So, to narrow down the choices, I have devised three simple questions that should help:
(Note, the questions may be simple, but the answers are not! So, for those of you who are TTC, start thinking about these basic things now so that you'll be ahead of the game when you get to this point!)
(1) The first thing to decide is where to deliver... Hopsital? Birthing center? At home? There is an endless array of options. And where you decide to deliver will impact who your doctor is as well as what kind of education you need to prepare for birth. (This might also be a good time to think about whether you'll want a doula, but that could really be another post altogether!)
OR
The pregnancy books all say that if it's your first child, then you are better off at the hospital. Then, once you know what you are in for, or know that you won't have complications, you can consider options like delivering at your home or having a water birth.
I also know that my good friend who just gave birth in January toiled for 40+ hours because she wanted to deliver naturally at a birthing center, but wasn't progressing. Then her water broke and she had to be taken to the hospital and deliver by an emergency c-section. Oy vey!
My birth plan?
It's simple: Get the baby out alive - and fast! That's it. Really, what more is there to say?
In my case, I chose my doctor first. It's actually a practice of several doctors. And they deliver at a hospital, so we pretty much just decided to go the easy route and deliver at the hospital.
Most hospitals offer
a wide array of choices for you in terms of classes that you can take. Birthing centers also offer classes. So depending on where you deliver, that should be the first place you look when deciding which classes to take.
We settled on a Childbirth Preparation Class offered at our hospital by a nurse who works with my doctor's practice. Her classes are smaller than the regular hospital ones. In that class, we'll get to tour the maternity ward of the hospital, and learn other things, such as signs and symptoms of labor, medications during labor, relaxation and distraction techniques, stages of labor, vaginal delivery, vacuum, forceps and c-section details, newborn care, infant feeding, etc. Cost is $180 for the 5-hour class.
Whew! Done. Signed up for the July 12th class! I'll report back on how it goes...
2. The second decision that you need to consider: Will you be attempting a natural delivery, i.e., no drugs and baby will come out vaginally? Or, will you be accepting an epidural to dull the pain, and is a c-section an option or preference?
Again, many pregnancy books say that it's easier to deliver naturally for your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc., child because by then your body is used to it and you also know what you're in for.
But for your first? Take the drugs. Be prepared for anything, including a c-section, if it's deemed medically necessary. At least that's what I plan to do. Refer back to my birth plan.
That said, some women really want to do it naturally, and that's fine. More power to them. These women would be better off investing in classes that would help them achieve that result, such as
The Bradley Method, and getting a doctor that supports their decision. If you don't care so much, then you don't really need to spend the money ($400 for Bradley Method classes) or time (we're talking months) to master a method that will help you deliver naturally. Capish?
In our case, I don't think that a time-intensive and expensive class like the Bradley Method was right for us. But I did want to take some class that teaches relaxation techniques, so I am considering signing us up for a
Lamaze class ($75 for two full Sundays of instruction).
3. The third question to consider really could wait a while. No need to decide this one right away. You have time. But, basically, it's this: Do you plan to breastfeed?
If you do, there are classes that you can take to prepare for that. Because word is that it's not as easy as you would think. You'll want to check with your hospital, birthing center, etc., to see if there will be any lactatian consultants available for you after you deliver. You might want to hire one ahead of time who can come to your room after you deliver and give you some help.
As for me, I have decided that I will try it. I don't know if it'll work or if I'll stick with it for very long. But I will give it a go. There is a nonprofit
Breastfeeding Center in my city that offers FREE breastfeeding classes! I have been talking to another woman in my prenatal yoga class about going to a class in July or August together.
Whew! That sums up a lot! I may need to revisit parts of this post as I progress. But with classes filling up very early, I needed to make these decisions and reserve my space ASAP! Hopefully this post will help others figure out how to navigate the overwhelming array of birthing choices out there!
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Back to the race at hand.
