Childbirth Prep Class -- Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford

Hi L. -- I gave birth to my first child at LPCH Stanford but didn't take their classes. Instead, my husband and I really enjoyed the childbirth class we took at Blossom Birth Center in Palo Alto. They also offer newborn care classes and more.

Hi L.,
Congratulations. We had the same question about this program, and my OB through Stanford said we could skip it and save the money if we did the following.
-Attend a Free hospital tour, so that you know where to go and what to do when you go into labor. They will also advise you about parking and how to get free parking during your stay.
-Know what type of birth we want(ie epidural or not)
-Have a game plan of what to do when you go into labor
-Take an Infant/Child/Adult CPR course
-Breastfeeding seminar
-Newborn care class

3 of which you are already doing. My OB told us the Prep class is good if you need a structured setting and a place to ask a bunch of questions regarding delivery procedures. Its especially good if your spouse needs these questions answered prior to going into the event. However, since my husand was able to attend almost all of our ob appointments he gave us a lot of informtaion at the appointment regarding delivery.

Personally, we decided not to take the course, because its one of those events where everyone has a different delivery, and the staff at Lucille did a great job of explaining to us every step of what whas happening. If I had a question, they gave me a straight forward answer as well as options if needed.

Looking back for us, I'm glad I saved the money and put our money towards newborn care.

Cheers,
Tasha

Have you looked into the classes at Blossom Birth Center? They are located on California Avenue in Palo Alto and are very nurturing and holistic. You can check out their website at: blossombirth.org

Good luck!

Are you planning on birthing at a hospital? THen a childbirth prep class given by a hospital will probably work for you.
If not, you should seek out a Childbirth educator that is NOT affiliated with a hospital at all.

Good Luck!

Hi L.!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! As far as where to take your birthing classes, it really depends on what you hope to get out of them. I am a certified childbirth educator (although currently not teaching) and have been active in the local birth community for the past five years, so I have the "inside scoop" on what you can expect. I will also admit upfront that I am on staff at Blossom Birth Services, a non-profit that offers independent childbirth education (and lots of other stuff, too).

In hospital sponsored classes, generally you can expect a large class- sometimes as many as 20 couples! The instructors are limited to some extent by the hospital's curriculum- for example, they are not allowed to say too much about the risks of epidurals. (I have friends who teach that have been reprimanded by their supervisors for "saying too much.") Also, the hospital classes tend to be limited in how much time they spend on labor coping techniques, which is important- even if you are planning on an epidural, you don't just get to drive up and get one- there will be some length of time that you need to cope with the discomfort and the more tools you have the better. On the bright side, they will give you a pretty clear picture of what to expect at that particular hospital.

In an independent class, class size tends to be much smaller- generally about six couples, so there is more time for your questions and personal attention. You also get an opportunity to build relationships with your classmates, which can be more difficult in a larger class. Since there is no hospital agenda, you will get a much more rounded look at the risk of interventions and how to avoid unnecessary ones and a lot more time is spent practicing coping tools for labor.

Overall, I would say that hospital based classes teach you to be a "good" patient and independent classes teach you to be a good consumer, so that you can have the birth that YOU want (not the one your doctor or hospital wants you to have). If you are interested in exploring the options of independent classes, there are many independent educators in the area- you can find a list on the Blossom website www.blossombirth.org, as well as through Bay Area Birth Information www.bayareabirthinfo.org. I believe Change of the Peninsula offers some classes, and Dolphin Doula and Yoga center may also (both in San Mateo). And of course, in Palo Alto there is Blossom. We offer five different options for your birthing class. I am happy to talk to you (and anyone) more in depth about the options (Blossom's and others)- call us at ###-###-####. There is also Day One in Palo Alto, but know that they contract w/ Lucille Packard, so you may not get the consumer-oriented class you'd get through other independent teachers/ facilities.

Lastly, one thing I am very proud of is our community at Blossom. It feels like a community center for mamas. We have cozy couches, a lending library, a childproof office with toys for the toddlers, friendly faces, and most importantly- many of the families come for birth classes and stick around for postpartum classes, like Mom & Baby yoga, so people really get to know each other. We have fun family events, like our annual family picnic. You won't get that with your hospital class!

As a mother, I can't tell you how important some of the things I mentioned are. Of course, I'd love for you to take your classes at Blossom, but I honestly hope every mom out there truly gets what she needs out of her birth class, no matter where she goes. I am happy to talk to anyone to help her figure that out. Good luck in your search!

Love, J.

Hi L.,
I've taken the Childbirth Prep Classes at LPCH, and I would recommend it. It was well organized and presented in a good and warm fashion. Our instructor was Marylin (not sure of her last name), and she was very good! Oh, I actually only took Parents of Multiples series (no Child CPR, or Newborn Care), because I was expecting twins. I imagine that other classes would be good as well. I also took classes to prepare for Labor with my midwifes Lin Lee and Olga Libova at Los Altos Oaks Medical Group in Mountain View. And I took Child CPR and Newborn Care at El Camino Hospital (where I ended up delivering my sons). They were OK (less expensive) but I liked LPCH classes more.
Hope this helps,
E.

Hi - The breastfeeding seminar and infant/child CPR classes are great. The Newborn care is a little basic but it just depends on how much exposure you have had to babies. If you have not been around babies at all, then it is helpful More importantly though, I strongly recommend joining the new moms group held at LPCH on Tuesday mornings after the baby is born. I started attending when my daughter was 6 weeks old and there is a group of 8 of us that have been together since then. Our little ones are now turning 2. It is a great support group. I cannot say enough good things about it. You are with other moms with babies 0-5 months and then 5-9 months. Great resources and great support. We all knew exactly what each other was going through and continue to help each other with new isses that arise. Congratulations & Good luck!

i took it a little over a year ago in jan 07. it was alright. if you don't know anything at all, it would be good, but if you've read books and researched on line (you can watch videos on babycenter.com), then you should be fine. we took it on the weekend time slot and that was a lot of sitting and it got to be uncomfortable at times. just my opinion. good luck!

Hi L.,
My husband and I took that class and really enjoyed it. It was a nice introduction to various types of breathing techniques, what to expect at the hospital, etc. If you are going to give birth at LPCH, it is really nice because it is taught by one of the L&D nurses there, so she was really familiar with the procedures at that hospital.

Of course, I ended up having an emergency C-section, so none of it really mattered!!

Good luck,
J.