Preparto course: everything you need to know about the birth accompaniment course
The preparatory course, also called "birth accompaniment course" is a very important tool for all pregnant women: it promotes a good experience of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium, it helps the couple to be more aware of the path they have taken, starting in the best way a future parent-child bond.
The birth accompaniment course is strongly recommended especially for women who are in their first pregnancy. So let's understand together why it is so important, what its benefits are and how to recognize a truly qualified preparation course, in order to choose the right one. We talked about it with midwife Arianna Ciucci, midwife Gepo and Salvagente associations that deal with the pediatric world at 360 degrees. Here's what we discovered!
Preparto course: proven results
According to an ISS survey of 2008-2011, attending a birth accompaniment course brings numerous beneficial results. First of all it helps the couple or the pregnant woman to choose in a more active and conscious way the place in which to deliver the child. The same arrival at the hospital, for those who have attended the course, almost always occurs in active labor.
According to the data, the attendance of a preparatory course results in a lower incidence of caesarean sections, repeated caesarean sections and the conscious choice of a Vaginal Birth After Cesarian (VBAC). A further result is the conscious use of epidural analgesia or other pain relief tools such as water, massage motion, support or voice.
Preparto courses prepare for acceptance and raise awareness in carrying out practices that are important to initiate breastfeeding, such as prolonged skin-to-skin contact or initiation of breastfeeding in the delivery room.
By attending a course there is then a greater incidence of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months or more, a greater knowledge of contraception after childbirth and greater emotional support with a reduction in the incidence of postpartum psychological disorders, as well as a general lifestyle improvement (think smoking and alcohol elimination).
All the benefits of the accompanying birth course
In addition to the results we have just mentioned, attending a prep course has many proven benefits for pregnant women. The possibility of forming a group, for example, by creating a social and support network between mothers and future mothers.
The courses help to strengthen the relationship with the child and to make them aware of their maternal skills, all to be discovered. The involvement of the companions should not be underestimated: the course can also help them to establish contact with the child still in the uterus.
By attending the birth accompanying courses, a pregnant woman can increase her knowledge about all the phenomena concerning labor and delivery that she will face, as well as the dynamics and the importance of breastfeeding. He will then be able to experiment useful practices to relieve tension, making the back more flexible and posture more correct.
The courses, in fact, are fundamental for a physical preparation for the event: you experience the contraction / relaxation rhythm, you help the pelvis to become more mobile, you acquire greater awareness of your pelvic floor and your breath, learning to guide it. Finally, one learns to discover one's own skills and to gain greater confidence in one's resources.
Even our Nanny Simona recognizes the importance of the preparation course: look what she has to tell you about it!
How to recognize the best and most qualified prep courses?
In the physical preparation of the pregnant woman, the preparto courses use different techniques of physical activity, from yoga to autogenic training, from stretching to dance. But how to recognize a truly qualified course? In this case it is the Lombardy Region that provides useful indicators for assessing the quality of a birth accompaniment course.
As a first criterion, check that the professionals who take care of conducting the course are obstetricians and psychologists, the only ones authorized. There will also be meetings with other professionals.
The courses must include both a part of physical work and a theoretical / verbal discussion. The meetings, then, must not be less than 7, plus one after the birth, and must not last less than 90 minutes. Partners must always be involved.
Finally: at least one of the meetings must be dedicated to the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
The courses of Gepo-Salvagente
The preparatory course proposed by Gepo-Salvagente consists of 10 meetings during pregnancy, plus one after childbirth. They take place in the evening, in order to allow the working woman and her partner to participate more easily. It is held by various figures, beyond obstetricians and psychotherapists: pediatrician, anesthetist, breastfeeding consultant, PBLSD instructor. There will also be a lesson with an osteopath, a pediatric first aid course and four breastfeeding support meetings.
Each lesson includes a first part of body work with the use of various techniques that help control breathing, induce relaxation and facilitate movements useful for relieving ailments and pains during and after pregnancy. With the presence of the partner, the management of labor is simulated.
The course is conducted in such a way that each couple is given the opportunity to express feelings and doubts, favoring the creation of a peaceful and familiar environment. The latest EBM techniques on the subject of pregnancy are used, promoting greater awareness of the participants and addressing with them the most disparate topics (from childbirth to breastfeeding to psychological aspects and the evolution of the couple's life).
Because the problems to be faced in pregnancy are not few, and a woman knows it well ...
