Preparing your body, your mind and your family to welcome a new baby is essential to having a smooth transition into birthing and motherhood. Understanding how your child is developing within you and how that baby will be born is also important. Taking a childbirth education class is a fantastic way to learn about your body, your baby, and birth.

There are a wide variety of methods and classes designed to prepare you for birthing. Almost all methods will help you learn ways to cope with labor. Some are more physical while others concentrate more on psychological or spiritual aspects of labor and delivery.

Most hospitals, and some doctors/midwives offer childbirth classes to women and families intending to give birth at that hospital.  You can usually find out about these classes on the hospital website.  Sometimes (though not always) these classes can be geared more towards mothers/families who plan on using pain medication, so if you hope to avoid pain medication, exploring some non hospital classes (as can be found on the list below) may be worthwhile.  

The best way to choose a childbirth education method is to think about what birth means to you, what your goals are, what your body responds to, and what your philosophy and beliefs are.  Research the types of classes available in your area, speak with the instructors, and go with one that feels the most comfortable for you.

When selecting a class, you may want to find out:

• The background (philosophy and education) of the instructor
• What topics are covered
• What type of pain management is taught
• How big the class is
• What methods of teaching are available (group, individual, online)
• The location and time of the classes
• When in pregnancy it should be taken
• The length of the class series
• The cost of the class (and if they have insurance reimbursement)