Childbirth Preparation Dvd's

hi christine,
my husband and I decided that we didnt want to do the classes because they were expensive and we knew we wouldn't be up for attending that schedule. After doing research, we decided to buy 'Laugh and learn about childbirth'. Its not animated and it doesnt show an actual live birth.... Its very instructional and I dont see how we could have seen better. Heads up ... Its a little cheesy but somewhat funny.But I also wanted to see lwhat a real life birth was so I watch A Baby Story on the learning channel (TLC).I watched several episodes and got really choked up with emotions. I'm glad I watched them because now I'm a lot less fearful of giving birth vaginally or by c section. You also learn so much from watching this show. I just DVR them.. hope this helps and good luck! I'm due in 7 weeks and nervous!

Hudson Valley Hospital has a GREAT class for about $150. It's more important for the hubbies to go (you've done lots of reading and are educating yourself - the husbands all sit and listen wide-eyed the whole day).

I also met friends in the class which is SO important. All 1st time moms need a support group of other 1st time moms with kids the same age. I feel that I've made life-long friends from the class I attended.

A class will also make recommendations on pediatricians, breasfeeding support, epidural info and much more!

Go to a class if you can afford it (preferably at your own hospital). There are so many benefits.

THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT.
We took classes for my birth 1 1/2 years ago but had i not i would have gotten these.sheri bayles used to teach classes in nyc and then stopped and made these videos. very popular, award winning teacher...
http://www.laughandlearn.com/index2.html

Check out CEA: the childbirth education association. They offer childbirth classes all over the country. Also check out RealBirth.com based in NYC.

The movie I would recommend is The Business of Being Born, it's available in DVD www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com

Giving birth is a lifechanging experience that will forever alter your outlook on life. You can't count on a good labor nurse to be there. You really want to do your homework!

Well, there have been babies coming into this world way before there were classes for them. Honestly, class give you an idea, but once your in labor you go into whatever works. And honestly, no class can teach you that. I did take class when I was pregnant with my son, but I'm sure I could have learned most of this stuff from the web. One thing, laboring in a bath or shower was so relaxing. That keep me comfortable, as comfortable as you can get in labor, for about an hr. But I don't think you really need the classes.

Labor of Love DVD is good. Much cheaper than the hospital classes. The instructor explains everything well and isn't preachy about any one particular philosophy.

Hi! My husband I did the Childbirth classes with our first daughter and to be completely honest with you, the labor nurse at the hospital was more helpful then anything - the one thing I did get from our classes was focusing - that was one thing that helped. Just find your focal point and stay there! With our second daughter who was born almost 6 years later the nurse wasn't all that helpful, guess she figured I was already a pro at it. Our first nurse was the best - her shift was up at 6am but she stayed until the early afternoon when Sami was born. Good luck!

Hi Christine,
We actually paid $175 for our childbirth class that was through my OB...Honestly it was a waste of money and time...it wasnt very informative and in my eyes whatever works for you will be what happens when you are in labor...I held my breath when I experienced a contraction, which is totally not what you are supposed to do, but again it worked for me...helped me to get through the pain...LOL....So Im sure if you just want a brief overview of what to expect any of them will work just fine...I know the Lamaze method of breathing etc. is supposed to be very good....I wish you the best with the birth and arrival of your little one...being a Mom is absolutely THE BEST experience ever....I wouldnt change it for the world!!
Meg :)

There are only 2 things I remember from my birthing class. First was a father sitting across the room clipping his finger nails during class which made my DH and I have uncontrollable fits of laughter. And the second was being shown Bill Cosby describe giving birth.

Some insurances cover birthing classes, so you may want to look into that, but you can prepare yourself by simply reading a book on the topic. If you do find a dvd that would be good too.

A.

I took a child birth class with my first son, now 8, and when it came time to deliver, I hyperventilated trying to do the lamaze breathing - with my second son, now 9 months, I did not take the class and did not have any problems breathing. During the class I took, they did explain the changes in your body, etc. and then went on to the actual birth, but for that, they showed a movie. If you do not feel you want to spend the money or sit in a room full of people and listen to someone tell you things that you can get from a video, I say buy a DVD. I'm sorry, but I do not know of any to recommend, but I am sure someone will know one. If I could do it over the first time, I would not have wasted my and my husband's time.

Hi Christine,

What type of class is your hospital offering? How many hours of instruction time do you get, and is the class preparing you for unmedicated birth, "all options are equal" or are you paying $300 to be told to get an epidural? What type of birth are you looking for and how would the hospital class help you to reach your goals?

As a childbirth educator, I am a big believer in classes. I teach The Bradley Method, which focuses on unmedicated birth. My classes offer 22 hours of instruction time for $250. $300 is a lot to pay for a hospital based "childbirth preparation" class if that's what it is. Independent methods such as Bradley, HypnoBirthing, Birthing From Within and BirthWorks tend to be more costly, because a hospital is not paying the instructor and marketing for students.

If you are going the dvd route, you'll likely get a basic "childbirth prep" or maybe a Lamaze-style education, but be sure that you know what it is that you are getting and whether it matches your birth philosophy. Good luck

I would try to find another class; I can't understand why it is that expensive. My daughter is only 14 months and our classes were a third of the cost and worth every penny, especially for my then-fiance who had NO IDEA what to expect. He was surprisingly interested once we were there even though he begged me to stay home haha. After the first class, he was rushing me out the door for the rest lol.

Try community centers and other hospitals. I am pretty sure you can take it at a different hospital, and then just request a free tour of your hospital, especially the departments you will be spending time in.

