Being Pregnant
Birthing Classes: Oh, How I Love You
After reading another writer’s post on birthing classes recently (Birthing Classes: A Colossal Waste of Time), I thought, I just have to share my story!
I might have agreed, once. And for certain women, I completely get that line of thought. Because, let’s be honest. If you know going in that you’re going to have a scheduled c-section, or that you want the epidural as soon as you might be in labor…yeah, they’re probably a waste of time. But under other circumstances? Don’t skip them. You might just be sorry.
I skipped them the first time and I sure was sorry. I had a bunch of online friends then, all of us in a “young and pregnant” forum. We were due between August ’07 and April ’08 (I was due in January ’08). So I asked one of my friends, after her baby came (August ’07): “Were the birthing classes really worth it? Should I do it? I just don’t know.” She told me to skip them, so I did.
Little did I realize we had entirely different birthing philosophies! She was definitely one of the “give the epidural, now!” type of women, whereas I was really hoping to go naturally. I shouldn’t have been asking someone like that for advice. For her, the classes really didn’t make any difference because she had no intention of needing any of that information anyway. But I did need it. And I didn’t have it.
Labor hit at 39 weeks and suddenly I freaked out. I had no idea what to do, and my husband had no idea how to help me. I laid on my left side in bed (now, as I know, one of the worst things to do, pain-wise) and whimpered. By the time we were at the hospital and I’d had every-two-minute contractions for 5 hours, I begged them for the epidural. I was disappointed. But we’d just been so unprepared.
I determined that I would take birthing classes the second time around!
I was the only second-time mom in the whole class. Which actually gave me an interesting perspective; I was able to share my birth story with the class and the teacher used me (and my husband) as a type of resource. The teacher had only had home births, while I’d experienced hospital births, so it kind of worked out.
During class, we had lots of great discussions. They showed us how a baby is normally born and had us practice “catching” the baby (out of a giant, funny-looking vagina-bucket…LOL). They explained the stages of labor and how each is supposed to go. They talked about some pain coping techniques and explained that sitting up on a birthing ball or walking can really help. They explained how using different birthing positions could help avoid tearing (which I had, the first time…and it was the worst part of my recovery!).
Suddenly a lot of stuff made sense. And I felt like, if something crazy happened and I went into labor alone, I’d at least know what to do, and so would my husband (if the midwives didn’t get to us). That didn’t happen, of course, but I felt reassured knowing that I could handle it if it did. I felt that I knew my body and what to expect a lot better, too.
The birthing videos were empowering to me. The women were so calm and relaxed — definitely intense — but just immersed in this whole birth experience. They showed some awesome coping techniques (grabbing onto rope, low vocalizing, walking and staring into your partner’s eyes, and so on). They showed water births where the whole family was present to watch and the tubs were clear so you could see the baby come. They may have been calming because they were all birthing center or home birth videos, and even a few outdoor sea waterbirths!
And, despite this being a naturally-focused class, they talked about the risks and benefits of pain management, reasons for hospital transfer, ways to avoid hospital transfer (assuming you were going for exhaustion, pain relief, or mild dehydration, NOT emergency), writing a birth plan, and so on. This, to me, was crucial, especially for after the baby came. I had learned the hard way that unless you’re very specific and vocal, they will put your baby through all the standard newborn procedures. Just because that’s their job and they’re used to doing it, they don’t “mean anything” by it. (So, I informed all the women…”write down exactly what you want and make sure everyone has a copy!!”) If you’re cool with the “standard” stuff it’s not that important, but I wasn’t.
The bottom line? If you’re looking for a natural birth, want to understand how your body gives birth and how to help the process along, you need a birthing class. If you’re a bit non-mainstream (like me!), yes, you definitely need it.
You might want to seek a class privately rather than in a hospital (look for a specific Lamaze, Bradley, or other method class — may or may not be offered in your local hospital), because that might be a better fit for you. Birthing classes are not one-size-fits-all! Talk to like-minded friends to see what classes they enjoyed and would recommend, and ask your doctor or midwife, too.
So, did you take a birthing class? Why or why not?
Top image by philcampbell
Go Back To Being Pregnant
0 Comments
Carrington commented on Apr 09 11 at 11:16 pmI think birth classes are huge. I’ve read that only 1-4 women take them! I would argue, that even if you didn’t want the alternative natural birth, that it would still be beneficial. Sometimes you just *can’t* have the epidural because your labor progresses so fast, or sometimes you have horrible pre-labor contractions before you even dilate, and you have to manage pain before the epidural comes. It can also help your fears so much to know exactly what is going on with your body, and what to expect. For women that have no idea, the process can be very traumatic, especially when they have no control, and don’t feel informed enough to make any decisions.
