by R.L Hanlon

Created on: November 22, 2008

Unlike women, men don't have the ability to nurture a baby through pregnancy and experience the tiny fluttering and movements that tell us they're growing.

Although they do not experience the feeling of a growing baby, they too have expectations as to how the birth experience and fatherhood in the future will be. What many of us do not realize is that future dads have their own fears about pending births or what is to follow.

In order to understand what is occurring through each stage of pregnancy, for the growing fetus and the expectant mother, and to also gain some idea of what is going to occur, future dads should attend childbirth classes. The knowledge gained and the experience of sharing in this amazing phase of a couples life and relationship can only be heightened when it's shared together.

Following are the reasons a future father should attend birthing classes.

1) Birthing classes bond a couple closer during this stage in their relationship

Gone are the days when dads receive news of the birth of their new child over the phone, grabbing their cigar and heading out to celebrate with mates. Gone are the days when dad is waiting for the new mom and child to come home from hospital.

Sharing the experience together, in an environment that is designed for future moms and dads to learn and grow together and prepare them for what's to come, is no better way for a couple to bond.

2) A future dad learns what to expect through childbirth and the first weeks

When people discuss experiences in childbirth and the first weeks of a baby's life, it is most often directed at the mother to be. A birthing class is designed to educate all involved as to what to expect, ways to manage the labor and medical terms that sound foreign at other times.

A birthing class will teach a future dad how a baby will progress through the labor, but also the stages that the mother will be experiencing. Helping your partner through these stages and making suggestions and being helpful through the experience will make it one that is more successful for both partners.

Birthing classes will teach you ways to massage and what areas are more effective during labor. They will teach you different positions that may be more effective in labor relief, and allow you to help your partner decide what works when she may not have the ability to decide at a particular moment.

3) Birthing classes allow a future dad to share concerns openly

If you have any concerns or questions, birthing classes are where these

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