Because of corona, for pregnant women who are almost expecting their baby, it is sometimes possible to move along with what can and should be done. Your obstetrician is less available and works as much remotely. With the 20-week ultrasound, your partner stays at home or watches from behind the window. Your pregnancy course in preparation for childbirth in your area is not going ahead and the wishes you have around childbirth are in doubt. You may be thinking of giving birth at home instead of in the hospital, or with less loved ones than you expected. In short, there is a lot of uncertainty and different than you expected in advance. That can make you restless. How do you deal with that as a pregnant woman? That’s why I’m giving you 9 tips on making a choice for a remote pregnancy course.
A remote pregnancy course just provides an extra support to prepare you for childbirth, so that you can confidently give this little miracle that grows in you the best possible start. How do you choose the pregnancy course that suits your personal needs, now that the offer is so varied remotely? Here are some tips.
Online or virtual?
Note the difference between online and virtual (live). Online means that you can go through the material in your own time with a pre-developed course in text or video. In addition, there are virtual courses remotely. This allows you to have direct live contact with the teacher and other participants and use a video calling platform. Same as a normal course near you, but remotely.
Method
We are blessed in the Netherlands with a wide range of pregnancy courses that prepare you positively for birth. Think of pregnancy yoga, methods based on mindfulness, Self-Conscious Pregnancy, hypnobirthing, KG hypnobirthing etc., each with its own qualities. Maybe you didn’t even know there were so many different methods. Then this is the time to delve into that in order to make a balanced choice.
Knowledge and skills
Pay attention to the teacher’s qualifications. Does it have a certificate to teach the method it stands for? Is this part of a club of birth workers who feed each other with knowledge and skills to keep the material up-to-date and monitor the quality of the training program?
Extra qualities
Can a teacher offer something extra besides the method? Does this additional experience or expertise with childbirth, personal guidance or the connection between body and mind? Think of an obstetrician, coach, or naturopath.
Personality
The personality and attitude of the teacher can also make a difference in your preparation for childbirth. With some people you have a click, with others you don’t.
Approachability
Is the teacher approachable for individual questions between classes? Is there an opportunity to focus the course on you as a person, so that you learn those things that support you individually to let go of tension and build trust?
Time
Does the teacher take the time to let you master the tools and techniques? Even though some women can finish with just a book and audio, many women benefit from extensive time and guidance to train their body-mind connection. It is like a muscle, which gets stronger by exercising regularly. Practice makes perfect. Literally and figuratively.
Personal data
Does the teacher consciously deal with your personal data, even when choosing a video calling platform? Well-known applications such as Zoom, FaceTime, Instagram live, Facebook live and WhatsApp are not always AVG-proof. Even though we row with the belts we have at the time of corona, think about who can access your data now and in the future and what happens to it is never gone away.
Dwell on yourself
Of course, you can take all the above with you with your final choice, but don’t forget to think about the impression that the online offer leaves you. After all, you know best what suits you. What do you want to learn and take from an online course? Which offer best suits you as a person? I recommend that you also trust your gut feeling. That belly is important?
After considering this point and the above points, you may be left with the same choice as before. Maybe not. Whatever it is, it’s good.