Ktrevey:So I went to my first birthing class. It was a free seminar at BRU. ( I am going to real classes starting this week, just figured I would do this one too). Well, over all it was good.. HOWEVER, the lady was very anti-hositpal and telling us that half of us in the room would get c-sections and that there is a huge increase of women that die during child birth. She was telling us that medically she cannot tell us to ignore our doctors warnings, but that we probably can and that try to stay at home as long as possible so you only have to be in the hospital about an hour. Then she went on to say that we need to argue with the people at the hospital to get what we want, make sure to put up a good fight! It was the scariest thing I have ever been to....Is this typical of a birthing class?? Should I expect this for the real one I am signed up for?
Some of her info is kinda sorta correct-ish, but clearly she did a horrible job presenting it. I would say it is true that you shouldn't go to the hospital too early. (An hour before birth is cutting it a little close, IMO.) And a 50% c-section rate is exaggerated unless you have some real whopper hospitals in your area. My local hospitals average 30-40%, which I think is pretty bad, but there are worse places. If you have picked a hospital already, look up its statistics (I live in Ohio and those statistics are actually collected by the state health department). But as PP have said, your choice of provider is probably even more important than your choice of hospital. I switched from an OB to a CNM because my OB and I had important philosophical differences about how my birth should go. If you haven't already, ask your doctor/midwife what his/her personal C-section rate and the conditions under which he/she would recommend a section. The most important thing is that you and your provider are on the same page about how (roughly) you expect the birth to go. And you absolutely do NOT need to argue with hospital staff. (Bad idea!!) You do, however, need to know what you want and don't want, maybe even give the nurses a written birth plan, and be ready to say things like, "Thanks for your concern about my pain, but I'd like to go med-free. If I change my mind about pain medication, I'll let you know." You can state your wishes in a kind way.
That doula had a terrible attitude. She won't remain in business for long with that kind of shrill, antagonistic approach to things. I'm sure your "real" class will be better. (FWIW, I hired a doula and she is the complete opposite of this!!)