Childbirth Education Classes

Childbirth education classes help you and your partner prepare for the birth of your baby. If a couple is prepared for labor and delivery, the experience is usually more relaxed, even enjoyable. Childbirth education classes for couples in their 30s and 40s are available to meet their specific needs.

How Classes Help
Classes help prepare a woman and her partner for labor and delivery. Studies have shown that women who take childbirth-education classes need less medication, have fewer forceps deliveries and feel more positive about the birth than women who do not take classes.
These classes cover many aspects of labor and delivery, including vaginal birth, Cesarean delivery, hospital procedures, ways to deal with the discomfort and pain of labor and delivery, various pain-relief methods and the postpartum or recovery period. Having this information available beforehand can make you feel more confident and prepared to cope with the birth experience. Nearly 90% of all first time expectant parents take some type of childbirth-education class.

Major Childbirth Philosophies
Couples often wonder if one type of childbirth method is better than another. Any method can be the right one for a couple, but it's best for partners to agree on the method. If the woman chooses a method that involves her partner greatly and the partner isn't able to provide that level of involvement, it could lead to disappointment and anxiety.
Childbirth preparation methods are usually divided among three major philosophies-i-Larnaze, Bradley and Grantly Dick-Read. Each philosophy offers its own techniques and methods.
Lamaze is the oldest technique of childbirth preparation.

Through training, it conditions mothers to replace unproductive laboring efforts with effective ones. It emphasizes relaxation and breathing during labor and delivery. Partners are an important part of Lamaze classes.

Bradley classes teach the Bradley method of relaxation and inward focus. Teachers place strong emphasis on relaxation and deep abdominal breathing to make labor more comfortable. Classes begin when pregnancy is confirmed and continue until after the birth. Bradley class members have often decided they do not want to use any type of medication for labor-pain relief
Grantly Dick-Read is a method that attempts to break the fear-tension-pain cycle of labor and delivery through education. These classes were the first to include fathers in the birth experience.

Choosing Your Class
At around 20 weeks of pregnancy, begin looking into classes that are offered in your area. You should start classes by the beginning of the 3rd trimester (about 27 weeks). Plan to finish the classes at least a few weeks before your due date.

Childbirth classes are offered in many settings. Most hospitals that deliver babies offer prenatal classes on-site. Labor-and-delivery nurses or midwives often teach the classes.
Classes are not only for first-time pregnant women. If you have a new partner, if it has been a few years since you've had a baby, if you have questions or if you would like a review of labor and delivery, consider taking these classes.

Ask your doctor to recommend classes in your area. He or she knows what is available. Friends can be good sources, or look in the yellow pages under "Childbirth Education." Some insurance companies and a few HMOs offer partial or full reimbursement for class fees.