They didn't tell me THAT in Childbirth Class!

[Tracie]

Hi Everyone,

I have to design a curriculum for pre-natal classes as part of my studies :eek: and I really need some help!!! :o

I've often heard ladies who have gone on to have their babies say that they wish they had been told particular things in their ante-natal or childbirth preparation classes.......but I can never remember what it is they wished they had been told or informed about.....so.....

I am really interested in hearing from you all about your birth and labour preparation classes.....

Was there anything missing?
What do you wish they had included in the content?
What was the most helpful information you received?

And if you have time, I would also love to know how your classes were set up...

When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?)
Were the classes too long, too short or just right? (what's best?)
Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?)
How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?)
Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?)
Did you make some buddies? (was that important?)

Any other comments would also be appreciated......thanks so much!

[aardvark]

The first ones I went to were held at night.

The big problem I had was that the Refresher classes, which I felt I needed to attend, given there was a 10 year age gap between #1 and #2 were held during the day on weekdays - NO GOOD for working mums.

One thing that I was not told, which I wish I had been is that Pethidine can make some people Psychotic. I think I was borderline psychotic after being given a dose of it. If I had known what the potential outcome of that would be, I would have refused it.

The other thing, sort of related to that, which was not stated clearly at the first lot of classes is that it is often about the point where you feel you can't endure it much more, feel nauseous, out of control etc, that you are going through transition, and it won't be much longer. If I'd known that, I would have not had the pethidine, either. They told me I had AT LEAST 4-5 hours more to go - I had 20 minutes.

[Areca]

Our childbirth classes were great. They included parenting classes so they told us what we could expect the first few weeks. I wish there was more on breastfeeding. I know they run seperate classes (well they did at my hospital) but I never went and even though I'm a successful bfer I was clueless and only knew what to expect (cluster feedings etc.) because of the net.

They did not tell us how much you bled after giving birth!!! And clots, I knew about clots thankfully (internet again) but if I didn't I would've freaked. I did freak when my midwife handed me 4 hospital pads to put on top of my maternity pads.
I think what was most hopeful was explaining about endorphins and adrenalin. How if you stay relaxed your body will release endorphins and labour will progress, if you freak out you'll release adrenalin and labour can slow down or even stop (she likened it to an animal running from it's predator in the wild.)


When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?) We had ours every Monday night from 7pm-9pm. This suited us best. The hospital ran them Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights and then Saturday's as well (which was two or three longer days, can't remember).
Were the classes too long, too short or just right? (what's best?) Two hours was perfect!
Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?) The classes were fun. The educator was really good, we'd have a 15 minute coffee break in the middle where everyone got to chat. I looked forward to them every week (we had 4 weeks of birth classes then 2 weeks of parenting...that was just how they did it)
How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?) It was $135 (I think) I was ok with that price...I think we claimed it, can't remember.
Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?) Yep, he was a great support and birthing partner and he loved learning about what to expect.
Did you make some buddies? (was that important?) Initially no. The group was great but didn't see any lifelong friends. The educator was fantastic and organised a re-union for us a couple of months after all our babies were born. From there we have all kept in contact and meet up every couple of months to catch up. We all get along fantastically and have a great time when we're together. Without the re-union we wouldn't have had the friendships we have now (the re-union was free) and I'm so so grateful our educator organised that for us (it was her own doing but she did use a room at the hospital for it). I feel like friends that have gone to a different hospital really missed out by not having that re-union.


On a side note...one friend that went to a different hospital said that the first week they went through what you shouldn't eat during pregnancy. she thought that was really stupid because you should know that by the time you are 28 or so weeks pg.

[Harmony83]

Was there anything missing? Perhaps the different ways women feel contractions - I constantly had the strong urge to push with every contraction from the beginning and I was terrified it wasn't normal!

What do you wish they had included in the content? More of what its like AFTER the birth, like baby blues and pnd, breastfeeding and that it takes awhile to get established, the fact that babies need to be held alot and that its okay to do so

What was the most helpful information you received? The fact that Doctors like to interfere when its not necessary!! When I was in labour, the nurse was trying to force and episiotomy on me, but because I knew it wasn't necessary in my situation, I was very adamant about it!!

When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?)Mine was held on Saturday afternoon for 2 hours, I think that was pretty perfect!

Were the classes too long, too short or just right? Just right - any longer and you would have been bored any shorter and you wouldn't get all the wonderful infor!(what's best?)

Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?)I thought they were very informative and interesting, perhaps more (up to date) visual aids would have helped, especially with the daddies to be


How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?) We unfortunately missed out on the free classes held at the hospital, so we had to pay a couple of hundred dollars to get in, at the time, we were struggling, so it did seem very expensive - but it was definately worth it!

Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?) I think he did, he got to find out about what the birth could be like, and a bit about new babies, and I think for any new parent to be, its invaluable - As I said above though, more visual aids wouldve helped alot! We only had one old video of a waterbirth, and most of us were having a hospital birth, so a video of that would be good!

