Question for those who have attended childbirth classes

[lspst8]

I'm pregnant with my first baby, so my DH and I signed up for childbirth classes held at the local hospital. It's a 6 week course that meets once a week, but it is not anything like what I imagined it would be. Our first class was last week, and it was basically a 1 hour long lecture on what could go wrong followed by the obligatory birth video and 5 minutes of "relaxation techniques". It seemed a like a big waste of time to me, and my husband had trouble sleeping after it because of all of the worst-case scenarios discussed. (Did the nurse really have to spend 15 minutes talking about what to do if the umbillical cord starts to come out while I'm at home?) The nurse teaching the class didn't even have us introduce ourselves or ask when our due dates are.

So, if you have attended a childbirth class, what was yours like? Are they all of focused on worst-case scenarios and fetal monitors and C-sections? Did you have an opportunity to talk with the other parents-to-be?

 

[mhsjax]

I'm pregnant with my first baby, so my DH and I signed up for childbirth classes held at the local hospital. It's a 6 week course that meets once a week, but it is not anything like what I imagined it would be. Our first class was last week, and it was basically a 1 hour long lecture on what could go wrong followed by the obligatory birth video and 5 minutes of "relaxation techniques". It seemed a like a big waste of time to me, and my husband had trouble sleeping after it because of all of the worst-case scenarios discussed. (Did the nurse really have to spend 15 minutes talking about what to do if the umbillical cord starts to come out while I'm at home?) The nurse teaching the class didn't even have us introduce ourselves or ask when our due dates are.

So, if you have attended a childbirth class, what was yours like? Are they all of focused on worst-case scenarios and fetal monitors and C-sections? Did you have an opportunity to talk with the other parents-to-be?

Well that little umbilical cord coming out at home, if you didn't know what to do, your baby could very well die. I think it is good information. As far as the nurse not introducing herself, that stinks. We went around the room and told our due date and weather it was our first or not, but we did also get the lecture and info about what to do in certain cases. Stick it out, I am sure that you will get the fun stuff also, but along with the good and fun, they have to cover the oh no's. YOu need to know what to look for.

 

[MushyMushy]

Mine were a lot more friendly and relaxed than that, but yes also the informative lectures as well.

If you're not comfortable with this one, there's still time to find another!

 

[olwyngdh]

From what I remember (my DD is 8 now) the bad stuff was handled at the very beginning of the classes, then at later classes we got into the breathing and relaxation and all. From what our nurse explained, while terrifying us, was that we needed the information so we would know what to do if anything happened, and so that, if things did go wrong, we would be prepared and know that the Drs could handle it...knowledge is power

I don't understand why the nurse didn't introduce herself or have everyone introduce themselves unless it was a time thing--we need to get through this information in one night and won't have time if we do introductions. Still strikes me as a bit insensitive though.

 

[NMAmy]

Well, it's been 20 years since I took a Lamaze class but I do recall my ex being a bit freaked out due to the worst case scenarios (and he's a cop.) We were able to watch the video at home.

I do remember that the instructor was very much a believer that knowledge is power. I did agree with her that I wanted an idea of what was normal and what was not and what to do in either scenario.

I don't remember spending a lot of time chatting with the other participants. Class time was class time--we spent that time learning relaxation techniques and listening to the instructor lecture and answer questions.

 

[Buckalew11]

Ours was an all day 1 time class. I hated it. I was glad it was over in 1 day. I never saw any enjoyable parts to it.

 

[deegack]

We did the relaxation stuff in the later classes. The first one was mainly about birthing options, complications and the birthing video. I found it helpful although I was living one of the worse case scenarios (pre-e and HELLP syndrome) and this class was my one approved trip. The rest of the time I was laying in my bed on my left side.

 

[scrapquitler]

I took the childbirth classes when I was pregnant with my first. Six weeks for like 2 hours a week. DH and I thought it was a huge waste of time. I had done a LOT of reading, and there wasn't really anything discussed that I hadn't already read about. The breathing stuff just seemed ridiculous to us. At least it provided some entertainment value for my DH and I (a couple of the other people in our class were rather strange).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I never got to go to a childbirth class, I was on bedrest with preterm labor. So I have to say learning about complications is pretty important.

 

[mhsjax]

I took the childbirth classes when I was pregnant with my first. Six weeks for like 2 hours a week. DH and I thought it was a huge waste of time. I had done a LOT of reading, and there wasn't really anything discussed that I hadn't already read about. The breathing stuff just seemed ridiculous to us. At least it provided some entertainment value for my DH and I (a couple of the other people in our class were rather strange).

