Childbirth Class #1

Last week MJ and I attended our first childbirth class at the hospital where I will deliver.  I had some concerns about this class:  I thought it might be a bit too "granola" for us to take seriously, but I was mostly worried that the instructor would push natural childbirth and make me feel like a bad mom because I plan to have an epidural. 

The topics we covered were the stages of labor as well as breathing and relaxation techniques, and then we watched a birth video.  Fortunately, although the class did seem to focus on natural childbirth, at least the instructor didn't try to influence our decisions about pain medications during labor.  In fact, she has four children, and has given birth to two naturally, one via c-section, and one with an epidural, so she's experienced a bit of everything. 

However, I found myself getting a little frustrated with the class materials.  For example, the video chronicled three different mothers during their birthing experiences, and all three were natural.  Why not show us a more realistic video?  More than 90% of women have epidurals during labor, so it doesn't make sense to me that our class materials would be entirely about natural childbirth.

Another example:  when the instructor was talking about "transition" (the part of labor that is the most painful and difficult, close to the end, when women dilate those last few centimeters), she showed examples of laboring mothers leaning on their partners, sitting on exercise balls, laboring in a whirlpool, etc.  But she failed to mention that if I have an epidural, I will be restricted to the hospital bed and hooked up to multiple machines, unable to get up and do any of those things.

From a guy's perspective, MJ found the class helpful, because at least now he knows the basics of labor and a little of what to expect during delivery (he is also reading The New Dad's Survival Guide: Man-to-Man Advice for First-Time Fathers).

The instructor did tell us that this week, we will watch another birth video in which one of the mothers has an epidural.  This week's topic is all about pain management, and I'm looking forward to learning as much as possible.