Did you make some buddies? (was that important?) Yeah, we arranged, through the birth class to meet up a couple of months after all the bubs were born, but I haven't seen them since!

Hope this helps a bit!!

[reddwarf]

,,,

[Funkychicken]

I'll trade you. I'll give you this info if you'll tell me more about doula training!:laughing: :laughing:
Actually, I am really intersted in what is involved in training to become a doula, so maybe you can recommend some sites or recommend somewhere that does this training?
Ok, onto your questions. I guess after my recent thread on why young mums don't seem to be breastfeeding, and from my memories of classes, there needs to be soooo much more discussion on breastfeeding. We had 6 pre-natal classes and at only one of these was breastfeeding discussed. Even then, the information was pretty simple stuff, certainly didn't go into detail on possible problems.
They cost nothing as they were run by the hospital and happened once aweek on a weeknight for 6 weeks. I'm pretty sure DH enjoyed them-it was our first bub so everything was exciting! Plus he could make jokes such as when the midwife mentioned the rooting reflex, he asked "Wasn't that what got us into trouble in the first place?":laughing: .
We, unfortunately had 30 couples in our group so making friends was a bit unlikely. When I had DD, because i was booked into the birth centre we were 'required' to attend 3 extra classes and they were much more informative. They definately focused on the natural birth side of things and we only had 12 couples so we did have a post birth meet which was really nice-interestingly though, only myself and the other second time mum had the natural birth. All the other mums ended up in the labour ward with drugs.
I have a friend who recently moved here from Holland and she had one daughter there and is about to have her 2nd child here. I will speak with her if you like and see what it is they do there that ensures all these lovely, natural births. Best of luck with your studies.:thumbsup:

[Chanelc]

My birth classes were great. The only thing I wish they had taught me is the signs to know when the baby is asleep and also the tricks on how the nurses got Chanel to sleep when I couldn't. I always remember they say buzz if it gets too much they take your baby and surprise they can get your baby to sleep but never told me how they did it!

Cheers
Cheryl & Chanel
Goodluck with the classes

[newmum2one]

I wish I'd been able to go at all!!! :eek:
The hospital (I can't remember why) wouldn't sign me up for the classes until I was 31-32 weeks pregnant (and they were going to try and finish them before I had DS) - however I had DS at 30 weeks so the whole thing was a new experience!!! I had no idea about breastfeeding, caesars or anything, and definitely didn't know anything about the facilities or anything at the hospital. I thought I'd tell you this in case you needed to do like an analysis/recommendations or something that classes need to start earlier in the pregnancy - I had no information and no support group to lean on!
PS poor DH knew even less about what was going on ROFL :laughing:

[Tea Lady]

Sorry I don't have time to go through your Qs in detail, but I remember a couple of things that stood out.

* We spent WAY too long playing games that were meant to "teach" us things, but were an inefficient use of time (eg lots of copying things onto butchers paper, matching things together). As a school teacher who is used to designing succinct activities this drove me MAD :o

* The handouts we were given were poorly photocopied and weren't all that helpful - it would have been great to have a booklet or something that wouldn't get lost so easily. Spelling mistakes / poor grammar in handouts also don't give a very good impression! I think handouts on breastfeeding trouble shooting, signs of PND, stuff like that would have been really helpful. Also a sheet on helpful websites and phone numbers. Oh, and a sheet for things dads can do to make things easier for new mums :thumbsup:

* The videos we saw weren't good - the only VB one was a homebirth where the woman was having her 4th child - not very realistic for us 1st timers who were all having hospital births. The video we saw of the C/S birth was fine and would have been helpful for ppl who ended up having a C/S.

* A good thing was that at the beginning the MW asked what people wanted to know, and then tried to cover all of that.

* We also had some info on bf which was great - it sounds like not everyone gets that, and a sheet on changing nappies.

* Maybe you could get someone who has given birth to come and talk to the class about their experience - I was very unprepared for just how tired and emotional I would feel and it would have been good to hear how someone else coped.

* I could have used some advice on not being too ambitious about having lots of visitors (to the hospital and at home) - it could be good to suggest people get visitors to ring before coming and maybe some strategies for fobbing off people who are too keen.

Good luck with it! :)

[Tracie]

Thanks ladies....really helpful stuff..

Funky Chicken - Shall put together some info for you later on Doula-ring....least I can do in return for your input!!!

Keep the answers coming ladies, this is really a great help!

[misskittyfantastico]

I live three hours from where I gave birth so I opted for a one day session. Obviously it was quite basic in what it covered because of time restrictions - I think a weekend course might have allowed more detailed information on certain topics.

I think that too much time was spent on talking about how a baby changes your life etc...waste of time! I don't think anyone can comprehend how having a child impacts your life until you're living it.

More time should have been spent encouraging us to really think about the kind of birth we wanted...I didn't even know that we HAD other options in terms of intervention and such.

