Product: Laugh and Learn About Childbirth - Lamaze and Beyond (2003)
Rating: 3.0
A good substitute for class but don't like her style
After going on bedrest for the last four months of my pregnancy, I knew going to a childbirth class was out. My ob/gyn recommended this DVD and I can say it's definitely been informative - the set-up is a class situation so it seems like the viewer is just another class member in an intimate setting - and educational, especially for first-time parents who have no clue what to expect. Bayles has a lot of experience and you can tell she's no stranger to these classes, but what makes them very hard for me to watch is that she seems to make fun of people a lot and that really irks me and distracts me from the subject matter. I'm all for a little light humor and a casual approach to a serious subject here and there, but she really goes overboard with it, going so far as to tell stories of things previous clients have done or said, as if they're just so stupid and oh isn't it so much fun to laugh at these people who are, by the way, just like you. I've learned to fast forward or mute when she goes into her little stand-up routines (they're easy to see coming because her face goes slack and she does this really goofy voice) until she gets back to the stuff I'm actually interested in learning about. I haven't tried out other childbirth DVDs, so I can't compare, but if I had to do it over again, I'd probably skip this one due to her style and spend my money elsewhere.