Antenatal classes

Antenatal classes, also called birthing classes, childbirth education or early parenting classes, come in many forms. But they all have the same aim: to help you get ready for labour, birth and being new a parent.

When choosing which antenatal classes are best for you, think about what you’d like to learn, and if you’d like to attend in person or online. Also think about the price, as they can range from free to a few hundred dollars.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re getting ready to enroll in antenatal classes.

What are the benefits of antenatal classes?

Antenatal classes help you focus on your pregnancy and upcoming labour and birth as well as being a new parent. They are designed to give you and your birth partner the skills and confidence you need to make birth and early parenting a positive experience.

These classes can make you think about what matters most to you at birth and when you first become a parent. And they're a great place to meet other people who are due around the same time as you (Spiby et al 2022).

Some people say the classes can make the shift into parenthood feel more real (Spiby et al 2022).

What do antenatal classes cover?

Antenatal and birthing classes can cover a wide range of topics. They may look at:

• your health and wellbeing in late pregnancy
• common signs of early labour, and when to go to hospital
• labour and birth, including birth positions and pain relief options
• medical procedures and interventions that may occur, such as the use of forceps or ventouse, or having a caesarean
• helpful relaxation and breathing techniques for labour
• how your birth partner can help in labour, including massage skills, acupressure and birth positions
• practical tips on caring for your newborn, such as safe sleep advice and how to change a nappy
• breastfeeding advice
• some of the emotional and physical changes you might see after the birth.

Who runs antenatal classes?

Most hospitals provide birth education classes. You can ask your midwife for details. You can also check with your healthcare provider to see if they run classes, or if they can recommend a course. There may be private classes near you, too.

There are also a lot of birthing classes online. Some of these are made up of written or video modules that let you learn at your own pace. Others may include video calls.

When should I book antenatal classes?

It's a good idea to book your birthing classes early because they can fill up quickly. Many mums book by their 20th week of pregnancy, even if they won’t be starting the classes until later.

What other hospital classes can I do?

At a large hospital there may be a range of classes on offer. These could be led by midwives, physiotherapists and even lactation consultants.

Some hospitals also run specialised antenatal classes. These could include refresher classes for couples who have already had a baby, or they might focus on topics such as vaginal births after a caesarean, caesarean births, having twins or more, young parents, or women from different ethnic backgrounds.

What private antenatal classes are there?

You can find a wide range of courses to get you ready for labour, birth and life as a new parent. These are offered outside the hospital system, so you will have to pay for them yourself.

You can sign up to classes on the following:

Active birth classes

These classes focus on you staying active during labour, with the aim of having a birth without interventions, and with less pain relief (TRWH 2018).

Antenatal yoga or pilates

Many places offer yoga or pilates classes for women during pregnancy. You can start exercise classes as soon as you discover you are pregnant, but get the all-clear from your caregiver before you enroll.

Aqua aerobics

Check out your local pool for exercise classes for pregnancy, or talk to the instructor to get moves that will work for your stage of pregnancy.

Breastfeeding classes

You can learn the breastfeeding basics while still pregnant. If you have an older child you’re still breastfeeding, you can also attend classes that cover tandem feeding. Check out the Australian Breastfeeding Association'sOpens a new window classes for pregnant women.

Calmbirth^®

Calmbirth^® classes focus on how to have a calm and relaxed labour. They also teach your birth partner how they can support you through the process.

First aid classes

Some parents-to-be take baby and toddler first aid classes. This helps them get ready for the years ahead. The classes can cover:

• how to treat burns, cuts and fevers
• what to do if your child ingests poison
• what to do if your child is choking
• how to do CPR on a baby or a young child

Homebirth classes

Thinking about having your baby at home, with the help of a private midwife? There are classes designed to help you get ready for homebirth.

These can cover:

• how to prepare for a home labour and birth
• what you’ll need at home
• your birth partner’s role and how they can support you
• techniques to cope with labour pain

Hypnobirthing classes

Hypnobirthing classes teach you how to relax in labour and birth by using self-hypnosis.

She Births^®

These classes teach you how to use complementary therapies to help ease pain with lower rates of epidurals, caesareans and interventions (Levett et al 2016).

A note about Free birth

A small number of parents choose to have their baby with no medical help. They may be on their own, or have someone like a doula with them (Rigg 2017). This is called freebirth, free birth, or unassisted birth. It is of course not without risk.

There are online communities that advise and support women who want to give birth with this approach, but few antenatal classes will mention it.

Read more:

• 11 ways to get ready for your baby (photos)
• How to share in your partner’s pregnancy