Over the course of your pregnancy, you may have 15 or more visits with a family doctor. It can be a challenge to fit all your questions about pregnancy, labour, and childbirth—not to mention caring for a newborn—into those visits! If you are still looking for a family doctor for maternity care, you can find one at pregnancyvancouver.ca.
Not every pregnancy question can be answered by your family doctor. Prenatal classes can help you understand what happens over the course of your pregnancy and during labour and birth. This will help to give you and your support person confidence as you prepare for the birth and parenting. If the cost of classes is a concern for you, ask your doctor about low cost or no cost prenatal class options in Vancouver.
Prenatal classes will help you:
- Understand the changes in your body and emotions during pregnancy, birth and postpartum
- Make informed decisions about the care that you and your baby receive
- Address your fears and dispel myths
- Meet other soon-to-be parents
- Learn about a wide range of views about birth and parenting
- Learn ways of coping in labour and after the baby is born
- Learn about breastfeeding and newborn care
- Find out about the various community resources available to you and your family
Making new friends with other soon-to-be parents can be one of the lasting benefits of prenatal classes. They will have children the same age as your own, and it can be very reassuring to hear other people share experiences and challenges that you can relate to.
Pregnancyvancouver.ca has a list of prenatal classes offered in Vancouver and other areas of the Lower Mainland. Some classes are available in languages other than English, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, and Iranian/Persian.
Find a family doctor for your pregnancy and beyond at PregancyVancouver.ca.
Pregnancy Vancouver is a project of the Vancouver Division of Family Practice (VDoFP). The VDoFP is creating a network of Family Doctors to enhance and facilitate knowledge exchange about prenatal and postpartum care, connect Family Doctors, and improve the maternity care referral process.
