MidMichigan Medical Center - Gladwin issued the following announcement on Nov. 2.
Expecting moms have a lot of questions, and childbirth education is a great way to get answers from credentialed experts. However, they’ve had to be more careful and creative in how they connect and share information during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To address that challenge, MidMichigan Health now offers online virtual education sessions covering labor and delivery, infant feeding and safety, and basic baby care. These sessions are presented via live interactive webinars taught by MidMichigan’s childbirth experts and allow plenty of time for participants to ask their own questions from the safety of home.
Angelica Fair of Hemlock was familiar with the benefits of childbirth education, having attended in-person sessions at MidMichigan Health while pregnant with her first child. In preparation for a second birth, she signed up for the virtual sessions as a refresher.
“Even though this was my second time, I found the information just as helpful,” she said. “The content was mostly the same, but I had specific questions. For example, my daughter who was born in March had jaundice, so I was concerned that I might experience the same thing with my son, who was due in July. I asked how to get him enough sun time without damaging his skin in the summer, and they were able to answer my questions really well.”
“I also made different labor choices for my second pregnancy based on information I learned in the class.”
Fair found it natural and intuitive to connect and follow along via the webinar.
“For me it was super easy. You could see the instructors while they were talking, and they shared some graphics and slides to go with the information they were presenting. We used the chat feature to input our questions. They did a good job of moderating our questions to make sure they all got answered and then opened it up for more questions at the end.”
Fair admits that some of the hands-on activities were easier to do in person, such as lying on the floor to practice labor breathing and positions. Yet she feels the instructors did a good job of simulating those activities in the virtual environment.
“They still did some interactive things to help us practice labor positions at home. For example, sitting forward in your chair to open your hips like you would on a birthing ball. The nurses are also really good at helping you with positioning and breathing and guiding you through labor once you get to the hospital. So I feel moms will still be able to get what they need when the time comes.”
Fair also has this advice for other moms:
“For first time moms, I recommend having your partner participate in the learning sessions with you, so they’ll know what’s going on ahead of time, especially if you want them to help during labor and help make some of the decisions.”
Those who would like to learn more about online childbirth education options at MidMichigan Health may visit www.midmichigan.org/birthlive.
Original source can be found here.
Source: MidMichigan Medical Center - Gladwin
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