Hey Charleston, Emily here. I’m typically behind the scenes of CHStoday running our Client Services Department and have also taken on the title of resident pregnant lady in our company.

It’s safe to say that even though the current state of our world is anything but normal, life continues to move on and we have to roll with the punches (and in my case, squirms, rib kicks, and hiccups). With this being my first pregnancy, I have no idea what to expect – and those typical in-person maternity classes like Lamaze and Baby CPR are a thing of the past. Heck, as of now my husband is the only person allowed in the hospital with me (sorry, M-I-L 😉).

I was excited to find out that Roper St. Francis Healthcare offers tons of virtual classes for expectant and new mothers (plus courses for dad, dog + grandpa, too). Classes range from free to $50, are typically between 1-3 hours in length and cover a variety of topics like: Financial Checklist for New Parents, Dad 101, A Refresher for Grandparents, Breastfeeding Basics, Postpartum, Infant Car Seat Safety, and more. The classes are open to anyone, including patients of other hospitals and even people in other cities.

I chose to take the “What to Expect in Your “Fourth Trimester” course and was not disappointed. Here's what I learned and how you can #TryThis.

Experience:

I took The Fourth Trimester – For Mothers and Newborns virtual class with Roper St. Francis Healthcare (cost: free).

What we tried:

I chose my class by scanning the full list of maternity classes (make sure the list of all classes is filtered by Maternity Services). To find one you need, click into each class for the lowdown on what learning material will be covered.

I registered a few weeks in advance and the process was super easy. I filled out my info and answered just a few basic questions. Pro-tip: Don’t wait to register. My instructor mentioned that the Dads 101 class filled up super fast. Good job, Dads. 👏

Don't miss:

Adding the class to your calendar. Pregnancy brain is real, y’all. You’ll receive a confirmation email directly following registration and you’ll also receive an email the day before from your instructor that will have the Zoom/video information.
Setting up somewhere comfortable and having something nearby for you to take notes. My instructor, Kassie, walked us through a presentation during class, so I took to screenshotting any slide that I knew I’d want to reference later.
Making sure your computer is juiced up. Nothing worse than having to run around looking for your charger.

Fenny, Emily’s dog and soon-to-be big brother, listening in on the virtual class

What we’re still talking about:

How intimate + interactive the class was. There were 10 total moms in my class.

Plus, the incredible resources + knowledge available at your fingertips with these classes. Kassie was a Registered Nurse with a background in women’s health and neonatal care. She not only allowed us to ask questions throughout the entire class, but she also opened it up at the end for any other lingering questions we had. Tip: Have a few questions in the back of your mind to bring up during class.

Watch more of my main takeaways over on CHStoday’s #TryThis Instagram Highlight.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend taking advantage of as many of these classes as you can. Next on my list is the Infant CPR class.

How you can experience this:

Browse all virtual maternity classes on Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s website and register for your course of choice.

Things to know if you go:

Experience: Virtual maternity classes with Roper St. Francis Healthcare
Price: $0-50
Website: https://callcenter.rsfh.com/WLP2/#!/classes/search//1/$Type=2
Hours: Class dates/times vary
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