The Benefits Of A Birth Pain Management Course

A couple of months before my baby was due, my wife and I decided to take a pain management course, to help prepare us for the childbirth process. Unfortunately, there are no Lamaze classes available where we live, so this was basically the next best option that we could take. I was a little surprised at this at first, as I naturally assumed that we would be taking Lamaze classes, and I never really heard of pain management classes before this. However, I wanted to take some kind of course that would help prepare us for everything, and this was ultimately what we ended up doing. I have to say that my experience was a mixed bag, but this may not be the case for everybody who takes these classes.

The class that we attended was three hours long, and there were basically several other couples there along with my wife and I. The instructor talked about the various types of pain management options that were available, including natural birth and such things as epidurals and morphine. She went over the various aspects of each, and the pros and cons of each. In the end, as she stated, it was going to be a personal choice that my wife was going to have to make. She also taught us a number of different breathing techniques that my wife could use while she was in labor, and this is probably what I felt was the most important part of this class. Also, another invaluable thing was that one of the couples who were there, was having their second child. So they were able to offer some extremely helpful advice for the rest of us, who were only having our first child.

In the end I have to say that it was three hours that were well spent and my wife and I learned many things that we did not know before hand. However, keep in mind that we were in the fortunate position of having a midwife, who was there at the birth and was an invaluable resource anytime we had questions. We didn't use any of the pressure techniques that we learned in the pain management class for my wife's labor, but I can see that they could definitely prove to be useful in other situations. This is why I would suggest that if you are unable to take a Lamaze class, that you consider taking a pain management course as an alternative.


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William offers refreshing advice for new parents on his blog, and his current topic is focused on traveling with baby and infants, and the precautions you must take.