Do They Deliver?

"We encourage natural childbirth without any medical interventions," Sragg said. "But we also cover how to combine Lamaze techniques with an epidural, if needed."

According to Sragg, Lamaze has evolved over time in response to societal and environmental changes. Like both Valceanu and Marks, Sragg is a doula, a professional labor assistant, trained in offering emotional support and expertise before, during and after birth. Many women, she says, want both classes and a doula, and she typically assists in three labors per month.

"Ten years ago, that wasn't so popular," she said. "Now women are permitted to have several of what we call 'support people' in the delivery room."

Another reason Lamaze appealed to me was its sheer convenience. While most birthing classes require a longer commitment, Lamaze classes can be taught as a two-day "intensive" version and a one-day "express" course for couples who lack the time for a weekly class or the foresight to sign up far in advance.

As I faced my second labor with a demanding toddler at home, if some kind of drive-thru birthing method were available, I'd probably have opted for that.

5

Eleventh-Hour Parents:

Hospital Classes

A mere two weeks before I gave birth the first time, I found myself in a classroom with several other visibly uncomfortable pregnant women and their partners, all of whom had settled on the instruction provided by Sibley Hospital. (No, you don't have to wait until the last minute; you can sign up for hospital classes any time during pregnancy.) My husband and I signed up for three classes: baby care, breast-feeding and labor and delivery.

In the breast-feeding class, I realized neither of us possessed the maturity to have a child; we both giggled over a slide featuring an engorged breast. During baby care class, we heard rapid-fire instruction on how to tend to a newly circumcised penis. Later, I looked back upon what I hoped would be extensive notes, and was chagrined to discover only two words: petroleum jelly.

During labor and delivery class, the instructor mentioned that women might get "crabby and irrational during the active phase of labor," and one husband shouted out, "My wife's been in labor for the past two years then." On the tour of the maternity ward, another husband asked if the delivery room TVs got ESPN.

To me, the primary comfort of the hospital-provided classes was finding myself among like-minded parents. Maybe a few of the husbands were a bit boorish, but at least there was no one who appeared any less clueless or nervous than we were. ·

Lindsay Moran is a Washington area freelance writer. Comments: health@washpost.com.