Individualized Childbirth Education
Over the years of teaching traditional 8-hour group-based childbirth ed courses, we’ve noticed a simple but important fact:
EVERYONE’S PLANNED BIRTH LOOKS SO DIFFERENT!
Your birth location and providers differ: hospital, birth center, home, and OB, or Midwife.
Your feelings and plans about medication and interventions differ: planned medications, and planned induction, cesareans, or planned unmedicated & physiologic birth.
What gives you feelings of safety, comfort, and ease differs.
In short, the info you want from a class is as different as you each are.
This is why we’ve now moved to a more individualized “choose your own adventure” format of teaching birth.
Here you can take smaller, and information-dense 1-3 hour classes where we tailor the information most closely to your plans and choices.
You’ll be in a group with folks who have plans and questions most similar to yours, so that 100% of the time can be devoted to addressing things you actually want and need to know!
And your instructors are able to answer your questions more deeply because the group they are teaching to won’t have such highly differing plans.
Still prefer a traditional 8-hour Childbirth Education Class? Check out these options.
Please take these 3 classes in order:
CLASS 1: Labor Physiology
This is where everyone starts! While everyone’s plans may differ, human birth physiology is largely the same. This class will cover the expected physiological processes of late pregnancy and labor, what’s normal and what might be something important to look out for, as well as potential interventions—because it’s important to be fully informed of what can come up, regardless of your birth plans. This is the foundation for everything to come! (3 hours)
CLASS 2: Comfort Measures, Communication + Positions
Choose either MEDICATED -or- UNMEDICATED
MEDICATED Comfort Measures, is best for those planning-on OR open-to utilizing epidural and induction medication. We’ll focus on coping with early labor before pain management is an option, how to best utilize medication while continuing the progression of labor, and pushing techniques with medication.
UNMEDICATED Comfort Measures, is best for those planning to avoid epidural or induction medication. Here we’ll go deep on the mental, physical and emotional preparation and comfort tools/strategies for planned unmedicated physiologic birth.
(3 Hours) Prereq: Labor Physiology
CLASS 3: Third Stage, Immediate Postpartum + Newborn Transitions
Here we’ll discuss third stage (don’t forget your cord options & delivering your placenta), newborn transitions & norms, and what to expect in the first few days and weeks of postpartum, and how to plan for an easeful 4th trimester.
(2 hours) Prereqs: Labor Physiology, Comfort Measures
Still prefer a traditional 8-hour Childbirth Education Class? We still have that:
Traditional 8-Hour Birth Classes
Not sold on the 3-part individualized format above? In a hurry? We still have some truly great comprehensive 1-day, 2-day, or series childbirth classes, including Empowered Birth for Families of Color, Lamaze 2-Day, or Lamaze Series. Sign up for 1 long-form class and get all the basics covered.
Want to go further on a subject? Here are some additional birth and postpartum prep classes to consider.
Whether you’ve taken our 3-part “individualized Childbirth education,” or a traditional 8-hour class, Take these next classes to go more in-depth on subjects or plans that are important to you, and in any order that feels good to you.
Breathing Techniques & Relaxation
Learn Lamaze-breathing, relaxation, visualizations, mindfulness, and pain management techniques without the full Lamaze birth class. 2 hrs.
Advocacy & Autonomy
Tap into a birth experience that is led by YOUR voice: understand your rights as a birthing person, build an aligned birthing team, make informed decisions, be grounded in the power of your own body, look at the mind/body connection to self-advocacy. 2 hrs.
Planned Induction
In this class we’ll cover natural methods of induction, and then go in-depth on each of the induction medications and methods, options you have for each, and ways that they affect the birth process. 2 hrs.
Planned Cesarean
In this class we’ll cover how to plan for your best cesarean experience and recovery, including options and choices you have, relaxation during surgery, and how to ask for and access elements of a Gentle Cesarean birth. 2 hrs.
Postpartum Recovery
With Occupational Therapist, Carolyn Johnson, we’ll cover tips and techniques to address physical, and emotional challenges of postpartum. Including: perinatal chronic/acute pain, core weakness, c-section recovery, mental health, self-care, body mechanics and ergonomics. 2 hrs.