That is crazy! Mine was $70. Look around at another hospital. I'm sure if you google it, or look on amazon.com you'll find something.

My husband and I took a class at the hospital before we had our baby. I am a first time mom and thought it would be good to take it. I was also 38 at the time I had the baby. I am now 39. My baby is 7 months old. I think the class has some benefit, but overall, having taken it, I would probably skip it. I didn't recall anything in the class, that I felt was viable to the delivery. My water broke at home and I called a dr. friend to see if I had time to shave my legs before going to the hospital. I did. I was even induced and had the baby much later on. The nurses talk you thru everything anyway..well, if you have a good nurse that is. They will tell you to focus, etc.....so if you feel that the class is too much, then in my opinion, you can skip it. See if there is something free online that you can watch as far as a video or maybe your local library has a dvd you can rent? Good luck.

That's ridiculous! I took Lamaze class with my husband and I don't think it cost that much, a little. And you know what? Despite of our effort of attending 5 weeks or so, nothing was applicable. They taught us about breathing technique and stuff but when I went to the hospital, they put all kind of stuff to monitor and I couldn't move. I think DVD is good enough.

while any info on preparing for childbirth is good, i know it was being with other moms to be that made the class i took so great for me. while it wasn't around here, i'm sure there are other classes and info in your area that are less expensive and probably more informative than classes at a hospital (they'll tell you about THEIR policies, not necessarily give you a broad range of info)

Christine,

Hi. I understand about wanting to save money. But I think talking to an instructor and actually meeting/talking to other soon to be new moms is very valuable. I am still in contact with someone that I met in class and our kids are now 7 months old. A great website to contact is Babycenter.com for DVDs, etc.

Maggie

Christine,

My kids are 11 & 13, so things have changed.

I rememeber when I had my first the childbirth class seemed really expensive. Looking back it was worth every penny. Since I didn't have any nieces or nephews, I didn't have much experience with babies.

The class not only provided information about delivery (including lamaze techniques, epidurals, medications, and inducing); it also gave information infant care. It gave us a chance to view some behind the sceens at the hospital, that may be more relaxed when the time came because I knew what to expect. The midwife who taught the class also gave us her phone number so we could contact her after the class if we had any questions. You won't get all this from a DVD.

Congratulations and good luck.

Hi ~
My husband and I decided to forgo the class. We started searching our local library network for DVD's - free and little to no late charge. And once my Dr. told me that I wouldn't need all the formal "stuff" offered in a hospital class, that was all I needed to hear to not spend the money and roll around on the floor with a bunch of strange women! :)
Good luck!

I second the recommendations for the "Laugh and Learn About Childbirth" DVD. We took a weekend-long childbirth seminar at the hospital where I delivered, and while I wouldn't say it was useless -- it was great to see the delivery rooms and get a tour of the maternity ward -- it was pretty close. At one point, the instructor actually referred to babies as dogs, by mistake. She then said, "Oh, did I just say 'dog' instead of 'baby'? I was thinking about my dog..." Hello??? So I felt I needed a little more preparation, and "Laugh and Learn" was great.

Good luck!
A.

I watched a DVD to prepare for my first baby. I was very busy and didn't have time for the class. It was pretty helpful but I ended up having an epidural so the whole breathing through contractions was pretty useless. With my second baby 18 months later I figured I knew everything and didn't need to take a class or even watch the video agian. Boy was I wrong! I ended up having a totally drug free labor and delivery and let me tell you I really could have benefited from a refresher course on how to breath the pain away (if there is any such thing). I totally lost control of myself toward the end of my labor, luckly one of the nurses in the hospital was a duela and she came and helped me. Maybe that would have happened anyway, class or no class, I'm just saying that I wished I was better prepared.

FYI - Even though the natural birth HURT, I would do it agian if I have a 3rd. Recovery was amazingly fast after baby number 2. The epidural after baby #1 made me sluggish and feverish for weeks. The same thing just happened to my sister. I didn't know that would happen with an epidural.

I would avoid any class a hospital offers. I am a doula and have observed many CB prep classes as a part of my training and the hospital classes were the worst. They omitted a lot of info about risks of interventions and I think most people felt they weren't that helpful.

Try to find a private class if you can; through a pre-natal yoga class, or ask your midwife or doctor for a recommendation.

Check with your county health department. They will have a list of low cost or free classes in your area. In addition I would check with Planned Parenthood, they may have the same resource list. If you are a first time mom, it's worth it to see the class in person. It's weird that it costs so much. Mine cost much less.

I think the absolutely most important book all expectant mothers should look at or read is Ina Mae's Guide to Childbirth. If you don't want to read it all just read the 4 chapters in section 2. I made everyone attending my birth read them. My husband was too busy with work to read so I read them to him (he likes to listen to books on tape while he works). It talks about what happens during labor and how to handle it.

Besides that I would recommend the book Birthing from Within. It is a handbook for a childbirth preparation class (emphasis on birth, not the other getting ready for a new arrival in your home stuff).

I hope this helps :)

Christine,

I've never had to pay for a childbirth class. I think insurance covers it or maybe my hospital doesn't charge. I would definitely look into whether or not your insurance will cover it.

I don't know anything about DVD's, but the information could certainly be given in that format, if there is one out there I'm sure it would be an ok way to get the info.

I just wanted to say that if you do take the class, most insurance companies will reimburse you for part or all of it. They will also typically reimburse you part of the cost of a breast pump ect. Call and speak with them regarding your benifits as the class is really very helpful.

Best of luck!