Considering a Hospital Childbirth Class?

I love reading blogs. Midwife, doula, labor and delivery nurses, you name it. I have learned a ton from them. I just happened upon this blog, The Life and Times of a Labor Nurse, who made a post about why hospital childbirth classes are actually not very helpful teaching women about "normal" childbirth. The hospital birth teachers are under pressure to teach what and how the doctors prefer when it comed to managed labors--which most of the times includes numerous interventions that interfere with a peaceful, hands off labor experience (continuous fetal monitoring, for example). Here is the link to her post. I recommend you read it. She said it better than I could myself and since she IS a L&D nurse and teaches hospital birth classes she is qualified to speak with authority.

If you are having a hospital birth then it can be helpful to take the class as a supplement to your childbirth education so you can know what to expect when you show up at the hospital. I recommend to anyone to take a private childbirth class from an independent teacher who won't just teach you about hospital policies, but will teach you about normal birth and will focus a majority of the time on educating you about your choices, informed consent, and coping strategies for birth. There are so many different birth classes to choose from so I suggest looking into a couple and pick one that suits your needs. The Bradley Method®, BabyBodyBirth, Birthing from Within, Hypnobabies, Waterbirth are just a couple that are worth looking into--of course my favorite is The Bradley Method® (big smiles).