Breastfeeding class was a disappointment

We had the breastfeeding class last night from 6-9 p.m. It was a definite disappointment. Not to say that many are not worthwhile, but this one wasn't. There were about 15 women - 4 of whom brought our husbands. The instructor is a labor/delivery nurse and a lactation consultant. I thought it was going to be a bit positive that she was dressed professionally and didn't look like a hippie like our childbirth class instructors did...but no...still pretty militant about her baby care and breastfeeding beliefs.

The real problem was that she spent 1 hour of the class talking about all the benefits of breastfeeding and why it's bad to supplement with formula and why we should keep trying even if it's hard...on and on. As Shafi said, know your audience, woman. The 15 of us who signed up for this class are planning to breastfeed and want to learn more about how so that it is smoother if possible. We already know why - and we've decided to do it.

When we finally got around to discussing the details of how and what accessories we might need (breast pumps, nursing pillows, lanolin cream, etc.) it was after the break and almost 8 p.m. In addition to it being warm in the room and the chairs being thoroughly uncomfortable, I was getting a bit tired at that point. She did teach some useful things, but she didn't even start taking questions from the class until after 9 p.m. We followed the lead of another couple and walked out at about 9:20 - but without getting a chance to ask questions.

I think we could have learned more about positions, nipple care, possible problems - practical information. And I think it would have been useful to hear other people's questions, as many of them seemed relevant. But obviously this instructor was more intersted in preaching than teaching.

Hopefully breastfeeding will go smoothly for us and it won't have mattered that this class was mostly a waste of 3+ hours. Maybe I'll look to see how to provide feedback to NYU - and others might possibly be spared the time wasted by this particular instructor.