Birthing Classes

I was talking (okay, chatting on FB) with a friend today who is pregnant with her first and she said she was reluctant to take any birthing classes since there's a high chance that she could end up with a c-section. So today I'd like to write about the importance of birthing classes. Even if you have a planned c-section because you're having triplets, there is still a lot to learn about if this is your first time.

With my first pregnancy I did Bradley Method and we also signed up for every single class that the local hospital offered. The hospital classes were less helpful, but I think they were still worth the money. There is a ton of stuff going into parenthood and childbirth that you just don't even know that you don't know (I can't think of stuff now, but trust me). Particularly some of the post-partum healing that your body does. Or weird stuff that the baby does. Like the various stages of poop that a normal newborn goes through. Or how many diapers s/he should wet the first few days, or when your milk comes in. All of this, and a whole lot more, are covered in birthing classes (or at least good ones). Even if you're (hopefully!) not planning a hospital birth, they can still be a wealth of information. And it's not a bad idea if you're planning a home or birth center birth to familiarize yourself with the hospital, just in case. When it comes to parenthood, there is no such thing as being too prepared, or having too much information. Besides, once the baby is born and you don't sleep for weeks on end, you're going to forget so much that I hope your head is crowded so that some of it sticks.