How does Hilary Erickson’s online prenatal class enhance birth preparedness compared to traditional methods?

Hilary’s Online Prenatal Class for Couples is designed very intentionally around what tends to not work in traditional, one-time hospital classes.

Here are the biggest differences:

• Built for busy couples
  Short, on-demand videos (about 3 hours total) let you watch in chunks—Sunday brunch, after work, etc.—instead of cramming everything into one long evening when you are tired and overwhelmed.

• Partner-focused, not partner-optional
  The class is specifically structured to make your partner a teammate, not just a cheerleader—with clear roles, what to watch for at home, what to say, and how to help with pain management and decisions.

• Covers more than “just the birth”
  It walks through pregnancy (including key third-trimester testing), labor at home and in the hospital/birth center, vaginal birth, epidurals, inductions, and cesareans, plus postpartum and newborn basics—so you are ready for the reality you actually have, not just the one you hope for.

• Expert-led but practical
  It is taught by a very experienced labor and delivery nurse who uses real birth stories, plain language, and a bit of humor to keep things understandable and memorable—something printed booklets or slide decks rarely accomplish.

• Flexible review and better retention
  You can pause, rewind, and rewatch as you get closer to your due date. Traditional classes are “one and done,” which makes it hard to recall details when contractions actually start.

• Springboard for better talks with your provider
  The goal is not to replace your prenatal care, but to give you enough background on common interventions and options that you can ask targeted questions of your own provider and advocate for yourself.

If you and your partner could change one thing about the typical hospital class you’ve seen or heard about, what would it be?