A Hospital Childbirth Class – 10 Reasons to NOT Take One

A hospital childbirth class isn’t for everybody. I’d  be a liar if I told you that everybody gets their time and money’s worth at our local hospitals’ childbirth classes. (I would know! I teach one of them!)

Is a Hospital Childbirth Class for Me?

The following are 10 Reasons to NOT Take a Hospital Childbirth Class. In this list I compare a typical hospital childbirth class to a more comprehensive/longer childbirth class. The one is typically not like the other!

1. You want to have a shorter and less painful birth.

I’m really not trying to sound gimmicky here, but there’s something I teach in every childbirth class that gives moms the tools to have a less painful and shorter childbirth. It’s no secret, but called optimal fetal positioning. If you want to learn more about this on your own, you should check out Spinning Babies’ Daily Essentials. It’s WORTH IT!

2. You want to learn pain coping practices that work.

Many childbirth classes have ditched teaching “hee hee hoo hoo’s” (which was probably for the best because everybody was hyperventilating), and instead teach women to “survive” until they get their narcotics and epidural. Or they gloss over pain coping practice in general because there’s not enough time.

This is a disservice to women because they are often shocked at the intensity and pain of childbirth, and are unprepared (women still have to cope through labor before they get an epidural/drugs). Also, the underlying theme there is “you can’t do it”.

In every class I devote time to learning a different pain coping practice that will serve two purposes: 1) build a pain coping mindset and 2) be mindful (which is helpful in labor AND in life).

3. You want to learn about cesarean births.

The cesarean rate in our country is very high and therefore some women who take my classes might find themselves, for whatever reason, having a cesarean birth.

Talking about a cesarean ahead of time does not make it more likely to happen (a common deep seated belief) but instead gives parents things they can DO to make it more of a birth and less of a medical event. It’s good to prepare for a cesarean even if you don’t plan to have one.

Fear not, however, in addition to learning about how to have a more gentle and family friendly cesarean birth, we cover in depth many ways to reduce the chance of having one.

4. You want to successfully navigate the medical system.

One of the most favorite hands-on exercises I do in my classes (this is by far the Dads’ favorite thing we do in class, it’s one of the best dad tips for a great delivery!) is on working with your care provider to gather the information you need in order to make the best decisions for you and your family.

First, I give you the tools (the BRAIN acronym for birth) you need to work with your care provider, and second we role-play where you get to practice these tools. It’s fun AND extremely informative!

5. You want to prepare for the unexpected.

Many parents come to the first night of class narrowly focused on their ideal birth fantasy. However, this may or may not happen, depending on what mood the Birth Fairy is in that day. (The Birth Fairy ALWAYS brings a little bit of the unexpected to every birth!)

I find it helpful to think about multiple scenarios in case the birth doesn’t go to plan (honestly, birth hardly ever goes strictly according to a plan).

Opening to other potential scenarios, and learning to do the Next Best Thing, will serve parents during birth and postpartum when the birth processing begins.

6. You want to grow, change and LEARN something new in class.

Some parents enroll in a childbirth class in order to check it off the a third trimester checklist of “things to do before baby is born”. They are not mentally invested in the class, and might even nonchalantly attend classes.

I can’t tell you how many times I hear people tell me they took the generic hospital childbirth class and thought it was a waste of their time and money. The way I see it is if you’re paying me for a class, I’m going to do my best and make sure that you get something out of it. I want you to be more prepared for what’s to come, grow as a person/parent, and discover new questions and solutions. Also, I make it a point to teach you things you can’t learn for yourself from books and google.

7. You don’t see birth as a medical event.

There is a lot going on at a birth – a physical ordeal, a personal transformation, a testing of perceived limits, the birth of a baby, mothers and fathers… a family. I believe it is narrow minded to prepare for birth solely from one perspective, which is typically the medical perspective.

By learning how to give birth from multiple perspectives we can better prepare for the unknowns and possibilities of birth.

8. You are ready to get outside your comfort zone.

Birth is uncomfortable and is designed to test our thresholds. Because of that, I think it’s helpful to try new things, and to practice spending time outside of our comfort zone.

In my childbirth classes we spend a lot of time doing “hands on” activities and trying new things that allow for personal growth.

9. You enjoy group discussions.

In my childbirth class I try very hard to not personally answer all the questions that come up. I enjoy asking other expectant parents, and even the person asking the question what they think the answer might be.

We all have lots of knowledge and wisdom to share. Some of the most profound learning has come from class discussions, when we are bouncing ideas and new questions off of each other. This is something that I could never have pre-planned but is spontaneous and organic.

However, I do try to keep us on task and focused in order to have effective discussions. As much as I would love to hear about everybody’s crazy family, we just don’t have enough time. 😉

10. You don’t enjoy lectures.

I don’t know about you but I learn very little from lectures. Lectures might be very interesting, but if you asked me a week later what was discussed, I probably wouldn’t remember. What a waste if you show up to your birth and don’t remember a thing from your childbirth class!

In my childbirth class I don’t lecture. I will not stand in front of my class and talk for an hour. Lecturing is not my style, but more importantly, if I lecture nobody will remember what I said! As Pam England often says, teflon teaching isn’t ideal – because it slides right off!

Instead I try to incorporate left and right brain learning in what we do – art projects or maybe role play. Anything that will help us to experience learning… will make it stick.

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If you’ve read to the bottom of this post you’ve probably realized I am NOT in support of the generic, wham bam thank you ma’am, waste of time, hospital childbirth class. If the philosophy discussed in this post sounds appealing to you, you would probably enjoy taking a Birthing From Within childbirth class.

Do you have experience with a hospital childbirth class? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!