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Question of the Day: What's the most interesting small town you've visited in South Africa?
Antenatal class tomorrow...
- Thread starter srothman
- Start date
SoulTax
Executive Member
Yes and yes.
It is not a one stop shop for all you need to know, but it certainly helps. It also helps to meet other people that are going through the same phase in life, if that is something that you need.
Also, I found that it set my mind at ease to see couples that were just as nervous and even more unsure of what was to come than I was. If you get Zero information out of the class, you should still gain some perspective, and that is pretty priceless in the months to come.
Just try to enjoy it and go with the flow.
We went, the lady we saw thought that keeping us for longer meant value for money.
So it was 1 day a week, for 7 weeks, for 3 hours at a time.
Could have compressed everything into maybe 3-4 hours.
I guess it was worth it though. There isnt really much new that they tell you, but it puts your mind at ease that you arent that ill equipped.
Some of the positives from it:
1. infant CPR and chocking information and demonstrations
2. our lady went through the entire procedure of what will happen in the hospital, my wife quite liked it as she then knew what to expect at each part
3. free cake
4. some decent lists for items to take with
5. you feel better because other people there ask dumber questions
6. you do learn some signs and symptoms to watch out for, your wife will probably ask some questions and hear others about their current suffering situation (this made my wife feel much better)
We found quite a lot of benefit reading the baby sense books as well (so maybe check those out)
So it was 1 day a week, for 7 weeks, for 3 hours at a time.
Could have compressed everything into maybe 3-4 hours.
I guess it was worth it though. There isnt really much new that they tell you, but it puts your mind at ease that you arent that ill equipped.
Some of the positives from it:
1. infant CPR and chocking information and demonstrations
2. our lady went through the entire procedure of what will happen in the hospital, my wife quite liked it as she then knew what to expect at each part
3. free cake
4. some decent lists for items to take with
5. you feel better because other people there ask dumber questions
6. you do learn some signs and symptoms to watch out for, your wife will probably ask some questions and hear others about their current suffering situation (this made my wife feel much better)
We found quite a lot of benefit reading the baby sense books as well (so maybe check those out)
It was beneficial.
It's basically a "what to expect" for pregnancy, delivery and the first few weeks. Very informative, and the group interaction really adds some perspective / insight that you may not ordinarily get from your family/friends.
We read what they were going to cover and figured it was a waste of our time and money. Our midwife covered all the important stuff anyway. A friend who did go confirmed that the material they cover is a total waste of time. They liked hanging out with other prospective parents though. Sounded pointless to us however. We didn't need any further perspective or insight, we weren't nervous or unsure of what was to come. A decent book or the internet is more useful once the baby arrives as you can actually consult the thing instead of trying to remember what some person waffled about weeks ago.
SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
Skipped it.
Looking at the contents of the class and by the time they offered it there was almost no relevant content.
Six months after her being born I honeslyt can't say I missed anything or that it was necessary in the slightest.
If you've been on the planet long enough to have a baby then you should have figured out how it works by now.
Looking at the contents of the class and by the time they offered it there was almost no relevant content.
Six months after her being born I honeslyt can't say I missed anything or that it was necessary in the slightest.
If you've been on the planet long enough to have a baby then you should have figured out how it works by now.
Carol35
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I didnt go to one ante natal class and quite frankly, nothing in the world can prepare your wife for whats about to happen or explain it adequately. My daughter went to hypo-birthing classes that cost at least a years worth of nappies and she was somehow convinced(brain-washed lol) that she was going to have a relatively pain free natural birth...i tried to tell her..but what do i know after 3 natural births....she now swears blind she is not having another child. If the classes are free, go for it..else rather invest the money into useful stuff you are going to need for the baby when its actually here. good luck.
good luck.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
We went, the lady we saw thought that keeping us for longer meant value for money.
So it was 1 day a week, for 7 weeks, for 3 hours at a time.
Could have compressed everything into maybe 3-4 hours.
I guess it was worth it though. There isnt really much new that they tell you, but it puts your mind at ease that you arent that ill equipped.
Some of the positives from it:
1. infant CPR and chocking information and demonstrations
2. our lady went through the entire procedure of what will happen in the hospital, my wife quite liked it as she then knew what to expect at each part
3. free cake
4. some decent lists for items to take with
5. you feel better because other people there ask dumber questions
6. you do learn some signs and symptoms to watch out for, your wife will probably ask some questions and hear others about their current suffering situation (this made my wife feel much better)
We found quite a lot of benefit reading the baby sense books as well (so maybe check those out)
What type of cake & how was it...the cake?
