Many expectant mothers take pregnancy care classes to gain insight into what lies ahead for their birthing experience, including topics like labor and delivery, medical interventions or breastfeeding and infant CPR.
Antenatal classes provide pregnant women who are all due around the same time with an opportunity to connect and make friends during their gestation period. Some classes may even be free.
Preparing for Childbirth
Pregnancy care classes provide essential insight into childbirth as a normal and healthy process. Courses should cover topics like labor stages and delivery procedures, your partner’s role, pain management strategies and hospital procedures as well as natural ways to cope with pain (like massage, acupressure or hypnosis) as well as medicated approaches like epidurals.
Many women find it beneficial to create a birth plan – outlining what they want during labor and their desired experience – in order to communicate their preferences to doctors or midwives more clearly. It is highly advised that pregnant women take part in childbirth classes by month 6 or 7, which will enable them to practice breathing techniques as they prepare for labor and relaxation techniques leading up to their due date.
Some pregnancy care classes provide information on infant care, breastfeeding and postpartum preparation as part of their childbirth course; other may separate these topics. When selecting classes to attend, be sure that their format meets your needs and that their instructors share your views about childbirth. In ideal circumstances, classes with no more than 10-12 couples attending would be best; larger groups may prove challenging during breathing and relaxation portions of sessions.
Preparing for the Newborn
Once your baby arrives, you must learn how to care for him or her. Newborn classes provide instruction on bathing, dressing and feeding your newborn as well as covering essential topics like newborn traits and behaviors, sleep patterns and comfort techniques as well as health concerns – including taking your temperature.
Preparing for pregnancy and childbirth can be done in several ways. A variety of providers offer newborn preparation classes at their local hospitals or privately, online childbirth classes from providers like Motherly or Baby Zone; both offer private, group, combination birthing prep and baby basics classes in New York City respectively. You might also consider Motherly for support during and beyond your pregnancy journey.
Banner Health’s classes provide pregnant and postpartum mothers with assistance in managing gestational diabetes or blood glucose levels during and post birth, including nutritional guidelines, physical activity recommendations and insulin or medication administration.
Preparing to become a parent can be both exciting and daunting at once, yet taking the appropriate steps will give you greater peace of mind for both childbirth and the arrival of your newborn will put your mind at ease. No matter whether it is your first time around or an experienced mom preparing her house and life can alleviate stress so she can focus on caring for their baby more comfortably.
Preparing for Postpartum Care
Pregnancy classes shouldn’t just focus on birth and baby; postpartum preparation can have just as significant an effect on overall health and recovery. Learning about breastfeeding, infant sleep habits and setting up a food train (for when your new bundle arrives) are all invaluable to creating an easier transition into parenthood. A comprehensive pregnancy class will assist in this endeavor.
Birthing from Within classes are another great way to explore your expectations and emotions surrounding pregnancy, birth and parenthood. Classes often incorporate journaling as well as activities to help identify when your expectations differ from reality.
Create a list of medical professionals you’d like to reach out to after giving birth, including your OB/GYN, the doctor who delivered your baby, pediatrician, insurance company and any specialists needed for special support – such as lactation consultants and postpartum physical therapists (if necessary). Some women also find benefit in therapeutic support either individually or group settings like support groups for new parents (boober can assist) after giving birth – having this information handy will save time from searching Google every time something arises!
Refresher Classes
Pregnancy classes provide expectant parents a forum in which to address all the questions that might come up as they prepare for delivery and postpartum care of their baby. Some topics covered may include nutrition during gestation and natural remedies for swelling or heartburn; while more involved discussions such as choosing an unmedicated birth can cover how to create the ideal support team or create an unmedicated birth experience. Others can focus on delivery and postpartum care for a smooth experience.
This class, usually led by a registered nurse from the Maternal/Child Unit, is tailored specifically for moms and their birth partners. Topics will include comfort techniques during labor as well as touring of the Birth Center.
This class takes place during your second trimester and provides you with information about what’s happening to your body during each trimester, nutrition for a healthy pregnancy and exercise during gestation, managing diabetes during gestation and how to prepare your home for baby, CPR training and infant/toddler safety.