Childbirth is the culmination of the pregnancy term and the eventual arrival of the baby that you have planned and have been waiting for the term of the pregnancy. It is a reward for your labour of love and the months of pregnancy that you have endured as a couple. Childbirth brings both relied and exhilaration – a feeling unmatched by few in life. A hassle-free birthing experience is the result of meticulously following doctor’s advice and preparing well for the birthing.
However, for a lot of parents this may also bring about a lot of anxiety, stress and this is caused by lack of awareness & preparedness.
Childbirth preparatory classes are specifically designed modules to help parents-to-be deal with the impending arrival of a baby. Especially for first time parents who may have had little or no experience of dealing with an infant, these may prove to be highly beneficial. The stress & strain most new parents undergo is the direct result of the lack of awareness. This lack of awareness leads to uncertainty, misinformation and lack of confidence in dealing with even the simplest tasks of parenting.
Childbirth classes thus give you a clear orientation on what to expect as a parent and how to seek help should you need any.
Childbirth classes can be largely structured under three heads – labor & delivery, neo-natal care and breast feeling. For each of these aspects there is both a physiological as well as a psychological aspect.
For labor & delivery, the mother obviously needs to be oriented with what to expect during labor, how to handle childbirth, the use of pain-relief and possible post-partum issues. Labor is also a mentally taxing exercise and both the mother & father-to-be are required to understand the rigors of the impending labor.
Neonatal care is critical for the child’s growth, care and bonding with the parents. This aspect of childbirth classes includes some very basic things such as caring for the baby, understanding the baby’s responses and appropriate responses.
Breast feeding is a critical aspect of childbirth preparation and both parents must understand it adequately for effective parenting.
For any endeavor, adequate preparation is always beneficial. In many cases, especially for first-time parents, the challenges of parenting are more mental & emotional. Childbirth preparatory classes help allay these fears and make parents more comfortable & confident in dealing with the impending-parenthood.
Also, given that the classes are in a peer-group, you get to learn from the experiences of others, normalize the fact that everyone undergoes the same set of anxieties and there is a way to deal with these anxieties.
Finally, the child we expect to be delivered will be at its most vulnerable and will need all the support it can get till it becomes a healthy, self-sufficient adult. And childbirth preparatory classes are an endeavor to prepare you for this exciting phase in life.
