what birth class is everyone taking?

[sweet tea]

I *still* haven't signed up for anything...I didn't take classes with Chloe, we lived in a small town and nothing was available...but I have no excuse this time..LOL

and I want to take them...with a med free homebirth..I think I will need some kind of instruction..

I asked my midwife about hypnobirthing, and she said it was good, but in her experience the moms wanted to relax more than they wanted to take an active part in labor (like stay in bed and meditate, rather than walk, shower, change positions..)

then bradley~ which I know nothing about except it helps your husband help you?

and of course lamaze..which i know even less about LOL

maybe I'll do a poll~but please reply too!

[happay]

I was signed up for a class but decided not to take it. Maybe I am crazy, I don't know since this is my first time. I am just not all that interested in taking the classes.

[majazama]

I would like to try a hypnobirthing class, but alas, not enough cash.

[Threefold]

I'm not taking a class this time, it just seems too hard to arrange care for ds. I am going to have one or two sessins with a counselor who specializes in hypnobirthing. I figure that, my previous experience, my reading this time round, and my doula will ensure a beautiful birth.

[gigismom]

I am taking Bradley and starting next week!! I am so excited because I love to learn and have read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way twice now and want to put it into action. My dear friend will be taking classes with me as dh and I feel that she will be more of a resource for me than he would. Also, dh will stay with dd during the classes which run from 7:30 to 9:30 at night. If you are interested in Bradley you'd better get started as most classes run from 9 to 12 weeks. Mine happens to be 9 weeks long and ends 1 week before edd... Good luck

Jen

[Foobar]

Classes, we don't need no stinking classes!

Ok, really, I don't have time and with Goo, everything I learned was basically what I read in a book. I just need to practice some calming techniques and plan on nothing going as planned! That's what happened last time!

[Amina Momma]

I signed up for a 3 class package (195$ -40 I will be reimbursed from insurance and I get a 40 $ gift cert for toys r us). I am an art teacher and finish school 1 1/2 month before due date so figure I will want the structure so I am not just waiting.

Childbirth Preparation: Birth Alternatives
4 wk series.. for woman who wish to have an intimate, fully involved birth experience. The class covers the basic cb prep with added emphasis on natural delivery ...

Breastfeeding 2 1/2 hr class one time

Surviving the first two weeks with a new baby: Basic Baby Care (insurance covers this one) one session 2 1/2 hr class

I am really excited about the classes. I feel the more I prepare the better chance I will have at having a natural birth, which is what I want.

[Jennifer H]

With my first I took the hospital class... not great for getting through labor, but I would recommend it to anyone having a hospital birth because it helped me learn about the protocols of the hospital and so I could "choose my battles" on my birth plan (i.e. since they let everyone drink and even eat lightly in labor I didn't have to ask for that specifically).

Also took a breastfeeding class and a newborn care class through the hospital (they encouraged EN, cosleeping and initially checking a baby's temp by mommy lips on baby's neck method).

Last time I just did some sessions with our doula.

This time we aren't doing anything except reading again.

[luvinmama]

We just don't have money for classes this round. I took lamaze with ds #1 and it wasn't worth the money to me. I came out more scared than when I went in, and the breathing didn't help in labor. My "birth plan" was a total joke to the drs though. I expected it to be followed almost perfectly, and I don't think any of them even read it. I'm just reading books this time and working on some pain tecniques in Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz (and planning a homebirth). I really like the distraction method where you just start listing sounds around you and it helps distract you from the pain. I've had a pretty painful pregnancy, so this one has really helped me. We'll see if it works when the pain gets tough though.

[butterflyma]

Since this is our first I thought it would be good for dh and me to go to classes. We are taking a Birthing From Within course, and I totally reccommend that type if there's one available in your area. One of the most empowering messages our instructor has given us is that we really don't need a class to have a baby- all women know how to have a baby; they just don't know it So why go to a class? Well, I do find it interesting and it helps dh and I to mentally prepare for the big event. Also, there are so many messages that we receive from "society" that unteach us how to give birth (like "epidural is the only way to go" or that dr=god) I'm kind of de-programming any of those unempowering ideas that I still had lurking in my head. So I voted "other"

[Liba]

I started lamaze classes before my first dd. She was early so I never finished the claseses but that was no loss. I used none of the breathing or relaxation techniques they taught. I had a very nice introspective and powerful birthing experience with no huffing and puffing. In retrospect it was much more in line with hypnobirthing and if I were to take a class that is what I would take. My second labor the nurses were sure I wasn't progressing since I was so calm and relaxed... told my ob not to come 10 minutes before dd was born so my technique works well for me!!

[HypnoBirthingMom]

It is definitely difficult to decide which childbirth method to use with so many options out there to choose from. I vote for HypnoBirthing. I used it to have my third child. It was amazing! It was 3 hours from start to finish! I wanted natural childbirth for my first two births, but did not have the tools or the confidence to make it happen. With my third, in addition to having the tools and the confidence, I also felt empowered that what I believed about myself, my body, and my desire for a comfortable birth could actually become a reality. Yes, I was relaxed, but I felt very involved and participated in the way that my body and my baby led me. Good luck in your search for the childbirth method that is right for you and your baby.

[Threefold]

I just had my first hyponobirthing therapy session. It was background (and catch up with the therapist who was my childbirth educator 3 some years ago!). I have 2-3 more sessions for the actual hypnobirthing and I'm excited!

[Mamma2Addison]

I voted none. We did it last time, weren't all that convinced then that it was necessary, so opted to skip it this time.

[Aura_Kitten]

none.

i signed up for one and went to the first session, but it was *way* too hospital-oriented. they didn't even mention that some people choose to birth at home... and encouraged things like having the labor support person keep on chiding the mother to "do the breathing she learned in class" even if she feels the need to do something different, and to keep on massaging her even if she says to stop. blegh.

it was really not my style.

that was the only one available in the area...

[ebethmom]

With our first, we took a hospital Lamaze class. Well, it was AT the hospital but the nurse instructor advertised on her own. She had a bit more freedom than a standard hospital class.

When I told my midwife what kind of class we took, she shook her head and said, "Well, I guess you didn't get much out of THAT!" But that really wasn't the case for us! Our instructor was a Board Certified Lactation Consultant at the hospital, and she was not a "system automatron" at all.

Without her guidance, we really never would have considered natural childbirth. But she strongly recommended drug-free labors, doula support, rooming in, and breastfeeding (of course). She also called me on the phone every day for two weeks when ds and I ran into nursing difficulties.

This go 'round, we have no extra cash. So I'm reading the Bradley Book (the one written by Susan McCutcheon). And we're having a homebirth.