"Redesign of the course"

My partner and I attended the WACHS hypnobirthing classes in preparation for our upcoming birth. I have not yet decided how I want to deliver my baby. I have left these classes feeling more confused and anxious. There were also many points raised throughout the course that when researched further, I found they were either completely wrong, or it seemed presented in a way to suit the viewpoint of the presenter and would lead a person down what I believe to be the incorrect path if they solely relied on this information. Further points are listed below, based on my experience:

- The sessions were 3hr from 6-9pm spread over 4 weeks - this is far too long, in my opinion, after a full day at work

- There was a large focus on breathing techniques, relaxations, readings

- we did at least one reading/relaxation per class often lasting 20-25 minutes, I believe this is definitely a way to reduce the length of the classes down.

- There was a lot of ‘evidence from doctors’ that was quoted, however when you researched them, they were PhD doctors (physiotherapists, midwives and acupuncturists) and most it seemed were alternative/non guideline-based views. The only obstetric/medical doctor that was referenced is a 92-year-old French man who stopped practicing in 1985. These people were all referenced collectively as “doctors” and this felt misleading and erodes trust in actual medical doctors.

- When discussing caesarean sections, they were referred to as ‘life-saving caesareans’, rather than another potential option for delivery.

- I recall this specific line was mentioned: ‘home births being the safest way to birth a baby’, then referenced by a statistic from Scandinavia stating home births are the most common method of birth. I believe this is incorrect as most births occur in hospital in Scandinavian countries.

- Pain relief options were presented fairly, and mention was made of cannulas and monitoring, however these were frequently pointed out and I felt like it was being said to say ‘look at all the cords that restrict your movement’.

- Some statistics I believe were presented incorrectly, ie: ‘99.9% of babies delivered at 41 weeks are fine’, when I found the rate of stillbirth post 41 weeks is 4-7 in 1000 and continues to increase with each day post 41 weeks.

- Certainly, how the course is presented can highly influence the take home message. One presenter urged people to ‘check with your care providers or hospital policy’ when discussing management options, whereas another presenter left the choice entirely to the mother.

- The hypnobirthing guidebook that is sent out to all participants is sent without any guidance but is discussed in the course. Interestingly the book has a disclaimer stating, “this should not be construed as constituting medical advice” and we were advised by the presenter not to print out or bring the birth plan to appointments because ‘doctors hate it’.

- The presenters also encouraged us to ‘think about lots of things in the birth plan’, however most options in the book are not what I believe to be best practice, ie: “wanting to have a perineal tear rather than an episiotomy if indicated.” There were multiple other concerning options such as “not wanting vaginal examinations”, and “wanting vaginal seeding”.

- Given the length of time of the classes, I felt very little time or information was given to forceps, vacuum or caesarean section births. This felt especially odd as the presenter went to great lengths to inform us that 37% of woman now have a caesarean section (which I believe they seemed horrified by), but only actually spoke about caesarean sections for 5 minutes out of 12 hours. Given that more than 1/3rd of the women present are likely to have a caesarean section, I think they would feel woefully unprepared.

Overall as a pre-birth class I felt it failed to prepare us for the actual birth, rather I believe it prepared us to sit comfortably on a couch and visualise a nice relaxing scenario.

My partner’s summary of the course was this: It felt like they described labour and delivery as ordering at a sandwich bar. You are presented with many choices, and every choice you make is fine, and without risk. I think we all know this is not true and women need to be prepared that there are significant risks present.

I would advocate for a redesign of the course and inclusion of obstetricians in the delivery of birthing classes so they can accurately present the realities and risks so that mothers can truly make informed decisions.