Most childbirth seminars available through hospitals and birthing centers are called prepared childbirth classes. Taking place in a classroom setting and using lectures, audiovisuals, and floor exercises to get you ready for labor and delivery, prepared childbirth classes usually focus on one, two, or more birth philosophies. They can vary in length from several months of Saturdays to a one-day seminar. While hospital policy will dictate a lot of what's covered, here's a general idea of what you will experience:

Commiseration. You'll interact with other pregnant couples and demonstrate that misery (and joy) truly does love company.

Reality. Through lecture and (in many cases) actual video footage, you'll get the full scoop on what really goes on in labor and delivery.

Guided tour. If your class is at a birthing center or hospital, you will probably get a tour of the facilities and some basic instructions on when and where to show up when labor hits. The best part? The nursery window stop, of course.

Teamwork. Your husband, partner, or labor coach will learn more about his role in this process, and you might even be given homework to try out techniques at home.

After-birth instruction. Many classes offer valuable information on breastfeeding basics and baby care. Don't be surprised if the instructor brings in a bag full of baby dolls for practice.

Seasoned support. Most prepared childbirth classes will be conducted by a trained childbirth educator.

Paperwork. More literature, brochures, pamphlets, handouts, forms, photocopies, and leaflets will come your way. Bring a bag.

Perhaps the most important facet of childbirth class (and certainly the one that most first-time moms pay the closest attention to) is the information it provides on managing labor and delivery discomforts. In addition to an overview of anesthesia and pain medication options, childbirth educators draw on one or more childbirth philosophies to teach coping methods. Some of the most popular and widely taught techniques are outlined below.

Lamaze Method

Lamaze (or psychoprophylaxis) is probably the most well-known childbirth method in use in the United States today. Named after Dr. Fernand Lamaze, classes are taught by certified Lamaze instructors and attended by more than two million parents-to-be annually.

Dr. Fernand Lamaze came up with the kernel of his theories on painless prepared childbirth after a trip to Russia in the early 1950s, which familiarized him with the works of Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov was the Nobel-winning behavioral scientist behind the famed drooling dogs, who were conditioned to equate the sound of a bell with their dinner.

If you've never been in a Lamaze class, you probably associate the name with heavy, hyperventilated breathing. True Lamaze classes, however, are much more than panting practice. Although rhythmic breathing exercises are stressed for each stage of labor in Lamaze, helpful laboring and birth positions, relaxation techniques, and pain management are also covered. In addition to massage, water therapy, and hot and cold compresses, you're taught how to focus on a picture or object to diminish your discomfort.

Lamaze is founded on the principal that instinct and what Lamaze International calls inner wisdom guide women through the birth process. Lamaze also stresses the empowerment of the mother-to-be and her right to the birth experience and environment she wants.