Childbirth Education Classes
Training a Labor Athlete
Tonight,
in the first session of my birth class series, I asked the students why
they wanted to take this childbirth class. One mom replied, “You
wouldn't want to run a marathon without some training, so I wanted to
take this class to prepare for my baby.” That really put the need
for a childbirth class in perspective for these expecting couples. The
process of studying the physiology of labor, practicing labor positions
that are the most effective, and learning labor coping techniques is very
much like training to prepare for a race. The end result is well worth
the effort.
Oftentimes I hear people say, “Women don’t need to take a childbirth class to have a baby. They have been doing it for years.” And that seems to be reason enough to avoid a class. What we don’t think about is the context in which women gave birth for the whole of human history, except for the last 100 years or so. Pregnancy, labor, and delivery were once a shared community experience. Especially in small and remote areas, women depended on each other for assistance. They had the support of a whole team of family and friends from their community. Think about the team of trainers and coaches that support an athlete today!
When a birth was imminent, the women of a community would gather around to help provide for the new family. They all assisted in the labor and delivery, from the Granny Midwife to the younger women, helping the mother through her contractions and comforting her, providing the linens and cloths for the baby, assisting in the delivery, and caring for the mother and baby after the birth. Everyone could help and most young women experienced many births before they, in turn, were pregnant and preparing for their own labor. Even young men had a role in caring for younger siblings and being more involved in the home while a family member was laboring. They, too, had an understanding of labor before they reached that time in their lives. In years past, therefore, women and men may have had an easier time in delivery because they knew what to expect and how to deal with the strain of labor.
When, in the last century, labor was moved to the hospital environment, that local community of support was replaced by the medical team of doctors and nurses. They were experts in medical complications and the difficulties of childbirth, but the emotional support of the laboring mom was not a high priority of the hospital birth experience. In the last few years, the medical team and birthing parents realized this support was an important component of labor. With this understanding, birth partners were encouraged to attend the labor with the mom, but the community experience of attending labors and learning what to expect was not available to new parents. So, while these parents are planning to deliver their baby in the hospital, the opportunity to experience labor and birth, with all the procedures and equipment that is common in the hospital environment, is not available to them. That’s why childbirth classes and coach training are offered to pregnant couples to prepare for labor.
Think again about the young athletes of today. They participate in sports from an early age, with specialized training available for any children who excel. As they reach the level of collegiate or professional sports, they work with coaches and trainers for technique and sports psychologists for motivational skills. In the same way, an expecting couple should prepare and train for their upcoming labor, working toward a successful completion of their task. A childbirth class is a small investment in giving their child an important start to life. Several weeks of attending a birth class cannot match the life experience of a birth mom of a hundred years ago, but new parents train to ensure the best beginning for their baby and to know they made their own best choices concerning preparation for that birth