https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:33:41 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-668416 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:33:29 +0000 Boheme 668416@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you all so much! I've got full confidence in our childbirth instructor, but was bummed to hear she had to push the class back because DH and I are ready to get started. You've all given me tons of good ideas I can use in the meantime! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667814 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:48:24 +0000 aprk 667814@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We really enjoyed our 6 week Lamaze class - but the book covers everything that we learned.</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1439179794" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1439179794</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667798 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:43:53 +0000 Smurfette 667798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly I don't think my L&amp;D class helped me at all during labor. I learned more from reading online and here on HB. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667749 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:28:14 +0000 LemonLong 667749@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO came early so we missed our hospital class too. She was actually born 37 minutes after the class was supposed to start which we thought was pretty funny! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667600 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:41:29 +0000 sorrycharlie 667600@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>same as @winniebee, my only birth plan was epidural - and I almost didn't get it in time! TBH, I felt like my class was a total waste of time. Haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667564 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:33:18 +0000 duckduckkristen 667564@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Happygal: babycenter has an online birth class!</p> <p>I didn't take any birth classes, just read a few books, and managed to have a natural birth. I agree on the prenatal yoga. Just know all the ways things could happen and how you would react. You never know what your birth experience will be like so it's hard to know what to expect and prepare! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667547 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:31:12 +0000 JerricaBenton 667547@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The most important thing to me is knowing the particulars of your hospital and their policies to see if there is anything you want to specially request (skin to skin, golden hour, rooming in, etc.) I think most of us on here are interested in pregnancy and birth and know a lot more than we think! I was surprised that I really didn't learn many new things from our classes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667504 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:23:49 +0000 Happygal 667504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bummer! I remember reading about a course you could take online. I can't remember the name of it, but it could be worth investigating.</p> <p>If you're looking to make new friends, I would look into some yoga classes or something like that for mommas-to-be. I know that my friends said meeting new moms in their classes was one of their favorite parts, and they met with their new babies all around the same age for play dates. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667498 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:22:41 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 667498@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Totally agree with @runsyellowlites: about getting a support person (DH, whoever) to be on the same page with you. From my own reading and our birth classes, these are the things I credit for my natural birth:</p> <p>- Know how labor typically goes. It was great to know what effaced, dialated, and all the other terms meant. I remember thinking, oh I'm 7 cm? I can do 3 more!</p> <p>- Know your intervention options. What may be suggested? Why would that be a good/bad thing to do? What are you open to and under what circumstances?</p> <p>- What are the hospital policies/standards? We had to go in for the tour and classes to figure this one out. I think it helped to know that our hospital was "friendly" towards drug free. If they weren't, we would have needed to be more prepared to advocate for what we wanted. </p> <p>- Watch drug-free for drug-lite births that are POSITIVE. Don't watch anything where women are screaming their heads off. I watched videos in class of women who managed their pain in a variety of ways and that's when I thought I really could do it. </p> <p>- This may not be an option, but I think the #1 contributor for me was prenatal yoga. I used techniques from that more than anything else. It helped me focus, breath, be present &amp; accept the contractions, and gave me familiar positions to manage discomfort. My nurse mentioning a certain yoga position also made the difference (I think) between me being able to keep pushing and having them give up and want to do a c-section. </p> <p>You don't have to have the exact classes, you just have to actively prepare. I think having the instructor work with you will be plenty helpful. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667487 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:19:51 +0000 prettylizy 667487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runsyellowlites: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Laboring-Under-An-Illusion-Childbirth/dp/B002VRAFBO" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Laboring-Under-An-Illusion-Childbirth/dp/B002VRAFBO</a></p> <p>I'm not sure if it's on netflix, my doula lent it to me. I found it hilarious! It was really funny in a cheeky kind of way. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667445 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:10:02 +0000 runsyellowlites 667445@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The very best prep is to become confident in your body's ability! Know the process of labor &amp; know that your body DOES know what it's doing.. that transition sucks for everyone but that it means you're almost done, your body isn't losing control, and you CAN do it!</p> <p>I didn't have any childbirth classes so if you don't finish don't freak out. I told myself over &amp; over that I COULD/WOULD do it &amp; in labor that trust was so imperative... it's when I stopped trusting my body that contractions got hard &amp; I felt I couldn't do it. Get on the same page with your DH and resolve that what you want IS what you want and in crisis times it's his job to bring you back to being grounded &amp; remind you that you CAN do it.... or just lie to you "lets try one more contraction" every contraction (doulas use this all. the. time) lol. </p> <p>@prettylizy: Where can I find "Laboring Under and Illusion"? I'd love to watch it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667385 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:46:58 +0000 mrsjazz 667385@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@prettylizy: I second what you said about watching videos of real natural childbirth. I probably watched hundreds...especially of transition.</p> <p>In my natural childbirth class we watched a lot of videos, learned about the stages of labor, and did a lot of partner massage and relaxation exercises. I'm sure you can find some on YouTube or Google and have your husband start practicing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667362 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:42:45 +0000 prettylizy 667362@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@grizz: oh no!!!! This may sound silly, but watching videos of real natural childbirth really helped me a lot, there are quite a few on youtube. I'm not sure if you've watched "The Business of Being Born" it's pretty good. I also really liked "Laboring Under and Illusion" and how it demystifies mass media portrayal of childbirth vs. reality. </p> <p>The best advice my doula (who was also our educator) gave me was that a long contraction lasts 1.5 minutes, and the worst is at 45sec. You can do anything for 45seconds, and before you know it, its getting easier again. She also constantly reminded us in our class that we are made for this, trust in yourself and your body, allow it to do what it is supposed to. Don't resist the contractions, give into them and let them do their job. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667355 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:42:01 +0000 winniebee 667355@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it makes you feel any better, I was on bedrest and couldn't attend any childbirth classes....and was totally fine in the end. But, I wanted an epidural and had no specific birth plans. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667351 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:40:34 +0000 Bookish 667351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ohh following! The only class we could sign up for is 3 weeks before my EDD, and I'm worried it'll be too late! I'm feeling pretty lost as well! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-childbirth-class-was-postponed#post-667345 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:38:08 +0000 Boheme 667345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>And now it ends after my due date! Eeek! </p> <p>The instructor is going to work with us one on one to get through the last few classes, but what can I do now to start prepping myself? I've been doing a lot of reading but I still don't feel very prepared at all. </p>