About the Author:

Steve Kaczynski is a public relations professional, a social media junkie, and author of Ohio Daddy. Steve  is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and married to his best friend, @Destiny21. On March 4, 2011, Steve found out he soon going to be a 27 year old father – Now, GenYJourney follows his path to fatherhood.

If you fit within the label of Gen-Y, there’s a good chance you’re fresh out of school. You might have thought when you graduated, you were finished taking classes. Think again. In addition to the hours of research you’ll conduct on cribs, changing tables, diaper bags and a litany of other products, you’ll be spending some time in the classroom.

Thus far, we’ve taken two classes and a hospital tour, and still have at least one more class on our agenda. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve done, and what we have in store. If you’re a Gen-Y father-to-be, I highly recommend going to these classes with your significant other.

Class: Hospital Tour

Duration: One Hour

This is just what it sounds like. A nurse takes you step-by-step through the day of your child’s birth, post delivery and leaving the hospital. You walk through process of arriving at the hospital, see the area where the babies are delivered and tour the post-pregnancy rooms and nurseries. We might even do this a second time, just so we’re completely comfortable with our surrounding on the day of the birth.

Class: Baby Basics

Duration: Three Hours

At the baby basics class, we learned all about caring for our baby when she comes home. Swaddling, diaper changing, infant CPR and bathing were among the topics covered. I left this class much more comfortable with the thought of taking our daughter home from the hospital.

Class: Breastfeeding 101

Duration: One Hour

We took this class at Babies-R-Us, and it was sponsored, so there was a pretty strong accompanying sales pitch. With that being said, there were some nice little nuggets of information in the short class. For example, most people don’t know that breastfeeding can be difficult at first because the baby doesn’t always naturally latch on. There were even some good takeaways within the sales pitch, as we learned about different types of bottles, breast pumps, nursing pillows and much more. While this may seem like a silly class, it’s actually pretty valuable. Nothing is more important than feeding your baby.

Class: Childbirth Education

Duration: Eight Hours

We haven’t taken this one yet, but we’re signed up. From our understanding, this class will encompass everything about the actual birth. It will cover all phases of labor, breathing techniques, when to come to the hospital and what to expect. It will discuss arrival, delivery and postpartum. This class, partnered with the hospital tour, should help the day of the birth go much smoother.

While you can find the answer to almost any question about childbirth on the internet, these classes are extremely valuable. The Childbirth Education class and Hospital Tour will help us get through the first four days of our daughter’s life much more comfortably. Breastfeeding 101 and Baby Basics will help put our mind at ease as we take her home. I highly recommend taking these three classes and the hospital tour to ensure you’re ready when the baby comes along.