I think some hand outs on doulas and other alternative (read better LOL) ways of birthing should have been given. Didn't know what a doula was until BubHub - after DD's birth and I feel gipped.

Also more handouts and info on PND and breastfeeding.

[wattle]

I'd just like to say that handing around the forceps was TOTALLY unnecessary and scared the living **** out of us all. Big :thumbsdown: to the person who came up with that idea.

[Funkychicken]

Now that I've had more time to think, I've come up with a few things that I wish I knew more about before our bub arrived.
The sleeping thing!!!!!!! There was next to no information on how much sleep the baby needed and how often. These are two big things in the life of new parents and we didn't get any heads-up at all.
Come to think of it, they were BIRTH classes, not parenting, so there is a huge opening there for pre-parenting classes.

[~Danni~]

Hi, I probably wont be much help cos I didnt go to the classes but that was because they were all booked at and at the wrong time any way. I did go to a breastfeeding class before DD was born though wich was fantastic...


And if you have time, I would also love to know how your classes were set up...

When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?)
The classes were during the day (weekdays) so no good for me cos I don't drive and would have wanted DF to be there any way. All the night ones were booked out like 6 months in advance. I think the main problem is they were not running enough classes at enough different times (Best time for us would have been - night 7 till when ever) The breastfeeding class was on a sunday at 2 in the afternoon till 4:30 time was fine :D
How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?)
Our hospi was charging $100 for 6 or so classes (the breastfeeding class was free) I think that is pretty reasonable
Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?)
The breastfeeding class?? boobies need I say more... jokes, I found it really good and when DD was born and I was having troubles he understood how difficult it was and even remembered some of the tips I had forgotten (sweet man)

[Chickadee]

Was there anything missing?
What do you wish they had included in the content?
My class spent part of one class talking about c/s and offered a separate class for people wanting more info. In hindsight I should have attended that class but I suppose the format worked for most. I think there should have been more info on breastfeeding in the main class schedules instead of having to attend separate sessions. I don't remember anything about b/f at all. It would also have been good to hear more on our alternate birth options (doulas etc).

What was the most helpful information you received?
Probably the hospital tour, so that our entry to the hospital for c/s or labour wasn't a completely unfamiliar experience.
We also did a few exercises where we were asked our opinions on parenting topics and separated to different sides of the room. There were obviously issues that partners hadn't discussed before and were surprised to find they had different opinions on.


When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?) My (private) hospital offered a range of options.

Were the classes too long, too short or just right? (what's best?) I think they were 2 to 2.5 hours for 6 weeks. I did an evening course and asking a tired pregnant woman to sit for so long in the evening was a bit hard, though we did have a snack break and there were floor pillows if people wanted to use them.

Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?) Boring, but the midwife had a sense of humour and made it tolerable.

Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?) I think "tolerate" would be the right word. He tolerated them. The info packages did include some info specifically for dads, such as on coping with baby or men's health issues.

Did you make some buddies? (was that important?) None. Couples tended to stick with each other and there was little chatting even at the breaks.

[bnatural]

sorry this will be quick.. i have 2 mins only ..:banghead:

I don't know about other people, but they didn't tell us about night sweats! I got this really bad about 1 week after returning home.. The midwife said this was normal.. never heard about this before.. I would wake up in the night as if I had gone for a swim in the pool.. not nice when you have to breastfeed.. change clothes etc. had to sleep on towels.
Also I vomited about 4 times during contractions.. about 2 hours before birth

[jessgray]

Was there anything missing? i wasnt told much about pain relief.
What do you wish they had included in the content? what would happen if i went over. i ended up going into labour at 41 weeks with DS1.
What was the most helpful information you received? not to walk in saying i wont have any pain relief coz if i do i would feel bad for needing it.


When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?) we had a 1 day private session. during the afternoon. on a weekday.
Were the classes too long, too short or just right? (what's best?) a bit on the short side.
Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?) bit of both coz i was told stuff i already had learnt from watching doco's on foxtel lol
How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?)it was free
Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?) yes well i think he did lol he learnt more then me
Did you make some buddies? (was that important?)no coz ours where private

[bpato]

Hi

Hubby and I only went to 3 out of our 6 classes, as there were boring as bat poo. There was nothing we discussed that I hadn't read about in the two baby book we had.

The questions I had about using cloth nappies and other things (which I can't remember) were never answered either.

Our classes were held on a Wednesday night from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. This was another issue as beign 30 weeks preggers I was usually :sleeping: by 7 or 7.30 at that stage, as I was still workign full time.

Oh the good thing about going was that I found out about bubhub :smiliedance: through one of the other mums to be.

