Are you wondering if you need to do pregnancy classes?
I’d love to be able to give you a a YES or NO answer to this, but I can’t. Only you can judge whether you do.
We are all starting our pregnancy journeys from different places and what’s right for one person could be completely different for another.
I like to think of the pregnancy journey as having a few different dimensions to it;
Physical: Birthing a baby is pretty physical. It will put epic demands on your body and if you don’t regularly exercise then you might find this harder than someone who is used to breaking out a sweat and pushing themselves physically.
Mental: This is about knowing about birth. A first time mum will not necessarily know as much about birth as a mama with 2 kiddos. This can mean a huge learning curve for the first time mum. Also for the second time mama if she didn’t make the effort to learn anything the first time around, or its been a while and she’s forgotten.
Emotional: We don’t all feel the same about birth. Some women are terrified about it and will anything they can to avoid it, while others love the thought of it and can’t wait to experience it.
Your need for pregnancy classes will depend on where you fall in terms of the above dimensions.
What’s right for one person, might not be for another
People who don’t have any negative, pre-conceived ideas about birth and instead feel positively about it might be fine with reading a few books and watching few YouTube videos.
On the other hand, if you have deeply entrenched feelings, beliefs and thoughts about birth, then they’re unlikely to be shifted by simply reading a book. Someone like this will need much more support and guidance.What’s fine for one person will not necessarily be fine for someone else.
But while we’re talking about books, who could get away with just reading some books to prepare for their birth?
You can forget about pregnancy classes if…
I don’t think everyone needs to go to pregnancy classes. But I do think a minimum level of preparation is required and for some this can be found through books. So let me just be super clear as to who I think this applies to.
Ditching pregnancy classes and just reading a book will be fine for you if
- You have no negative preconceived ideas about birth that are scaring you
- You inherently believe that birth is a positive thing and that women are designed for it
- You’re emotionally resilient and know how to bat away fears and stresses with ease
- You know your own mind and how to bring your head space back to a positive place easily
- You’re confident in your ability to cope with whatever comes your way
- You have no problems asserting yourself, and asking for and saying what you want
- You’re naturally curious and are not afraid to ask (what some might say are) silly questions
- You believe in your own ability to be able to learn something and succeed at it (you have high levels of self-efficacy)
- You are able to trust your body
I mentioned at the beginning that we are all starting our pregnancy journeys from different places. The truth is that we don’t all want the same from our births either, and this will determine whether pregnancy classes are for you or not.
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Is the idea of being preparing for birth important to you?
Some people don’t place much importance on preparing for their birth and think that“I’ll be fine – it’s a natural process” when in fact doing some pregnancy classes can be the difference between a great birth and a not-so-great one.
This could be the same people who don’t really give much too much thought to “preparing for the birth” until they start maternity leave, at which point they start seeking out books and classes. IMO this is leaving things pretty late in the day!
We all have different needs and priorities.
Decide how important your birth experience is to you and how much you want to invest – in time, in effort, in money, in energy etc.
To help, you might fancy reading this post to help to figure out what kind of birth you want.
Read : How fabulous do you want your birth to be? ADD LINK
In thinking about your upcoming birth, where are you at?
Take a moment to figure out where you are now when it comes to your birth
- Do you feel confident about your upcoming birth?
- Are you knowledgeable about what to expect during labour?
- Do you believe that you can do it (birth your baby)?
- Do you feel ready for birth and in control of things?
- Have you decided on what your position is on being induced?
- Have you thought through the various potential questions you might get asked during labour?
- Do you know what your coping techniques will be?
If you’ve answered no or don’t know to any of the above questions, the chances are that you could benefit from doing some pregnancy classes.
If you’re looking for some classes to help you to prepare for your upcoming birth, then the Fearless Birthing Birth Prep Classes might be just the thing. Combining sensible practical preparation with emotional preparation, these classes have been designed to help you to prepare for the right birth for you. They include expert interviews, lots of super useful downloads including a gorgeous Birth Prep Planner, as well as some affirmations meditations and loads more. Find out more about the Fearless Birthing Birth Prep Classes here.
Alexia supports families planning pregnancy and birth. She helps them to overcome their fears and feel calm and confident about birth and pregnancy.
Alexia also trains birth professionals in the Fearless Birthing, a unique approach to birth preparation that is ideal for those who have fears around birth.
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