Online…..private…..group classes…..Oh my! Navigating the world of childbirth education

What’s a person to do with so many options, and what’s the right choice for you? There’s no way around it, you’ll have to do some research and find the best option that resonates with you, your budget, and your schedule.

In Person Group Classes

Once the standard in Childbirth Education, we saw a loss of In person classes when Covid became the new normal and classes went online. These classes are slowly making a comeback. The advantage of group classes? They are a wonderful way to connect with your community and other parents. These classes also have the advantage of having an instructor available in real time to answer questions and provide hands on practice of techniques for managing and staying comfortable during the birthing time. These classes often will offer local community resources as well as handouts of the material covered. Classes are offered in many different time increments these days, depending on your needs and interests. There is definitely a trend toward weekend intensive options and abbreviated weekday evening options.

Private Classes

Though these classes hit a higher price point, this option has the benefit of flexible scheduling with your instructor. There are a number of other reasons why this option appeals to couples. When navigating previous trauma or loss, it can often feel more comfortable for couples to have a more intimate arrangement and opportunity for addressing their particular circumstance, questions and concerns. Private classes also provide a unique opportunity to tailor curriculum to specific circumstances, including planned cesareans, inductions, VBACS, homebirths, etc.

Online Courses

There are a wide variety of online courses available at different price points. These self-paced courses seem to be particularly appealing to couples who need the flexibility of scheduling their time to review the material. This option also tends to be considered a more affordable one for many folks on a budget. The downside to online courses are that you often do not have connection with other parents or the chance to connect with an instructor who can address specific questions you may have. This option lacks connection to your local community and resources. To learn more about my digital course, check out Holistic Childbirth Education.

Curriculum

There are so many various philosophies and techniques to align with these days, too many to get into here. Everything from Lamaze to Birthing from Within to Hypnobabies, but that is a blog for another time. For now, I want to hit the highlights of what every Childbirth Education class should be covering. Regardless of where you choose to birth, you will want a class that introduces you to your options and common procedures/interventions that may come up throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. You will want an opportunity to learn how to navigate unforeseen circumstances and communicate your wishes with your provider. These options should be presented in a way that helps guide you to crafting your preferences to create dialogue with your birth team so that all understand your goals and what is most important to you and your family. Understanding Informed Choice and BRAIN will be necessary components to achieving your goals and pivoting with flexibility when necessary.

An understanding of Physiology, the hormones of birth, and how birth unfolds naturally is another important aspect to learning about what to expect from your experience. Regardless of plans for medication, induction, or other interventions that may be necessary, this grounding in the basics of how our bodies function during birth is an important aspect of understanding how to navigate procedures and how medications effect that process.

Perhaps a primary focus that many families seek to gain from childbirth classes is for the opportunity to learn and practice tools and comfort measures to implement during the labor itself. A well-rounded class will offer a hands-on component and demonstration in which students will learn several strategies for managing and providing comfort and support for the laboring person throughout the birth journey.

A final component that deserves to be included is discussion of the immediate postpartum period, as well as, infant feeding and setting up support for the postpartum season. For community classes, you should expect to receive local resources to assist you in your goals.

This concise list of topics could be stretched and expanded upon to a series of classes or presented as a weekend intensive. In reality, there is so much within these topics that could be covered in greater detail and its a challenge to cover it all in the short spans of time folks look for in a class. Perhaps one of the greatest tools you may gain from any course, is learning how to get the information to make an informed choice. Educating yourself ahead of time is a large part of the equation. As the saying goes, You don’t know what you don’t know!

Gabe Lazarus provides educational offerings to parents and doulas in the Triangle of NC, in addition to online resources

Holistic Childbirth Education

January 18, 10am-4pm

Childbirth Education for Homebirth

February 1, 10am-4pm

Learn more & register for upcoming group classes