Hope this has helped

Belinda

[MyGuys]

We did our classes back in NZ and the biggest thing for us was not getting told what happened when you went past your due date. We did 9 days, ended up being induced and then ended up with an emergency c-section due to ds tilting his head and not wanting to come out.
This was an extremely scarry time for both my husband and I as we'd not been informed of the possibilities of this happening and what does happen when you go over.
We wished that at some point it was discussed in the birth classes:
1 - what happens when you go past due date
2 - what does being induced mean
3 - what happens next
4 - emergency c-section
This would have helped immensley

[ZubDub]

Was there anything missing?A huge amount. We were aiming for and achieved a natural birth - a lot of deatial for this was absent. and really they didn't go into much detail for non-natural either. definitly not enough detail on the side effects of pain relief etc
What do you wish they had included in the content?Natural birthing stuff. They made a weak attempt but it didn't realy push their buttons.
What was the most helpful information you received?We saw the birthsuites - that was important - we got an understanding of the regulations of the hospital - re: waterbirth etc. Also, I assumes physiological 3rd stage would be common practise - it wasn't - so that was good because I got to fine-tune my birth plan

And if you have time, I would also love to know how your classes were set up...

When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?)We had a choice - we chose weeknight after work.
Were the classes too long, too short or just right? (what's best?) I think 3 hours? x 5 classes. Too long at that time of night for pregnant hungrey women!
Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?) Boring. Just the presenter wasn't great gun's. She was a bit jaded & overworked I think
How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?)Free. But mind you - really , I found them pretty abysmal & would have demanded any money back
Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?)I think it gave him confidence about how much we had prepared (before we went to these classes. We had covered eveything in more detail from our own research)
Did you make some buddies? (was that important?)Yes we did- it is always nice to do so.

[Tracie]

Thanks ladies...this is soooo great - such a big help!

Keep em coming!

[cosmic]

Hi Tracie,

I think my biggest complaints about our classes were more about the presenter and her facilitation skills, rather than the content. She always started late and got off topic so we always ended up finishing late... to the point where people started arriving for class at 9.45am instead of 9.30am because they knew the class never started on time and we often had to leave before class was over because she'd run over time. :banghead:

* We attended weekdays from 9.30am - 11.30am because day classes were free and we are self-employed so it suited us. Evening classes were a small fee but I don't remember how much.

* The presenter was so conscious of not being judgemental (eg about drugs in labour) that I believe she glossed over topics and gave people misinformation. Eg. when someone asked about the side effects of epidurals she said that the worst thing that could happen was you might get a bad headache but that would be very, very rare. :rolleyes: Having said that, she was very supportive of active, natural birth.

* Not enough detailed info to allow people to make informed decisions. For eg. she said "it's totally up to you if you want to clamp and cut the cord straight away or leave it until it stops pulsating. Totally your choice". Fullstop. No pros and cons. um.. so how will people know what they want to do if they have no information to make the decision?

* You'll love this one. She asked if anyone was thinking of using a doula. When people didn't know what a doula was (I was the only person who raised my hand to say I was having a doula) she told them that a doula "is someone you pay to come to your birth, who usually isn't medically trained and can be very expensive, so really when you have so many other expenses associated with having a baby you're far better to have your mum or someone you love and trust to support you during your labour"!!!!

* We had one session on parenting and admittedly I had to leave early so I might have missed it, but I never knew (and I'm embarrassed to admit this after all my research into birth and parenting) that babies only need to be up for an hour or so before they go back to sleep and that you might actually have to make some effort to put them to sleep. When I got home from hospital, I put the baby in her snugglebed and expected that she'd doze off when she was tired just like she did in the hospital. She didn't!! She lay awake for hours and then screamed the house down because she was chronically overtired. I don't believe in schedules necessarily, but some info on normal baby sleep patterns would have been handy.

They say all babies do is eat and sleep but they don't tell you that sometimes that takes all day.. ie. an hour to rock them to sleep, 20 minutes of sleep, another hour of rocking, half an hour of sleep, another feed and nappy change, more rocking etc etc... that is, if you have a baby like mine who isn't fond of sleep during the day!

* More on breastfeeding. I even attended a separate class, but all they focus on is attachment and positioning. I would have liked to know that some babies snack and that's ok. I had an expectation that she would drink for 15+ minutes each side then go to sleep for 2 hours. Nope. She has only ever fed for 5 minutes each side from day one! I can't tell you the amount of stress this has caused me, quite unnecessarily. Add that to the non-sleeping issue and as you can imagine, I had no bloody idea what was going on. :o

* No we didn't make friends. We are supposed to be having a reunion but I doubt we'll see eachother again after that.

* DH shared my frustration about the lack of good information and the chronically running over time, starting late. He was taking time out of his work day to be there so it really, really annoyed him.

To sum up - there was some useful information but I was very, very glad I was not relying on this class to be my sole information source and I had serious concerns for anyone who was. And there were clearly some who were!

C.

[our little treasures]

Was there anything missing?There was a lot of information I had already been told or read about, the things I wish they had of included was a lot more info on breast feeding with snacking etc. Maybe if they even included a session on natural parenting as we were under the impression that it would be easy to put a screaming child to sleep and walk away.. Now I have read and learn't to follow my child etc...
What do you wish they had included in the content? as above and maybe the pain of 3rd degree tears, I was never told how painful it would be how long before the pain settled etc!!What was the most helpful information you received?How to attach the baby with breast feeding and to feed the baby when they arrive, I think this made me aware that I was in pain so my baby was not attached no matter how much I thought they were.

