If you’re unable to make it to a childbirth class, or you would just prefer to learn about childbirth from the comfort of your sofa, Laugh and Learn About Childbirth may be just what you’re looking for.
I was scheduled to attend a 4-week childbirth class at my hospital when I was suddenly put on bed-rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. Since I had been planning for a medication-free birth, I was anxious to find a DVD that would be a suitable replacement for the class I had registered for. After doing some hunting around on the internet, I came across, Laugh and Learn About Childbirth and decided to purchase it.
The DVD four and a half hours long, and is split up into segments that are around 45 minutes each. Each segment is a continuation of a childbirth class, hosted by Sheri Bayles, a registered nurse and lactation consultant. The breakdown into segments is extremely helpful if you want to view one lesson at a time, or if you need to go back and review just one segment and don’t want to have to hunt through the entire DVD to find it.
Sheri comes across as very knowledgeable, and is very thorough in all of her explanations. She covers the very basics, assuming you’ve never been there before, and explains what happens and why in layman’s terms, so you don’t get caught up in medical jargon. She starts with the anatomy, which is helpful to any male partners who may not fully understand how and where each part is, and then covers signs of labor, dilation, effacement, and the actual birth.
Medications used for pain management or augmentation (induction) of labor are also covered in the DVD, including their side effects, so that you are well educated about your choices going into the process. C-sections are also discussed, so that should you elect to have one, or should a c-secton become medically necessary, you know what to expect before, during, and after the process.
At the end of the DVD, the people in the class have a reunion, and all but one couple shows up, so you get to see the outcome of each of these pregnancies – the beautiful babies that were born.
There are only two drawbacks to this DVD. The first is that there is a segment dedicated solely to cord blood banking, which appears to be heavily sponsored by Viacord, since this is the only cord blood bank that she recommends. If you’re not planning to bank the cord blood, can’t afford it, or if you’re going with a company other than Viacord, you may want to opt to skip these sections as they won’t really apply to you. If you’re on the fence about cord blood banking, or you just want to learn more about it, go ahead and watch the section. She does give good, solid information about the benefits of cord blood banking, I just didn’t really like that she so heavily pushed Viacord.
The other drawback is the “laugh” portion of the DVD. Sheri isn’t particularly funny, and though you will probably chuckle a few times, you will likely get sick of her sense of humor and mocking imitative voices by the end of the four hours. In viewing the DVD a second time, I found her joking to be kind of annoying. It doesn’t take away from the actual content being presented – in fact, she at least tries to keep the “class” from being a boring presentation of facts, but she could probably have toned down the humor just a little bit.
But, these two drawbacks aside, I have no regrets about this DVD purchase, and have referred to it time and time again when considering my childbirth options and wondering what to expect regarding early labor. The information you’d expect to get from this video is incredibly well presented, and in a concise fashion. It is well worth the time you’ll spend watching, and is affordably priced ($29.99 through Amazon.com).
