Childbirth Education

My classes are evidence based, inclusive, and comprehensive.

My goal is to prepare you to give birth with confidence, information, and a clear sense of what you will have choice and control over and what might be unpredictable and unknowable. The combination of those two realities are your birth preferences.

Many childbirth education classes are taught by relatively inexperienced doulas or doulas who no longer attend births and do not always have the most up to date information on the intricacies of giving birth in busy institutions. I bring almost two decades of experience and I am still an active, full time doula so my classes are always current on the realities you will face.

Classes

  • Labor Prep

    This four hour class is split into two parts and will cover:

    • signs and stages of labor

    • laboring at home: tracking contractions; how to measure progress

    • breathing and massage techniques

    • labor positions

    • when to head to the hospital

    • triage procedures

    • hospital policies and medical interventions

    • demystifying the epidural

    • advocacy and decision-making

    • newborn procedures

  • Lactation and Newborn Feeding

    This two hour class will cover:

    • latching after birth/what is a good latch?

    • preparing for feeding challenges at the hospital

    • infant feeding behavior in the first two weeks of life

    • establishing adequate milk supply

    • preventing and addressing painful nursing and engorgement

    • how to build confidence that the baby is getting enough

    • pumping and bottle-feeding

    • formula and donor milk

    • tracking feeds and diapers

  • Pushing Prep

    This two hour class will cover:

    • the physiology of the pelvis

    • how the baby descends through the different stations of your pelvis

    • pushing with an epidural and unmedicated

    • breath and pushing effort

    • standard hospital pushing technique and alternatives

    • how to prepare the body and mind for pushing

    • how partners/support people can be helpful during this intense stage of labor

  • Postpartum Healing

    This two hour class will cover:

    • healing from vaginal and surgical deliveries

    • understanding how the placenta was implanted and where bleeding is coming from

    • understanding the degrees of vaginal tearing and best practices for the first two weeks

    • pain management at hospital and at home

    • emotional adjustments within the family

    • sleep and routines

    • what items to have at home

    • walking through the first six weeks and beyond

  • Induction and C-section Prep

    The rate of induction of labor in NY is around 25% of all pregnancies and the c-section rate is around 30%. Given these fairly high numbers I would like to focus on preparing you for both possibilities.

    In these separate classes we will cover:

    • common reasons for inductions

    • differences between elective induction versus medically indicated inductions

    • medications used during an induction

    • pain management for an induced labor

    • how progress is measured/what is a failed induction

    • what are the differences between spontaneous labor and induced labor

    • indications for a c-section before/and during labor

    • pain medications during surgery

    • what happens during the c-section

    • how to develop preferences if a c-section is recommended/what is a "family-friendly" c-section?

    • c-section for "failure to progress" versus a c-section for maternal/fetal distress.

    • what happens in the recovery room (hospital policies for support during this time)

    • pain management post- surgery

Current Schedule

Winter 2024 and Spring 2025

All of my classes (16 hours of content) are included as part of the in person and virtual labor services packages.

For other expectant families the drop in fee is:

$350 for the two part, four hour comprehensive childbirth class

$150 for the other topic specific classes

Classes are virtual and held over Zoom. Recordings are always available and are the same price.

Email me to sign up.

  • Labor Prep one (Labor and Comfort)

    Monday December 2 6-8pm

    Monday January 27 6-8pm

    Saturday March 1 10am-12pm

  • Labor Prep two (What To Expect At The Hospital)

    Monday December 9 6-8pm

    Wednesday January 29 6-8pm

    Sunday March 2 10am-12pm

  • Lactation and Newborn Feeding

    Thursday December 12 6-8pm

    Sunday February 2 10am-12pm

    Wednesday March 12 7-9pm

  • Postpartum Healing

    Saturday December 7 11am-1pm

    Wednesday January 22 6-8pm

    Monday March 17 6-8pm

  • Pushing Prep

    Saturday November 23 10am-12pm

    Sunday December 15 10am-12pm

    Monday February 10 6-8pm

    Saturday March 15th 10am-12pm

  • Induction and C-section Prep

    These two classes are always on demand and I send along recordings for you to watch at your own pace.