Childbirth Classes--How to choose one for you!
Congratulations, you're pregnant!
Maybe this is your first baby, so you've taken to Google to find out as much information as you can...only to realize, there is so much more information than you expected. How can giving birth to a baby be so complicated? How can there be so many different opinions on what's best--epidural, vacuums, forceps, c-sections, VBACS, massage, hypnobirthing, lamaze, meditation, birthing pools...the options for birth are practically endless! And what do all those terms mean? Dilation, effacement, station, amniotic sac, first stage, second stage, placenta...there are so many terms that it can be very overwhelming.
One of the best things I can recommend, particularly to a first time parent--attend a childbirthing class. They provide concise, accurate information that you can take forward to make decisions about your own birth. They explain the medical jargon in an easy to understand way, for those of us who don't have a decade of med school under our belt!
Of course, choosing a childbirthing class isn't always easy either, there's so many options tailored to all sorts of personalities, schedules and budgets! I'm going to explain some of the most common childbirthing classes and how they tailor to different personalities!
Class at your local hospital: most hospitals offer prenatal classes that include a brief overview of labour and birth, a tour of the maternity ward, and they may inform you of specific hospital practices (which can differ from other hospitals!)
Lamaze (www.lamaze.org): Lamaze supports the idea that birth is a normal, natural and healthy experience and empowers expectant families to make informed decisions. Some content covered includes:
-Normal labour, birth and early postpartum -Positions that aid labour and birth
-Relaxation and massage techniques
-Labour support
-Information about medical procedures
Hypnobirthing (www.hypnobirthing.com): Hypnobirthing teaches the labouring person that if you remove fear and tension, severe pain does not have to be part of labour. Relaxation will enhance the natural birthing instincts that lead to a calm and serene experience. This class teaches women how to relax and experience a feeling similar to daydreaming.
Public Health Classes: Most public health organizations will provide prenatal classes, similar to hospital based classes. They will cover medical jargon, normal labour, and labour support.
Do some research on the classes you are interested in, maybe call and ask a few questions of a prospective childbirth educator and figure out what works best for your personality and philosophy :)