And if you have time, I would also love to know how your classes were set up...

When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?) Every saturday
Were the classes too long, too short or just right? 1hr and it was good not too long
Were the classes boring or great fun? I thought that they were good some sessions boring some fun
How much did they cost? $55 as I was in public hospital
Did your DP enjoy them? My hubby liked them as he learn't a fair bit and liked to joke around at my expense
Did you make some buddies? Even though we got along with most we didn't click, I think this was due to the fact that I was younger at 23 and they were all 33 and over!! I think this makes a huge difference maybe if they put us in age groups it might have been better.

[cjb/jbvd]

our class was on weekends at the hospital we would be going to. this worked out well as then we knew where to go for the birth. no panicking on the day trying to find the labour ward.
it was pretty expensive but i think with a bit of a revamp it could be worth it.
they didn't really explain much about the pros and cons of natural vs pain relief birth. the class on couples communication and bonding after the class was good. they did explain alot about baby blues and pnd which was great as i was pretty emotional after DS's birth. they also explained how dad could recognise the signs and how to be supportive about pnd.
i think i could have used a few more classes about what kind of birth i wanted. it wasn't until the day before i was induced that i found out about water births, etc, and no-one really explaned anything about doulas or midwives or anything like that. as far as i knew, the doctor came in, and that was that. big shock when i have six or seven people in there and i found out that the lady in the room next door had her baby in the bath.
i wish they'd explained more about sleeping for a newborn. i didn't realise little people slept sooo much and ended up at karitane for a sleep and settling class. if hospitals gave a sleep and settle class twice a week at hospitals, so many mums would be so much better off.
birthing videos should be banned. all of them. they are just so single tracked. and they are completely terrifying. there are hundreds of different things for each person when giving birth. they shouldn't pidgeonhole it so much. birthing is such an individual thing.
getting a squirming child in and out of a car seat lessons would have helped too.
a big giant fridge magnet with all the numbers for poisons info, breastfeeding hotline, community nursing and all that stuff you need when you get home with no support would be great. those sheets of paper with the numbers on them don't help at all as they get lost very easily.
a time management class would have been useful too. i'm still trying to fit 48 hours into 24 and not getting anything done.
daddies need bottle classes. how to sterilise a bottle. how to make up/store formula/breastmilk. and how to feed it to babies. DS's dad used to prop him on a couch and feed him when i wasn't home because he felt uncomfortable cuddling him to feed. and the number of times i had to tell him how to make up a bottle was ridiculous. i don't know if all daddies are like this, or just DS's.

anyway, hope this helps, and best of luck!!!!

[suemp]

i wish i was told it can be normal to bleed during child birth, i bled like i had my periods and freaked out
and i wish it was not so much "breast is best" and you are in some way depriving your child if you dont b/feed. as i was unable to b/f due to medical reasons and as if pnd isnt bad enough without a hospital making you feel like a failure.

[aprilbaby]

Was there anything missing? I found our classes to be REALLY great. I can't think of anything major that was missing, well nothing you can teach or prepare for anyway!

What do you wish they had included in the content? As above. Unlike alot of responses ours included info on pnd, breastfeeding, sleeping, settling, pain relief, stages of labour etc. I found that it covered pretty much everything.

What was the most helpful information you received? We watched a video on a birth and the baby came out blue and didn't make a sound for a few minutes. If that was my baby I would've though it was dead but the teacher explained that was perfectly normal which was something I didn't expect. Turns out my DS came out pink and screaming though! I also found the info on pain relief was good and the teacher was very conscious of being non judgemental about all options. Turns out I never had time for drugs though so come to think of it neither of my helpful info was very helpful!

When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?)We had a choice of two hours one weeknight a week or a two full Saturday intensive class, which we chose. It was a long day when you're very fat and uncomfortable but we had morning tea and lunch and I liked it better getting all the info at once.

Were the classes too long, too short or just right? As above. Also, the first Saturday was on the birth and the second on parenting, which was good as the birth is one day and the parenting is FOREVER!

Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?) They were fun because the teacher (a midwife) was a great presenter. She was very relaxed and gave the info in an easy, non judgemental way that didn't feel like you were at school.

How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?) I think they were about $100 which included food and drinks.

Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?) At first my DH didn't want to go to them but afterwards he was raving about how good they were and I think he got even more out of them than me. I had already read alot in books and on bubhub, so I knew about most things but for him alot of it was new. I think he absorbed the info more from a proffessional than if I was telling him too! He especially found the videos helpful as I think men are more visual learners.

Did you make some buddies? (was that important?) We chatted with some of the couples on the day but haven't seen them since. The idea of having a reunion is great, i wish we had that.

Hope this helps, good luck with your study, I think it would be a great job!

