I was nervous at first about meeting in a group setting to discuss such an intense and life changing event. As soon as my husband and I arrived, Taylor made me feel completely comfortable. She was very open and easy to talk to. Everything you could think of in regards to preparing for baby, labor, and after baby is born was discussed. Taylor was very thorough and engaging. There were no judgments or “silly” questions. Most of the bigger things we discussed were also given on paper in a folder so it could be used as resources or reminders later.
This Childbirth Education series is right for you if…
You imagine birth to be like you’ve seen in the movies – water breaks with a huge gush, family rushes to the hospital in a frenzy, baby is born looking 4 months old and sparkling clean!
Late Fall 2019 Session
5 Tuesday evenings: November 5, 12, 26, December 3 and 10, from 6-8:30pm
*This series is ideal for families with due dates between mid-January and mid-March*
Spring 2020 Session
Dates to be posted soon!
Join us for this comprehensive childbirth education series to be confident and prepared for birth and postpartum!
What we’ll do for 5 weeks together…
Class 1: Healthy Pregnancy and Emotional Preparation for Labor
- Is your care provider a good fit? Building your best birth team.
- Basics of nutrition, exercise and health during pregnancy
- An exploration of any fear(s) you have around birth and parenting
- What you can do now to be emotionally prepared for labor
Class 2: What is happening during labor and birth?
- Late pregnancy changes and emotions
- Early labor – things are happening…or are they?
- When to head to the hospital
- Active labor – it’s getting real!
- Transition – I’m not sure I can do this!
- Pushing & birth – it’s baby time!
- You’re not done yet – birthing the placenta
Class 3: So Many Choices
- Options for medical pain management
- Hospital procedures/policies and informed consent
- Common interventions – what they are and when they might be helpful or necessary (induction, cesarean birth, and more)
- Effective communication with providers and decision-making
- Creating a list of birth preferences (commonly called a birth plan – you’ll learn why the term “birth preferences” makes more sense)
Class 4: How will I cope with labor?
- How to determine if someone is coping well with labor (the 3R’s and pain vs. suffering) – important for birth partners!
- The fear/pain/tension cycle and how to break out of it
- Comfort measures for each phase and stage of labor
- Partner activities to support comfort for the birthing person
Class 5: The baby is here. Now what?
- Immediate postpartum events
- Physical changes for the postpartum person
- Emotional changes and changes in your relationship(s) after baby
- Feeding your baby
- Newborn care
- Building a support network for yourselves
- Create a postpartum wellness plan
I was afraid the class would only cover things I already knew. I was wrong, there was definitely a lot more information to absorb and it was very relieving to validate the information I had already learned prior to the class. It was comforting to be in a room with other couples with the same goals as ourselves and also to receive all the information from Taylor who has real life experiences with this. It is comforting to hear this information in person than reading about it online. Feels more tangible this way. I also found this very helpful to attend with my partner. I had passed all my previous knowledge on to him but I was afraid when labor came, that he might not know how to support me. Once this series was completed I felt much more confident that he is going to be great as my support person and more equipped to handle this new situation and that goes for postpartum as well.
Ready to join us?
