Our marathon class meets one Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The fee is $65 per couple. The fee is covered by Medicaid and is reimbursed by some insurances. Participates must register to attend. To register, call 706.509.6548 or visit our Center for Women's Health located at the Medical Arts Center.

2011 Class Schedule

Class Description

Tour of the Family Birth Center
A complete tour of the entire birth center will be included at the beginning of this class. You will be shown a LDR (Labor, Delivery and Recovery room), the Cesarean Section Suite, the nursery, and a postpartum room as well as family waiting areas.

Understanding Labor and Birth
Discussion of late pregnancy, prenatal concerns, and fetal development, as well as the physical and emotional process of labor.  You will begin to explore how your body prepares for labor and recognize the bodily changes you can anticipate leading up to labor. You will become familiar with the stages of labor and the changes occurring in your body during each stage. You will also learn what you can do to prepare for your hospital stay and the delivery of your baby. You will learn and practice some beginning relaxation techniques and the first coping technique for dealing with active labor.

We will focus on the discussion and practicing of breathing and comfort techniques that can be used in active and advanced labor to help the labor progress, as well as to provide pain and stress relief for the mom. You will see a video, and all of your pain relief options are discussed, including the epidural, which is the most popular type of labor pain management in the country. Vaginal and Cesarean Section delivery will be discussed as well as the reasons for Cesarean delivery. Other related topics will be induction of labor, augmentation of labor, forceps delivery and other interventions that may be used in labor.

 Breastfeeding and Bottle-feeding
How you feed your new baby is one of the most important decisions you will make as you prepare for birth. This class will help you understand the benefits of breastfeeding for your newborn and yourself. In addition, options for working mothers who want to breastfeed will be explored. 

Postpartum Care for Mom, Baby Care and Safety
Care for yourself in the hospital and at home will be discussed. You will learn about episiotomy care and the physical and hormonal changes that occur in new moms.  In addition, newborn care and safety issues are discussed, including nursery information, infant safety measures, circumcision and cord care, diapering, and swaddling.