Classes Start ... 1 down, 4 to go...

Our birthing classes started yesterday and aside from sitting still for far too long and going over a lot of paperwork and introductory materials, the class was really interesting. We have decided to take Hypnobabies (http://www.hypnobabies.com/home.php) over Lamaze or the Bradley method or any of the other classes out there and the course runs for five consecutive Saturdays. Hypnobabies teaches relaxation and aims to have mothers give birth naturally. While I never really thought about epidurals before this, the fact that our hospitals are so reliant on it scares me a little (99% of births at Hoag are with epidurals) and seems to take a lot of the control away from me. Those of you who know me, know I like to be in control. That isn't to say that I am anti-drugs or surgical intervention which I still understand to be necessary sometimes; just maybe not all the time. And of course, to each their own.... I stand by everyone's personal birthing decisions and feel they are right for each individual.
At the very least, it was nice to learn some interesting facts and a different point of view and who knows, in the end, we will see what happens. I don't think I am going to say anymore about it because people's reaction so far seems to result in the idea that I am crazy. They say that I "dont know what I am talking about because I havent done it yet" or "why not just get the epidural if it is there." And again, to each their own, but I am sure after looking into it and researching it and sitting through classes that don't talk about epidurals being the norm, people might agree that many of the decisions to use medicine/surgery are done to keep the hospital's liability down and the doctor's control up.
Either way, about 75-90% of those that do the hypnobabies classes succeed in giving birth naturally with a discomfort level of 0-1 on a scale of 10.