I am fortunate to have Kaiser insurance and they offer all sorts of classes, mostly for free. By the time LO gets here, we'll have taken the beginning pregnancy class, mid-pregnancy, postpartum preparation, newborn care, childbirth prep, breastfeeding, and the hospital tour. Only one of these had a fee.
Are you taking any classes to feel more prepared for LO's arrival?
46 votes
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
We did a 5-hr long childbirth prep..awful. I wish we could've taken infant care but $$$, and I can help hubs. We did a hosp tour too.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
@sorrycharlie: We're doing the 2 day childbirth prep instead of their 1 night a week, 5 weeks one. To be honest, I'm not really looking forward to it. I figured that since I'm going to be induced and will probably have a c-section, I'd skip it, but doctor said it would still be useful.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
@MaisyMay: oh definitely! At the very least my husband learned a lot - it was just a really torturous 5-hr PowerPoint lol. And we got some free enfamil diaper bag w formula, wipe and diaper coupons and samples - win!
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
@sorrycharlie: Nice. I'm dreading the movie. I was sick when they showed a birth movie in Human Bio in college and still have no desire to see one.
honeydew / 7235 posts
We did an 8 hour childbirth class and then did newborn CPR
We had to pay but I think it was worth it,
Still need to do the tour at the hospital, but that will be quick
Oh, and the movie was intense, yikes! Never saw that before even in health class way back when.
papaya / 10560 posts
We didn't do any kind of classes....so glad bc nothing could have prepared me for the birth I had!
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
I took lots of classes. I loved all of them except newborn care.... I felt like it was all stuff I already knew even though I haven't been around babies much. But I'm still glad I took it, otherwise I would have felt like I was missing out on things because like I said.... I haven't been around babies before my LO!
grapefruit / 4823 posts
no classes for us. we were going to do the standard childbirth class and breastfeeding class, but we talked ourselves out of both of them. sometimes i wonder if i had taken the breastfeeding class i wouldn't have had a hard time with breastfeeding, but we just couldn't get in sync with each other. even the nurses didn't understand why we were having problems..when we were both 'built perfectly for breastfeeding' i don't regret not taking classes.
pineapple / 12526 posts
Tricare offers a bunch on our base and I took them. I also took prenatal yoga/labor rehearsal
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
Here is what we are taking:
Baby care, Infant safety and CPR, breastfeeding, daddy boot camp, car seat safety, and a 2-class series called prepared childbirth.
All offered by the hospital, all free.
kiwi / 733 posts
When during pregnancy did you take all these classes? I guess at just-about-halfway through, it's time to start looking into all of it!
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
we're taking an all day childbirth, newborn care class in two weeks, then a 2 hour course for bfing~
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
We have already done a newborn care class with our pediatrician and we've done our hospital tour. We are signed up to do a two day childbirth class and an infant CPR class both at the hospital during the month of October. I decided to skip the breastfeeding class. The class was $50 which seemed high and our hospital is super pro breastfeeding and they have a lactation consultant come every day that you are in the hospital... and you can come back and see one for free any time you want to after you go home. So the class seemed unneccesary.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
@travelingbrit: I'm certified in Adult and infant CPR so I'm not planning on retaking that one. I'd like Hubs to take it though.
@JessiBee: For us, beginning pregnancy was by 12 weeks (some people there were further along though). Our hospital tour was at 25 weeks, mid-pregnancy is at 26 weeks, late-pregnancy (postpartum) is at 27, childbirth at 28, newborn care at 33, breastfeeding at 34. Right now I am 26 weeks pregnant and knowing that these are all on the books makes me feel a bit more prepared.
@artbee: neither of us have even changed a diaper, so I'm thinking newborn care might be a good one for us to take. 
