According to a WiserPregnancy survey, 27% of doctor-moms attend a birth preparation course.  Most (82%) doctor-moms attend a general class offered by a hospital. Their next favorite options are Lamaze (28%) and BirthWorks (20%).

By comparison, just under half of women overall attend classes prior to labor and delivery. 

So why do these physicians who’ve seen it all also attend birthing classes? Turns out it’s for the same reason as other women.

Most classes cover labor, delivery, recovery and new baby care.  They also focus on different methods to help you relax, stay calm and manage pain during delivery.  Classes also help many women establish a support network of other pregnant women and their partners – something all the medical knowledge in the world can’t give you.

In addition, if you take an on-site hospital course, you can check out the facility where you’ll be giving birth and become more familiar with the surroundings and staff. 

Of course, that still means that half of all pregnant women don’t take a birthing class. Common reasons for opting out include: not seeing a point to the classes, not having time, having attended a class during a previous pregnancy, class costs being too high or lack of class availability.   

If you attended a birthing class, what part of the course was most helpful?  If you didn’t attend a class, was there a particular reason why not?

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Birthing classes aren’t for everyone – only about half (46%) of pregnant women even attend birthing classes, according to a recent WiserPregnancy survey.

But once a woman decides to take a class, the philosophy behind the class isn’t as important as practical considerations.  The #1 factor for pregnant women? Location (26%). Cost is a close runner-up with 23%.  For 20% of women surveyed, a health care provider’s recommendation is the most influential factor when choosing a birthing class.

Despite the passionate loyalty of the most popular birthing classes, only 17% of women surveyed consider birthing philosophy first and foremost. They also don’t put a lot of weight in recommendations from friends and famil – 9% of women rank that highest when choosing a class.  

While practical considerations are critical – after all, who wants to drive an hour to learn how to breathe – you should consider the birthing class’s approach before signing up. If your instructor has a radically different philosophy than yours, the class may not suit you. 

Here are some tips when choosing a birthing class:

• Make sure the class is taught by a certified childbirth educator.
• Ask about the price.
• Find out how many other couples are in the class. Try to avoid classes with more than eight or 10 couples so you can be sure that your questions are answered.
• Ask about the instructor’s childbirth philosophy before you sign up and consider whether this matches your approach. 
• Find out about the topics the curriculum covers and if your partner will be expected to play a role in the birth.
• Consider the amount of time spent in lecture, discussion and practice during each class.
• Sign up early for a class in your last trimester, before courses fill up.

Did you attend birthing classes?  What was the most helpful part of the course?

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2. 1 in 4 Doctor-Moms Attend Birthing Classes
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So what influences a woman’s decision? Peer pressure, concern about the baby’s health, bragging rights? Sure, those can all be powerful influencers.

But what doesn’t seem to play a role is the birthing class a woman attends. Wiser Pregnancy’s recent survey of pregnant women found the following:

• 46% have attended or plan to attend a childbirth education class.
• 65% have had an epidural during delivery.
• 53% who have gone to childbirth education classes have said that the class didn’t help or only somewhat helped them prepare for labor and delivery.

That last statistic, in particular, is pretty interesting. More than half the women who took a birthing class found that it didn’t help or only helped a little.

Whether the choice is Lamaze (which doesn’t advocate for natural or painkiller-assisted birth) or Bradley (which supports natural birth), it turns out that women have pretty much made up their minds about an epidural, regardless of the class.

Another possibility: The class didn’t impact their epidural decision as much as the birthing circumstances.
Some pro-epidural women may find that the progression of their labor makes it impossible. Others may have planned a natural birth but decided they needed pain relief once labor started.

The fact is, most women find giving birth painful. But every woman is different, and so is the level of pain. For some, childbirth is excruciating; for (lucky) others, it hurts but less than a fractured rib or a previous surgery.

So while the factors going into whether or not to get an epidural may vary, the birthing class they choose doesn’t seem to be one them.

What about you? If you attended a birthing class, did it help you decide whether or not to get an epidural? And did you change your mind when you went into labor?

Related posts:

1. Birthing Class Philosophy: Not So Important to Women
2. 1 in 4 Doctor-Moms Attend Birthing Classes
3. Half of Pregnant Women Opt for Epidural