Birth classes

clarissamaealison

My OB office offers birth classes free to patients, it is two 2-hour classes during the 8th month. The hospital I am giving birth at offers a 5 week course (total 10 hours) and costs $60. My OB recommended theirs because it is free and provides all the same information, and of course when I took a tour the hospital recommended theirs because they teach about their facility with current L&D nurses (as opposed to the OB office where the instructors haven't actually attended births recently) and is more extensive. I am wondering how useful it would be to have the extra instruction time vs the quicker free course offered by my OB office? How helpful was your birth class/how extensive was it?  I am (almost-graduate in 2 weeks!) a nurse and feel like I have a good grasp on possible interventions/the medical side, but as a new mom am completely clueless to what it is actually like to go through it! The hospital class would start next week so I don't have the option to take the other one first and then sign up for the hospital one if I want more, as it isn't until July. Thanks!