Product: Laugh and Learn About Childbirth - Lamaze and Beyond (2003)
Rating: 4.0
Good Info for Parents-To-Be
My husband and I were unable to attend any actual birthing/lamaze classes due to lack of time with our hectic schedule. I've been reading all the materials I could find on pregnancy and labor the past eight months, but felt it was important to have something approaching a "class" for me and my husband. This DVD came into my hands after some searching and really fit the bill.RN Sheri Bayles essentially runs a class with five couples--and the viewers are along for the ride. The class is broken into 6 specific sections over two DVDs. Disc 1 covers Preliminary Signs of Labor, Actual Signs of Labor, Comfort Measures and Delivery. Disc 2 covers Medications used in Labor, Cesarean Delivery and Post-op, and Postpartum recovery. Now this is not a fancy DVD with lots of graphics, different locations and special features. It's a fairly straightforward lecture and discussion process on these subjects with occasional diagrams used help visualization. The bare-bones approach could be considered boring, if the viewers are expecting a more hi-tech video, but I found it exactly what I was looking for, since I required a substitute for the actual class. I found Sheri Bayles a good speaker and amusing to listen to--and so did my husband. Sense of humor is very subjective, so this may not appeal to everyone, and if you're considering buying this, see if you can find a way to view some of it prior to buying. Whether or not the humor is to your taste, there's some good information packed into this DVD and I'd recommend it to any couple who has questions and concerns regarding labor and delivery.This isn't a pregnancy overview, and I'm not certain I'd recommend it to those women who have just become pregnant, if only because there's a lot of early pregnancy information to absorb, and focusing on labor and delivery at four weeks along can be more anxiety than a couple needs. Neither is it a comprehensive review of labor and delivery. The material in this DVD is best complemented by books and other DVDs and information from the couple's doctor/midwife. Especially since the downside of the DVD is that you can't ask questions that might arise. The DVD is admittedly biased towards natural childbirth. While Ms. Bayles does discuss medication and medical interventions, providing pros and cons of each, there is a greater preference for natural childbirth when it is safe for mother and baby. Considering the tone some of the Lamaze books published, the bias of the DVD is mild enough that even those considering medicated delivery should gain plenty of information, but they should be aware of the bias.The main detractor from this DVD is the commercial aspect of Cord Blood Banking. While this is clearly a new and fairly hot topic in the world of pregnancy and delivery, Ms. Bayles is a strong supporter of banking cord blood. Without this "Special Feature", the overall class structure feels genuine and interesting, but the inclusion of this information turns the DVD a bit too commercially driven at the end. This isn't a cheap DVD, and this so-called "Special Feature" can cheapen the experience viewers have. Cord blood banking is still highly controversial and questionable for most couples, not to mention expensive! This may be information some couples want to know about, but I found it distracting and irritating on what was otherwise a good quality DVD about childbirth.Bottom line, this is a decent DVD for information, but may not be an investment all couples wish to make. If a couple has already attended classes and read up on labor and delivery, this may just be a reiteration of what they already know. However, for a couple that has questions, especially surrounding natural childbirth and Lamaze, this DVD can be a great resource to answer some of those questions and know what to ask the doctor. I found the humor refreshing and the format simple, but comfortable for our purposes. For expecting parents, some other resources to check out include "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (the newest edition), "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" and "The Expectant Father".Happy viewing! Shanshad ^_^