Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Question for my mommy friends
The hospital offers a childbirth class, and we probably need to sign up soon in order to get a spot prior to our due date. It costs $110, and we could either go once a week for 4 weeks (evening classes) or do it all on one weekend. I think we should do it (even though I don't want to spend the money), but Stewart is on the fence. He wants to know if you took a childbirth/labor class and whether or not it was worth the time and money. Thoughts?
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I have been to the first 2 of 6 classes at my hospital. It cost $125. I know people that havent gone to these classes but successfully had a child - of course, as babies have been born forever! But, we decided to spend the money and take the course. I'm glad we did because I think the class is so much more than the actual labor. She's teaching us so many things and answering questions for us, some of which arent even related to labor. And we are learning a LOT that I didnt know before and never thought of.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, do it.
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ReplyDeleteWe took a six-week Lamaze class (not associated with the hospital) and were so glad we did. I felt very prepared for my labor and delivery. While the class focused on preparing for a natural birth, we also learned about pain relief options and procedures that might be necessary. It also included a hospital tour and a session on breastfeeding. Overall, the class helped us feel prepared for the whole process and eliminated some of the stress we would have felt at the hospital.
ReplyDeleteAs you know I am a nurse who works with babies and who has seen many many deliveries. I took the class offered by my Dr's office (NFWC...don't remember it being that much)but I am glad I did. Helped me think about things from a mom perspective and not a nurse perspective and helped me realize things that I may not have thought of before. I think it was a good way for Jason to prepare also and have some questions answered. Not that he asked things out loud but they went through things and it helped him think of things he may ask me. If you have the time I would say take it. I do have a lot of nurse friends who didn't take it too though.
ReplyDeleteI never took a class...since my first delivery came, uh, unexpectedly, I decided with Reagan it would be no big deal. In retrospect, I would change that and take the course. Just to have that extra preparation, I believe would be beneficial. I think you and Stew should. But I would opt for the one day weekend course...
ReplyDeleteOur hospital offered a free course...I guess a perk of living in po-dunk. I think a hospital class is useful, if for nothing else, to get accustomed to the hospital staff and their procedures. I also think a lot of it depends on how the class is run and what your goals are for your delivery. We were fortunate in our class that the instructing nurse was the same nurse who was on staff during most of my labor. It was good to have a familiar face. Although, I didn't use the nursing staff a whole lot because I had a doula there to help too, and family. I agree with Susan about stretching out the course rather than trying to cram it all in to one weekend. We were possibly the only couple in our class that was opting for a natural, drug-free delivery, so there was a lot of stuff about pain meds and interventions that we weren't particularly interested in. In addition, I think with that being my goal, next time I'll look for a course that focuses more on natural delivery and labor management than the one our hospital offers. If nothing else, at least tour the facility so you're familiar and have a chance to ask questions. You should certainly do something to prepare. I know Stew's a busy guy too, but there are some really good books about being the birth partner that might help him be ready too. Ok, that's enough. Childbirth is something I could talk about for HOURS...
ReplyDeleteWe didn't take one because we didn't have time during Will's pregnancy (because of residency) and I felt that I knew what to do from attending so many deliveries in med school and as a peds resident. I started rethinking that a few weeks before Will's birth, then found out he was breech so we ended up with a C-section and it didn't matter.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, I think that in general it is a good idea. It's an overwhelmingly stressful (but happy!) time anyway, and being familiar with the hospital and what happens during the whole process will probably make you a little less nervous on the actual day. I wasn't thrilled about the C-section, but I knew what to expect from attending deliveries--I think if I hadn't been in the medical field, I would have been waay more nervous about the surgery and would have preferred to know more specifics about what would be going on (how they'd do my anesthesia, when my husband could be there, what I'd see, etc.). These days you can get a good idea from watching delivery shows and reading books, but nothing compares to being in the actual environment you'll be in on the day.
That's rambling, but yeah, I'd take the class if I were y'all. The breastfeeding class is a good idea too if you're planning to nurse--hopefully they'll touch on that in the childbirth class.