Kaiser's Pregnancy Classes - Reviews

My husband and I took four of the pregnancy classes that Kaiser offers: Labor and Delivery Tours, Newborn Care, Breastfeeding, and Preparing for Childbirth. I found some "worth it/not worth it" comments on the internet, but not anything more detailed.

Labor and Delivery Tour (Kaiser Oakland)
Time: 1 hour
Cost: Free
Benefits: Know exactly where to go, feel more comfortable with your birthing environment
Attendees: May bring 1 support person
Worth it?: Yes!

This was the one class that my ob/gyn said she strongly recommends for everyone to take, and I agree, if you haven't been through it before. Another couple walked right past us at the Howe St. entrance and seemed to know exactly where to go, but I was hobbling along with my sciatica, so we didn't exactly follow them. After a few wrong turns to the wrong elevators, I was winded and my sciatic nerve was irritated. We did figure out where NOT to go. I was already getting some value out of this before we even found the tour!

A couple of women brought 2 support people with them (a doula or sister in addition to partner). The guide seemed to be fine with this, but we were also overbooked, so sometimes it was difficult to hear/see what she was talking about. Our tour guide also works at Alta Bates, and it was nice to hear that she thought Kaiser was more progressive regarding patient birth plans and requests.

We went over the guest check-in process, the triage/patient check-in, and saw the delivery rooms. It calmed me a lot to take the mystery out of what to do and where I'd be delivering. It was nice to see the bed, know where my husband could sit, and how many people the delivery room would hold. My goal is to have a natural birth, and "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" suggests that birthing is more comfortable for a woman when laboring in a familiar environment. The tour was definitely worth attending!

Newborn Care Class
Time: 2.5 hours
Cost: Free
Benefits: Very basic overview. Fits those who don't like to read, do research, or talk to parents. Helpful handout packet to take home.
Attendees: May bring 1 support person
Worth it?: Not really, no.

Our instructor was sweet but slow and followed the handout pretty closely. I think she was nurse at the hospital. The class was full of couples. My husband took care of his youngest brother, so the class was mainly for me. We each had an infant doll and practiced dressing, dry bathing, diapering, and swaddling with a blanket. This was the most useful part of the class and with a few other tidbits, could have been done with the class in an hour. A few couples left early. I wish we had too.

Going in to the class, I'd already watched videos on newborn bathing and talked to my friend with a newborn. What's changed since my parents' generation is that cord care is now different. Sponge baths are no longer required as you may have seen in some older videos.

I'd really hoped the instructor would demonstrate or show a video on normal infant breathing and grunting, and how to recognize an emergency (I'd been reading horror stories on the internet). Even though she took 30 minutes at the beginning of class to ask what we'd like to know, we never covered this. That 30 minutes was a waste of time because the packet/slides already covered the topic (lightly), or she just didn't get to it by the end. She even skipped the car seat demonstration to answer general questions (mostly about breastfeeding! Um, that's covered in another class, m'dear).

My recommendation is to go if you have time to kill. If you aren't particularly interested but still curious, show up and take the handout packet, then leave if your instructor isn't adding value. Otherwise I think most parents would benefit from doing research on their own.

Breastfeeding Class
Time: 2.5 hours
Cost: Free
Benefits: Emotional support, troubleshooting
Attendees: May bring 1 support person
Worth it?: Yes. My husband would say no, but I needed someone besides myself to tell him how he can help.

I knew in college after taking a nutritional science class that I'd breastfeed my children, so I started my breastfeeding research early on. I would say it is sort of an obsession because I blame my mother's vanity for my acne and weak immune system, sister's eczema, and brother's asthma. (I don't truly blame her, but I can't help but feel the lack of breast milk was a sure contributor!).

Going in, I'd read all about the benefits, how-tos, recommendations, common mistakes, latching, pumping, and watched a detailed video series from NZ on Youtube. Most women seemed to be similarly informed as well. The lactation consultant went through the key points very quickly and showed a few videos. It was helpful to hear about breastfeeding support from Kaiser and the general philosophy of the staff. A few women brought their partners. My husband thought he did not need to be there at all. I liked that he came out more educated about breast pumps, frequency of feedings and wet diapers, and that he should help bring the baby to me.

While I already learned most things on my own, I thought the class was worthwhile because it was fast paced. I am continuing to watch more videos and read about personal experiences on my own, so the videos and stories we went over in class was something I'd spend my time on anyway.

