What are you going to do about childbirth classes?

I had always planned on taking the Prepared Childbirth, Breastfeeding and Infant Care classes offered at my hospital. Well since I've been on bedrest for almost 7 weeks I just don't see how I'm going to be able to take them. The child birth class meets weekly for 6 weeks, the infant care and breast feeding class meets once. I suppose I can ask my MD if it's ok to attend, I assume it's mostly sitting down. Has anyone attended while on bedrest or were able to make other arrangements?

 

Just my two cents on the prepared childbirth classes...my doctor forgot to tell us to fill out the paperwork so we couldn't get a class until I was 32 weeks along. I spoke to my friend who is a hosptial practicing midwife and she told me not to worry about it. She said because I was pregnant with twins I would have nurses and doctors available more than a normal pregnancy and they would guide me through every step. And they did just that.

 

I would do some research, find out when the classes are that you are interested in attending, find out how long they are and then take that information to your doc to make a decision together.

I did not take any classes. I did start looking into them but they were too expensive for me, especially so when I went on bedrest. I do not regret my decision to nix the class idea (please do not think I am telling you you shouldn't, just sharing my thoughts).

 

I wound up missing the last session of our childbirth class and both sessions of the infant care class due to bedrest. Neither was a big deal, since I had a scheduled c/s, and DH was able to teach me the infant care stuff.

It's true that you will probably have a lot more nurses and doctors around than for a singleton delivery. You might see if there's a video of natural/prepared childbirth that you could watch, though. It wouldn't be the same as a class, but might at least give you an idea of what to expect. I also found that 80% of the material in our childbirth class, I already knew just from hanging out on the internet during my whole pregnancy.

I think the breastfeeding class would be the most useful -- maybe the teacher (assuming she is a lactation consultant) could come to your house for a private tutorial, or she could recommend another LC who could? I really wish I had done something like that -- I knew a lot about it from reading, but that is nothing like having someone actually show you how to do it. And the nurses at the hospital were not as helpful on that score.

 

I went to the hospital birth classes until I was on strict bed rest. My doc said the rest I could figure out on my own. There was a girl from the beginning in my class that came from bed rest for only half of the class each week. She stayed as long as she felt comfortable and then left. I think it is a question for your OBG. My brother went to the classes by himself while his wife was on bed rest. However, the teacher said he was the first husband she had seen come alone in her whole history of teaching. What a guy!

 

If there is a multiples class around, the teacher might have a video you could borrow. I did. The teacher is a nurse, mother of twins, and in my twins club. I am sending dh to daddy boot camp this Sat am for a few hours. We have 2 hospitals 30 min away. I found out about these from both. Each one had different classes, so I cherry picked from both sources. The only one I had to pay for was Lamaze. I took it back in March, just in case. Boy am I glad I did! I still missed the last one due to my ankles being the size of my head. LOL I didn't miss much though. They toured L&D. Since I am not delivering there, it didn't matter.

 

I took one childbirth class at 20 weeks before I went on bedrest and I knew during that class I would never go back. I don't think I was ready, at 20 weeks, to deal with the reality of childbirth especially since I am trying with all my might to avoid it before 34 weeks. We had a multiples class that we signed up for that we didn't make it too either. But dh is going to infant care in two weeks. He'll go with other friends of ours so he'll know some basic stuff for when they come.

I also think it will be a miracle if I get to push these babies out. Instead, I think the dr. will be pulling them.

m.

 

I only made it to half of the classes because I went on bedrest in the middle of them! Our hospital offers the classes on video or DVD. Maybe call the hospital and see what they can send you. They may even have some paperwork you can read (something to do in bed)!

To prepare, I mostly just read books, articles etc. There was a "Newborn Channel" at the hospital that I watched over and over.

Overall, I found the childbirth classes to be only semi-helpful. I felt like we were a special circumstance (twins with a scheduled c-section). The two classes we went to mostly covered vag. childbirth and actually progressing through labor.

 

When I attended our prenatal classes and was on bedrest, the classes were held at the hospital so they had a wheelchair waiting at the door that I used to get me to and from the classes. But I found more useful information from my research on the internet than I did from the classes. I felt the classes were just really repeating what I had already learned on my own through books and the internet.

 

I am currently taking the Prenatal classes at our local hospital. The ob said I can go as long as I am not contracting. My DH drops me at the door and pushes me in a w/c to the classroom. It has been pretty basic, stuff you can read in books. I took it more for my DH. I am a nurse and have worked L/D prior to the cardiac unit i am on now. My husband has no experience with children or babies. I wanted him to have as much info as possible. We have discussed discomforts of pregnancy, signs and stages of labor and delivery. This week is about c/s, epidurals, episiotomies. Our last class is next week and is basically about newborn care. I just take it week by week.

Hope this info helps..
Melissa

 

I went on bedrest at 18.5 weeks, and hired the multiples childbirth instructor whose classes were recomended by the peris to come and give us two hours of private instruction. I believe it was $90, and it covered everything that was important out of the classes. My husband was all ready to take copious notes, but did point out that it was mostly the info that we had already read in books.

Obviously, we did not get the "grand tour", but I had already been admitted to labor and delivery and on hospital bedrest (then I got to go home, so I was home when I hired the instructor), so I pretty much knew what a labor and delivery room looked like!

Jane