If you’ve met my husband you’ll know why attending an actual prenatal class was simply out of the question. There was absolutely no way of talking The Beard into a class where he’d have to hear the words “uterus,” “placenta,” “stitches,” or “blood” over and over. Forget about any videos or pictures.

I mean, I guess I could have gone by myself but that would just be depressing. Not to mention I was teaching at the time. I was exhausted and my weekends and evenings were so precious to me. I think a big part of me also thought I wouldn’t need a legit class because I was doing a lot of research on my own and planned to get an epidural ASAP as possible. It felt like the classes were for managing natural birth or people who didn’t want to read books about it. I know that’s not really the case, but that’s where my brain was at last time.

So the entirety of my prenatal prep happened from the comfort of my own couch! It was the best! If you’re like me and don’t necessarily want to practice weird breathing in a room with strangers, or you’re too busy, or too easily grossed out – I got you. Pull on your comfy leggings and get a big Diet Coke. Let’s talk prenatal education.

The Internetz

Before you think I went into this with no prep or just my self-righteous smug attitude, don’t worry. I ~also took an online prenatal class. It fit our needs perfectly – I was able to go through at my own pace, take notes, skip sections, and involve The Beard in a way that didn’t make him *that* uncomfortable. After completing the course myself, I had flagged sections to share with him. I knew I only had one chance, so I narrowed it down to one section about what happens in labor and how he could help. It took about 30 minutes and I only made him watch one video. I mean, he still hated it. But I think it helped us both.

There are a lot of options for online birth/prenatal classes. You can find some about basically any topic, birth plan, or specialty you want! Do some searching and comparison. It seems that $60-90 appears to be a pretty average cost for a full-length class with videos and activities. Mine was $70 and I felt it was worth it, especially because it came with two in-house classes of my choice.

• This is the online course I did – it’s $70 and included 2 free in-person classes, which I planned to attend but never did. I was going to do the breastfeeding class and the coping with labor class, and the sibling class also looks amazing. This isn’t sponsored – I just really liked it!
• Free Childbirth Class Video Series from Baby Center
• Lamaze offers a catalog of classes that are all around $30 (or you can bundle for  a better deal). I am going to try their free class “Labor Confidence” and possibly buy the Labor Pain Management class if I like it.
• A pricier option is the Birth Boot Camp online class, but I have heard good things from a friend who used it to prepare for her natural birth. I like the idea of videos + materials.
• If you’re brave you can also find some good stuff on YouTube (I watched this whole playlist – a little boring but a helpful refresher)

Also – read as many birth stories as you can, as long as it doesn’t freak you out. Go find bloggers you like and search through their archives to read up on their last weeks of pregnancy, birth stories, and postpartum transitions. I found it so incredibly helpful to hear real-life stories. You see a variety of different experiences in a way that is not as abstract as a class or book.

TV & Movies

One joke I made constantly about pregnancy was that I learned everything I need to know from The Delivery episodes of The Office. And surprise surprise it was not really a joke. Of course Hollywood shouldn’t be your landing zone for ~all of your prenatal education, but I’m not kidding when I say I learned a lot through my Netflix and iTunes library. (I know there are TONS of movies & shows & documentaries out there – this is just a short list of the ones I personally enjoyed and learned from)

• The Delivery (The Office) – This is how The Beard learned about contractions and when it’s time to go to the hospital. Thanks Jim Halpert!
• Baby Mama – one of my favorite movies of all time, featuring two of my favorite actresses of all time. It’s hilarious and dad-friendly, with nuggets of pregnancy wisdom.
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting – kind of cheesy, but I really liked how it showed so many different forms of pregnancy, motherhood, and fatherhood.
• Juno – classic and witty, the perfect movie for elevating your cankles and being glad you’re not in high school anymore.

Books

• What to Expect When You’re Expecting – it’s a classic for a reason. Buy one if it’s your first pregnancy, or just ask around. Chances are someone has one you can borrow.
• The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy – This one was lighthearted and real. It’s written from the perspective of your girlfriends all getting together to discuss the realities of pregnancy and birth over a girls’ brunch, which I liked.
• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth – I already reviewed this one, but I think it’s a must-read if you want to go natural.
• Hypnobirthing – I just started this, so the jury’s still out. I’m kind of skimming and skipping around, but I think I’m also going to try the audio recordings to prepare if I go into actual labor this time.
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and On Becoming BabyWise – I definitely recommend reading a baby sleep book or two before your little nugget arrives. I got HSH,HC for free through my OBGYN/insurance stuff and kind of skimmed it, and then checked out Babywise from the library. I wish I had read them both more fully while I was pregnant!

My Usual Library Plug: Not only does the library have tons of pregnancy, birthing, baby, and parenting books that you can check out FOR FREE… you can also get access to online editions of magazines like Fit Pregnancy and Parents also FOR FREE. Please get a library card. Just do it.

As you go through your prenatal education, keep a note on your phone or a running list of your questions and concerns. Honestly a lot of the time I believe that’s your mom intuition/God trying to prepare you. I am THE WORST at remembering to ask my doctor questions when I’m there for appointments, so writing down the questions and then doing additional research on my own before appointments helped me to feel a little more secure and informed.

Finally, your best resources are probably texting you and liking your instagram pictures right now. There are SO many moms in your life. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Listen to their birth stories. FUN FACT: I guarantee any mom will drop whatever she is doing to share hers, because it’s just this precious and amazing thing we carry around in our hearts, waiting to share whenever anyone will listen. I will talk to you about it literally anytime (here’s Reese’s birth story and obviously I could go on and on and on about it even more!) I found it very helpful to talk to young moms my age as well as my trusted moms and aunts who did it 20+ years ago.

There’s no one right way to prepare for a baby, and as long as you are doing your best to get that baby here happy and healthy – you’re a good mom. <3