[ozzysmum]

ours was really good, even though i didn't want to go. I went with my birth partner as DP was working away and everyone thought we were lesbians and were really supportive...

the midwife who held the course was great - interesting and funny and very supportive of alternative ways of birthing (alternative to hospital procedures, that is). the only thing she did that annoyed me was to say that i had probably freaked myself out by reading so many books (i am a researcher by both nature and profession so was quite offended - i am able to sort good knowledge from tripe) but i think she was just grumpy because i hadn't read her book - which she plugged at the end of the session!

there were 2 four hour classes and it was about $100 which was fine - the 10pm finishes did not make for happy pregnant ladies though, especially those of us who were still at work during the day.

the first class was all about labour and birth and the second class was more about the first 6 weeks - we even got to watch her bathe a newborn on our maternity ward tour!

and to everyone who has said they didn't appreciate the childbirth videos i agree entirely :yes: we don't see it from that angle when it's happening to us (generally) and every experience is sooooooo different - it was the one thing we all bonded on after class, that it pretty much made us not want to do it any more!!! that said, good on the women that let their birth experience be used for such an educational purpose - i do know some people who would have had no idea what to expect otherwise.

good luck with your study!

[motherhoodlmb]

Hi Tracie,

I haven't been able to go through all of the other responses, but from my personal point of view I feel not enough 'coaching' is done to prepare you for the emotional transition to becoming a mum. I'd have to say this would be one of the biggest transitions you could make in life and if you're not used to being around babies, if you're not naturally a resilient (or optimistic) person, if you don't have much family or friend support around you - this can be a very difficult transition to make and could possibly lead to PND or if not PND, then a huge struggle. I'm not sure whether that is in the scope of being a doula, but it's certainly something which should be mentioned to expectant parents, particularly in the first trimester where research has shown that you are more receptive to hearing those things!

I have a huge interest in how first time mothers cope and have actually myself posted a post in this section for women to answer a questionnaire for a book I'm writing (some have and they are wonderful). I've spoken to a number of 'experts' about this topic. Particularly for women having kids later who might not be 'child literate' anymore, this would be essential (I think anyway!!)

Good luck with your research.
Lisa

[1+1=5]

When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?) Mondays at 7.00pm. i was not offered another day or time. at the time it was ok but i would like to go to the 'refresher classes' and this time is not that great. i would like it during the day.
Were the classes too long, too short or just right? (what's best?) too short even though they went for 2 hours. people had so many questions that we had a line happening at the end of each class
Were the classes boring or great fun? (why?)informative and fun. it was interactive and we got to see the birthing suites which dispelled a lot of fears
How much did they cost? (reasonable or too expensive?)$20 concession. great price
Did your DP enjoy them? (why or why not?)yes because he had a lot of questions he wanted answered as well
Did you make some buddies? (was that important?)yes. the only couple who would talk to us. importnat? yes, because we do not have freinds with children so you need all the freinds you can get who are in a similar boat with kids of similar ages.
what would i like to have discussed? the side effects of the drugs used during pregnancy. they skimmed over what options there were of pain releif but i had to do my own research on pethdine and the eppi to to see what possible side effects there were. i would also have liked to discuss the importance of vitamin K babies get. they just assumed everyone would say yes.
i would have liked to haev some discussion regarding PND and how to recognise the symptoms. i didn't realise i was suffering from it till my son was 2 years old, i just thoguht it was my hormones settling down and the high level of stress. i vertually have no memory of my son's first eyar of life. women need to made aware of this serious condition and to know where to go.

we also did not discuss anythign about what happens when you go home from the hospital and the feelings you would experience. we were at a loss for a while, the 'what now' settled in the minute we walked in the door.

[KiLLaKaZ]

I wish I'd been able to go at all!!! :eek:
The hospital (I can't remember why) wouldn't sign me up for the classes until I was 31-32 weeks pregnant (and they were going to try and finish them before I had DS)

mine was the same!

well tracie, u know what they covered in my class. i'm not sure if they left out anything because i already knew it all from u & the books u lent me! ;) one of the main reasons i wanted to still go, though was to get to know the way that particular hospital dealt with things...
*****************************************

onto the q's, tho:

Was there anything missing?
not about the birth, but for AFTER the birth.

What do you wish they had included in the content?
i wish they had have talked about after the birth, i.e. what to do with the baby!! e.g. bathing routines, sleeping & eating habits, changing nappies, etc. they did explain breastfeeding quite well, but not about how often it should be done.

What was the most helpful information you received?
touring the hospital & birth suites & being SHOWN what their instruments, etc actually LOOKED like.

And if you have time, I would also love to know how your classes were set up...
u were there, so u know all these details ;) i loved having tea, coffee, cake & biscuits easily available! ;)

i think it was a shame that we didn't get to know one another in the class. it would have been good to meet mothers living in the same area.

[twins+another]

Was there anything missing?
What do you wish they had included in the content?

- I was the only one in our group carrying twins and quite often after each point was discussed, I was told "that probably won't happen with you" but I was never told what would happen. I also think they should have discusses pain releif more instead of trying to push 'natural' all the time. At least then it would have been less 'guess work' and more 'informed decision' when the time came. I also hated how they kept saying "you will know when you are in labour!"

What was the most helpful information you received? - Definately the ward and labour room tour.


When were they held - weekend, weeknight? (what's best?) - We did ours over a couple (3 I think) Saturdays from 9am to 4pm. We liked that because we didn't want to be falling asleep after work.


Were the classes too long, too short or just right? - Most days were ok but it is really annoying when people are late and the whole class has to wait for them or info has to be repeated because people missed it cause they were late back from lunch!

Were the classes boring or great fun? -Neither. I wanted them to be informative, not games and role-plays. As someone earlier has mentioned, playing match-up games and stupidly copying things onto butchers paper is like a bad work training day and not at all useful for preparing for childbirth and parenting!

How much did they cost? - $80 which I thought was fair

Did your DP enjoy them? - only just! I think he kept wondering when the games were going to stop and the info start.

Did you make some buddies? - No, everyone kept to themselves and tried to avoid the one couple who seemed to want to be everyones best buddy!


My experience may have been coloured by the fact that I was having twins and everyone else was only having 1 but having said that, the trainer was 12 weeks pregnant herself, with triplets! Her having to run out and vomit regularly didn't help though!

[Tracie]

Hi Everyone,

I have just now had the chance to sit down and read thru all of the replies so far and I really want to say thank-you for taking the time to help me out. I am so very grateful for your input and it will really help me to develop a really good course outline. One additional thing I would like to ask is at what stage of your pregnancy do you think these sorts of classes should be held?

Would love to receive more replies and any comments about the following points would be welcomed too!

Here's what I have summised from your posts so far.....


Need to offer a choice of week-end or evening classes.
Most courses consisted of 8-12 hours of classes spread over these times.
Most feel $20-$30 per class is a reasonable amount to pay (although free is better!)
Start on time - no waiting for late-comers (but have a set up so they can come in without too much disruption)
Stay on Topic
Evening classes should be max 2 hours - perhaps 1.5hrs of teaching and .5 hrs to allow for chatting and questions. (Means tired mums can get home at a reasonable hour.)
Ensure you cater for all types of learners - Visual, Audio, Touch etc.
But....keep a good balance between providing / lecturing info and interactive activities.
Tread lightly with respect to videos - make sure they are current and relevant to the class and perhaps give the choice of watching or not.
Provide good quality handouts
Provide lists of further resources so that you can continue to do your own learning and research when the class is over

Content....


Birth Choices - Talk about what things might be available to you in hospital - balls, bean bags, hot packs, birthing mats, baths, showers etc. Talk about the importance of rock-solid birth support - either by partners/friends or by doulas/independent midwives

Birth Preferences - not only how to write these but how to best discuss them with your careproviders and how to ensure the lines of communication are kept open at all times during your labour. Tips for negotiating the hospital system and their routine practises.

Interventions - Explain some of the possible decisions you may have to make (ie induction, waters broken, monitoring, caesarian etc) and provide adequate information regarding the pros and cons of these to enable the birthing mum and her partner/support to be fully able to make their own choices.

Caesarians - go into lots of detail about what is involved and also explain risks of the surgery as well as risks to future pregnancies and births.

Pain Relief - Divide this into two - Narcotics or Natural.

Explain Drugs in detail - give all pros and cons and trade-offs involved.

Explain natural pain relief techniques and give time to practising them as well as info on how to continue practising after the class is over.

Regarding Interventions and Pain Relief - don't gloss over anything for fear of offending anyone - give the cold, hard facts. Talk about the Cascade of Interventions.

Optimal Foetal Positioning - talk about how important your bubbies position is and what to do to ensure you get the best start to your labour

How our bodies work - not just dilation and effacement etc but also how our hormones work to get us through labour and the postpartum period. Explain how disrupting our hormone production can effect many things and what you can do to compensate if this happens to you. Talk about the characteristics of transition and how this is the most difficult and vulnerable part of the labour but also that it signals that the birth of your baby is very close

Physical Changes after the birth - ie what to expect when it comes to blood loss, tiredness, healing, etc.

Emotional changes before and after the birth - talk in detail about AND / PND - who is at risk and recognising signs / where to go for help if you suspect you may be affected.

Breastfeeding - more info on potential issues / where to get help / how much babies need to eat / ensuring they get a good feed

Newborn babies - identifying cries / sleep requirements of newborns / settling and soothing methods / examples of newborn routines / resources in case you need help. Perhaps even some videos of babies being soothed or settled to sleep.

And finally try to incorporate a "sharing circle" where mums and dads who have had their babies can return and share their stories - helps to take the mystery out of things and instil confidence in those still to have their "birth" day.


Thoughts???

