Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Which Birthing Preparation Course?

by Jennifer Gault
(Antrim, Northern Ireland)

I have decided to invest in one or more of the home study birth preparation courses you have recommended but I'm really confused as to which one would be most appropriate?

The Pink Kit looks great, the reviews are excellent and I particularly like the look of the guide for the birthing partner. Birth Outside the Box looks well laid out and I like the medical terminology bit and the pain management aspect of the Hypnobabies approach really appeals to me too!

Please can you give me some advice?

My name Jennifer and I'm from Northern Ireland, I'm 14 weeks pregnant with my first baby and have so far found your website extremely helpful. Thank you!

Many Thanks,

Jennifer

Answer:

Hi Jennifer,

It can be really hard to decide which birthing course to go through, because they all have good aspects to them.

Getting comfortable with your body as it prepares for birth is really important. As a first time mother you want to have confidence when you go into labor. Confidence comes from developing the skills needed to handle whatever form your labor takes - fast, long, little pain, lots of pain, doctors, midwives, etc. etc.

I recommend that all women work through The Pink Kit for this very reason. It is a truly unique childbirth course because it teaches you how to work with your unique body. As you noticed it is also great for partners. The two of your work together to learn how the birthing body works, and to learn skills that you can really use during labor.

A recent birth story I got highlighted this well - the birth partner was using the skills so effectively that he didn't realize that he was the one making labor "easy" for the mom! He quickly realized it when he stopped helping her and she let him know she needed him :) Check out Jamin's story to read about it!

I truly feel the Pink Kit is an excellent course and has huge benefits for mothers and partners preparing for birth.

I also think that Birth Outside the Box and Hypnobabies are excellent courses. Both cover good fundamentals of what happens during childbirth physiologically. If you would like to focus on a pain-free childbirth, Hypnobabies is the course that you want.

Otherwise, I feel like the basic childbirth information and information on interventions in Birth Outside the Box is the best companion for the Pink Kit. The info on interventions is well-researched and will help you truly understand procedures that may be offered to you - and your baby. As I mentioned above, it also has basic childbirth info (such as the stages of labor) that you will find helpful.

You can find this basic information elsewhere, but Birth Outside the Box lays it out nicely.

So my recommendation is to get the Pink Kit. If you'd like to get another course to compliment it (since it doesn't cover info on interventions and such - it's purely childbirth skills for you and your partner), get Birth Outside the Box.

Let me know if you have any other questions and enjoy your pregnancy! It's an exciting time :D