Mumbai, Aug 17 (TNN): In the whitewashed hall of a plush corporate hospital, a bunch of expecting fathers are asked to turn off their phones and pick up blonde dolls from a cradle. The men listen attentively as they are asked to support the head and the neck of the tiny inanimate object.

A few minutes into the session, one of the fathers-to-be loudly blurted out his fears: "These dolls don't move. How will I handle my child when it will be constantly wriggling in my arms?"

Experts may share the scepticism of this father-to-be, but many of the newer breed of parents-to-be are signing up for as many antenatal classes as they find time to attend.

For a fee, one can have a birth plan written out, get advice on how to have an intelligent baby, get a special music playlist or receive tips on how to instill moral values in the foetus. Birthing Classes Version 2.0 also includes tips on how to rock the baby to sleep, how to manage time after child-birth, how to bond with each other after the baby's birth and one exclusively for the grandparents to-be.

Many believe it's in the nature of these classes to overpromise. Terming paternal classes as a sham, gynaecologist Dr Rajeev Chhabra said, "As in the western world, we are moving towards such classes that are more of a fad; how much they help, if at all they do, is a matter of debate and open to conjecture." He feels as these classes are conducted using props and mannequins, people are poorly prepared for an animate baby.

A south Mumbai doctor, who didn't want to be identified, said antenatal classes make it easier to handle the concerns of mothers-to-be. "Every mother-to-be has the same set of questions and fears. They surf the Internet and get confused with the divergent views they come across. If you enroll them for a class where they can interact with experts on nutrition or physiotherapy, the questions are answered by an expert in one go for all mothers," said the doctor.

Not all classes can be deemed as unnecessary. Prabhadevi resident Sunaina (name changed) has joined a Lamaze (a childbirth technique) class on her doctor's insistence. Bandra resident Priya (name changed) signed up for an Iyengar Yoga course for pregnant mothers. "I have been doing this form of yoga for five years now. I spoke to others who had taken up the pregnancy course and found childbirth to be an easy affair," she said. Priya, who is in the eighth month of pregnancy, performs the sirsasan twice a week with the help of an instructor. "It's supposed to help the baby a lot," she said.

Most experts say changed lifestyles have made people sedentary, leading to stiffer muscles. Specialised exercise classes hence have a role to play.

Gynecologist Dr Sadhana Desai said, "There was a time when women used to squat and sweep the floor. Now, no one wants to do that. But they will very willingly do the same exercise which is camouflaged in terminology as the duck walk."

Gynecologist Dr Duru Shah said exercises help women prepare for childbirth. "I used to conduct these classes with the help of experts for over a decade and had to stop them this year due to lack of space in my clinic," she added.