Expecting? Kawartha Health Unit Offers Free January Prenatal Class

Free January Health Unit Prenatal Class Helps Expectant Parents Prepare! 

Kawartha Lakes Mums - Expecting a baby in the New Year? The Health Unit can help you prepare for the experience and make it more of a labour of love.

Every few months, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit offers Prenatal Classes to help expectant parents prepare for the arrival of their babies.

The next Healthy Beginnings Prenatal Class starts January 15 in Lindsay and runs the following three Tuesday evenings – January 22, 29 and February 5, 2013. Expectant parents are encouraged to sign up for the free class being 

offered at the Health Unit office (108 Angeline St. S.) in Lindsay. To register or find out more about the Prenatal Class, call the Health Unit at (705) 324-3569, toll-free at 1-866-888-4577, or email prenatalclasses@hkpr.on.ca .

Expectant parents are encouraged to register early, as spaces are limited.

"Having a baby doesn't come with an instruction guide or how-to manual, but taking the Prenatal Class can answer a lot of your questions and help you plan for a healthy pregnancy and birth," says Cindy Hutchinson, a Family Health Nurse with the HKPR District Health Unit.

The Prenatal Class will focus on labour and delivery, infant care and safety, feeding the baby and adjusting to life after the baby is born. Each participant will receive a free copy of the Healthy Beginnings Pregnancy Guidebook. Information about Health Unit services and programs that support healthy families will also be available.

"We try to cover as much possible," says Hutchinson. "The time before your baby is born is crucial for healthy growth and development. It's also important to be prepared for the labour and delivery stage, as well as knowing what to expect when you come home from hospital with your newborn."

The Prenatal Class is also valuable in that parents-to-be come together and share their expectations and experiences. 

"The group dynamic adds a lot to the class, especially in knowing you are not alone in preparing for a new baby," says Hutchinson. "In many cases, the friendships you form with people carry on long after the prenatal classes are finished and the babies have been born."

If the timing of the Prenatal Class in January does not work for people, the Health Unit will offer the next series in  March.