Childbirth classes - Sibley, Jessica Webb or Lamaze

[Anonymous]

I am due in March, and we are starting to think about childbirth classes. We are considering three options -- the intensive one-day childbirth class offered at Sibley (where I am delivering), the similar class offered by Jessica Webb (and suggested by my OB), or a two-day Lamaze class. I'm not sure how much, if at all, the class offered by Sibley and the only taught by Jessica Webb differ, except for the fact that Jessica's class seems to be about 3 hours shorter. FWIW, I am interested in as low-intervention a birth as possible but am not ruling out an epidural if need be. Unfortunately, our schedules do not allow for a more intensive class focusing on natural birth, like Bradley. Any suggestions or feedback on these options would be much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

I took Bradley and although I ended up with an emergency C-Section, it really helped me with the 16 hours of natural labor that I had to go through before I ended up in surgery. If you are interested in Bradley, but can't fit in the classes, you might still consider contacting the Bradley website to see what they recommend as an alternative. I took the Sibley class (the one-day marathon one) and it was fine, but VERY long. The one thing I would recommend, which you don't need a class for, is working with your partner on how to relax during labor. There are lots of books out there that discuss labor and all of the Bradley Method concepts. I recommend the Dr. Sears book on labor/birthing and the Penny Simkin book entitled "Birth Partner." Good luck!

[Anonymous]

i'm taking a course with susan messina this weekend. i will let you know how it goes!