Ahhhh, birthing class.  Breathing exercises that made me feel like a (lightheaded) idiot, the uncomfortable chairs, the truly horrifying videos ("There is a BABY'S HEAD sticking out of that woman's LADY PARTS!") -- let's just say the fact I can skip them this time is yet another thing that makes the second pregnancy so much more pleasant than the first.

According to this article (citing another one in November's Fit Pregnancy) many mothers-to-be are choosing to skip childbirth classes entirely. Media depictions of birth as dangerous and pregnant women's busy schedules are somewhat to blame, according to experts cited in the article. So is a growing acceptance of pain relief such as epidurals.

Although my instructor was lovely, my childbirth class was essentially useless and not just because I had an emergency C-section. We talked more about the hospital amenities than about actaully having the baby. Not to mention I had this wackadoo German couple in my class who challenged the instructor with "But we don’t do that in Germany" on such items as the wearing of any clothing during the birth and the use of any sort of pain relief. My husband and I developed a running bet over what would trigger the Deustchland Uber Alles comment during each session.

Although I didn’t get a ton out of my class, I am still glad I took it. One excellent point from the Fit Pregnancy article: No matter what your birth plan, things can change and change fast. Being well-informed about monitoring, pain relief and medical procedures can help you make the right choices and be your own advocate, or at least not have the daylights scared out of you when something comes up.

Just watch out for wackadoos.