It’s Tuesday evening, and for the past eight years I have spent my Tuesdays teaching Childbirth Prep classes to a diverse bunch of soon to be parents. It has been an honour and a privilege to have been part of this very special time in their lives. Due to budgetary constraints my workplace has decided to cut the Family Preparation Department, leaving their clients without this resource for the first time in 47 years.

I have feelings.

Mostly I am sad, for myself but also for the young parents seeking information and reassurance that they are no longer going to get at their chosen birthplace. I also angry, for I believe this to be a short sighted and foolish choice by an administration that clearly doesn’t value what I do.

I believe in the value of prenatal education, and the evidence backs me up. Studies show that women who take childbirth preparation classes have less anxiety, better birth experiences, lower rates of intervention, healthier pregnancies and easier labours and postpartum recovery. Women who feel supported and heard during their births have lower rates of postpartum depression. Partners who attend with the mother of their child are less anxious and more supportive during labour and more confident with baby care. Fathers who are more hands on in the first few days of their baby’s life continue to be more engaged and involved as their child grows up. Prenatal Education is important, and internet resources cannot be compared to a live instructor and a classroom full of your peers, who after four or five classes together become your friends.

I’m not sure what my next steps are, but I hope to find myself in front of a class again soon.

Until then, check your references, don’t trust AI, ask questions and be a brat.

Elaine