L&d without lamaz

Quick question for u mommies or mommies to be....
I was scheduled for lamaz n all the classes then at 29 weeks went into pre term labor was admitted to he hospital for 9 days ...of course my fifth day there was my first day of lamaz ( obviously missed it) .
Came out of hospital and have been on strict bed rest n procardia since. I still have minor contractions n i come off he procardia next week...my due date was july 27 th ..I'll be 35 weeks this tuesday....n i think once i come off he pills my Might arrive soon after she feels like she is sitting low already ..when i get up to pee I ave to stand still for a sec ( i know she want ) but it feels like she is gonna just fall out. Also my cervix last week was 0.4.

I was ok after taking to nurses at good Sam wit not taking the class they said i wld be fine they walk u through eveything as u go n sup r vey helpful ( I'm getting well my plan is to et the epi..even though in scared as hell)

My cousin started freaking me out today saying just find a class fast n go that i shod really take it.

I cancelled my shower so i doubt I will last too long to find n make the next class. Any of u ladies take the class n feel u wld have been fine without it?

Re: L&d without lamaz

i never took lamaz, had DD just fine without it!
my body knew what to do i guess because she was out in no time!

Re: L&d without lamaz

I also could not make my class and it was too late to schedule another one so I got the laugh and learn DVD and it was great! DH and I watched over the course of a few nights and I felt much more prepared. I was glad I didn't make the class because we could watch and absorb this at our own pace. If you sign up for amazon mom (for free) you can order it and get free two day shipping.

Good luck!

Re: L&d without lamaz

I didn't take lamaze, just a regular L&D class at the hospital. But that was because I planned to have an unmedicated birth and wanted to do everything I could to help have that happen (I succeeded -- it hurt lol... and as my OB's wife said to me at the gym "they don't give you an award to hang on the wall for that" lol).

Anyway, lamaze really isn't the only way to have an unmedicated birth -- in fact, now a days, they really try to teach you how to breathe through contractions, not hyperventilate and become light-headed and possibly pass out during them.

The best thing anyone ever told me going into childbirth was that contraction feel like the worst diarrhea cramps you have ever had. Only instead of lasting until you get it all out on the toilet several hours, they come and go. So if you've ever had really, really bad diarrhea, you can make it through childbirth. Because with every painful contraction, comes a built in "break." Sometimes those breaks are longer than others. There is also a pause before the pushing stage begins to gear you up. Plus your body releases all sorts of natural hormones that help you deal with the pain and energize you through it.

If you have support from your husband, that will help too. Mine rubbed my back during labor when it hurt bad (I had some pretty nasty back labor for a while), and got me a cold washcloth when I felt like I was burning up. For me, I'm a counter -- I count my steps, I count brush strokes when I'm blowing dry my hair, I count reps at the gym -- and I told the L&D nurse at the hospital that I wanted her to count me through everything. She was amazing at helping me do that. So she'd say "just push for 6 seconds" -- "now give me 10 more!" and it totally worked for me.

These are the kinds of things you can think about and gear yourself up for now. It's not to say that everything always goes as planned. It definitely doesn't always, and one of the most important things they taught us in my L&D class was to be FLEXIBLE.

If you're interested in talking through some of the other things I learned in my class, I'd be totally happy to call you sometime and just go over some of the stuff with you. I'm not a nurse or a doctor or anything. I just really felt good and ready to give birth when the time came and you sound nervous so I want to help. FM me if you'd like and we can figure out a time to talk.

The bottom line of my very long reply is... I don't think you have to rush out and take lamaze. I think you'll be fine. Especially since you already know you want to get the epidural. I think it's 100% normal to be nervous, but no class can get you more ready than your body will already naturally get to.

Many hugs to you and wishing you the best!

Re: L&d without lamaz

Honestly, I don't think its necessary. DH was all about taking a class, and I just really didn't want to bother with it and when we brought it up to my OB he said, don't bother, just watch a dvd! So, that's what we did. I did some research on good childbirth dvd's and we went with Laugh and Learn - All About Childbirth on amazon and it was exactly like taking a class (it was basically a filmed class with couples asking questions etc).

And, we didn't even make it through the whole dvd because after 3 segments I went into labor and had DD, and everything went just fine!

Re: L&d without lamaz

I have given birth 4 times and never took a birthing class.

Re: L&d without lamaz

never took a class. two v births. first time i pushed 10 min, second time, 6 minutes.

Re: L&d without lamaz

I got down to L&D and the nurse asked me "did you take lamaze?" I said "no, but I heard you'll teach me" She giggled and then did. It took like 2 minutes...






not the pushing, that was almost 2 hours.

Re: L&d without lamaz

I never took any classes and i delivered just fine! They really do walk you through everything! You'll be fine without the classes! Good luck!!!!

Re: L&d without lamaz

Never took a class and had 2 babies just fine. I did watch a video that had some helpful information in it, but I'm sure you could find that same info online, and it didn't help me deliver, it only helped me to understand what the nurse and doctor were talking about when they discussed my progress.

Re: L&d without lamaz

I didnt take lamaze. The nurse at the hospital walked me through everything and I was fine. Just remember to keep your eyes open during contractions, focus on something in the room, and sway side to side.

Re: L&d without lamaz

I just went through natural childbirth(no epi) 12 days ago and did all of my contractions on pitocin. I did not take lamaze. Honestly, your body knows what to do and the nurses help you through it.

Re: L&d without lamaz

Never took a class either but labor is something natural, and the nurses taught me how to breathe through the contractions. I ended up with a csec but truthfully I don't think classes are necessary.

Re: L&d without lamaz

I took it with DS - and for me, it was a waste and all went out the window anyway. Women have been doing it for years without classes. You and your body will know to do and the Drs/Nurses will explain everything to you if you just ask. Youll be fine without it!

Re: L&d without lamaz

I took a class that talked about Lamaze a little bit but that was it. I might have something to help you. If I do I will FM it to you.


edit: Sent! Good Luck! Let me know if you have any questions!

Message edited 6/18/2011 10:36:48 AM.

Re: L&d without lamaz

Re: L&d without lamaz

Inever took lamaze & had no issues. I think your "instincts" take control when you go into labor. Plus I ended with a section anyway...

Re: L&d without lamaz

Lots of

Never took lamaze and I went into labor at 37 weeks. Had crazy anxiety about labor & delivery and was remarkably calm.

You'll do great!

Re: L&d without lamaz

We took a lamaze class. Ended up not needing anything we learned because I had a C-Section and never felt a contraction even once because they gave me the epidural very early on (I was induced).

I don't necessarily think it was a waste of money though. It helped to calm some anxieties and prepare you for what's to come. That being said, you'll survive without it.

Re: L&d without lamaz

My Dr insisted that I do it, but I didn't. When I was going through labor I was doing my own breathing, I was in such a daze that I don't think I would remembered to do lamaze breathing.

Re: L&d without lamaz

No lamaz classes here. I was induced and had a failed Epi. I was able to deal with it by visualizing I was elsewhere during the transition. I imagined myself at the beach. When it came time to push the nurse told me when to breath, push, etc. I wouldn't worry about it. Like other people said, your body knows what to do.

Re: L&d without lamaz

I didn't tale any childcare class and had wonderful experiences. Quite honestly, the nurses are the ones who will get you through it.

My first born was 4 weeks early, unexpectedly, and it was probably better that I didn't have too much information or too much time to think about it... My imagination gets the vest of me... Just let the nurses guide you through the experience.. .

Re: L&d without lamaz

Thank you ladies ....hearing all this makes me feel a lil better .......i think i just have been so scared of the pain, scared the epi wont work ,scared ill feel everything n be in so much pain i wont be able to take it.
Basically bed rest has been ruining my pregnancy by giving me tooooo much time to worry about $hit
Im so bad .

But seriously thank you all for your comments it def made me feel better about not have taking the class. Still scared to death about l&d but thats a whole nother post lol

Re: L&d without lamaz

I felt better prepared by watching A Baby Story on TLC every day in the days leading up to childbirth than I did from Lamaze. Waste of time except I did meet a couple of people who ended up becoming great friends!

Re: L&d without lamaz

Posted by miabella

Thank you ladies ....hearing all this makes me feel a lil better .......i think i just have been so scared of the pain, scared the epi wont work ,scared ill feel everything n be in so much pain i wont be able to take it.
Basically bed rest has been ruining my pregnancy by giving me tooooo much time to worry about $hit
Im so bad .

But seriously thank you all for your comments it def made me feel better about not have taking the class. Still scared to death about l&d but thats a whole nother post lol