Wanted: Finding a Birthing Class

You can google the following organizations and narrow it down to a teacher closest to you. You can also google something along the lines of: childbirth classes in Brooklyn New York to get classes that are closest to you. Typically these classes will be smaller and more informative classes than the larger ones held in hospitals.

http://www.bradleybirth.com

http://www.icea.org

http://www.motherstuff.com/html/midwife-cbe2.html

L. J. I., IBCLC
Lactation Consultant
Peoria, AZ
http://aabreastfeeding.com

Lamaze International
Bradley childbirth classes
ICEA childbirth classes

What kind of birth do you plan on having? I know there are Bradley Method classes along with Hypnobirthing classes, but those tend to be more geared to those who wish to have a natural birth. Good luck!

There are a TON of great birth classes here in the valley!

Nurturing Hearts Birth Services offers birth classes, of varying lengths. Both of the teachers are truly excellent:

http://www.azdoulas.com/classesandeducation.html

There are also lots of Bradley teachers in the area:

http://www.bradleybirth.com/RequestedInfo.aspx

I also have a friend who teaches Hypnobabies, which has had great reviews:

http://hypnobabies.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/noelia-waldo-...

Whatever you choose, I would say that (1) the longer classes are much better, (2) any expense is totally worth it, and (3) hospital classes are usually worthless (though not always), as they are generally teaching what is best for the hospital, not best for you.

Blessings! Hope you find a great class!

My husband and I took a Bradley course and loved it. We chose it because we didn't know much about childbirth and wanted a complete education, and the only other options seemed to be the one-day, ALL-day classes at the hospital (that seemed like a lot of info to absorb all at once). The Bradley classes are not cheap (we paid $300) but it was worth every penny for all of the information we learned. I called and talked with our instructor prior to enrolling, just to get a feel for whether we'd be comfortable in the class even tif we didn't choose to go 'natural'.
Our Bradley instructor has unfortunately moved out of state, but one of our classmates chose to become a Bradley instructor and she would definitely help you learn all about your options (her website is http://www.birthandearth.com if you're interested).
We also took several childbirth classes and baby care classes at the hospital (we wanted to be thorough, haha) and they were informative but they didn't offer anything in addition to what we had already learned in the Bradley class.
Good luck!