Preparing for Childbirth Class
Time: 8 hours (choose from 1 full day session, 2 weekend series, or 4 weeknight series)
Cost: $80
Benefits: Learn when to call during labor, Kaiser's birth philosophy and hospital procedures, pain medication options, and natural coping options
Attendees: May bring 1 support person
Worth it?: Yes.

We chose the full day single session option and the day went by quickly. Our instructor turned out to be a doula. She covered a lot of material and was energetic. You can go in knowing nothing, and learn about the different stages of labor, when to call, how to cope with pain naturally, practice laboring positions and massages with your partner, and practice pushing positions.

What I loved about the doula was that she was open-minded about natural births and epidurals, and talked about the benefits and risks of different birthing choices. Some couples asked about specific studies on epidurals, and the doula had read the actual study -- not the article or abstract, and talked intelligently (yes, my opinion) about the validity of the study as well as other possible explanations for the findings.

My husband and I both watched "The Business of Being Born" and I'd been reading Ina May's "Guide to Childbirth", so I had an idea of what my "ideal" birth process and baby bonding would be like. We were very happy to find that Kaiser would respect our birth plan. I can only labor in a tub at home since Kaiser Oakland only has showers, but everything else I wanted, I could have with Kaiser! My husband has remained very pro-epidural through our own research, and actually came out of the class more supportive of my goal to have a natural birth.

We got a nice childbirth book which covers the material from class, and it was helpful for my husband to see other men enthusiastically practice massage and supportive dialogue for the women in labor. The price was very reasonable as we'd found other highly rated options for $300-$800 (for a longer series) in the area.

Finishing the Second Trimester!

Starving at Week 25.

Approaching week 25, I prepared for my glucose test by attempting to eat healthier. I tried to stop with the burritos at lunch, and instead opted to bring leftovers from home. I'd read too many articles and knew there wasn't much I could do to change the results of the glucose test, although exercise and a healthy diet is always recommended. Gestational diabetes is most highly correlated with age, and diet isn't shown to have impact on how one's body processes sugars in pregnancy. But this didn't stop me from trying. I ate as much healthy food as I wanted throughout the day and even right before bed. This led me to another problem. I'd wake up 3-4 times through the night STARVING. The hunger was painful. It felt like my stomach was shrinking violently and all the air was being squeezed out. I was too tired to get up, so I'd drink some water, only to wake up again less than an hour later with the same feeling. I got up and had some fruit and yogurt, or cereal. I'd wake up again 2 hours later with the same feeling. This continued for a few days before I contacted my doctor. Her response was that it may have been heartburn. I was having acid reflux (probably from the constant eating), but my gut told me it was hunger. I lurked around some pregnancy forums and found other women having the same problem at 25, 26 weeks and they were suspecting a growth spurt. I started to worry my body was telling me that baby's not getting enough nutrients and decided that "healthy" may not have been enough for him. After all, a burrito contains many nutrients that cannot be found in pasta, fruits, and vegetables. Even that pecan tea cookie might have butter and nuts that can be good for baby... right? Well, once I decided to indulge in all those things I started to wake up only once a night! I not-so-guiltily put off my glucose test another week.

End of Week 26

Just as one problem was fixed, another problem began. People at work started asking me whether I was sleeping well, and I was! The hunger issue had already been addressed, and I felt I'd brought it upon myself anyway. I didn't know what sleep issue they meant to ask about anyway. Constant peeing? Hunger? What were they expecting unique to Week 26?

And then I found out. My back sleeping started to hurt. I laid awake and exhausted hours before I could fall asleep. Then I'd wake up sore and uncomfortable, tossing and turning throughout the night. Back sleep meant I was crushing my other organs, and yes, I could feel it. My spine, lower back, and upper back felt strained even on my extra firm mattress. I tried to side sleep. My sciatica began to regress and pain crept on my other hip as well. What to do?! I'd read so many bad reviews on the Snoogle, and hadn't found a body pillow I liked yet. When we found out we were pregnant, I promised myself to avoid purchasing things that would contribute to my mini-hoarding problem and wanted to avoid sending things to a landfill too. I also hate taking time to repackage and return things. However, I knew the sleepless nights would only get worse as the baby grew. 

A few days later, I desperately ordered a Snoogle despite fearing that I'd hate it and have to buy other body pillows. Nope. I loved it. I mean, I agree with all the complaints I'd read, and the pillow wasn't perfect. But it worked. I was just SO grateful to be able to fall asleep. I'm still getting a second body pillow so that I don't have to try to flip it when I switch sides. It is difficult to get out of when I need to pee in the middle of the night. I shower before going to bed, so I just use a regular pillow case like a condom over the head portion to avoid purchasing the "difficult" case at the price of the pillow itself. So, all in all I'm happy with my purchase. I wish I'd had it at least two weeks earlier than I did, but I didn't really need it before that. 

