Rockdale Medical Center
 

Community Education at The Birth Place

The staff at Rockdale Medical Center's Birth Place congratulates you as you prepare for your new baby. To assist you and your family in this exciting time in your lives, the Birth Place invites you to participate in our classes and tours. You will learn the many ways to ensure that you are ready for your little bundle of joy, while having an enjoyable time.

Our classes will help you understand the change that mom’s body is going through, comfort measures that will be useful and helpful for relaxation, what you need to bring to the hospital, overview of hospital procedures, stages of labor and what to expect during each stage, nutrition requirements for mom, how to care for and feed your newborn, postpartum adjustments for the couple after the baby, safety for the new baby, and what to know about car seats.  We also offer tours of our Birth Place each month so you become familiar with our facility.  For those families who already have children, we offer a sibling class to help the brother-to-be or the sister-to-be know what to expect as the new baby arrives. We have also added CPR classes for expectant and new parents to learn infant CPR techniques.

Below, you will find a list and explanation of the various classes and tours for moms, dad, and/or support persons. Our Birth Place tours are limited to 10 moms and their support person.  Registration is required for all tours and classes.

 
Registration

To register for our classes and tours, please call: 1-800-424-DOCS (3627). We no longer accept registration via FAX.                     

Payment for Classes

Payment for classes may be made through the business office Monday through Friday by cash, debit card, credit card, or check.  After hours payments may be made in the Emergency Department. You may also mail a check for payment to the following address:

Community Education at the Birth Place
Rockdale Medical Center
1412 Milstead Ave
Conyers, GA 30012

Pregnancy and Prepared Childbirth Classes

Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is a series of eight classes. The first six classes cover pregnancy-related subjects.  The last two classes cover newborn care and feeding. You may elect to attend some classes instead of the entire series, however it is recommended that you attend the entire series as certain subjects are built upon knowledge covered in previous classes.  Medicaid patients must attend a minimum of 3 classes to be eligible for reimbursement.  Below is a breakdown of each class and the subjects covered in the class.

Class 1:

  • Introduction
  • Food Safety/things to avoid
  • Roles of the Labor team
  • Pregnancy Myths
  • What to take to the hospital
  • Prenatal Exercises
  • Relaxation

Class 2:

  • WIC
  • How to Select a Pediatrician
  • Anatomy and Physiology of the pregnant woman
  • Common discomforts of pregnancy
  • When to call your caregiver
  • First stage of labor
  • Benefits of breathing/relaxation
  • Positions for Labor
  • Relaxation

Class 3:

  • Birth Plans
  • Variations of the 1st stage of labor
  • Tools of the Trade
  • Epidurals and analgesia
  • Epidural video
  • Tour of the Birth Place
  • Relaxation

Class 4:

  • 2nd stage of labor
  • Medications for the 2nd stage of Labor
  • Positions for pushing
  • Variations of the 2nd stage of labor
  • C-section
  • Relaxation 

Class 5:

  • Third stage of labor
  • Variations of the 3rd stage of labor
  • The delivery room team
  • Placentas
  • Characteristics of the newborn
  • Cord blood collection
  • Relaxation 

Class 6:

  • Postpartum complications
  • Postpartum Adjustments
  • Six-week checkup
  • Dad video
  • Relaxation 

Class 7:

  • Breastfeeding
  • Bottlefeeding
  • Burping
  • Introduction of solids
  • How to bathe a baby 

Class 8:

  • When to call the pediatrician
  • Temperature taking
  • Caring for the newborn
  • Care of newborn clothes
  • SIDS prevention
  • Sleep time
  • Immunizations
  • Well-baby check-up
  • Infant Safety
  • Car Seats

GRADUATION!

Cost:  $15 per class or $120 for the complete series 

2012
January 9, 11, 18, 23, 25, 30, and February 1,6

February 27, 28, and March 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21

April 2, 4 ,9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25

May 7, 9, 14,16, 21, 23, 30, and June 4

June 18, 20, 25, 27, and July 2, 9,11,16

July 30, and August 1, 6, 4, 13, 15, 20, 22

September 10, 12, 17, 19, 24,26, and October 1, 3

October 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31, and November 5, 7

November 19, 21, 26, 28, and December 3, 5, 10, 12

Pregnant and Prepared Weekend Course

A series of four classes that last four hours each. The classes cover the same material as the weekday classes but are offered on four consecutive Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Class is $30 per four-hour session or $120 for the entire course.

