I have been a member at BabyCenter for a while now although, admittedly, I haven’t visited the site frequently.  When MyBlogSpark offered me the opportunity to participate in a BabyCenter Spark, I was intrigued, though; they mentioned an online childbirth class.  Having birthed two babies at home, I’ve done lots of reading and studying about birth, but I have never taken an actual childbirth class.

The online class is very handy.  There are no scheduling issues, sections can be played and replayed as necessary, and they don’t even have to be taken in order!  Sections can even be played for the children, who are typically not part of a childbirth class.  (This is especially helpful for those of us who birth at home, where our children may be present.)  Although I have not had opportunity to listen to the whole class yet, it seems, so far, to be fairly unbiased, as childbirth classes go.  (Nearly all childbirth classes place a pretty heavy emphasis on drugs and other interventions.  This is no different.  It does, however, present the options of homebirth, midwifery care, and natural childbirth.  While all of these are presented as minority choices – with the numbers to demonstrate this status – none are presented in a negative light.)

In addition to an opportunity to check out the childbirth class, and a few other goodies like a bib and Shutterstock code, my Spark kit included two BabyCenter books.  These are published by Dorling Kindersley (DK), which has a reputation in our house for putting out great books.  🙂  (They’re always information-packed, sort of like Usborne books.  But they’re less “scattered” in their layout/design, so less overwhelming visually for us sequential types.)  One is about preconception, pregnancy, and childbirth; the other is about baby’s first year.

The preconception/pregnancy/childbirth book includes information about nearly anything you might be able to think of related to these topics: travel while pregnant, intimacy while you have a bulky belly, what to look for in maternity clothing, and any number of other specific topics, in addition to the expected “what to expect” at each stage.  There is information about how the sex of a baby is determined and how to prepare for conception, as well as information you need for a newborn, such as how to change a diaper.  As with the childbirth class, homebirth is not discouraged.  (When pros and cons are given, the “cons” are all reasonable and “calm.”  Unfounded safety concerns do not appear here.)

The content, of course, is different, but the baby’s-first-year book follows a similar pattern.  Breastfeeding, cloth diapers, babywearing, and co-sleeping are all presented, alongside their more mainstream counterparts.  Except for breastfeeding, they aren’t covered in-depth, but specific suggestions are made.

All in all, I think these are terrific overall resources.

You can win a BabyCenter package, which includes:

• BabyCenter big
• Shutterfly gift card
• Seventh Generation diapers
• both new BabyCenter parenting books

To enter, leave a comment on this post with your favorite parenting tip (if you’re already raising children) or the biggest question you have about labor/delivery (if you haven’t given birth yet).

For additional entries, become a BabyCenter member, “like” Titus 2 Homemaker on Facebook, subscribe to my feed, and/or follow me on Twitter, and leave a separate comment for each so I know how to count them.

This giveaway will close at midnight on Thanksgiving – a time when most of us are especially reminded to be thankful for our little ones!

The information, review products/service, and prize pack were all provided by BabyCenter through MyBlogSpark.