When to take birthing class?

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

I am 10 weeks pregnant and live and work in a developing country (you may recognize me from previous posts). Unfortunately I have not been able to track down any kind of birthing type classes in the country where I live. I will be coming back to the US to have the baby (will travel at around 7 months). Is this too late to sign up for a take a class? It seems like most women take these classes in their second trimester. Thanks for your input!

[Anonymous]

Definitely not too late. I think it's silly to take it much earlier, as you would probably forget some stuff. Plus, for me, it was more fun to take the class when it seemed like the delivery was actually imminent and not just a distant happening. I was more interested in all the nitty-gritty the closer it to got to my due date. (But you don't want to wait until the very end, because you could go early.)

[Anonymous]

If you are planning on an epidural, I'd skip the class.

[Anonymous]

I signed up for my class at Sibley (where I'll be delivering) for 1 month prior to the due date. When you are signing up they tell you the recommended timing of taking the class, which I believe is between 6-3 weeks before your due date. I'd sign up now to ensure that you get into the date you want, but you won't want to take it before you are 7 mos.

[Anonymous]

PP Here. I just looked it up on the Sibley website and it says: We recommend that you take your classes 4 - 6 weeks prior to your due date. Please take the time to select class dates for which you can commit prior to registration.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, just took the class, I think all the women there were between 30 and 37 weeks. You'll be fine.

I don't agree on skipping the class if you're having an epidural. You're still going to labor at home and in the hospital till that epidural, so I think it's helpful to know the whole process (and even when to go to the hospital). Not to mention what are other medication options, C-section (good to know if an emergency arises), etc etc.

[Anonymous]

second the pp who said you don't need a class if you are taking an epidural.

what i did was buy Laugh and learn about childbirth on Amazon.com
and read books

no need for a class

[Anonymous]

Disagree with the posters who have said you don't need a class if you are having an epidural. There is a long way between when labour starts and getting to the hospital, and then finding someone for an epidural. A birth class would be a good way of finding options for pain relief (position changes etc) in advance of that. Often they also include info on postpartum care of a newborn as well and for a first time mom that can be really handy.

I think 7 mths is fine for a class. You might want to look now into what type of class - hospital? Bradley? Birthworks? Lamaze? Hypnobirthing etc - and book into something.

I am doing Birthworks at the moment and it has been fantastic. Lots of great information and no judgements about whether you want an epidural or not.

[Anonymous]

I took Bradley method, and it was a 12 week class, so you'd have to find one that started when the timing was right for you. We had one woman in our class who was due earlier than the rest of us by a few weeks, so the instructor did some extra sessions with her. We had another woman who wasn't due til about 5 weeks after the rest of us, but that was the only class that worked with her due dates. I highly recommend Susan Gunn in DC if that's the route you go. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

I'd look around online for classes that you are interested in -whether it be the hospital's class, a Bradley class, Hypnobirth, whatever. Find some dates that work for you, and call the instructor. Most of them are very flexible in scheduling extra classes with you to make sure you get all the info you need/want before your due date. I'm due Nov. 21, and we started a 12-week Bradley class on Sept. 4 that will be done by the end of October. Some of the women in my class are due in 2-3 weeks, and our instructor did some extra classes with them to be sure they got it all in before birth.

I also completely disagree with the PPs who say to skip the class if you are getting an epidural. Classes such as Bradley Method give you tons of info on *all* of your options during labor & birth, and on *all* of the possible medical treatments/interventions, as well as info for after the birth, including newborn care & breastfeeding. Just getting an epidural does not mean all of your birth decisions are made, and does not mean you are prepared as to what to expect or for unexpected situations. The philosophy of a lot of childbirth classes is to ensure that you are fully educated and aware of your options, and empowered to make the right decisions for YOU and your family when they may be occurring at a time of great stress and when you may not be entirely yourself.

[Anonymous]

You should definitely take a birthing class whether you plan on an epidural or not. My friend didn't think she needed to take one as she was planning on the epidural. She ended up dilating too fast and they didn't have time for the epidural. The poor thing had to go it all natural without any coping tools to manage the pain! I'm hoping for the epidural but still taking the birthing class just in case. When it comes to pregnancy and delivery, nothing is ever set in stone. Better to be prepared I say.

[Anonymous]

I took my class four weeks before my due date and I was lucky because my baby came three weeks early. I had an epi and still recommend the class. We took the one-day intensive and you learn a lot, such as how to know when to call the doctor, what door you enter to go to the hospital, where you park, what your room will look like, whether you get a private room, what machines are going to be hooked up to you, the hospital's policy on pain management, etc. We both felt much better after having taken the class. There's more to know than just pain management. There's a lot of details that are good to know for first timers.

[Anonymous]

A quick reminder - some airlines won't allow you to travel during hte third trimester. I looked HUGE when Iw as 7 months pregnant, and would probably have problems... So, just check with the airline.
I took my birthing class at Georgetown when I was 37 weeks pregnant. HAven't learned much in terms of L/D process, but was glad to take a tour of the hospital (saw the birthing, recovery rooms, did preregitration, learned about hospital practices related to administration rather than care)... Also, it was fun to meet with other pregnant couples
A.