• Home
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Appalachian Midwife
  • Services
    • Home Birth
    • Childbirth Classes
    • Prenatal Coaching
    • SneakPeek Clincal
    • Resources
  • Contact
  • Blog
Sage Roots Midwifery
  • Home
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Appalachian Midwife
  • Services
    • Home Birth
    • Childbirth Classes
    • Prenatal Coaching
    • SneakPeek Clincal
    • Resources
  • Contact
  • Blog
Picture
Blog - a place for news, information, & personal thoughts.

Do I really need to take a Childbirth Education Class?

6/3/2016

1 Comment

 
For most of my clients, I recommend they take a Childbirth Education course of some kind. Be it in person or online, just so long as it's not Dr. Google or the dramatize (unrealistic) movies/TV. I said "for most" because there are a few exceptions to this rule: if you've taken a class recently for a previous birth, for example, you might not need to retake a class. But overall, childbirth education classes are beneficial no matter what kind of birth experience you hope to have (non-medicated, epidural, planned cesarean, etc.).
Picture
So, what do you even learn at a childbirth education class that could be so important? You'll learning all kinds of things from the stages of labor, to common medical terms and interventions, to techniques and options during the intensity that is birth.
Knowing what's happening within your body as you labor can be a comfort. It takes many of the unknowns out of birth when you understand what to expect. We know scientifically that fear escalates pain and that pain, in turn, escalates fear. This Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle can be broken by taking a good deal of that fear away by replacing it with information and knowledge. 

Even if you know going in you want an epidural, for example, many obstetricians and midwives will follow the standard of reaching 4-5 cm before having one administered. Knowing this means you can have a plan on how you're going to cope with labor up until this point. Can you image if you did not know to ask these kinds of questions or what to expect in general? It might cause some panic and/or added stress. Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are elevated when you are anxious or stressed. This causes those "fight or fight" instincts to kick in, promotes tension, and makes labor more difficult by reducing the hormones that progress labor as well as reducing endorphins and other natural opiates that reduce pain. 

A good childbirth education class will also teach you about the possible benefits and risks of each medical (or non-medical) intervention. This way if birth doesn't go exactly as you hoped, you still have the information you need to make the best decision for you. Again, helping by preemptively avoiding added stress by both helping you feel prepared before hand as well as giving you the information you need to have confidence in the heat of labor
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Many classes give you a crash course (sometimes longer) in coping techniques for labor. These will vary depending on the class/instructor, but in general they'll give you (and me!) a starting point to talk about breathing, relaxation, self-hypnotism, heat/cold, counter-pressure, vocalizing, dancing, etc. [For more information on my one day, intensive childbirth classes that focus on comfort and coping during labor, go here.] Coping mechanisms are tools you can use to relax, refocus, and promote your comfort. These in turn promote the progression of labor by releasing more oxytocin into your system, something that stress hormones prevent. The added benefit? Relaxation also promotes endorphins which reduces your pain.

Many classes encourage you to bring your birthing partner, be it your spouse, life partner, relative, or friend. Your birthing partner can benefit from the same knowledge. Understanding what has to happen during labor and what to expect can take some of the fear out of the experience for them as well as give them tools for how best to support you. This support comes from the knowledge as they can help you ask questions and comfort techniques as you learn together some you may never have thought to try before.

In short, Childbirth Education Classes give you a jumping off point to empowerment. They give you basic knowledge and information on how to get more. As a doula, I'm here to fill in the gaps and/or help you dive in deeper. My services don't replace a class and your own research; they complement them. ​
1 Comment
Alicia Gugu link
11/16/2016 04:33:31 pm

I grew up sitting in my mothers child-birth education classes every week. I've heard it all a hundred times or more. Yet, when I became pregnant as an adult, I went to class. It's always great to review, and if not for mom, def for dad or anyone else who may be helping you at the birth.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Laura

    I'm the owner of Sage Roots. Woman, wife, mother, midwife, doula, writer, bookworm, hiker, gamer, & Christian. 

    Categories

    All
    Babywearing
    Beginnings
    Birth
    Birth Stories
    Breastfeeding
    Doula
    Dreams
    Education
    FAQ
    First Trimester
    Guest Blog
    Journey
    Know Your Options
    Labor
    Life
    Midwifery
    Motherhood
    News
    Postpartum
    Pregnancy
    Waterbirth

    Archives

    February 2025
    October 2024
    September 2022
    February 2022
    April 2021
    September 2020
    February 2019
    November 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." - James 3:17

Services

Home Birth​
Classes
​Coaching 
SneakPeek Clinical
Resources

Company

About
Services
Blog

Support

Contact
FAQ

Sage Roots Midwifery

606.344.9023
​[email protected]
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Picture
  • Home
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Appalachian Midwife
  • Services
    • Home Birth
    • Childbirth Classes
    • Prenatal Coaching
    • SneakPeek Clincal
    • Resources
  • Contact
  • Blog