Childbirth Information Is What?

Childbirth information is what? That's really the question, isn't it? Do you go to childbirth preparation classes? While you learn heaps of information, how much of that information do you think you will use in your birth? Are you being taught really good birth skills in your childbirth education classes? Do you think you will use those skills? Do you wish you had more information or more skills? What is knowledge anyway? Is it a 'thinking' model or 'doing' model?

Presently you can find heaps and heaps of information and think through lots of issues during your pregnancy, birth and newborn period. You can probably tell anyone the pros and cons of every medical intervention. You can probably explain that the cervix dilates from 1-10 cm. You probably have some opinion as to whether your partner will cut the cord and whether you'll be able to hold your baby right after birth.  And you're probably thinking whether you will breastfeed or not.

Have you ever been told that you need skills? Probably not so much! There's just no societal expectation that you become a skilled birthing mother and skilled birth-coaching dad.

There is friction between words: information, knowledge, preparation, education, skills when applied to childbirth. Birthing Better families are very, very clear and we want to share that with you.

• Information is what you gather.
• Knowledge is how you apply information
• Preparation is actually a bit vague. Could be making a Birth Plan. Could be making choices. Could be buying a stroller!
• Education is connected to gathering information
• Skills are what you 'do' while doing the activity of giving birth

You should gather all the pregnancy, childbirth, newborn and childcare information you need. We all need lots of facts but when we're looking for 'how-to' then we are searching for 'skills'. We just confuse those two things. Information is knowledge. Skills are knowledge yet applied to an activity.

Birthing Better skills were developed by moms and dads in the early 1970s in the US and used by many thousands globally in all types of birth. Birthing Better online birthing classes are housed in Common Knowledge Trust.