Do You Really Need to Attend a Childbirth Class?
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada recently published a study, which found that women don’t know their options when it comes to childbirth. Many don’t even know they have options. This may be surprising to the general population, but ask any childbirth educator or doula, and they’ll tell you it’s no shock to them.
Another study found that only 11% of women attend a childbirth class while pregnant, and many of those take only the class offered by the hospital. Those classes tend to focus on how women should behave as patients, and less on the risks and benefits of various procedures they may encounter during labor.
It does seem that more women are hiring doulas, and this is great news! However, a doula is not a substitute for a good childbirth class. To have the best and safest birth possible, take a class and hire a doula.
If you think you are prepared for childbirth and don’t need to attend a class, ask yourself if you know these things:
- The stages of labor, how to recognize them and comfort measures for each stage
- How to stay comfortable during labor without drugs
- How to speed-up a slow labor
- How to turn a baby into the best position for birth
- When the best time is to leave for the hospital, if you’re planning a hospital birth
- What to do if you’re unable to make it to your birth place because labor progresses quicker than expected
- How to evaluate whether your birth attendant practices evidence-based medicine
- What questions to ask about any procedure you’re offered to make sure it’s the right choice for you
- How to make the most of a cesarean birth, should you need one
- How to determine if you truly do need a cesarean birth, if it’s offered
- How best to stay low-risk to increase the chances of a safe and uneventful pregnancy and birth
You should also ask yourself if you are fully informed about the risks and benefits of each of these procedures:
- Antibiotics for Group B Strep colonization
- Vaginal exams, both during pregnancy and labor
- Inducing labor
- Stress or non-stress tests
- Augmentation of labor
- Intravenous fluids during labor
- The three types of fetal monitoring, and continuous versus intermittent
- Restricted food or drink during labor
- Lying on your back during labor
- Artificial rupture of membranes
- Epidurals & narcotics for pain management
- Local anesthetic during pushing
- Episiotomy
- Vacuum or forceps delivery
- Time limits on your pushing stage
- Immediate cord clamping and cutting
- Intramuscular Pitocin following the birth
- Separation from your baby following birth
- Hepatitis B vaccination, vitamin K, erythromycin, PKU testing, and circumcision of the newborn
You should also ask yourself if you understand whether each of these possible occurrences during labor are complications or not, and how they can best be dealt with and/or avoided:
- Being past-due
- Premature rupture of membranes
- Herpes
- Occiput posterior baby
- Breech or transverse baby
- Fast or slow labor
- Reverse dilation
- Arrested labor
- Failure to progress
- Very painful labor
- Meconium
- Cephalopelvic disproportion
- Fetal distress
- Birthing multiples
- Periurethral tears
- Shoulder dystocia
- Failed induction
- Fetal heart decelerations
These are all things that you absolutely should learn about well before your labor begins. What you don’t know can hurt you. Hire a doula, and take a good childbirth class. Don’t become a statistic.
