I can tell you all the reasons you should take a birth class. Birth Boot Camp prepares you and your partner for your labor, birth, and postpartum. All. The. Things. You leave class ready to embark on this amazing journey! And then you do it and it's all the things (or none of the things!) we talked about in class.
But the more classes I have and couples I teach, I hear about other benefits of class that went far beyond knowing that how many stages of labor there are or what to do if you have back labor. Here are four unexpected benefits of taking a Birth Boot Camp class!
1. Friendship: When you take a live class you get to meet other couples that are in the same stage of life as you. New and growing families. You already have things in common! Others hit it off with their instructors.
"A life long friend with my instructor! 
" -Riley D. Birth Boot Camp Instructor in College Station,TX (my teaching buddy!)
"Meeting you and other moms!" -LaKiaya G.
"We have struggled for a while in finding friends that we've made together as a couple (not just my old friends accepting him and vice versa), and our class was such a blessing because it did exactly that! On top of that, the deep connections made through sharing our birth stories after in a safe and encouraging environment brought us all even closer, especially since several of us had some very unexpected surprises!" -Shay F.
" We gained an amazing play group for our kids, and a great group of friends who were all in the exact same stage of life as us! It’s so awesome to be able to ask other moms who are going through the exact same thing, and knowing we all have the same priorities/goals." -Liz R.
2. You will be prepared for the unexpected: So you've made this great plan. You feel good about your choices in your care provider and birth place. You hire a doula. You make a birth plan. And then the unexpected happens! Because you've taken a class you are prepared for whatever comes and can make informed choices with your new circumstances!
"We were prepared for an unplanned, unexpected home birth!" -Liz K. (Hurricane Harvey rained on their parade as their hospital of choice was evacuated and they had to quickly make other plans!)
3. Your partner may become a birth junkie: Classes are not just for mom to learn about birth, they are for him, too. He feels empowered and know how to empower you (and others!).
"My partner became more knowledgeable." -LaKiaya G.
"I was not expecting all the conversation it would open up between me and my husband...things I just assumed we were on the same page about or things he would randomly bring up that I didn’t even know he heard in class." -Katy T. Birth Boot Camp Instructor in Granbury, TX
"My husband became a birth advocate due to the knowledge he gained. Now anytime a friend or coworker is expecting a child, he is always telling them to take a class and get a good care provider." -Hillary S. Birth Boot Camp Instructor in Midlothian, TX
4. You may decide you love birth and become a Birth Boot Camp instructor!
" I became a BBC instructor and even my spouse has become an advocate for birth!" -Hannah T.
So as you can see there are many benefits to taking a Birth Boot Camp class! I love hearing amazing birth stories from my students and I love so much watching their little families grow through the years! It is an unexpected benefit of becoming a Birth Boot Camp Instructor!