2012
January 22, 29, and February 5, 12

March 4, 11, 18, 25

April 8, 15, 22, 29

May 13, 20, 27, and June 3

June 24, and July 1, 8, 15

August 12, 19. 26, and September 2

October 28, and November 4, 11, 18

December 2, 9, 16, 23
                   

Sensational Sibling Class

A one-hour class for the sibling-to-be.  Class is held on select Sundays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

2012
January 22

March 25

May 20

July 22

September 23

November 25

Early Pregnancy Class

This class is designed for the expectant parent(s) who have just found out that they are pregnant. This class covers topics such as: changes to expect, fetal development, nutrition, drugs and alcohol, common tests throughout pregnancy, when to notify your doctor, and prenatal exercises. The class is designed for women who are from five to 20 weeks pregnant. Classes are $15. The class is from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the following dates:

2012
January 20

March 30

May 11

July 27

September 21

November 16

Childbirth and Pain....The Basics

This is a two-hour class designed for those who want to know specifically how to deal with the pain of childbirth.  The class covers medication options, epidurals, breathing techniques and relaxation. Cost for the class is $15. The class is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the following dates:

2012
Jan 4

February 15

March 28

April 30

June 6

July 18

August 29

October 10

November 14

December 19

CPR for Infants

A one-hour infant/newborn CPR class for expectant parents and parents for newborns up to one year of age. This class will provide basic knowledge of CPR skills for parents, grandparents, or friends to familiarize them with techniques involved in the event of an emergency. This class does not provide CPR certification. Class is limited to five couples. Registration must be made under the expectant or new mother’s name. However, fathers, grandparents, or friends can attend if the mother is unable to make the class. They are held on the first Saturday of every month.

2012
January 7
February 4

March3

April 7

May 5

June 2

July 7

August 4

September 1

October 6

November 3

December 1

BirthPlace Tours 

Tours begin in the East Tower Entrance lobby. Please be punctual, as tours start promptly at the designated time. 

2012
Tuesday tours begin at 7 p.m. on the following dates:

January 17
February 7

February 21

March 20

April 3

April 17

May 1

May 15

June 5

June 19

July 3

July 17

August 7

August 21

September 4

September 18

October 2

October 16

November 6

November 20

December 4

December 18

Sunday tours begin at 4 p.m. on the following dates:

January 22
February 12

February 26

March 11

March 25

April 8

April 22

May 6

May 20

June 10

June 24

July 8

July 22

August 12

August 26

September 9

September 23

October 7

October 21

November 11

November 25

December 9

December 30

Lactation Classes

Rockdale Medical Center's lactation classes are taught by Board Certified Lactation Consultants. For the convenience of our breast-feeding mothers, our hospital gift shop (Lori's Gifts) rents Medeal Breast Pumps. There is no cost for this class.

When: The second Tuesday of every month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fathers are welcome.

Registration: To register for these classes, please contact Brenda or Kristi at 770-918-3671.

Parking

Parking for all classes and tours is available in the East Tower Entrance Parking Deck. The classrooms are located in the East Tower to the left of the elevators.  

Inclement Weather 

Occasionally, classes or tours may be cancelled due to inclement weather. If the county schools are closed, Rockdale Medical Center will also cancel the event scheduled for that day.

Visiting Hours

Visiting hours begin at 9 a.m. on the postpartum unit. Our new visitation schedule allows mothers time to rest, bond, and breastfeed their babies. Therefore, the father or support person will be the only visitors permitted between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Visiting hours will resume at 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. 

For Further Information

For further information regarding classes and tours, please contact Melissa Dukes, RN, community childbirth educator, at 770-918-3694 or email her at Melissa.Dukes@lpnt.net.

To register for classes and tours please call: 1-800-424-DOCS (3627)