Childbirth Education and Tours
Christine Sweeney, LICSW Program Manager, Parent Connection, BIDMC
APRIL 30, 2018
The third trimester of pregnancy is such an exciting time! The last weeks of pregnancy are in sight and parents begin to eagerly prepare to meet this little one that has been moving and shaking in utero! Here at BIDMC, we encourage families to learn as much as possible about pregnancy, childbirth and infant care by taking classes offered by our nurses, who are certified childbirth educators and certified lactation consultants.
We typically recommend taking classes between the 28th and 34th weeks of your pregnancy, as it has been our experience that this is the time when participants are best able to absorb and retain key concepts, while having adequate time to gather more information and line up postpartum resources. Our classes are quite popular though, so please don’t wait until the last trimester to secure your spot!
We offer a range of classes, including:
- All-inclusive Childbirth & Infant Care class (including tour) with optional Infant CPR
- Childbirth Education class & tour
- Infant Care class with optional Infant CPR
- Infant CPR & Safety
- Preparing for your Cesarean Section & tour
- Refresher Childbirth class & tour
- Sibling class
- Prenatal Yoga
Childbirth preparation classes help prepare you/your partner what to expect through the end of your pregnancy including early signs of labor, the physical process of labor, and how your partner or labor companion can best support you.
Some parents, especially those new to BIDMC, just prefer to have a tour of our facilities. Registering for a tour is a great way to get a sense of what is the best way to get to the medical center and where to park/go when you arrive.
A word of advice: during baseball season, print a copy of the Red Sox home game schedule so that you can anticipate traffic in determining how much time you’ll need to make it to the hospital when labor does begin!