I had a midwife appointment yesterday, and she told me that I should start thinking about which childbirth class(es) I want to take, since I'm coming up on 25 weeks and they usually start around 28. I'm having a really hard time deciding. She gave me information on the following:
1) Hypno-birthing. This sounds kind of freaky but actually might be a good choice for me because I get hypnotized really easily. I've heard that this class is really good at teaching you to relax. Josh is of course scared that I won't "wake up" from the hypnosis, but I keep trying to reassure him that it's not the same thing as the comedy club routines they do. The down side is that this class doesn't focus on much else.
2) Bradley classes. From what I've read, I like the philosophy behind the Bradley method and my cousin had a really good experience with it. This class also covers various medical interventions that might happen during labor, etc.
3) Hospital classes. The hospital where I have to deliver because of my insurance only offers a Lamaze class, which I'm not all that interested in. I'm not sure if I can go to a class at an IHC hospital for the same price.
4) Midwife Clinic class. This class "teaches everything from labor and pain management to diapering a baby. You will be touring the hospital where you will deliver." I'm not sure if that last bit will apply to me. My insurance doesn't cover the hospital right next to the clinic, so I'm not sure if the class would tour the other hospital or not. This one costs $50.
I think my ideal class would give me the tools for a natural childbirth while also educating me about medical interventions; however, I feel like I can read about the latter on my own easier than I can learn relaxation techniques on my own. Also, couldn't I tour the hospital on my own? My sister is a nurse there (though not on that floor).
One of the other reasons I want to take a class is for Josh--as an only child and never having been around babies or pregnant women, he really has no idea what to expect. I want him to understand what will be happening, what he can (and can't do), etc.
Finally, money is an issue. The midwife told me that all the classes cost money and that $50 was "on the cheap side." I think I always assumed they were free for some reason. I don't want to pay a lot for something that I can read about and get basically the same information.
So, I'm interested to hear your experiences (or friends' experiences) with childbirth classes. Did you go to one? How expensive was it? What method did you find most helpful? How many times did the class meet? Any good books on childbirth you'd recommend?
10 comments:
I just took the class from the hospital. I really liked it, however, you could just read what was told. They gave a manual and few handouts - mostly stuck to that, except you could ask questions. You got the tour too, but honestly, for the tour they just kind of show you the nursery area (by looking through the windows) and point to the rooms you'll be staying in. Here in Boise, I toured it by myself, the receptionist at my doctor just called the hospital to see if it would be okay and they just showed me around. I really liked the hospital class before I had brandon because it calmed my nerves and told you so much of what you could expect. The thing I liked the most is that the teacher was a doula and she answered all of my questions and knew all the different birthing methods and all of that. I think Josh would benefit from the class more than you probably would. I liked it, I think I paid like 25 or 30 and it was at the Timpanogos Hospital. Maybe that same lady teaches it there. (I remember asking around before I had Brandon and the people I asked didn't really care for the class at the provo hospital, that's why I took the one at Timpanogos, not to mention I delivered there, so hope that was helpful, kind of long winded, sorry.)
Hmm. Well, I took the Lamaze class at UVRMC. I think it was $70 or so, and we didn't bother with the tour. I figured it was pretty self-explanatory, but I did come tour the hospital here just to find out where to go to find Labor and Delivery. Oh, make sure you know where L&D parking is, because we didn't at UVRMC, and I had about eighteen contractions between the parking garage and the elevator. Anyway, I think the class itself met 4 times (maybe 6?)
Anyway, I didn't think the class was incredibly helpful, mostly because it focused on breathing exercises that were almost laughably worthless when I was in the grip of induced contractions. And we practiced them holding little baggies of ice to simulate pain, which just made me laugh. Also I thought all the things with the pillow were dumb. And my husband kept making jokes about how dumb everyone looked with their pillows, so I laughed more, so maybe you would get more out of it than I would, but...I DID think it was a good idea just to learn about all the stages of labor, and it was definitely more useful for Neil, since I was reading a ton of stuff and he wasn't really reading anything (although he just about passed out when they showed us the dilation diagrams. I don't think either of us had ever actually thought of that aspect of it before).
