are childbirth classes really necessary?

I think a lot depends on where you're giving birth and how much you're willing to practice on your own. Also if you're interested in using a specific "method".

I attended a birth group with dd1's pregnancy... it was sort of a social gathering (women due around the same time) combined with information specific to the local hospitals and homebirth midwives and an "a la carte" approach to different birth techniques. So one week we covered breathing, another week positioning, a third week focus techniques, that sort of thing. And it was good to have a space devoted to practicing each technique.

Then with dd2 and again with this babe I'm using the HypnoBabies home study course. It came with workbooks that I did read the first time but not this time... the basic "consumer birth info" about interventions, diet, exercise, etc. Again, it's nice to have time specifically set aside each day for birth prep even though I don't need any more "information" about birth.

As a former librarian I'm pretty well read on birth, and found of people reading as much as they can, but sometimes having either the social aspect or the dedicated time aspect can help. But that may not be something you and your partner want or need... you're the only ones who can make that decision.

Oh, and on a sort of "negative" note, if you're birthing at a hospital do consider taking their class... not so much for the birth information, but for the hospital information. The way things are presented will give you a good feel for what elements of your birth you may need to fight for or plan more specifically for. And the class is often free or not very expensive. If you don't take their class, do visit the L&D floor (either for official tours or with an appointment) so you can meet the staff and see things in action. Again, this can give you a feel for the "actuality" instead of just the "glossy brochure/horror story" picture.

It depends on what you want and think you need. And what your DH wants and thinks he needs.

It sounds to me like taking a class that spends a lot of time on information might not be right for you, since you've already gathered a lot of information for yourself and DH has gotten some of it, too. Most classes are not JUST information, but some do focus there more than others.

But giving birth is not really about information. Information is for your brain; birth involves your brain but also your body and your spirit. So, doing some birth preparation that helps you and DH focus on the embodied and spiritual/emotional aspects of what this experience is going to be like might make sense for you.

I am a Birthing From Within mentor, so I am a bit biased, but that is really the focus of a Birthing From Within class. You can find mentors (teachers) near you (if there are any, but I think your chances are good) through the BFW website. I can think of other ways you could approach it though - prenatal yoga especially with a meditation component leaps to mind but I'm sure there are other options as well.

The two most important things I got from my birth class was 1) your body will never give you more than you can handle and 2) cytotec is evil--opt for cervidill if you are going to be induced and have to choose one.

I ended up being induced for pre-e and the on-call doc wanted to induce me with cytotec because it's cheap, basically, and he sat there trying to convince me for at least 5 minutes. Later on after the birth I read more on it and apparently (at least 6.5 years ago when dd was born) there was almost no studies on it and the ones they did have showed really dangerous possible side effects...like uterine rupture.

As far as knowing what to do--they didn't even go into that in our class--and when I did get my homebirth with #2, I did what was natural and everything went quite well.

so...no, I don't think the class is all that necessary.
Sarah

with ds1 i went to 3 different classes and read loads of books.
I went to the hospital class because it was free and i'd get a feel of the midwives there and learn about how that hospital works (had a home birth but wanted to be informed in case of transfer), NCT classes for the social aspect, made some really good friends & you meet up after birth and keep in touch, these classes were homebirth/breastfeeding friendly, had lessons on breastfeeding and you met the lactation consultant so you new her if you had to ring after birth (which i did), and i did a one night active birth class with a yoga teacher which was very much about posititions and dh practiced holding me in certain positions and massage.

with ds2 i was a postnatal supporter for the NCT so i sat in on a class while i was pregnant - and supplied the class with lots of non standard information about vit k, vaxes, lotus birth etc

so are they necessary? nope, but i really enjoyed them, especially as i new all the answers to the questions

I agree cytotec is evil. really, i did it, bad choice never again. I cannot stress enough that no matter how badly you want to have that baby it is not worth 2 extra days of hard labor pains without actually being in labor.

That said, with DD1 we did a birth class. I liked it. Of course, they showed us actual birth films (it was at the Birth Center so it wasn't really traditional) and told us about what it would be like if we were transferred and different techniques. I am not sure if I liked it because it was exciting to be getting ready for the birth or not. The information was good. I also did the Bradley Method which wasn't taught but it was good to see natural normal births......

You also get to have more face time with your provider and hear how they do it. I think that part of it was helpful. There was also LOTS of time for questions so it was good because otherwise it would be hard to sit someone down for a half hour and ask them what would happen in this situation and how would they handle this and what are we and not allowed to do etc....

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Yes, I understand not being able to spend money. I recommend buying the book "HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method" and the Rainbow CD directly from the HypnoBirthing website (you could get the book used on Amazon but the Rainbow CD is only available through the HB site. I think it's just hypnobirthing.com. These two things are really all you need on a budget.

I love this video:
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It might be good to know how you feel about birth personally before starting a class. HypnoBirthing/Babies is about relaxing and flowing with comfort and ease. Birthing From Within is VERY different. It's about being a warrior and FIGHTING the pain. Personally I don't want to fight with any part of my feelings or my body.
I agree HypnoBabies is expensive. There are some used currics on Ebay. Or you could try HypnoBirthing by just teaching yourself with the book and CD as I recommended to Spring Sun.
Good luck!

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I think you might have misunderstood Birthing From Within. To be a warrior does not mean at all to be a fighter. It means that you embody your natural strength. That you are strong and confident and can see clearly. In fact, as far as pain goes, Birthing from Within focuses on how you can feel and be with the sensations, noticing them as sensations that come and go, rather than pain. Have you read the book?

I will get the hypnobirthing book and see how I like it, thanks!

Hypnosis for birth... there are several different types of self hypnosis for birth programs. The most commonly mentioned on mdc are the HypnoBirthing (Mongan Method/rainbow), HypnoBabies (the 6cd homestudy program), and HypBirth (on video). Each program has strengths and weaknesses, and different mamas are passionate about different ones. You can search the mdc boards for threads that discuss hypnosis for birth... there are lots. And you may find the different opinions about the programs helpful in deciding which one would work better for you.

In addition, there is a HypnoBabies yahoo group. Although it's mostly hypnobabies, it's open to any mama planning on using any type of self hypnosis for birth. Many of the mamas on the group have used different hypnosis methods in different births, or have used different birth tools (bradley, lamaze, BFW, etc) as well as hypnosis and they are really open about what they found good/bad about different options. There is also a huge collection of birth stories and hypnosis tools on the site. It's worth checking out!

My personal experience has been a bit different than Raene's... I had the Mongan Method book and CD but found it completely unhelpful. It just didn't work with the way I wanted to/needed to birth and without a class to expand on the information in the book it wasn't enough for me. But HypnoBabies was a perfect fit for my birth needs and the resources I had available (as in, I could do it all from home while my toddler slept). And for other mamas it's the exact opposite with HypnoBirth being amazing and HypnoBabies being a bad fit. So it's worth checking the websites, yahoo groups, and mdc threads before spending any money... especially when the money is tight!