Birthing Classes: Worth it or Worthless?

When you’re pregnant, you are constantly fast-forwarding to the end result: Your baby in your arms. But it’s inevitable that at some point during pregnancy, it hits you: This baby has to get out of you. OMG, it has to actually come out of you, somehow. And as your belly gets bigger, you start to scramble for any and all materials that may help you prepare for this major bodily craziness to happen. For me, it was reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, taking birthing classes and talking to a friend who had just recently delivered. But do those birthing classes really help? Can you ever be prepared? Read on for two takes on those childbirth classes!

Can’t see the video? Click here to watch a hilarious video about taking birthing classes.

Jennifer’s Take on Birthing Classes

I sought out a birthing class during my pregnancy — the YouTube videos of birth were scary, so I figured I needed a little bit of a realistic understanding of the whole experience. My first stop was the hospital where I was set to deliver. I checked its website and found a really great program, along with infant and child CPR class, and signed Jake and me up for both. I was so excited and ready to absorb all the knowledge I could about the remaining handful of weeks of my pregnancy and labor and delivery.

We showed up every week for six weeks. My husband enjoyed the snacks that were provided for the pregnant ladies, and I enjoyed the freezing cold room! And holy smokes, the first class was the most overwhelming feeling! My husband — oh, my poor husband. The things they talked about and the videos they showed that he will never be able to un-see. The videos were graphic as expected and the explanation was probably not necessary, but the information was irreplaceable. We learned about the baby, and the magical world of the female uterus that it is developing in. We also learned about how, exactly, it was going to come out of there. Let’s be honest, we’ve all thought about it when we were pregnant with our first. What goes in, well, it needs to come out. I was nervous about this, always thinking it over. So … you want THAT to come out of THERE? That’s what you’re telling me? Come on — a watermelon and a nickel are not exactly the same in diameter. Since comfort may not be an option, knowledge would have to do.

The class covered topics about the last few weeks of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and post-pregnancy care and baby care. We learned how to swaddle, and it was the first time in my life I would ever see my husband, a grown man, swaddle and cradle a baby doll. Of course, we cannot forget the sympathy belly! At the conclusion of the series, I felt more prepared than I did six weeks prior. I felt like I understood exactly what my body would endure come labor and delivery, and I also felt that my husband had the knowledge to support and comfort me. He understood the female body during its most powerful stage as much as I did. Yes, I was fulfilled!

Erin’s Take on Birthing Classes

I was determined to have an unmedicated childbirth experience, so I went into my classes determined to get all the information I could possibly get on how to manage the enormous amount of pain I was sure would ensue. Knowing that plans change, I was of course just as attentive during discussions on epidurals and C-sections — I took it all in.

What really sunk in, though, was the fact that first-time moms would want to stay at home laboring as long as possible, lest they get to the hospital and get sent back home or have unnecessary interventions too early. I specifically remember hearing, “It’s not like the movies! You’ll have so much time.”

Well, my water broke, and I labored at home for a scant couple of hours — and arrived at the hospital fully dilated and trying not to have a baby in the elevator. My daughter was delivered within 30 minutes of my arrival, and my husband and I kept saying, “It’s EXACTLY like the movies!”

I realize a 3-hour labor and delivery experience for a first baby is far from typical, though, so I’m definitely glad I took the birthing classes. If nothing else, they’ll distract you in the last weeks of pregnancy and help you mentally prepare for the change that’ll rock your world. Plus, it’s fun to chat with other expecting couples, and I’ll never forget our instructor having to explain the difference between castor oil and Castrol oil to an expectant dad.

Did you attend birthing class during your pregnancy? Did you find it beneficial? —Jennifer & Erin