I was wondering if anyone could recommend childbirth classes? Our hospital (Piedmont) offers a standard childbirth class but we were also interested in natural childbirth methods such as Lamaze and even Hypnobabies Hypnosis which I have researched on the web but haven't heard of anyone who has used them. Any recommendations or advice you have would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you to all who responded, it was very helpful to my husband and I since we are first timers. We joined the Intuitive Birth class offered by Baby Steps and really enjoyed the first class. We are also considering HypnoBirthing as I'm reading the book and listening to the DVD. Thanks again to all of you for taking the time to give us such great advice!
I'd really recommend Labor of Love's classes!:
http://www.alaboroflove.org/classes&events.html#child...
I second the A Labor of Love classes. I really, really recommend them. We took a Birthing In Awareness class through them and it was the best thing for my husband and I. We had a wonderful natural childbirth and I think a lot of that is due to all the empowerment and preparation that came from the class. www.alaboroflove.org.
Best of luck!
Hi D.. I used hypbirthing for the birth of my son, and I loved it! I didn't use an epidural, and I had a wonderful experience. I purchased the set online for about $180. At first it seemed a little new age, and I didn't notice a difference, but within two weeks, I was sleeping better than I had my entire pregnancy! It isn't magic, and you are still very aware of the contractions, it just changes your focus. It made me comfortable with the fact that birth was a natural process that my body knew how to handle. My midwife also told me to focus on contractions as an unusual pressure in an area of the body I wasn't accustomed to it, instead of pain. During the strong contractions my mantra became "it is pressure, not pain", and it made me focus and stay calm during the labor. A little about my labor/delivery, in case it helps: My son was nine days past the latest due date they gave me. At birth he was 7 lbs., 12 oz. and 23" long. My water broke at 4:45 a.m., the contractions slowly started at around 6:00 a.m. and I gave birth at 9:53 p.m. In between my water breaking and delivery, I went to the grocery to get the snacks and ice I wanted to have with me during delivery; my midwife had me walk endlessly before I had him, so I didn't actually go back in bed to have him until about 8:40 p.m. It made the labor much faster/easier than sitting in a bed focusing on it all day.) I hope this helps! Take care.
Hi D.!
My husband and I took the Bradley Method classes and had an amazing natural birth experience (our first baby -- 9lbs 10oz -- three months ago). I really enjoyed my Bradley teacher (Jenny Cochran) as she was incredibly encouraging and focused most on helping you become more informed about birth, interventions, and your options than preaching a particular philosophy. The classes are wonderfully small (we had four couples), so it feels intimate, and you have time to discuss and ask questions that are most important to you. The best thing, in my opinion, about the Bradley Method is how it incorporates your husband/partner in the entire process, so he feels involved and you feel like you have an informed advocate in the birth experience with you. They call your husband/parter your "coach" and treat childbirth as an athletic event (as it certainly is) that you train for with exercise and good nutrition. Coaches learn how to cheer you on throughout labor, what your particular needs might be during the various stages, and many various methods for assisting you in pain management (massage, positions, pressure points, etc). My husband said later that he'd been afraid of birth before taking the classes -- fearing feeling helpless while I labored -- but that afterwards he felt confident that he had a role to play and that he'd be able to help me through the experience. This was great for me because my biggest fear was not being able to express my wishes and having interventions administered that I didn't want. Whatever you choose to do, it's great that you are taking a class. There is so much presented as standard procedure in hospitals that aren't really necessary. Being informed is your best asset in labor and will go a long way toward giving you the birth experience you want. In addition to a class, I recommend reading "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer. It is an excellent resource on childbirth -- not preachy and an incredibly easy read for such a well researched source. Goer's approach is to present pros and cons of various birth options. Though advocating natural birth, she acknowledges the need to understand other birth options so that you can make the best informed decision possible when/if circumstances necessitate intervention. Many blessings on your birth!
We used Baby Steps. It's 3 women that started this company. They all used to teach Bradley, but wanted to revise the method to take out what didn't work and add some things they've found through their experiences that did work. I believe it's www.babysteps.com. Laura Fields taught our class. We love her! Even my husband who was somewhat resistant to so many weeks of class. I was successful in a natural drug-free birth, and it was amazing. I highly recommend her. Good luck!
I had two wonderful Bradley births. It's a partner-coached, natural birth method. My instructor (Melinda Delisle-Clark) is currently on sabbatical, but we had a great experience with her and she might be able to recommend someone.
