Another open question for those who have done this before ...

[spritelyone]

Did you take childbirth classes? On one hand, I'm all about learning what will help me cope and help Craig be more prepared. On the other hand ... are they hokey? I can see a real opportunity for these classes to feel more silly than useful, depending on how the class is run

Comments

[amylgam]

We took a class through the hospital. It had 4 or 5 sessions, went over the basics of what to expect at the hospital, what kinds of options there are for pain relief, some basic information on breathing and pushing, and a couple of videos. I think it was helpful, especially for Hubby as he hadn't done the oodles of reading that I'd been doing. We also had a session with a friend who was a massage therapist about counterpressure and other things that he could do during labor to help me out.

I read "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" and it was also helpful in being able to recognize what was happening during labor, figuring out how to relax, that sort of thing. I would recommend skipping the chapter on episiotomies because it is more of a rant than anything else, IMHO.

[spritelyone]

The massage things sounds awesome, but not part of the normal sessions. Was that a hospital offering, or did you get that outside the normal spectrum of course offerings? Craig's more than happy to help support me in any way he can, but he could use some pointers, I'm sure.

Honestly, the biggest thing that had deterred me from Bradley earlier was the "husband-coached childbirth" title. That phrasing is just fundamentally off-putting to me, but I may just bite the bullet and see what the book offers before signing up for a class. It may be that the teaching would be very helpful.