Great Expectations - Laugh and Learn About Childbirth

Rating:
Summary: What would we do without Sheri?
Review: Not only did we enjoy this DVD for
it's sincere and human approach by
a warm and dedicated instructor, Sheri
answered all, and I mean all of our
questions and concerns regarding
what was ultimately a life changing
experience. Her knowledge, cheerful communication
style and innate charisma allowed us to watch
with ease and clarity. Whether you have had
private instuction already, or are using this
DVD as your main instructional source, you
will be
thrilled with what you come away with. We know that
this video prepared us both physicallly and emotionally
in order to participate and witness the gift of
creating life. It doesn't get better than that!

Rating:
Summary: I was hooked from the first minute!
Review: Sheri has a fantastic way of mixing humour with an incredible amount of knowledge.She is not wasting your time.Every moment is filled with important information so sometimes I had to pause and take a breath...
I could feel myself starting to relax and feel confidence replace my questions and worries.
This video is everything you need to understand it all very clearly!

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Shower Gift!
Review: Soon after my baby shower our doctor ordered me on bed rest. She said I wouldn't be able to attend a regular lamaze class and recommended this DVD. Happily, my sister had just given it to us as a shower gift. It was a joy to watch and very informative.

Rating:
Summary: Don't go into labour without watching this class!
Review: The moment we watched this class, we knew, we didn't have to worry about childbirth anymore. 5 1/2 hours of essential information - and all the things we didn't know we didn't know! We became childbirth experts. Sheri, thank you for sharing this information in such an easy to understand and humorous way..

Rating:
Summary: Very informative and convenient--but annoying at times
Review: This DVD is divided into 6 classes, just as a regular, live prenatal course would be. The classes are
1. Anatomy and Preliminary Signs of Labor (31:45)
2. Three Actual Signs of Labor and Two Breathing Techniques (57:50)
3. Labor and Delivery (49:25)
4. Pushing and Third Breathing Technique (49:25)
5. Medications Used in Labor, Induction, Forceps, Vacuum, and Monitoring (56:50)
6. Cesarean Delivery, Post-op C/S, and Postpartum Vaginal Delivery (40:50)

As a physician, I recommend it. I purchased this because my husband and I had way too much going on (moving, new jobs, etc.) during this pregnancy, and could not find a class that fit our schedule.

Sheri Bayles is extremely informative and experienced. She explains everything clearly and with good diagrams and props. She is very organized. She seems friendly.

CONS:
--Sheri has annoying mannerisms and really wants you to think she's a comedienne. If you can overcome this, you will learn a LOT from her.
--The set is really far from being aesthetically pleasing.
--Most of the moms don't look like they're REALLY participating; not great models for you. They also look like they stepped out of the 1980s, even though this was filmed in the 21st century.

The cons are small, though. This is very informative, if you can get past the annoying mannerisms and overall lack of prettiness to this video.

I liked having the classes laid out as a "real" class would have been. Sheri does a good job of making one class relevant to the next. I also enjoyed the convenience of this DVD; my husband and I were able to take this to work and play it on our computers, then watch it at home together, then review one final time, something you don't get to do if you take a live class.

So...I give it 5 stars for information, organization, and memorable delivery. I only gave it 4 stars overall because of the ugly-to-look-at-ness and the sometimes annoying qualities of the teacher. The information that lies therein is very, very high-quality. I'd buy this DVD again despite its minor shortcomings.


Rating:
Summary: good basic info
Review: This dvd provides good basic information if you cannot attend childbirth classes from a hospital. But the instructor is annoying, and the person with the camera is too. It was worth the annoyances for me, though... cheaper and far more flexible than the hospital classes.

Rating:
Summary: Great DVD for soon-to-be parents with busy schedule
Review: This DVD worked out excellent for my husband and I who don't have a lot of time to go to the traditional classes. We were able to do these classes out of the comfort of our own home, on our time and without the frustration of traffic, etc. Also, the DVD was less money than what the hospital wanted to charge us for enrollment into their classes. The sound fluctuates a bit, but it did not get in the way of our learning experience. I would recommend this DVD to anyone out there!

Rating:
Summary: Save your money . . . bad quality, not DVD worthy!
Review: This is a DVD! Why is it presented as a badly shot (often shaky camera work) montage of a lady talking to a birthing class? I really thought there would be actual scenes of a birth (i.e., a birth film as you would see in a real life class), and real graphics (instead of zooming in on the sign the instructor is holding up!), etc. Also, the sound varies from very low to extremely low through the entire thing. I had my tv almost on max volume just to hear.

The information is ok, but several years old and new studies are showing controlled breathing beats all the patterned breathing that is taught here. Also, the NY accents get old fast. Again, I really expected more from a $50 DVD. Save your money and buy a book! Also, there's a typo on the back cover, which appears to have been put together on a home PC. The DVD looks like something I would burn. Not high quality stuff.

Rating:
Summary: We had a great time watching this
Review: When we told our doctor that we wouldn't be able to attend a regular lamaze class due to our schedules, she recommended this dvd. We learned more than we thought possible and laughed throughout. In fact, my husband can quote the instructor verbatim. We even watched it twice, so he could take notes the second time around.
We recommend this for anyone who doesn't have time for a regular class. It certainly helped us prepare for our child's birth.