During what week in pregnancy should one sign up for lamaze classes?

You want to be finished with your Lamaze classes by the last month of pregnancy to be sure of completing them before the baby is likely to come. When you should start depends, then, on how long the series is. Once you figure that out, start looking early enough to find the class that is the best fit for you and your partner. As general principles, I recommend that you:

• Seek out a class with at least 12 instructional hours. It takes time to learn new skills, get questions answered, and explore issues.
• Look for an independent class. The bottom line is that we are all obliged to please the person who pays us. Classes offered by a hospital or clinic may be fine, but they may simply prepare you to be a good patient and not buck the system rather than empower you to make informed decisions. You want a class that teaches healthy birth practices.
• Make sure the instructor is, in fact, Lamaze certified. I hope this has changed, but some years ago, at least, "Lamaze" was all too often being used as a generic name for childbirth classes.

~ Henci