Cara @ Giving Birth with Confidence commented on Apr 10 11 at 9:11 amKate, I feel like you were writing this article for me. Your experience with your first birth was nearly identical to mine– and for the exact same reasons! I went into birth thinking that “I would like to go naturally, but I’m going to keep an open mind…” I now recommend to any woman who has the passing thought of going naturally should attend a childbirth class (and hire a doula, if possible). You mentioned how you were the only second-time mom in your childbirth class, well I am about to attend a birthing class for the first time as a third-time around mom! Imagine the looks I might get! ;) I made the mistake twice of not going to a class and while my births were both vaginal, they were not what I had hoped for and I attribute that to both myself and my husband not being prepared for pain med-free birth. Thanks for sharing your story– I feel it’s so important for women to understand how childbirth classes can have a positive impact, even if they do think they’ll get an epidural as soon as they walk in the door.
Rita commented on Apr 10 11 at 4:00 pmI just didn’t find them helpful. I took Bradley classes and Lamaze. My labors were both fast and hard, and I didn’t have time for an epidural nor the sense to ask for one. Nothing I learned would help the pain. The only benefit was learning to moan instead of scream, but my midwife reminded me of that anyway.
Here’s my birth class:
Labor in a tub. It’s the only thing that helped me. And don’t assume that pushing will be easy or a relief (once it was, once it wasn’t) or that you’re done once the baby’s out (once the placenta came easily, once it didn’t–and both times, the exam and stitching of small tears was the worst!).Don’t feel sad if you don’t feel empowered and supernatural. Especially after a fast labor. You may well just be exhausted. Sleep now, because soon that baby will be up and hungry every hour or so!
Tara commented on Apr 10 11 at 7:31 pmMy husband and I were unable to locate a Bradley class in our area (the closest being an hour away), but both knew that we wanted some kind of birthing class…so we made our own. I purchased “Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way” and we have made a point every week since mid second trimester to sit down, read the book aloud, and practice the techniques. This experience has been really fun for us and allowed us a forum to talk about many of our fears and expectations of the experience. We both feel much more informed about pain management techniques as well as just the basic physiology of the birthing process. Our baby is due in June and I feel confident that this experiences will help aid our birth (if nothing else as it has brought us closer together).
Chandra commented on Apr 20 11 at 3:48 pmI appreciate you taking the time to give us a more positive perspective on childbirth classes! I’m an independent Lamaze childbirth educator, and obviously feel that taking a childbirth class is one of the most important things a pregnant woman can do. I do have to disagree, though, with what you said about women who are planning to have an epidural not getting much out of a childbirth class. A good childbirth class teaches you about nutrition, preparing your body and mind for giving birth, communicating with your partner, recovering from birth (vaginal or cesarean), avoiding unnecessary interventions, coping with labor pain, and even breastfeeding and caring for newborns. These are things that ALL women can benefit from learning, even if they’re planning to have an epidural the moment they walk in the hospital doors! Sometimes an epidural doesn’t work correctly, there is a delay in having one put in by an anesthesiologist, or women with certain conditions are unable to use them – these can be surprise situations for a woman who planned on using pain medication, and has not prepared herself with coping techniques. There are also many other necessary interventions and possible risks associated with epidurals – if a woman has not taken a class, she may not know these things, and she cannot truly give informed consent. Every pregnant woman can benefit from a GOOD chidbirth class! :)
Lucy Juedes commented on Apr 25 11 at 8:24 amWow, ditto on everything Chandra said! I had to scroll down after the first few sentences to see if I had written it but forgot I had written it. I don’t even talk about “natural childbirth” in my marketing materials, just getting through childbirth in a way that the mom wants. And in the class I help women plan for all ways of managing the stress and power of childbirth, and I get a very wide range of moms and birth partners taking my classes. I love it, and they seem to like it, too. Thanks for the great original article and pic, too, Katie! :-)
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Aela Mass 
Casi Densmore-Koon 
Rebekah Kuschmider .jpg)
CaitlinHTP (Caitlin Boyle) 
Michelle Horton 
Ceridwen Morris 
Katie 
Devan McGuinness 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0