What To Expect In A Childbirth Class

You can take a childbirth class at any point in your pregnancy, but it is recommended that you enroll in the second or third trimester. This will help you retain and use the skills that you will learn in class rather than forget them if too much time passes before you give birth. You can enroll as an individual, but you are strongly encouraged to bring a coach or partner who will assist you with the practice exercises. If you don't have a spouse, a friend will do, or the instructor may serve as your partner.

Scheduled for one or two hours per week for six weeks or so, an expert like a registered nurse or certified midwife may be the instructor, though some classes are taught by leaders with no professional medical training or licensing. Part lecture, part practice, and part question and answer session, the class is designed to provide education, offer practice, and ease anxieties about having a baby. Many classes end with refreshments like cookies and milk or coffee, and may be taught at the local hospital or a YMCA center.

Childbirth classes usually encompass several parts. The first may introduce an overview of fetal development from conception to birth. While you may have heard some of this information before, the class instructor may have a mannequin of a pregnant woman, with a uterus that comes apart to reveal a pretend developing child. Posters or handouts help participants to visualize the stages of prenatal development, especially with regards to the baby's movements and capabilities during each phase, especially birth. Occasionally a guest speaker, such as a midwife or lactation specialist, may provide a short lecture or presentation.

The next segment typically features a new exercise or two each week. These are designed to help the mother who is in labor relax as the contractions wash over her tense abdomen. Activities may emphasize the need to focus on one specific object and to remain calm as contractions build. Breathing activities help women in labor to work their way through the contraction by breathing in short, quick breaths that help to break up her physiological and emotional tension.

Then participants are taught about the types of anesthesia that will be available during delivery, and their varied effects on both mother and baby. Positions for facilitating birth, such as squatting and stretching, are demonstrated as participants watch and then practice them with a partner.

A hospital tour through the labor, delivery, and nursery departments may conclude the class.

Learning what to expect and how to manage it is a valuable part of expectant parents' preparatory process. Find out if classes are offered in your area, and call for information about one near you.