[bubhub]

Hey Tracie

One suggestion from me...




Provide lists of further resources so that you can continue to do your own learning and research when the class is over



Be sure to mention Bub Hub as a directory of local shops & services, parenting advice and online support forum

!!!

[motherhoodlmb]

Tracie, that's a wonderful summary and congatulations, I think your research is a great idea.

As part of my research about women's experience of motherhood, I spoke with the Director of PANDA about why some women cope better than others. She told me that with respect to PND women are more receptive to hearing info on that sort of stuff in the first trimester. My own personal experience is that in the latter trimester (well, actually all the time really! - I didn't give much thought to what happens after the birth) I was very much focused on the birth. I'm not sure how many classes it would take to talk about everything you've listed, but I would have loved to have gone to them!

Good luck.
Lisa

[Wivi]

Hi Tracie,

Your outline looks great, I just have a couple of little comments from my own experience. It's so tricky to address everything and so many people have different experiences but while most of the info we received was wonderful and right on the money these were just a couple of things I wished had been addressed differently:

a) PND. I developed PND and while it had been discussed in the class I think more information for partners would have been helpful. As the person with PND it is hard to identify that's what the problem is and partners need more tools to 1) identify and 2) talk with and support their partner through getting help.

b) Breast/Bottlefeeding: This one really gets under my skin. I realise that all the research suggests "breast is best" but I found the emphasis to be so overpowering on breast feeding and overcoming problems that when I had trouble feeding my son and made the decision to bottle feed I felt absolutley hopeless. I can still hear the midwife saying "inverted nipples can be overcome with nipple shields etc" and then the lactation consultant saying "you have so much milk, we just have to find a way to get it to him. It'll probably settle down in a few weeks" to another midwife who said "you can hire an electric breast pump and express at home until he attaches, you have so much milk...blah, blah". I know that some women have done it but seriously - I was not keen on feeling like a human cow! When I did make the decision I got a five minute lesson on making the formula and that was it. There are skills needed for bottle feeding too and it doesn't hurt the baby to formula feed.

c) please don't emphasise in your class that first time babies take a long time to be born. This was drummed in so much (and still so when I called the hospital) that I stayed at home for almost too long. My bub was born an hour after I got to the hospital and 2.5 hours after labour started. Then I was told "next time don't wait so long to go to the hospital". Really!

[Tracie]

Hey Tracie

One suggestion from me...

Be sure to mention Bub Hub as a directory of local shops & services, parenting advice and online support forum

!!!


For sure!!! Goes without saying!

[Belindaa]

Hi
I think you have everything really well covered in that plan of yours but one thing that made my birth experience not so great is that when someone in the class asked 'how long will labour last approximatley' we were told because we were all first timers 'You WILL be in labour for between 8 - 24 hours'. I felt like a complete failure when I went to the hospital after I had only been having contractions for 2 hours, I got my first little niggly pain at 2am went to the hospital at 4am and was holding my son at 4:24am. I was freaking out cause I was in so much pain so maybe (I know its probably fairly rare) but maybe you could just mention that occasionally first labours can be really quick and if you are in alot of pain go straight to the hospital, cause I nearly never made it cause I just thought I had a really low pain tolerance when in actual fact I had a really intense and painful quick birth but because of the info we were given I wanted to stay at home as long as possible and felt like a failure when I only lasted 2 hours. I've done some research since experiencing this birth and alot of women that have experienced both a long first labour and short subsequent labour said that they'd take the long labour any day over the short labour because of the amount of intense pain invovled. Another thing that was always mentioned in classes was the 'Urge to Push'. I didn't get the urge to push at all, and after researching about it a bit some women don't and apparently its hereditary too cause afterwards my mum told me she didn't get it either. The only thing that got me throught the pushing stage was that a heap of people had told me throughout my pregnancy that you just have to push like you're doing a poo.
I know that everyone is different and their experiences are different and maybe my experience isn't that common but maybe you might have someone just like me in your class so it might be worth just skimming over the possibilities.

[talon]

Just wanted to give you my "best" and "worst" points about these classes because quite frankly mine was quite average and I'm not even bothering going with this bub.

Best was when we got taken up to the maternity ward and they got a brand new bubba and showed us bathing and putting a nappy on etc. It gives a really good idea on how to handle a newborn etc. Not to mention the clucky factor! :D

Absolute worst was that they left that darn birth video until the end of the day when everyone had had enough and people just wanted to go home. The day's session (it was a one day course) ended with the birth and then we got told we could go. No question time or explanations. NOTHING. I left there feeling physically sick and really stressed about giving birth and did so for several weeks afterwards. It was the worst experience I have had.

They really need to think through what order they will present things in because I was appalled at the lack of support afterwards. I am staying well clear of the ante-natal class this time purely for that reason alone.

Needless to say there were huge gaps in the information presented in the class and I really think that more time spent on what to expect in labour/birth/post-birth physically and what to expect with a newborn would be essential. THAT would be worth attending. :yes: