Advertisement
Topics
Diaries
Twins
Feeding
Tests
Nutrition and fitness
1st Trimester
2nd Trimester
3rd Trimester
Financial/benefits
Complications
Concerns
Labour/delivery
Newborn
Loss
Twins
Feeding
Tests
Nutrition and fitness
1st Trimester
2nd Trimester
3rd Trimester
Financial/benefits
Complications
Concerns
Labour/delivery
Newborn
Loss
Hot stuff
Newsletters
Promotions
Is there a link?
Deodorants and breast cancer investigated
Deodorants and breast cancer investigated
Antenatal classes
continued from page 3
No amount of special diets, exercises or breathing practice will ultimately affect the shape of your pelvis or the position of your baby at the onset of labour. Having a rigid idea of how you are going to have your baby, whether as an idea in your head or as a written birth plan, is risky because at the end of the day nature may not necessarily let you have your own way, even if the hospital backs your ideas to begin with. You can be prepared but you cannot control.
Good classes recognise that it is in your interests to have realistic expectations, which means you will be prepared for a range of eventualities.
Although there are some sets of classes that are primarily for couples, there is no firm principle that states that these are ‘better’. Dragging unwilling fathers-to-be along to them can be disruptive for the whole group and the sort of detail which many women welcome is not necessarily appealing to men. Some men are riveted by the whole process of pregnancy and birth, some are not. In the long run, either sort of man can be a totally competent husband and father.
Good courses will have a fathers’ evening but to go beyond this is a matter of personal choice, not an inevitable improvement.
One of the most remarkable things about parents with children is that they tend to sort themselves into groups according to the age of their eldest child. In a sense, the child chooses their social group for them. Parents of young children often feel they have less in common with parents of older children and vice versa. To a certain extent this is because talking to each other about their own children is something that people do a great deal, and it helps if the children under discussion are at a similar stage of development or schooling. For many parents, the origin of such a group was their antenatal class. With this in mind, it pays to weigh up whether the people who typically attend a particular course of classes are those with whom you will feel comfortable.
No amount of special diets, exercises or breathing practice will ultimately affect the shape of your pelvis or the position of your baby at the onset of labour. Having a rigid idea of how you are going to have your baby, whether as an idea in your head or as a written birth plan, is risky because at the end of the day nature may not necessarily let you have your own way, even if the hospital backs your ideas to begin with. You can be prepared but you cannot control.
Good classes recognise that it is in your interests to have realistic expectations, which means you will be prepared for a range of eventualities.
Although there are some sets of classes that are primarily for couples, there is no firm principle that states that these are ‘better’. Dragging unwilling fathers-to-be along to them can be disruptive for the whole group and the sort of detail which many women welcome is not necessarily appealing to men. Some men are riveted by the whole process of pregnancy and birth, some are not. In the long run, either sort of man can be a totally competent husband and father.
Good courses will have a fathers’ evening but to go beyond this is a matter of personal choice, not an inevitable improvement.
One of the most remarkable things about parents with children is that they tend to sort themselves into groups according to the age of their eldest child. In a sense, the child chooses their social group for them. Parents of young children often feel they have less in common with parents of older children and vice versa. To a certain extent this is because talking to each other about their own children is something that people do a great deal, and it helps if the children under discussion are at a similar stage of development or schooling. For many parents, the origin of such a group was their antenatal class. With this in mind, it pays to weigh up whether the people who typically attend a particular course of classes are those with whom you will feel comfortable.
previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
printer friendly
send to a friend
Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
iVillage Features
Message Boards
Pregnancy & Baby |
Parenting |
Health |
Diet & Fitness |
Beauty & Fashion|
Relationships |
Home & Garden |
Food & Drink |
Work & Career |
Entertainment
Horoscopes| Message Boards | Quizzes | Newsletters | Join
Horoscopes| Message Boards | Quizzes | Newsletters | Join
© iVillage Limited 2000-2008. All rights reserved. | © iVillage inc. 1995-2008. All rights reserved.
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB