logo
logo
Sign in

Importance of Antenatal Classes Before Pregnancy

avatar
Prapti Chauhan
Importance of Antenatal Classes Before Pregnancy

If you are pregnant or are planning to get pregnant soon, then you would know how exciting and nerve-wracking the thought of parenting could get. You will have lots of questions regarding pregnancy and parenting, and joining an antenatal class can help you get answers to your questions and prepare you better.


What are Antenatal Classes?


Antenatal classes are birth and parenting sessions that prepare you for pregnancy, labor, delivery, breastfeeding, and early parenting. These classes are conducted both online and offline and are gradually gaining popularity among young parents. Antenatal classes are mostly held after office hours or during weekends.


Topics Discussed in Antenatal Classes


Antenatal classes are organized by hospitals, private institutes, midwives, and even some community centers. Parenting apps and websites also offer antenatal classes online. The most common topics covered in antenatal classes include:


  • Diet and nutrition during pregnancy
  • How to prepare healthy food during pregnancy
  • What not to eat
  • Prenatal exercise and/or prenatal yoga
  • Breathing techniques like Lamaze, and Bradley 
  • Awareness about pain-free delivery techniques such as hypnobirthing
  • How to prepare for labor
  • When to call the hospital
  • Various stages of labor
  • Signs of early labor
  • Process of labor
  • Positions to try during labor 
  • Induction of labor
  • Potential complications that may occur during labor and delivery
  • Ways to breastfeed your baby
  • How to bottle feed your baby
  • Ways to swaddle your newborn baby
  • Ways to massage your infant
  • How to change nappy and diapers
  • Newborn behavior
  • Early signs of distress and discomfort in infants
  • How to put an infant to sleep
  • Infant hygiene


Types of Antenatal Classes


There are different types of antenatal classes for specific requirements. These include:

 

  • Fertility and pregnancy classes
  • Early pregnancy classes
  • Lamaze classes
  • Hypnobirthing classes
  • Prenatal Yoga
  • Breastfeeding classes
  • Bottle feeding classes


Also, there are classes designed for:


  • Only women
  • To-be fathers
  • Couples
  • Refresher courses for second-time parents
  • Parents who are expecting twins, triplets, or multiple births 
  • Parents who have decided to go for Caesarian delivery


Antenatal classes educate you and your partner about healthy and hygienic parenting practices. It also teaches you various preventive measures to avoid complications during and after pregnancy. The major benefits of antenatal classes are:


  • Offer an open forum where you can get answers to all your pregnancy-related questions.
  • Boost the confidence of new parents.
  • Bust the myths surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.
  • Most antenatal classes have groups of parents who are expecting a baby at around the same time. This will help you interact with parents who are in similar situations and you all can support each other.
  • Antenatal classes can give your baby their first set of friends.


collect
0
avatar
Prapti Chauhan
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more