These benefits include but are
not limited to the power of the human touch and presence, of being surrounded by supportive people of a family's own choosing, security in birthing in a familiar and comfortable environment of home, feeling less inhibited in expressing unique responses to
labor (such as making sounds, moving freely, adopting positions of comfort, being intimate
with her partner, nursing a toddler, eating and drinking as needed and desired, expressing or practicing individual cultural, value and faith based rituals that enhance
coping)-- all of which can lead to easier
labors and births,
not having to make a decision about when to go to the hospital during
labor (going too early can slow progress and increase use of the cascade of risky interventions, while going too late can be intensely uncomfortable or even lead to a risky unplanned birth en route), being able to choose how and when to include children (who are making their own adjustments and are less challenged by a lengthy absence of their parents and excessive interruptions of family routines), enabling uninterrupted family boding and breastfeeding, huge cost savings for insurance companies and those without insurance, and increasing the likelihood of having a deeply empowering and profoundly positive, life changing pregnancy and birth experience.
A good childbirth class will cover
not only the normal progression of
labor and the stages of
labor, but also how to
cope with each stage and what might be going on emotionally, physically, and mentally.