I was completely clueless on what classes to take before baby arrived. The doctor's office gave us a long list of what was available, but I knew that they probably weren't all necessary. Thankfully, a good friend delivered at a Beaumont Hospital and was able to tell me which classes she took, and I signed up for those. I've had a few people ask since then, which classes we decided to do so I thought it would be helpful to write down a few thoughts from each, just so that I have something to reference once baby is here and I am so sleep deprived, I can't remember anything :)
Childbirth Class
We had the option to take this class at the hospital or at our doctor's office. We decided to do out doctor's office only because the times were better. I knew that I'd never last through a one day, six hour class. And the offerings during the week just didn't work with our work schedules.
We went for three weeks, two hours each week. A nurse from the hospital came and taught the class. While there were some things I already knew just from reading blogs and other books, it was still very helpful. And it was really good for Aaron.
The videos were definitely an eye opener. I mean, I knew what had to happen, but to see it up close and personal was....graphic. Aaron held strong. The girl behind me though was definitely getting antsy and her and her husband ended up leaving before it was finished. I'm glad we got to see them though.
I also learned that my husband is a ten year old boy stuck in a twenty-nine year old man's body. I was seriously having flashbacks to our "Family Life" (aka sex ed for Catholic schools) classes back in fourth and fifth grades. Some of his facial expressions and even the noises that came out of his mouth were priceless. I'm glad we can find the humor in all of this :)
Childcare Class
I'm glad we took this class, but I don't know that it was completely necessary. Aaron definitely got more out of this than the breastfeeding class. There were a few things here and there that I picked up that will be useful. And we got a giant book for reference. While it was helpful, I'd probably put this at the bottom of the other two classes we took.
Breastfeeding Class
Aaron and I both attended this class and so did most of the other dads. Aaron had mixed feelings on whether or not it was necessary for him to be there, but I definitely thought it was important. The class was really helpful, in my opinion. It was only 3 hours, and I thought it could have easily been longer. I was worried that the morning would drag, but it went by really, really fast.
I have lots of friends who breastfeed and bought books that were recommended. It was nice though to be able to ask those random questions that I thought of during class. And there were a few things that she mentioned that might affect me that I had never even thought of before. And now I can get more information at my next OB visit well before baby arrives.
Hospital Tour
I would definitely recommend this, even if someone has no interest in any other classes. It's nice to know where you need to go once you get to the hospital and I'm guessing it will make me a little less anxious (maybe not by much) at least being familiar with my surroundings. We got to see triage, labor and delivery, and the postpartum unit. It was all definitely worth the 45 minutes of our night.
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