Choosing Childbirth Classes

Mothers Advocate offered a great article on choosing a childbirth class. Here are their questions- with our answers regarding our classes. My input is in italics and is in purple below.

Choosing a Childbirth Class
What to Consider When Looking for a Childbirth Class

Conferences and Classes- How Do You Learn?

In this information age every thing is becoming easier to do things virtually, I wanted to make Massaman Curry Chicken. I searched for recipes on line and even found a you tube of someone cooking and giving instructions. This was great! It would have been better if I could have gone to a quick cooking class- but even better if I could have gone to a Thai cooking class that was six weeks long, I could have learned how to make many more dishes that I am sure to love!

Dancing for Birth Classes

I just took my training to become a Dancing for Birth instructor. Not only is this a great prenatal class but it also a great postpartum class. It starts off with a circle time of affirmations for birth and mothering. It is far more than just an exercise class for your body. It also embraces the mind so that the mind body connection is embraced fully. We teach some belly dancing, some African and some Latin moves that help to open our hips for labor and jiggle the baby down into that nice open space! We teach about optimal fetal positioning within the class as well. I love the fun aspect of this class as we don't judge bodies or specific choreography but instead we embrace moving! ?New moms share with the pregnant moms. And babies are worn during the class so they get to enjoy it as much as they did when they were in utero.  I am excited about how this is a great teaching time but also a fun time! I am looking forward to scheduling my first class!

Parts of the Puzzle that Make for a Good Outcome

Recently a local childbirth educator made a comment that students in her classes had the average cesarean rate of consistently 10-12%. I thought wow that is great- I have never kept statistics on my students. I have kept statistics on my doula clients- over the last year my primary cesarean rate has been 8% and all of the cesareans- not including planned ones for things like placenta previa- but including women who had previous cesareans had only been 12%. But it made me think of all of the pieces of that go into the puzzle that makes for a "good" outcome. I realize "good" is a subjective word- so for the sake of this blog article, I will classify "good" as non interventive or at least having only the interventions you as a consumer choose.

Often times a couple who chooses our classes- certainly different than the "normal" hospital "how to be a good patient" classes. So they are usually looking for a different approach- perhaps in an attempt to have "their" birth experience- not the hospitals or their care providers. They are usually open to hearing new ideas that will help expand the ideas they are already developing on their own.

Often times a couple who chooses our classes are not choosing the "normal" birth experience and therefore has either chosen a care provider who is open to stepping outside of the "norm" or soon figure out from the class and their own exploration that the provider they have chosen will need to either get on board or they will need to find a new one.

Often times a couple who chooses our classes are not reading "What to Expect When You are Expecting," or "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy and Birth." They are reading books like "Birthing From Within" and "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth." They are refusing to believe the view that you follow protocol even when it is not what you want.

Often times a couple who chooses our classes are considering their support team carefully. They either surround themselves with family and friends who are on the same page- or they choose to hire a doula. The added support of a doula is definitely documented in numerous studies to make a real positive difference in birth outcomes.

So I choose to believe that my classes- our classes at Labor of Love offer one more piece of the exploration process for a couple to consider in their journey to parenting. My mom used to tell me if you take credit for all of your kids positive characteristics, you must also take credit for the bad ones. I choose to be happy about the characters of my children- and will praise them- hoping that I did influence them but fall just short of claiming credit!

My advice is to prepare for your birth as much as you prepared for other important, life changing experiences in your life up to this point. Choose your care provider carefully. Choose your support team carefully. Choose how you educate yourself carefully. Blend all of this together and you will likely have a "good" birth experience and one where you can take full credit for the choices you made along the way.

All Childbirth Classes Are Not Created Equal

We recently had a student say that although her friends told her it was a waste of time and money to take a childbirth class, she felt she learned things that would be helpful for her preparation for labor and birth that she did not even know she needed to know before taking the classes. Her friends told her the classes they took- more than likely the wham bamm classes that hospitals feel compelled to teach since that is what folks say they want- were full of what the hospital required of them and the medication options they had. I laugh when I hear this and say, "Oh you took the how to be a good patient classes!"

