Birthing Class - Worth it?

[Anonymous]

I am due this fall and I am trying to decide whether or not it is worth it to take a birthing class. I am delivering at Sibley and going to epidural route and have no interest in breathing and lamaze classes (just not me!). I am just worried that taking the birthing class will freak me out more than it will help me out. Just curious if anyone has any thoughts on this. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

They pretty much freaked me out and in the end I thought that ignorance would have been bliss. I mean if you have the baby in you, and the baby needs to get out, it is going to happen one way or the other.

You will get an epidural, you will deliver and it will be over.

Taking the classes before hand made me so anxious about what would happen I could not sleep.

I realize this is not a terribly enlightened point of view, but on the other hand, birth is a natural experience that has been happening with or without classes for thousands of years.

[Anonymous]

What are you planning on doing before you get the epidural? Or if you're one of the few people for whom it doesn't fully work? A birth class that gives you some tools to deal with possible pain can only be a good thing, in my opinion. (FWIW, I didn't find childbirth to be so very painful. Not sure how much of that was the class preparation--perhaps I'm just lucky--but I think it did help me to feel confident going into the birth.)

[Anonymous]

For me, the class helped explain what to look for with contractions (false vs. real labor) and covered a lot of practical information about when to call your doc, when to come to the hospital, how Sibley handles analgesics/epidurals (and when you can get them), etc. It demystified a lot of things for me and was really helpful for my husband to hear all of that from a nurse as well. We did the one-day class so there were some breathing exercises, but not a lot of time was spent on them. Overall it gave us some tools to feel like we know when to expect when the time comes (which is hopefully tomorrow!)

[Anonymous]

I am giving birth at Sibley, and we took the one-day cram class a few weeks ago. Although we could have found better ways to spend a Sunday, I am glad that we went. I am not sure I would have said the same for the several-week option. They went over things like when you should go to the hospital, breathing techniques for getting through contractions before you get to the hospital, what happens if you need an emergency C-section, etc. You also get a tour of the facilities. The person that tought our class also went over the various drug options, how/when they are administered, etc. (for example, Sibley does not have a walking epidural). Oh, and the last 20 minutes or so are about massage during labor, and you and your partner get to practice. So, that's always good.

[Anonymous]

For me it was good, just because I like to be prepared and wanted my husband to be on the same page as me. As a guy, his default is to solve the problem so I knew as soon as I went into labor he would be like - we are going to the hospital, and I had been reading that you could labor at home, etc.

So it was good for us to get on the same page, because he learned all the stuff I had been reading about in our class.

That being said, labor was nothing like I expected - it was fine, and everything went well, but all my best laid plans sort of went out the window.

In hindsight though, I would take the classes again - just because it helped me relax toward the end.

[Anonymous]

Just a thought on what a PP mentioned about Sibley not having a walking epidural...

From what I have read a walking epidural is the only kind that allows you to walk around (hence the name), which includes using the bathroom facilities on your own. It is my understanding that with a regular epidural you are fairly restricted because you are numb from the waist down and may require a catheder. Might be worth taking the class just to be aware of what the specific medication options are at the hospital and the benefits/consequences of each.

[Anonymous]

For those who are discussing/hoping for a "walking epidural" at Sibley, I took the tour there before giving birth there in November and they say they recommend against them, because too often they become "falling down epidurals".

And, this thread reminds me of one of my favorite birth stories. One of my husband's best friends, the biggest Yankee fan I know, had to miss Game 7 of the ALCS (the "Aaron Boone game" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_American_League_Championship_Series#Game_7) to meet with her and their Lamaze coach. A couple days later, he and his wife arrived at the hospital and found that the baby's position necessitated an immediate C-section.

[Anonymous]

I did the 1-day Sibley course and it all went out the window when I had DC1 (with epidural) and DC2 (no epidural available!! ... didn't deliver at Sibley). But saying that, it was probably good for DH. He totally messed around during the breathing exercises. Was meant to whisper sweet nothings in my ear and instead tried to make me laugh. If I did it again, I would probably have had a more open mind (I was exactly like you when I went into it) and try to 'get' all the breathing stuff. I also did the breastfeeding course and obviously wasn't listening properly because it ended up nothing like I imagined from the course. Still - the preparing stuff was fun with DH.

