I Didn’t Take a Birthing Class
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I’m a planner. I like to plan everything as well as possible, and if you don’t believe me then ask my husband how long I researched the process of buying a home before we actually applied for a loan (hint: at least a year). So of course I signed us up for birthing classes at the hospital because I wanted to know everything I could about the process of labor and what my options were. I had already attended a breastfeeding class and looked forward to continuing my education regarding all things baby.
The day that my classes were scheduled to start, I was put on bed rest by my doctor. My blood pressure was high and my doctor was getting worried, so I was sent straight to bed and told to lay on my side. Don’t cook. Don’t clean. For goodness sake, don’t attend the birthing class that night. I did as I was told, but I was pretty upset since there weren’t any other classes scheduled until after my due date.
When the time came to have the baby, I was relatively terrified because I felt ill-prepared. Every doctor and nurse who walked into the room got the same panicked proclamation from me: “I didn’t take a birthing class! I’ll need extra help! I don’t know what I’m doing!” Every doctor and nurse gave me the same response: “You’ll be fine.” No matter how much they assured me to the contrary, I was sure that I had missed out on some secret formula presented at the class that would make labor easier.
Here is what I want you to know: Between the advise of the medical staff and listening to my body, I did just fine. I’m not saying that labor classes don’t have merit, but sometimes I wonder if we should just learn to trust our instincts just a little bit more. So by all means, take the class and learn all you can, but if you find yourself in a situation like mine where you just can’t go, then try not to panic. I’ll tell you the same thing I was told over and over again: You’ll be fine.
Joy says...
Thanks for posting this! I’m opting not to take a class but just watch a video. I figure with all the books I’ve read and all the mommy friends I have dishing out their experiences, I’ll be prepared as I’ll ever be.