Week 27 Stretch Marks

Happy that I passed the glucose test WITH indulgences and WITHOUT eating complete crap, I can say that I'm finally getting the hang of being pregnant! I'm healthy, baby's healthy, sciatica pain/numbness is manageable, and I'm getting sleep. I'm still going to complain though. Hasn't this baby left me with enough scars? All that acne from trimester 1 left me with pock marks and keloids all over my face and neck. Now I'm getting stretch marks :( I'd been putting on cocoa butter every night (the cheaper stuff, since stretch marks are dependent on mostly genes and growth rate). 

During a family dinner, I mindlessly began scratching my stomach only to go home and find a purple and black SPLODGE where I'd scratched. I wasn't even aware I scratched that much! My husband thought it was a rash from allergies, but I knew better. I showed my sister and she confirmed it was a stretch mark in the making. :Cry: I'm now vigorously rubbing Vitamin E oil on my torso prior to the cocoa butter, and upped the water intake I'd been neglecting the past week. Visually, I can't tell that the baby's gotten bigger. When he comes out though, I'm going to point to my scars and tell my kid, "This is how much mommy loves you!"

Aching Ribs

Two weeks ago, at about 22 weeks gestation, I started getting aches along the left side of my ribs, where the upper arm comes into contact with the torso. I initially mistook it for muscle soreness from swimming, but it only hurt when I was sitting or laying still. It hurt especially more after I ate.  I forced myself to eat smaller meals frequently instead of big meals to help ease the pressure on my ribs. This week the pain has subsided, but will come back if I attempt to lay on my side to sleep. Everything I've read online has recommended against back sleep. My doctor also asked me to not sleep on my back. But I figure I can trust my body on this one, since the advice also tells expecting moms not to worry if they wake up on their backs. Back sleep it is.

The second trimester has otherwise been pretty smooth. I did have two small back to back colds in the last two weeks (and another cold sore), but did not experience the exhaustion I went through with the cold during the first trimester. And although my sciatica hasn't improved, it hasn't gotten worse either. I can put up with the numb calf and foot as long as I'm decently mobile.

Arginine in flu vaccine.

I found a forum where others suspect that their immune system took a temporary hit after the flu shot, resulting in a cold sore outbreak.

After researching further, I also found that there is arginine in flu vaccines. How much? I don't know. Enough to warrant a "do not take if allergic to arginine" warning. It seems to be in only the nasal spray form of the vaccine. I took the shot specifically for pregnant women, so theory #1 sticks better.

Cold sore. Pregnancy. Flu Shot?

My usual recipe for a cold sore involves at least 2 of the 3: excessive caffeine, unusual stress, dry air. Unusual stress usually means something's keeping me awake at night or my body is going through an especially strong hormone fluctuation. So when I'm stressed out, I avoid caffeine and try not to turn the heater on at work, where the AC makes my cube colder than the outside on a winter day. Rarely will I ever get cold sores from an actual cold.

To nurture my precious bao bei in the womb, I've been sleeping a lot, avoiding caffeine, taking my vitamins and lysine, and trying my best not to stress at work. But I still woke up with a raging cold sore this morning! I would've expected my cold sore to flare up during the first trimester when my hormones were out of control and I felt like walking death. But in the middle of my second trimester, I've been happy and energetic aside from the sciatic pain (much more on that later). The only thing I can think of is that the flu shot from three days ago has been calling all my white blood cell soldiers to create antibodies, and no one is left to stand guard against the monster that is HSV-1. I do get the cold sore and the flu shot around the same time every year. Or it could be the dry weather. Time to break out the humidifier.

10/11/13 - I woke up with a second cold sore, and I've never had two at the same time before. After spending over an hour reading several product reviews, I found that maybe I've been wasting my money on Abreva. One review stated that the clinical trials proved Abreva only shortens the healing time for 17 hours -- 17 hours in an 8-10 day cycle is not worth the ~$20/tube.

11/30/13 - Update: I'd gotten at least 4 rounds of cold sores, with at least two of them being double cold sores, since I first posted on this topic. Also found that Lysine+ preceded by the liquid version of Campho Phenique works better on myself than Abreva. 2/3 the price and way more product, yay!