How Do I Choose the Best Childbirth Class?

Choosing a childbirth class is an important decision for many people during pregnancy. A childbirth class might provide a great deal of useful information for new and seasoned parents alike. Choosing the best childbirth class involves locating classes in your area, gathering specific information about these classes and determining which ones meet your needs, value set and childbirth philosophy. Putting forth the effort to choose the best class can yield great results when it comes time to give birth and in the crucial first few days after a baby’s birth.

Although you might read many glowing evaluations of all sorts of wonderful childbirth classes online or in magazines, it does you no good if these classes are not offered in your area. Look in the newspaper, online and in magazines for classes in your area. Friends, doctors, nurses and colleagues might be great sources of honest feedback about which classes are worth the time and money. Make a list of all classes and the contact information for each.

After you have compiled your list of classes, you should begin the process of contacting each one. You should gather information such as cost, instructor, location, day and time, information to be covered in class, any materials needed for class and the instructor’s childbirth philosophy. Some of the information you find might automatically weed out a class or two for you. After you have determined which classes might still be a good match for you and your family, it is time to move on to the next phase of the evaluation process.

A childbirth class is meant to give you a great deal of information that might be useful during and after childbirth. As such, you want your class and your instructor to coincide with your needs, values and philosophies. If you would like to have a home birth, you would not want to attend a class by someone who is a big supporter of hospital births. By using the information from your phone calls, you can weed out a childbirth class that might not be a good fit for you.

One thing to keep in mind when choosing a childbirth class is that classes held at a hospital tend to teach more about how childbirth is handled in that specific hospital’s childbirth facilities. Although this is not necessarily a bad thing, it might be important to attend additional classes at another location to get a better understanding of childbirth itself. A class that covers what happens after birth is another good option because many new parents are unaware of what to expect after childbirth.