Which classes to take?

Since this is my first pregnancy, I've been thinking that my husband and I should take a class or two from the hospital at which we're going to deliver. The ones I've been looking at are a prenatal breastfeeding class, a childbirth education class, and an infant care class. The hospital does not offer any classes about multiples.

That seems like a lot of classes, though, and I'm wondering if I need to take them all. Especially since I have read a billion books and visit TS daily!

Did you/are you taking any classes prior to delivery? Which ones did you find most helpful?

 

with my son we took the childbirth class and breastfeeding as well and then we also did infant CPR training too. This is our second pregnancy and i think we are good on knowing what to expect but since this is your first i would say to go to childbirth and breastfeeding and then if your still up to it do the infant care class. Just know that all the education in the world can never truly prepare you for the real experience. don't get me wrong they can help emensely but you are never fully prepared.

 

I took them all. I thought the multiples class was way overrated, especially with the ladies here who are so awesome. Infant care was fairly straightforward, too. We rented a CPR video and refreshed ourselves with it.

The Breastfeeding class was good as I'm a visual learner; tour of L&D, which included the NICU, was helpful as well (ours did not require NICU time, though).

 

Thank you both for your help!

 

I haven't even looked into which classes to take yet. I'm having insurance issues so things are constantly up in the air. I'm 21.5 weeks now, when did you ladies take these classes?

 

I wanted to be done with them by 28 weeks and started about 24 weeks. We did a LOT of classes on the weekends.

 

I started mine around 27 weeks and we did them during the week because we didn't want to use our weekends taking them but thats up to you.

 

@sjk - great question! I was going to ask my doc when she thought we should start taking them.

Also, I feel your pain on insurance issues. My company was recently sold and because I carry the insurance for my husband and I, my insurance will be changing right as I enter my 3rd trimester. I'm trying not to worry about it because there isn't anything I can do. Hope things work out for you, as well.

 

I'm in the middle of planning a wedding and I just graduated from law school so things have been busy here. My fiancé lives out of state and won't be here til 24 weeks anyways. We have most of the summer to do these classes.

My insurance was through my school and it terminates at 34 weeks, no joke. Because my husband to be is starting a new job, they will cover the babies at birth but not my pregnancy. Things are very complicated over here lol. I just have to trust that whatever power decided to give me twins will also look after me and these insurance issues!

 

We did not take any classes, mainly because I was mostly on bedrest from the 20th week onward. I just read quite a few books and felt happy with that. If insurance/mony is an issue, maybe that is an alternative because there are very good books out there and many of them available from a good library.

The one class I did take (after the babies were born) was a babies' first aid class and I would not want to miss that. There was a lot of knowledge but also hands-on practice and a book could not have given me that. I feel confident dealing with emergencies and deciding when to call the pedi after hours or do to the ER and when to wait and see at home. My hospital offered these classes for a very nominal amount to all delivering mothers, actually urged you to take them.

 

I didn't take any classes, either. Our OB requires the classes but doesn't allow enrollment until the 32 week. I delivered at 30, so no classes for me!

The NICU really taught us a lot that was very specific to our kiddos and we were required to take a first aid/CPR course before the girls could come home. I would take some classes if I could do it again. I think confidence is the most important part of the first weeks home and I would have been a nervous wreck had I not had the NICU time to teach me.