After hearing many mixed opinions about prenatal classes, we decided to try them and hoped that we weren’t wasting our time. We heard that you sit on the floor and practice breathing for 2 days straight. We also heard that the classes were full of people asking stupid questions the whole time. Okay, so maybe that happens. Probably the most awkward moment in our class was when we were going around the room saying our names and due dates and one mom-to-be burst out crying when it came to her turn. No one knew where to look or why she was even crying. After she was done, she laughed and said it was normal and she had even done it while ordering at a restaurant. Hormones do crazy things – and make for some awkward moments.
Other than that, we had a great experience. We went to the Ottawa General Hospital and our instructor was awesome. She went over so many important things with us. I felt like I was fairly prepared for the delivery. I had read a lot and had witnessed my nephew’s birth. We went to classes more for my husband’s sake than anything else.
I didn’t think that I had learned anything new until we were sitting in triage and it all came back to me. No one can prepare enough for labour. You cannot imagine what it is going to feel like until you are right in the heat of it. The instructor went through all kinds of coping strategies for both of the partners and we sure used them to our advantage.
It was my husband who used more skills than I did, and in turn, I benefitted most from our prenatal class experience. He was right beside me the entire time, full of encouragement. At times when it was really tough, he would look me in the eyes and convince me to focus and breathe and remind me that our little boy was almost here. The classes had a ton of video footage of women moaning and groaning in labour. I think they prepared him for the worst. After he saw the videos, he realized how much support a women needs while going through such a painful experience.
After the delivery was over with, the nurses asked if we had taken classes because they were so impressed by him. In fact, he left to get our bags from the car and they told me that he was one of the best coaches they had ever seen. I won’t give all the credit to prenatal classes, but they did help.
Labour and delivery is not all about the mom. The dad endures a lot and will have a much better experience if he knows his role during this process. Dad's don’t experience the physical pain or the hormonal roller coasters but personally, I would not have been able to go through labour without my husband. Women are running on adrenaline and are in massive amounts of pain so we don’t think about anything else. I clearly remember him telling me that he needed to use the bathroom and I pleaded with him to stay because I couldn’t have a contraction without him. I can only imagine how starving hungry and dead tired he was when the baby arrived at 6am. He stuck by me the whole time and had nothing but encouragement and comfort for me.
Luckily for both of us, it was the prenatal classes that prepared us for what to expect. They taught us to have a plan and discuss it together so we both knew what we wanted. Sometimes the professionals just do things that we perhaps don’t want them to do, or maybe they don’t explain things without us asking. It gave us a lot of comfort and a sense of control over what was happening. We knew what to expect and felt very confident during the whole process.
If you are debating about taking classes, I would highly recommend it.
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