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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Birthing Classes

When I first got pregnant Brian and I were talking about baby stuff and I mentioned something about birthing classes. He looked at me and said, "I don't have to go to that do I?" I laughed in his face and told him that he isn't that lucky!

Now that 20 weeks is coming up I am starting to feel like we need to get the ball running on some of these things (well everything, because honestly, we haven't really done anything yet...) When we went to our first doctor's appointment they gave us a sheet that had some classes listed on it that the hospital and other organizations do. I have also started some online researching of birthing classes in Bozeman and was pleasantly surprised that there were a couple of local organizations that had websites with class listings.

Here is the trouble with choosing a birthing class. I am crazy (apparently) and would really like to try and have a natural birth. I was even willing to look at a birthing center with a midwife in lieu of the hospital but Brian is really not comfortable with that so we are going to try to achieve a totally natural birth in the hospital. However, I keep on hearing these horror stories of women who were pushed into doing/taking things that they didn't want to while they were in the hospital. Don't get me wrong if I start labor and can't handle the pain I will take the drugs, but I would like to avoid this. So I want us to be as educated as possible before we go to the hospital. Enter in the kind of birthing classes that I am looking for.

I want a class that teaches you not only about the stages of labor, but also how to identify them in your own body. I want to learn techniques for naturally managing pain. I want a teacher that encourages you to do what feels best for you and educates you about your options. Here is the trouble with choosing a birthing class in Bozeman. There are a lot of what Brian would call Guru Granola's in Bozeman. I want to try and avoid getting a class that is so holistic and au-natural that it makes me want to vomit.

I have found a couple of classes that seem like what we want. There is a one-on-one class done in your own home. Surprisingly it is in the same price range as the other classes. It might be nice to be in a class with other couples though. We will have to look over our options and decide. I am excited to do learn more about actually giving birth (I can't believe I am even saying that) and to take a class with Brian.

1 comment:

Lexi said...

We did one through the hospital with three other couples and it was very comprehensive. The teacher had done natural and with pain medication. It was nice, for me, to have the other couples to talk to and discuss with. We had two who tried natural and two, myself included, who were going to do drugs if they felt they needed them. Of course I ended up with a C-section so...no way I was doing that naturally! Give me a call if you want any of my informational sheets. I still have them and they were very good. Of course, you'll probably get your own when you get into a class. =)