Oh come on now, you know that breathing helped with labor pains. Shoot breathing the right way and you barely felt it. YEAH, RIGHT.

 

[RitaE]

In ours they sent us home with this video of a "relaxed labor" to watch as homework.

Both the husband and the wife (well, maybe they weren't married - it never said) were wearing these matching long sleeved fleshy-white colored dance leotard things. And slippers. The "furniture" was this Jetsons Mod styled bean bag type of chairs.

She'd go "ohhhhhhhhhhhh"
and he'd say "relax honey and breath"
and then she'd gracefully recline herself across a bean bag chair and look intense for 30 seconds or so

and then he'd say "And its over!"

I don't remember much more beyond that because we were laughing so hard. Its a shame I was pregnant and couldn't have alcohol because it would have been the perfect drink movie.

But really, the price of the class was totally worth it just to get to see that video. Somewhere in there though there was infant CPR training - that's a good thing to know.

Oddly enough, for the second and third children my husband didn't want to go to Birth Training with me.

 

[scrapquitler]

Oh come on now, you know that breathing helped with labor pains. Shoot breathing the right way and you barely felt it. YEAH, RIGHT.

Yeah, the whole breathing thing seemed very wierd to me. And our instructor was adamant that "you WILL breathe thru the pain, you will NOT take painkillers" blah blah blah.

In the end it didn't matter, I had a scheduled c-section and with two children, never felt a single contraction.

 

[mhsjax]

Yeah, the whole breathing thing seemed very wierd to me. And our instructor was adamant that "you WILL breathe thru the pain, you will NOT take painkillers" blah blah blah.

In the end it didn't matter, I had a scheduled c-section and with two children, never felt a single contraction.

Oh you had the feminazi instructor. Mine never did tell us not to take painkillers but how to try and relax until you could get them if you wanted them. Someone actually asked our instructor how it felt, she had gotten to the hospital to late for an epi. She said and I quote " It feels like sh***** a bowling ball, I wouldn't recommend it." My DH tried to tell me to breath with my first, all back labor. I dont think he remembers much after that. Seriously, it was horrible until the epi. With the other 2 it wasn't back labor and the breathing does help you relax UNTIL, you get the epidural.

 

[Magpie]

I'll be the odd one out here and say that while labour hurt, it didn't hurt THAT bad. And I didn't get any kind of drugs at all, not even Tylenol.

It was a "working" kind of hurt, not a "something's broken" kind of hurt, if that makes any sense. My husband said I sounded like I was pushing a car uphill, and someone left the brakes on. I think the nicest thing about it was knowing that just when you think it can't get any worse - it actually gets better! It was sort of an up and down hurt, which is way better than most other kinds of pain that never gives you any kind of breather.

It was also a totally different kind of hurt with both kids. My daughter's birth the hurt was all in my back. Getting my husband to press on my lower back helped a lot. My son's birth was all in my thighs, so I squeezed them myself.

I didn't bother with the breathing stuff. Honestly, there's enough to keep you busy in labor without worrying about how you're breathing.

And I'm a big enough nerd that I actually enjoyed my Childbirth classes, even though I'd already read so many books I was actually correcting the instructor on some technical points. (I think I annoyed her a little...). I didn't bother with them for my second, but I do think it's VERY important to know everything that can go wrong and what to do if it does. For instance, with a prolapsed cord, you really DO need to know to lie down with your butt elevated and your feet in the air so the cord doesn't get pinched and cut off oxygen to the baby while you're waiting for the ambulance to arrive. (Alternatively, knees and elbows also works.)

 

[golfgal]

Well, the classes are to prepare you for childbirth, not just teach you breathing techniques. Unfortunately cord prolapse and other complications are part of the preparation. As far as not introducing each other, maybe she just forgot?

With our oldest we watched a lot of movies. One of them was a homebirth and kept showing the couple's older child, around 2 or 3 years old, walking up to mom and checking out the progress down below. The mom moo'ed through the whole birth too. I told DH to smack me if I started mooing in the hospital .

 

[mhsjax]

I'll be the odd one out here and say that while labour hurt, it didn't hurt THAT bad. And I didn't get any kind of drugs at all, not even Tylenol.

It was a "working" kind of hurt, not a "something's broken" kind of hurt, if that makes any sense. My husband said I sounded like I was pushing a car uphill, and someone left the brakes on. I think the nicest thing about it was knowing that just when you think it can't get any worse - it actually gets better! It was sort of an up and down hurt, which is way better than most other kinds of pain that never gives you any kind of breather.

