranteed to be there (or to care) to help you.

TL;DR: I think classes are useful. I think classes are essential if you want a drug-free birth.

jls8209

DH and I are doing the child birth classes because this is our first baby and we want to know what to expect during the birth, and how things work at our hospital. We've been in a new city for about a year and a half so the hospital here is new to us and we don't know anybody who has delivered there and can offer some insight.

So far we've been to one out of four classes. The first session was a lot of common knowledge (for me, mostly new to DH), but I did learn a few tidbits. Hoping to learn more at the next few sessions, and definitely looking forward to the breast feeding part. My whole family breastfed and so did/do all of my friends, they would be great for some over the phone advice, but there's something different about learning from someone face to face.

bushidowoman

I took a breastfeeding class before my 2nd child (didnt bf #1), and I didn't find it all that helpful. If there is a local La Leche League near you, start attending their meetings if you can. That will put you in touch with some other mamas and breast feeding support. Ask for a lactation consultant while you are in the hospital. If you sign up for WIC, ask if they have a breast feeding peer counselor. Read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or Dr. Sears' book.

The childbirth class would probably be the more important of the two. But if you can't make it...read, read, read!

bushidowoman

Or, you could compare the costs of taking those classes with the cost of hiring a doula. Some doulas offer childbirth/breastfeeding classes included in their fees, and offer wonderful support both during and after the birth.

Mewlingstork

This is my first baby. We signed up for a class, went the first class, and thought it was lame. No new information (we've both read tons about childbirth). We were going to keep going, but then I was put on bed rest. We have a class in a box, DVDs. Watched some, but still no new info. I want a natural child birth and to breast feed, so I would recommend that class at least if that's what you want to do. We hired a doula and that's been great. Plus, the thought of someone there for both of us through the entire birth sounds amazing. To me, a doula makes more sense if funds are limited than some classes you may or may not remember. Good luck!