Childbirth school during a pandemic

Group activities

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, new rules have been introduced for birthing schools. Classes are now held in larger rooms and with fewer participants. Everyone is required to be at a safe distance from each other. Moreover, the passing of props between Parents is avoided, and instead it is the presenter who shows them to all participants simultaneously. It is also impossible to practice changing a newborn baby on your own, which is only shown from afar by the activity supervisor. However, each school’s policies vary, so it’s a good idea to inquire about a specific facility before choosing your own birthing school.

Individual classes

Home-based activities became very popular during the pandemic. Birth school instructors travel to the homes of parents-to-be and there individually prepare them for labor, postpartum and newborn care. In Warsaw, group classes are reimbursed from the city budget, while individual classes Parents usually have to pay on their own. This is at a cost of about PLN 200 per meeting. You can also take advantage of one-on-one classes held online through specially designed platforms. Parents themselves can choose the issues they are interested in and the range of knowledge that will be presented to them in the classes. This provides an opportunity to emphasize topics that are of particular interest to class participants.

Online classes

A lot of moms-to-be are afraid to participate in in-patient activities, and keep contact with other people to a minimum during pregnancy. A great solution to this situation is the online classes offered, so that you can consciously prepare for a new period in your life, while avoiding leaving home and thus also the potential risk of infection.

Some birthing schools offer free classes online. The presenters meet with prospective Parents through video calls and prepared webinars. This is a very good solution for those people who are unable to commute to stationary classes on their own, and want to avoid public transportation. In addition, with webinars it is possible to replay the meeting at your convenience. E-learning platforms can also include videos  showing, for example, bathing a newborn baby. In addition, many birthing schools offer online workshops on first aid and on TENS (a non-pharmacological method of pain relief). Some of the establishments also send special scripts to Parents attending the classes with the most important issues covered during the training.

In addition, free webinars are also increasingly appearing as a supplement to birthing school classes. These are interviews with gynecologists, midwives and experts in the care of women and newborns. On the platforms of the Polish Bank of Stem Cells, meetings are held periodically giving the opportunity for future Parents to expand their knowledge and ask questions of the experts. To keep up to date with current meetings visit PBKM’s facebook profile.

Class topics

The topics covered in birthing school classes may vary from one facility to another and  the types of training chosen. In the individual course Parents can independently choose the topics of interest to them.

Usually, however, the topics discussed are:

• Preparation for natural childbirth and cesarean section method
• Methods of relieving labor pain
• Care of the newborn baby
• Lactation
• Postpartum
• Nutrition during pregnancy

Despite some restrictions, there are still a great number of options for participating in birthing school-anyone can choose the form of meetings that suits them. Certainly, thanks to the birthing school, as parents-to-be, you can get a better idea of the upcoming changes, as well as thoroughly learn about and prepare for the process of childbirth and the care of the newborn. Despite this turbulent time that prevails today, it is definitely not worth giving up on the birthing school, and look for the most suitable form of classes.