What to Expect in Antenatal or Childbirth Classes

Antenatal or childbirth classes can be incredibly important in giving you the information and confidence you need to take care of yourself and your baby. Although no two births are the same, a little bit of preparation and general knowledge will give you a much better idea what to expect. So, what do your antenatal classes consist of?

The biology

Your instructor will go through the biology of labour and the birth in detail, so if you were squeamish in biology at school, this isn’t going to be fun. As well as covering the pure biological elements of the birth, they’ll also go through what you will feel when and why.

You’ll also likely be shown a video of a birth so you can better understand the process and what happens.

Pain management

Probably one of the most important questions is how to manage the pain. At this stage, your instructor will talk you through pain management options that will be available, what they’re all for and how effective they are.

Relaxation techniques

It’s likely they will also cover non-medicated methods such as breathing techniques, massage and visualisation. If you’ve opted for a class that’s more into natural methods, then they’ll take you through the different labour positions you can adopt too.

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Complications

Not every birth is easy and so you’ll be taught about the most common complications and how they’re dealt with. This is likely to include a drug called Pitocin which is given when your labour stops progressing, or an episiotomy which is a procedure to cut the vaginal opening if your baby is having difficulties getting through.

Exercises

As well as covering the essentials on the birth, you’ll be taught different exercises you can do to help relieve pain and pressure in your back and pelvis. You may also be given a better understanding on how to keep fit and healthy during pregnancy with a recommended diet and foods that you should avoid.

Feeding

Antenatal classes aren’t just all about the birth but will also give you information on what to do afterwards, and this includes on how to feed your baby and what you need to know. They will also cover the basics on how to care for your baby and key things to watch out for to keep both you and baby healthy.

Making friends

It’s not all about learning, antenatal classes are a great opportunity to meet other couples having their first child or going through a refresher course. Make sure you take the time to bond with other couples and form a support network. You’re all in the same boat and it can go a long way to make friends, especially if you’re going to be learning together for the forthcoming weeks.

Antenatal classes can be both exciting and scary. Use this time to better prepare yourself for the birth of your baby and be sure to ask questions if you have any – at the end of the day, your instructor is going to be the best person to ask and you never know, there may be other people in your group wondering the same thing but be too scared to ask.

Resources:
https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/preparing-for-labor/what-to-expect-in-childbirth-classes/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/antenatal-classes-pregnant/?#what-happens-in-antenatal-classes