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
@MaisyMay: Oddly enough, they didn't cover diaper changing in ours. DH and I were pretty clueless when it came to that stuff too, but it really comes pretty easy once the baby comes.
pomegranate / 3438 posts
We didn't take any. Our insurance didn't pay for it and they were like $150 a class. I've been around a lot of babies so I felt pretty comfortable in that area. Plus with all the research I had done online I felt like the childbirth class wasn't really necessary.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
@artbee: Oh. I hope ours does as that's something I'm looking forward to. I was told we get to practice something with the plastic babies...who knows.
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
@MaisyMay: We practiced giving baths to the babies. If you're really worried I'm sure you can ask the teacher and they'll tell you. I use cloth diapers so it wouldn't have helped me much to learn with disposables anyway.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
@artbee: Eh, like you said, we'll pick it up after she's here if they don't go over it. I know Hubs is antsy about having to wipe and diaper a girl, but he'll learn.
eggplant / 11824 posts
We just winged it! We didn't take any classes, but we did have a visiting nurse come after LO was born; which was free and arranged through our hospital. Having the nurse come to our house was great - she showed us how to bathe LO as a newborn (i.e., how to bathe her before she was suppose to be bathed in the tub). It was also nice to get to ask questions in the calm and privacy of my own home. We also toured the hospital, but they didn't teach us anything with that.
honeydew / 7687 posts
They're pretty pricey - $75 a person at our hospital. We'll be taking CPR and a hospital tour, and they offer lactation consultants once you're there. I've been around kids & babies forever, which I know isn't the same, but I don't think I'd get our $s worth from a class.
cantaloupe / 6751 posts
We took an all day childbirth class, hospital tour, and infant cpr/first aid. Wish I would have taken a breastfeeding course - felt so lost when it came to nursing and I think some prep would have made it a little smoother.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
@yoursilverlining: Our hospital tour was the part I was least happy with. The group was way too large for the softspoken lady leading it. Plus, some of her information wasn't completely accurate.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
We did a childbirth class at the hospital which included a tour.
honeydew / 7504 posts
We're taking a childbirth class that ends with a tour of the hospital. We're also taking a childbirth class and a breastfeeding class. All of these are offered/taught by the hospital. I also just found a couple's prenatal yoga class at a local yoga studio that teaches yoga positions and techniques to help in childbirth. Thinking about taking that. Oh, and we took a cloth diapering class, too, at a small local shop.
squash / 13199 posts
I wanted to take a childbirth class but my doctor said it wasnt really necessary. I ended up just reading two bradley books
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
We took a Prepared Childbirth class. I didn't really learn anything new, but DH learned a lot.
The day after he was born we were required to go to "Camp Baby" at the hospital...basically an hour of going over car seat and other baby safety. DH had a meeting at work he couldn't miss, so I went alone--and dozed off holding E during the video because I was so tired.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
@FutureMrsMcK: Because I spend so much time on here, I feel like I already know a lot, but I do like having Hubs hear a lot of this info from a source other than me. They made you go to a class the day after delivering? That's just cruel!
coconut / 8681 posts
We took a breastfeeding class, hospital tour and we're doing infant CPR next week!
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
@MaisyMay: Yep. As bleary-eyed as most of the moms looked I'm a little surprised I was the only one who fell asleep when they turned off the lights for the video...
They did provide a big basket of snack cakes and chips and other awesome junk food.
grapefruit / 4554 posts
We took a childbirth prep class that was a weekend (8-5 sat and sunday), in it was the hospital tour and a mini newborn info class. Our insurance company gave us a a certain $ back for taking classes.
bananas / 9357 posts
We took childbirth prep class and this Sat is the breastfeeding class. I also plan to take the infant CPR and safety class.
pear / 1965 posts
All in all there are a lot that are offered to us for free. We are taking all of them. A birthing class, a breastfeeding class and there was also a financial budgeting for baby class we already took. These are the classes they offer to the Military on the base . The budget one was common sense to me, but gerber sponsors it and we got a TON of free stuff and then a group of volunteers knits baby blankets to the class which is so sweet to get a cute knit blanket.
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