So I am taking a course to get certified as a Childbirth edu/ Doula and one of my requirements is to observe childbirth classes. I have gone to a few never the same teacher. and here is where I needed your help.. If any of you here took childbirth classes I would like to know what you really liked about the classes and what you didn't.. Why did you feel you need the classes?.. Did you learn a lot from them?.. what was your experience like?.. Thanks for the help! Zenia
hummm...... i remember at mine, the lady was talking really fast, so everyone missed a lot of stuff, which got a little frustrating. I kinda knew about everything that she was talking about anyway, I don't know about the other women in the class. I wanted to go to the class because it was held at the hospital where I was going to have Leane and I wanted a tour, and info about the way things run there. I found out basically everything that I needed to know. The one that I went to was only a one day, 8-hour thing....if I could do it again, I would have gone for the 6 week classes, definately. I would have liked to get to know some of the women in the class, too. We had a chance to quickly talk to one other couple, but that was it.... oh, and we had to watch these ridiculous tapes from the '80's, which were down-right awful. Those need to go and be replaced with some better, more educational material. Overall, the class was ok.....I didn't come out knowing too much more than when I went in, except for what the birthing unit looked like, the hospital procedures and what exactily i needed and couldn't bring with me. in all, i'm not doing a hospital birth next time, so my whole perception of the place is a little bad.....
Are you getting certified through DONA. I had to have the same required clidbirth classes. I took one offered on the day before the doula workshop. Offered by the same instructor. Out of the 10 women in the doula workshop,3 were attending the childbirth ed class. I had already had 2 children at this time. but is was a requirment you take these and not as an expecting parent. I really didn't learn anything new in this class. That i hadn't already read anyway. There was the discussions and just being around other women interested in the same thing. Which helped set it in a little better. There was a women in this class. Who had 4 childeren, was 7 mo pregnant. And actually taught childbirth education to teen mothers. She had taken many childbirth classes. But never while she wasn't pregnant. And so she had to do this class as a technicality. Though she was actually pregnant at the time. Maybe because it was offered the day before the workshop it counted.
we took the hospital childbirth preparation class (they call it Lamaze, but it isn't) when I was pregnant with our first child. It totally sucked. All it was about was getting you ready for the interventions and things they will do to you in the hospital. It was all about being a good, compliant patient and not causing trouble for the doctor or hospital staff. And the advice they gave was outdated, and downright dangerous (patterned breathing, etc). We took a Bradley class when pregnant with our second child. It was exactly what I wanted. It helped my DH understand why I wanted a natural birth, and why I would go to such great lengths to have it (I chose to avoid the hospital at all costs). The relaxation exercises were bogus, IMO. But I already know how to breathe and relax. When I was in labor, the last thing I wanted was for anyone to talk or touch me, so all that practice was wasted time. But I loved the class and feel it was totally worth the money we paid for it.