SoulTax
Executive Member
I didnt go to one ante natal class and quite frankly, nothing in the world can prepare your wife for whats about to happen or explain it adequately. My daughter went to hypo-birthing classes that cost at least a years worth of nappies and she was somehow convinced(brain-washed lol) that she was going to have a relatively pain free natural birth...i tried to tell her..but what do i know after 3 natural births....she now swears blind she is not having another child. If the classes are free, go for it..else rather invest the money into useful stuff you are going to need for the baby when its actually here.
I think both of you miss the point though. No matter your level of knowledge, you get some form of value from the antenatal classes if it is your first pregnancy.
True, you don't actually need it, to make sure your child survives past 2 months. It is not a requirement to become a parent or something like that. But it certainly can give you some perspective as you are going through a tough pregnancy and nobody around you understands or is in the same boat.
The truth is that nothing can prepare you for labour, birth and the first few weeks or months of being a new parent; nothing at all. But that doesn't mean that you should ignore some of the potential tools available for bridging the gap.
red velvelt...it was,,,moist
I didnt go to one ante natal class and quite frankly, nothing in the world can prepare your wife for whats about to happen or explain it adequately. My daughter went to hypo-birthing classes that cost at least a years worth of nappies and she was somehow convinced(brain-washed lol) that she was going to have a relatively pain free natural birth...i tried to tell her..but what do i know after 3 natural births....she now swears blind she is not having another child. If the classes are free, go for it..else rather invest the money into useful stuff you are going to need for the baby when its actually here.
The classes are for both parents and cover more than just child birth. They cover bathing, feeding regimes, choking, cpr etc etc
SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
Which they teach you in the hospital with your very own real live baby so utterly pointless.
Not to mention that it's not rocket science.
Nope. It's a money making racket on top of the already overpriced adventure of having a baby. Much like having a wedding.
There is really nothing in the course content that we didn't already know with some very basic and free reading or YouTube'ing.
It's called having an interest, instead of being spoon fed.
If you want to do something worth while before having a baby then watch the show "One Born Every Minute" even before making the baby. It will give you all the education you may need and a reality check as well.
More scary is the the push for caesars so it's "convenient" for everyone not to mention formula feeding as an easy out.
Nerfherder
Honorary Master
I didnt go to one ante natal class and quite frankly, nothing in the world can prepare your wife for whats about to happen or explain it adequately. My daughter went to hypo-birthing classes that cost at least a years worth of nappies and she was somehow convinced(brain-washed lol) that she was going to have a relatively pain free natural birth...i tried to tell her..but what do i know after 3 natural births....she now swears blind she is not having another child. If the classes are free, go for it..else rather invest the money into useful stuff you are going to need for the baby when its actually here.
We did hypno birthing and it's really worth it. The name is misleading, it's basically relaxation techniques and helped us even though my wife ended up having an emergency cesar.
It sounds like a hippy thing but really is not. Our friend had two natural births using these techniques and the kids were both out with in 45 mind of getting to the hospital. The gyne was there for 5 mins and just caught the babies. She claims that both births were relatively painless, so it's completely possible.
Practice makes perfect
In any case it didn't cost anything as we were able to claim it back from medical aid...
SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
Practice makes perfect
In any case it didn't cost anything as we were able to claim it back from medical aid...
By the time of year ours was arriving the Medical Savings was done.
Therefore the R700 off I remember I being was simply not worth it.
If you are "panicked" parents who want to do everything exactly by the book then by all means.
Personally I think the best advice I would give anyone is to not take any advice. Don't listen to anyone and do your own thing. It's not that hard and if you get stuck there is Google and YouTube.
My little girl is fuss free I believe because we are fuss free with her. Every time I see a hysterical child the parents are equally hysterical, the one feeds the other it seems.
Carol35
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For sure, i can imagine it would be helpful to excited first time parents but its not a neccessity if you have to pay cash for the classes, there are also many online parenting forums where you can ask questions, get support etc. Im still friends with many of the parents i made years ago when i joined and its been great watching all our little tykes grow up. So in short, if the classes are free..by all means but cash would be better used else where (unless you have an abundance of cash to waste
)
Carol35
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I dont know what these classes entail but its great if they work for some. My daughter was in labour for 24 hours and persevered through to give birth naturally at home which i did think was great..probally with the help of these classes but it was far from pain free. And yep, my first birth was an unexpected unassisted home birth less than 30mins so afterwards i did think it was pretty pain free and easy as pie...which left me incredibly naive for my second which was numerous hours and faarking agony haha.
My only advice is accept no advice haha. Have the plan you want in your mind, get the knowledge you need to see it through and expect the unexpected.
crackersa
Honorary Master
kegal exercises freaked me out...just knowing there was an unknown female standing next me flexing your vajayjay muscles.