It was also a totally different kind of hurt with both kids. My daughter's birth the hurt was all in my back. Getting my husband to press on my lower back helped a lot. My son's birth was all in my thighs, so I squeezed them myself.

I didn't bother with the breathing stuff. Honestly, there's enough to keep you busy in labor without worrying about how you're breathing.

And I'm a big enough nerd that I actually enjoyed my Childbirth classes, even though I'd already read so many books I was actually correcting the instructor on some technical points. (I think I annoyed her a little...). I didn't bother with them for my second, but I do think it's VERY important to know everything that can go wrong and what to do if it does. For instance, with a prolapsed cord, you really DO need to know to lie down with your butt elevated and your feet in the air so the cord doesn't get pinched and cut off oxygen to the baby while you're waiting for the ambulance to arrive. (Alternatively, knees and elbows also works.)

I think I could have handled the up and down kid of hurt, and if fact with my last 2 I did pretty much until the last minute. That first one was a dozy. All in by back, and I had pitocin, they had to crank it way up, I just wouldn't contract enough to get the job done, well when they finally got me going, I was way up and would never come back down, only half way before another one. The nurse told me that she had never seen anything like it, she went and lied about I was progressing. I had an epidural and went straight to 10 cm in about 2 hours because I relaxed.

2 years later in with DD I got there and was 3.5 cm and wasn't feeling anything except maybe menstrual cramps, the nurse couldn't believe that I wasn't feeling it. Different situation different position of the baby. I did cave an get and epidural because I was afraid I would regret not having one.

If I had to do it all again, yep epidural all the way baby.

And yep, I enjoyed my childbirth classes too. Plus we got a break every time, there was an frozen yogurt shop in the same place so the instructor would tell all the hubbies to go get their wives ice cream. lol She was great.

 

[lspst8]

I took the childbirth classes when I was pregnant with my first. Six weeks for like 2 hours a week. DH and I thought it was a huge waste of time. I had done a LOT of reading, and there wasn't really anything discussed that I hadn't already read about.

I've done tons of reading and research, so all of that information just seemed like a waste of time to me. If I have to go over the signs of pre-eclampsia again, I'll scream. I just wish more time was spent on things that are hard to learn from a book. I think I've read the pregnancy book I have at least 5 times cover-to-cover in the last few months!

It also didn't help that a few of the things the nurse said were pretty opposite what my midwife had told me. Nothing major, just stuff about kick-counts and fetal monitoring.

Maybe I just need to find a class with a different philosophy or something like that.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We didn't bother w/ the hospital class and attended one at our birth center instead. When I talked to other local moms I found that the hospital class was more about fear and teaching you about hospital procedure than actually preparing for birth.

I did a bunch of reading so between that and our class I felt we were pretty prepared. It was nice that the class supported many of the the things I had read and shared w/ dh (he didn't read anything! ).

It was a good thing to have an understanding of what could go wrong and the options that would be available in different circumstances, but it isn't necessary to scare mom & dads to be!

We had a bit of a scare w/ #1 (her heart rate declined w/ every push during delivery) but having the background made it easier for me and dh to trust those around us. Dd was fine (the cord had been short and wrapped around her neck) and she was the first of my two births.

I went into both births with the goal of not getting an epidural if possible...this was a good thing since both were quick and while there probably wasn't enough time w/ dd (1:15 from arrival to birth) there definitely wasn't w/ ds (20min from arrival to birth!!!)!

Good luck. If you don't think that your class is giving you enough info, I can highly recommend Henci Goer's The Thinking Women's Guide to a Better Birth. A really great book walking through the birth process.

 

[Robinrs]

I went thru a 9 month pregnancy after losing my first son after another 9 month pregnancy.

If I lost sleep worrying about what could go wrong I'd be justified... but I didn't.

I went in faith that my second child would survive, and he did.

Things can go wrong in traffic, in a bathtub, on a skateboard. Being aware doesn't stop it from happening, it can happen no matter what class you take.

Stay in faith.

 

[stevenpensacola]

The thing I remember from our childbirth class (it has been quite a few years) is as follows:

We were doing the relaxation techniques...the lights were turned off...there was nice, relaxing music playing...all the guys are massaging the wives...

when one of the other dads says "wait a minute!!!....this is what led to us being in this class!"

cracked us all up...