[Anonymous]

I was planning to get an epidural, but I took the several week course at Sibley and thought it was very worth it for a lot of reasons. As pps mentioned, false vs real labor, education about the range of interventions, etc. Also, while I didn't particularly like the breathing exercises, most OBs agree you shouldn't get an epidural before you are dialated at least 4-5 cm, so you actually do need some pain management skills. But the single most important takeaway from the class was that even the most type A planners (like me) cant plan labor and delivery. And boy were they right - when I got to the hospital in labor it took a while to get the IV in, and when the doc came to examine me I was ready to push - no epidural for me

In short, it cant hurt, and you might learn something. And if you can get into a class taught by Trina, I recommend her.

[Anonymous]

OP, it sounds like you don't want to take a class. I didn't either and believe it or not I'm actually aiming for natural childbirth! I basically wanted to read on my own and do my own research rather than go into somebody's class. I figured that it's hard enough for me to look past the biases in somebody's book (some of them say the most ridiculous things, like only babies delivered vaginally can *really* claim to have a birthday and all other babies have "delivery days." (Oh brother, right?) The other thing is that I thought a short class would be a waste of time and the longer, once a week classes are just not at all set up for someone like me who travels so much for work. The final thing, though, that made me decide against a birthing class was that I didn't want to get freaked out by someone else's experience. Even though I'm not that afraid of labor pain or the process itself, I don't really enjoy watching birth videos, for instance. I just don't want to see that. My own experience, awesome, but not someone else's. I don't want to go into the whole thing with someone else's biases, experiences, or images of their births in my mind. That may not make any sense to anyone else at all, but it was a real thing for me. I am due any minute now so I'll let you know how it goes sans childbirth lessons. FWIW, my OB said that given the amount of books I've read, he didn't think it was any kind of big deal that we skipped the classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are you planning on doing before you get the epidural? Or if you're one of the few people for whom it doesn't fully work? A birth class that gives you some tools to deal with possible pain can only be a good thing, in my opinion. (FWIW, I didn't find childbirth to be so very painful. Not sure how much of that was the class preparation--perhaps I'm just lucky--but I think it did help me to feel confident going into the birth.)

I agree with this poster. I took the birthing class and half paid attention to the breathing exercises, but since I knew I was going for the epidural and had heard how long and slow first labors are, I didn't think much about it. Then my water broke at midnight at 38 weeks and I was 7-8cm by 2am when we got to the hospital, and it was another 30 minutes before they were able to do the epidural. I REALLY wish I had paid more attention to the breathing/relaxation techniques and practiced at home because I was not at all prepared to deal with the pain. I'm pregnant with #2 now and while I likely won't take another class, I will be more focused on finding a book or video that will allow me to practice some breathing techniques.

[Anonymous]

I am not taking a class, I find the classes way too expensive. Instead, I borrowed a bunch of dvds from the library about childbirth and those dvds have a ton of info, I don't think I am missing out on anything by not going to classes and I am saving a lot of money.

[Anonymous]

I'm taking a Bradley class, which is on the longer side of classes, but it's turning out to be great information. None of that breathing crap so far, though we do focus a part of each class on getting the partners to relax the mom and learn some coping techniques. It's really great to see what all the issues are (breastfeeding, fetal monitoring, epidurals, pre-labor signs, etc.) and what really happens when you give birth. The best thing, though, is getting my husband involved and learning this stuff alongside me.

Bradley is geared more to natural birth, but honestly, I think even going into a C-section, it'd be valuable.

[Anonymous]

In part so that there would be a feeling of no turning back, wWe waited until close to the end (36 weeks) to take the one day class at Sibley. Both my husband and I got a lot out of it. It actually had the opposite effect of a PP - I now feel less anxious and more prepared for labor, both of us will now be able to recognize the impending signs of labor and he'll be able to help me through the early stages of labor before you go to the hospital. Prior to the class, I had decided that I was going to get an epidural and that was it, but some of the things that were said in the class about restricted movement once it's in place, etc have led me to at least be willing to try labor without an epidural - knowing that it will be there if I need/want it.

I also LOVED that the class clarified DH's responsibilities -- especially the part about massaging my back and neck. I believe the different pain management techniques will come in handy.

Anyway, I think it's well worth the time and would encourage everyone to take it.