Just some food for thought:
My observation of most hospital based childbirth classes is that the 
information is very watered down. I am sure there are some good ones out 
there somewhere! I have had hospital childbirth educators tell me they 
can not talk about natural childbirth or using a doula, and have to 
gloss over interventions as being all good. Nor can they refer mothers 
to information resources so that moms can educate themselves. I have 
also had many women tell me that they learned more from me at the 
lactation consultation than they learned from hospital based 
breastfeeding classes. They mostly say the hospital BF class was a waste 
of time. What I find is that parents trust these educational sources and 
are often angry and dismayed to find out they were taught information 
that is not totally accurate or not helpful in a real life situation.

So I am not sure that the institutions are 100% carrying the best 
interests of mom and baby at heart, or whether these classes are a 
marketing tool and a way of generating revenue. Probably some are a bit 
of both sides. And again, when mom has problems with breastfeeding, the 
first thing she blames is her body and then the process of 
breastfeeding. That myth that breastfeeding is too hard but bottle 
feeding is easy is believed by just about everyone!

The flip side to this is that at least parents get some form of 
education but I do have to second the question that if moms are getting 
so much information why are birth interventions and breastfeeding 
problems at an all time high? Why do so many women not trust their 
bodies nor trust the process of birth and breastfeeding? Shouldn't we 
have more women understanding these issues if they are going to 
childbirth classes? Why is fear so much greater about childbirth now 
than in the 80's when I had hospital birthing center natural births?

Kathy Eng, BSW, IBCLC

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