About classes, all input welcome
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Anonymous
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Hi,
I'm a FTM due mid-february. I'm planning to deliver at Sibley. I'm looking into classes and i found a 4 main places to take them: Sibley, Lamaze, Childbirth-n-babies and GWU. I'm looking into classes on childbirth, baby care, CPR and breastfeeding. Have you been to any of these? Was your experience fabulous/horrendous/redudant? You are welcome to name names, point places and be as descriptive as you want. Since hubby and yours truly don't have all the time in the world (neither the money!) we are planning the following: Childbirth prep at Lamaze and Sibley (6 to 8 hours each) Baby Care and CPR (not sure where but probably Childbirth-n-babies or GWU) Breastfeeding at the Breastfeeding center (free class, wo-hoo!) Go ahead, go crazy and hormonal with your comments below, I DO welcome them! 
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Anonymous
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We did the whole day childbirth class at Sibley -- not that useful. A lot of idiots in the class kind of hijacked it and we spent hours talking about non-relevant things (like how to take a cab to the hospital and where to do cord blood banking). In retrospect, we should have just rented the dvd.
We did a CPR class and baby care class at GWU -- the CPR class was really useful, the childcare one was beyond useless. We spent an hour at the child care one talking about what to register for. My husband actually thought it was pretty useful though because it covered some things that I knew about but he had never heard of before (like meconium), so I think it just depends on your experience. The breastfeeding class at the breastfeeding center was great. But I might not be a good person to ask because BF didn't work out for me (I ended up EP'ing). |
Anonymous
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CPR is a must, in terms of both time and money. It's also available through the Red Cross at various locations.
Getting your ducks in a row for breastfeeding is also worthwhile. I've heard good things about the Breastfeeding Center's classes. You might also want to attend a La Leche League meeting pre-baby, to hear firsthand where other mothers had issues or met with roadblocks. Childbirth classes really depend on what sort of birth you're planning. The hospital classes teach you how to be a good patient -- what the policies are, when to come in, how to stay comfortable for a short time. But if you're not planning on requesting an epidural, I think you're really better off taking an out-of-hospital class with someone who specializes in unmedicated childbirth. I'd personally take the baby care class money and spend it on a better childbirth class. The postpartum nurses are wonderful tutors and there are many books as well. But I don't think a class would be the best use of your time and money if either/both are limited. I promise you won't break or screw up your baby in the first six weeks -- they're remarkably durable and surprisingly communicative, especially when your problems to solve are limited to hungry, wet, tired, lonely and overstimulated. |
Anonymous
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Only did the breastfeeding and babycare classes at Sibley- Both totally useless and a total waste of time. A scant chapter in any expectant mom or baby book on breastfeeding will suffice. Really, baby to boob, done. The childcare class was a lot of watching videos and pretend diapering a doll.
Save your time and money. |
Anonymous
| Above poster again- Also, Sibley has lactation consultants that insist on visiting with you (probably several of them) and will happily answer any and all of your questions once you have baby in hand. |
Anonymous
| Original poster here: this is good. Keep'em coming y'all! I'm gonna print this and attach to the research I already did to discuss with hubby. He wants to do Lamaze childbirth prep 1-day intensive. |
Anonymous
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DH and I took infant and child CPR at GWUH (through Momease) - well worth it, we learned a lot. It was also the least expensive class I found (not that I was looking for a cheaper one, I just needed something that fit our hectic schedule and that turned out to be a bonus). Ours was taught by an American Heart Association certified woman who is also an EMT and emergency care educator.
We took a Bradley class and loved it. The type of class you take will really depend on what kind of birth you want. I'm trying for a natural birth with midwives, so the Bradley class was a good option for us. It's definitely a time committment, but it was well worth it to us. I've taken two classes at the Breastfeeding Center - breastfeeding basics and breastpump basics. Both were informative and I don't regret taking them, but it's really difficult that they're over an hour long in the middle of the workday. I work two stops away on the orange line, and had to use up 2.5 hours of my workday for each class. And the room they do the classes in is TINY and they pack it full, so it's not the most comfortable. That said, they are very useful for a free class. I will probably go back to them to buy a pump and some supplies, just to give them my support for offering the free classes. |
Anonymous
| Honestly, I think classes are a total waste of time. I did a breastfeeding class at the breast feeding center which was fine, but really, how helpful can it be with a doll?! I found the LCs at the hospital to be helpful and the nurses, too. Once the baby's born and you're breastfeeding is when a class is more useful. I also did a childbirth private class which was good in the sense that it helped us to know what to expect, but really, when you're in the moment it's survival mode. All you can do to get through it, you will. Really, I'd save your money for after the baby comes. Just my 2 cents. |
Anonymous
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OP Here. Thanks for all the feedback.
I think I'm settling down for a 1-day Lamaze or Childbirth-n-babies AND the one and Sibley. Why is this so hard?! It seems that it i don't read/attend/buy everything in sight, i'm screwed. agh. |
Anonymous
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Breastfeeding class at the Breastfeeding Center? Awesome. Totally worth it. I also took the Breastpump basics class, and would recommend that too, if you are going to be working/pumping.
Childbirth classes vary a lot, I think, and it depends on what you want to know, what your personal preferences are, and what style of learning delivery you like. I took Birthworks with Susan Messina--about 12 hours total I think--which was slightly crunchier than my taste but also very useful. I never took cpr for infants (but I've done cpr classes in the past). I didn't take a babycare class, and in retrospect, it might have been a good idea (but also, read the Happiest Baby on the Block in advance). |
Anonymous
| I took baby CPR and basic infant care at Georgetown a couple weeks ago. I thought it was a good class. Good info, didn't drag, reasonably priced. I recommend checking out the GUH classes. |
sybersus
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| I took baby care basics at GW through Momease and really liked it. I also took their breastfeeding class w/huband and liked it -- it was much more useful and detailed than the class at the Breastfeeding Center. I took infant/child CPR through the American Red Cross in Arlington. It was also very useful. |
Anonymous
| I took three classes at Sibley--infant/child cpr, childbirth & newborn baby care. I liked all of them, and DH liked them too. Baby isn't here yet, so maybe i'll feel differently. But the teachers were all very nice, patient, answered questions, etc. I think they were also cheaper than Childbirth-n-Babies. |
Anonymous
| We did all the classes at Sibley. In hindsight, I'd say the childbirth class was kind of worth it and a CPR class is a good idea. The others you can definitely skip - read a book or two and you'll be fine. The baby care class at Sibley was especially a waste of time and money. Since the breastfeeding class is free, you might go to that, but I wouldn't pay money for such a class. One good thing for me about the classes was that it felt like I was doing *something* toward getting ready, since there is such a long stretch of time when I was getting impatient and the pregnancy seemed to be going on forever! |
Anonymous
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OP. Wow, thanks for all the input.
After talking to my doc I decided to do the Childbirth class at Sibley and a 1-day instensive Lamaze class. I hope that, together, they are useful! |