I do think our classes are different. It is more about the mind body connection- the thing that most classes don't even cover. We cover the other basics- positions for labor and birth that enhance labor, the how to time contractions, the how to know when to go to the hospital, the how to ask questions in order to get answers... but we also cover things like: what fears do you have that may hold you up in labor? what roles do you expect your nurse, midwife, partner, doula to have? what is going to change the most as you become parents? what would need to happen to cause you to change your mind in labor about pain medication? what tools do you need in order to avoid interventions in labor? This is more than the yoga 3 hour session to learn how to "breathe and move" in labor- although we cover that. We do not show films on how an epidural is placed, if you need it you don't care how it is placed- only that it gets placed. We do show films on what real birth looks and sounds like. It is not the sanitized view you get from the half hour baby TV shows. We get you to expand your thinking about birth- about your ability- about your body... and we have fun doing it!

You leave our classes feeling not only prepared for labor and birth but perhaps also as new parents. We discuss how to make the transition easier as a couple to a triad or more. We help you in self discovery rather than just feeding you information. It causes you to have to work through things in the process- having lots of conversations with your partner. We really do believe this is a journey. And we believe that it is not about a specific outcome but instead about learning what works for you- what is right in your specific situation- and what is the next best thing as events occur that change your initial goals.

We do not teach a slam bamm class due to the amount of information we feel needs to be shared. We teach a six week series and we do teach a two weekend immersion but even that class started out as a long weekend and we just did not feel great about the absorption of the information- there needed to be a bit more time. This is an investment. Labor is a day in your life but the birth will effect you for the rest of your life. Trust me, childbirth classes are not created equal.

I would love to hear your comments- what were your classes like? If you did not take classes, why not and how did that work for you?

Letter from Donnie

To those wondering if a drive to Lawrenceville for childbirth classes is worth it:

If you have lived in Metro Atlanta for any amount of time, traffic is a big part of your life. The average commute to and from work is over one hour for lots of Atlantans. So, why would anybody in their right mind get up on a Saturday morning and drive 30 miles to childbirth classes?

My wife and I live in the East Atlanta Village area and chose to drice 30 miles or so north for childbirth classes with Teresa. We heard about A Labor of Love through some friends and decided to suck it up and make the drive for 6 straight Saturday mornings. It was highly educational for first time parents and gave us a chance to get to know our doula personally before the big day. After our child’s birth, I can honestly say that it was one of the smartest things we did during my wife’s pregnancy. Here is why:

I am a firm believer that everyone born into this world is great at something. Unfortunately, most of us never find out what that something is. Every once in a while a lucky few find their ultimate calling in life and seize the opportunity. Teresa is one of those lucky few. She was born to be a doula and childbirth educator. My wife’s 22 ½ hour labor and unmedicated vaginal birth of a 9 lb. 8 oz. baby girl went wonderfully and Teresa was a very large reason for that. Doula certifications and the experience of 295+ births are great on her resume, but what sets Teresa apart is something that really can’t be explained. You can see it in her eyes, you hear it in her voice, and you just know that you are in good hands. Not only do you get the benefit of her knowledge, she somehow empowers you to believe in yourself.

Through the A Labor of Love classes, my wife and I felt we had the tools and the confidence for what was up ahead. Sign up for her childbirth classes, hire her as your doula and drive from wherever you have to. It’s worth every minute.

P.S. Teresa didn’t pay me to write this.

P.P.S. There are some things you can do while you’re up in the ‘burbs. For example, there is a Babies R Us, so you can register. It made the drive a little more bearable.

Donnie, husband to Ila

Donnie states that it is 30 miles to his home- it actually is a little more- but mapquest says it is only a 32 minute drive- on Saturdays it is usually a less congested drive than a weekday or evening. The new childbirth location is just off of Hwy.316 which is directly off of I-85. So, don’t fear the drive to the burbs! It may be worth it to you in the end as it was for Ila and Donnie! There are a lot of things to do when you come out this way- Babies R Us is certainly one of them, as well as being a short drive to the Mall of Georgia and Discover Mill Mall. So, bite the bullet and make the drive- we will certainly try to make it a great experience!

I was invited back as their doula for their next child who came mid 2007!