Do I need an antenatal class?
People have been having babies for millions of years; you are fully capable of growing, birthing and raising your baby without anyone telling you what to do.
But do you feel about that?
What will birth be like?
How do I look after a baby?
Will I be a good enough parent?
If this is you, then an antenatal class is only going to help you find your confidence. The trick is finding the right one!
In the run up to my first baby’s birth, I did absolutely zero research into the antenatal course I booked. I was far more focused on the nursery and my pram and my expanding belly. And besides, I’d read the hypnobirthing book - what could a class tell me that my five-star rated piece of midwife-written literature couldn’t?
I probably wouldn’t have signed up to one if it wasn’t for a friend who recommended a particular local course. She said, “yeah it was really detailed” and that was that.
So, I paid my money, put the dates of the sessions in my diary and felt rather smug about just how super prepared I was.
In truth, I had no idea what I was actually going to learn, and in all honesty had no idea what to expect. I couldn’t fathom how they were going to stretch the ‘your baby will come out of your vagina or you’ll have a c-section’ monologue for any longer than twenty minutes.
And then I actually did the courses and realised just how much there was to know about having a baby! And how different attending a class was to reading a book while watching One Born Every Minute.
Sure, there was the whole labour and delivery aspect, but there was also information about how to prepare for birth, what to pack in my birth bag, what decisions I might need to make and what sorts of challenges I might face. And that’s not even getting started on how to care for a baby: the feeding, the washing, the nappies…
Afterwards, I felt a bit overwhelmed but equipped for what was coming my way. Had I gone with my gut instinct and not booked a class, I genuinely worry about how I would have coped in those first few days of parent life.
Will antenatal classes help to prepare me for birth?
I’ve thought long and hard about this one and have come to the conclusion that the reason people see antenatal classes as being a bit of an unnecessary luxury is because of how we, as, a society, see birth.
In our culture, birth is ‘the event’.
It’s the contractions and the labour and the screaming and the drugs and then the baby. And that’s it.
That says a lot about us and where our culture has taken us. We have simmered down this transformative creation of new life into a single moment that can be managed. An experience to go through before something else happens.
But birth is not just that.
Yes, it is physical but one that is influenced by (and influences) emotions, hormones, lifestyle, society and culture.
By seeing birth as purely physical, we ignore these other elements and of course see antenatal as a luxury: we don’t need to understand it for it to work. It’ll just happen and be fine.
But… what does fine even mean? If you don’t have a clue about what this physical experience will entail, how do you know that you’re okay or not?
If you don’t know what’s coming at you in an emotional, hormonal, lifestyle, social and cultural context too… how will you know if things are right or wrong?
That level of uncertainty is not good: not for maternal mental health, not good for paternal mental health and absolutely not good for creating calm, controlled and confident births.
Good antenatal education will give you a real understanding in what is about to happen, not just in terms of the physical aspects of labour and birth, but to you as a whole person.
It’ll help you understand that you and your whole life is about to change: you might not know what that change will look like, but having some grasp of what’s going to happen, why it’s going to happen, and how to manage that transition will absolutely boost your confidence levels.
What are the benefits of antenatal classes?
It’s important to remember that not all antenatal classes and courses are made equal.
There are a million different providers of group and private, face to face and online antenatal classes out there for you to explore. Some are free, some are not. You will need to choose an antenatal provider that is a right fit for you.
These questions will help you to make that decision?
Will this antenatal class help me to feel knowledgeable?
Think about what you want for your birth and parenting journey: labour, birth, feeding, sleeping, nappies… does it give you the information that suits you? Is it balanced or biased? Does it give an overview, or a deep dive?
2. Will this antenatal class help me to feel prepared?
Think about how you feel before you start the course and where you want to end up? Do you feel this course will help you to get there?
3. Will this antenatal class help me to feel confident?
Facts are facts, but every single birth and parent is different: does this course give you the tools apply the knowledge you’re learning to you? Will it help you to tap into your own priorities and emotions to help you feel controlled?
4. Will this antenatal class help my birth partner to help me?
Look at the angle of the course content: is it all about what will happen to the birthing person or does is include their support network too? If you want to emerge from your antenatal sessions with a clear idea of how to make your birth as positive as possible, this is totally essential.
5. Will this antenatal class show me where to find additional support?
Birth is a single event in a lifelong journey: a positive birth is just the start and knowing where to turn later on for help and support is another thing in the toolkit to a positive parenting journey.
This is your unique journey into parenting; pick an antenatal course that works for you and your needs.
That’s the exact reason that my face-to-face and online antenatal packages will only ever be just us.
I do not believe that you can get the individual attention you deserve from a group class. Making baby friends is important and I offer social spaces to help you find that. But when it comes to your knowledge and confidence, tailoring it to your emotions, experiences, hopes and fears is absolutely essential. That’s best done when it’s just us. Why? Because you pick the content that works for you and I bring all my birth, baby and teaching experience together to deliver what you need, when you want it.
Check it out and if you feel like knowing more, get in touch.
