TuscMoms.com

PARA has community based childbirth education classes.

The teaching takes place outside the hospital and covers coping skills, physiology of birth and labor, emotional aspects and childbirth options. All are welcome, it doesn't matter where you are delivering. There will also be role-play and games. Spouses, coaches or friends are encouraged to attend together. Bring a blanket and two pillows to each class.

Private sessions are available for bed rest patients. But it costs more.

These classes will take place on Tuesdays starting next month.

Session 1: Aug. 19 - Sept. 9
Session 2: Sept. 23 - Oct. 14
Session 3: Oct. 28 - Nov. 18
Session 4: Dec. 2 - 16 and Dec. 18

Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Location: McAbee Center
Cost: $120 for 5 week session (this includes a post partum reunion)
Instructor: Donna Buckner, RN, BSN, Certified Childbirth Educator

You must pre register. Call 562-3230 for more information.

That's interesting. I wonder why anyone would want to pay when the classes at the hospital are free (at least at Northport - I assume at the big DCH they are free also). What makes this class worth paying for?

I talked to the instructor and she said it's very in depth. You can sign up as soon as you are pregnant rather than waiting for your last trimester. It covers everything from choosing the right doctor to morning sickness to bonding with your baby to childbirth. She said class sizes will be smaller than your average hospital class. There is also a post partum class reunion.
HTH!

OK, I'm not expecting right now or planning to TTC again for at least a little while, but I'm curious about the childbirth classes (for future reference).

I don't know if women ever take a childbirth class the 2nd time around, but I'd like to find a really in depth class on natural childbirth. I wanted to have Will naturally, but I ended up being induced and I wasn't really as prepared as I should have been. So to make a long story short I couldn't take it anymore and got the epidural. St. Vincent's had a Preparing for Parenthood class that we went to. It wasn't free, but it was fairly inexpensive (don't remember how much now). But, it was a total waste of money. The newborn care stuff they covered was (for the most part) just basic common since stuff (and I'd never even changed a diaper before Will was born). The childbirth part was terrible and the information on natural childbirth / breathing techniques was almost nonexistent. At one of the breaks the instructor asked all the couples interested in natural child birth to come up to the front of the room. She only spent about 5 minutes explaining everything! I complained to the childbirth education coordinator and she let us come back and retake that portion of the class with another instructor. That 2nd instructor was MUCH better, but still I think I needed something more in depth to be truly prepared. I got a pamphlet somewhere about the Bradley Method and I would have liked to have taken that class, but we just couldn't afford it at he time. I think it was around $300.

Is the class at DCH any good or is it like St. Vincent's.... where you get what you pay for, if you KWIM?

The Lamaze class at Northport was pretty good for teaching breathing and other relaxation techniques for going natural. I've had two natural childbirths so far, and we studied the Bradley method (never took a class) and ended up using a combination of Bradley and Lamaze. I just picked up a card the other day at SugarFoots advertising for Bradley classes. The card says to call Candice Pate at 205-246-2165 or visit www.bradleybirth.com?p348
I have no idea who that person is or how the classes are, but I think the Bradley method is very helpful and for me the preparation was invaluable for getting through my first (30+ hour) labor without pain meds.

I think sugarfoots is where I picked up the info back when I was expecting, because that website looks like the same one I went to then. Ok, it sound like what DCH offers is better than what I went to at St. Vincent's. I'll keep that in mind. Although it will probably be a while before I need to worry about that again.