I think most of the pain management stuff in terms of anaesthetics you could find out on your own, as you mentioned; the classes are more helpful for learning about what childbirth actually entails. If there's a newborn care class that would probably be good too, because I felt totally sideswiped by that. And I was NOT prepared at all for how awful I felt after the baby was born--nobody had mentioned that...
I do have one friend here who did hypnobirthing and she totally loved it. I think she actually just taught herself from books and then her husband was her coach and she said it was totally amazing and she went all natural.
Anyway, I think classes are valuable primarily for husbands, and then learning about what childbirth entails (also mostly for the husband), then learning a little about what to expect at that particular hospital, etc. Breastfeeding classes, if you're planning to do that, are also helpful. In any case, I like the sound of the midwife class, since it sounds a little more inclusive, and some things like the Bradley method you can probably read up on pretty easily, but it's really nice to have some after-baby-is-born stuff addressed too.
There's my novel!
If you're looking to save $$$, I would opt out of the classes. If you were really sure on a technique you wanted to use, I might do it. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $20 for the classes. I'm a cheapie though.
I have been thinking about this exact same topic the past couple days! I've even been reading up on Lamaze and the Bradley method online. I like the philosophy of both, but I haven't made any decisions yet. I'd be really interested in what you end up doing and what you think. Everything I've looked at around here is a little pricey, like $75 and up for anything that seems worthwhile. The 12 week Bradley course is $250 from one source! I agree that the midwife class seems like a good bet. I'm interested in learning more about hypnobirthing. I've heard good things.
I think I've actually decided to go with the hospital class at Timp and just read books on the others (because they are all at least $200!). The Timp class is way more comprehensive than I thought and the thing I like about it (over the clinic one) is that you meet one night a week for five weeks rather than cramming it into one weekend. It just seems more enjoyable that way and the teacher said it also gives you more time to practice the different techniques.
Hey Rachel,
The biggest thing that you want to consider is how to relax -- and if you are using midwifes, they do a great job during the labor. As far as the hospital goes, if you already know what hospital you have to use, than as long as you know where to go when the time arrives no big deal. If you want to see what the rooms you use will look like and the nursery go in ahead of time and just simply ask at the nurses station - like when you pre-register. So I would just try and find a basic "relaxing/breating" technique class and go with that and read up on the rest.
I went natural with Thomas and I loved it -- the deeper the breathing you do the "better" you feel ( for the most part) Good luck with what you end up choosing --
Midwives are great because they work with you the whole labor once you get admitted to the hospital.
You should definitely take a class. If nothing else it will give you and Josh the opportunity to focus on your baby together for an hour a week or whatever it is. It's worth it. I think I paid money for my class when I was prego with Isaiah and in my opinion with this being your first baby it's worth every cent. Do it. However, be aware that chances are everything you learn in this class will be very quickly forgotten once labor actually starts. Just get and epidural and save yourself a whole bunch of trouble. : )
I will have to let you know in a week or two if it was a good idea, but I decided to not take a class. I have been reading tons about labor and relaxation techniques. I think that I retain info better when I read it on my own. As for Bob, I figure he is already experienced in this field...otherwise I would really consider at least a basic class. Good Luck!
As you know I took Lamaze.I liked having something else to concentrate on besides the pain, i.e. funny breathing. In the long run however, I found that low moaning (don't laugh) and forcing air out between barely open teeth and closed lips (making them vibrate quickly and sounding embarrassingly like I was doing horse imitations), were the best. I really wanted to make horse sounds a lot because somehow it released the pain, but was too inhibited to do it much. I think Jeff laughing at me may have had something to do with that.
Your mom didn't say I couldn't laugh.
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