Hey Mama, congrats! You're pregnant (again). There are so many great things about being pregnant for a second or third (or...) time.
You already know how to be a mom, you've been around the block before, you have a frame of reference and you might not feel as nervous about things this time around.
But every pregnancy is different. Every birth is different. Maybe its been a minute since your last was born, maybe you're hoping for a different experience this time around, maybe this pregnancy has already thrown you some unexpected curve balls... you've become a mom before but never to THIS child.
So, as you start to think about how to prepare and where to invest your time and money you may be wondering if taking a childbirth class is really necessary. I mean, cervical dilation and end of pregnancy symptoms haven't changed since your last pregnancy, right? What's the point?
Well, here's my take. Chances are that you actually don't need to take a full multi-day, multi-week course covering the ins and outs of the female reproductive system and the birth process. BUT that doesn't mean that you can skip the studying altogether.
Finding a refresher course that will bring you back up to speed and help you prepare for THIS birth experience has a lot of benefits. It can help you remember details that you've forgotten, it can help you process your previous experience and work through any subsequent anxieties, it can give your partner a chance to remember and prepare for supporting you and, probably most importantly, it forces you to carve out a little bit of time to actually sit and think about this baby and this birth which can be much harder to do when you have another child to take care of.
So, if you have any refresher courses in your area that are designed to meet these needs that is great, or you could look into an online course like the one that I recently created.
My course is geared around learning about and practicing practical comfort measures to use during labor and birth. It's a great resource for parents who want to skip the anatomy lesson and just get the useable info and it is specifically designed to be done with your partner to give you a chance to talk and practice together. The best part is that it is super affordable and yours for life. It is video-based, you get instant access and you can watch it and rewatch it however many times you want. Interested?
Just click HERE to learn more.