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 navigating 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.
Labor Prep
This four hour class is split into two parts (Labor and Comfort + What to Expect at the Hospital) 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
Fall and Winter 2024
Labor Prep (two part series includes Labor and Comfort + What to Expect at the Hospital)
Labor and Comfort
Monday, July 29 6-8pm
Saturday September 21 10am-12pm
Tuesday October 8 6-8pm
Saturday November 2 11am-1pm
Monday December 2 6-8pm
What to Expect at the Hospital
Wednesday July 30 6-8pm
Sunday September 22 10am-12pm
Thursday October 10 6-8pm
Sunday November 3 11am-1pm
Monday December 9 6-8pm
Lactation and Newborn Feeding Class
Saturday August 3 10am-12pm
Tuesday September 17 6-8pm
Sunday October 13 10am-12pm
Tuesday November 12 6-8pm
Thursday December 12 6-8pm
Postpartum Healing
Tuesday August 6 6-8pm
Monday September 23 6-8pm
Sunday October 20 11am-1pm
Monday November 18 6-pm
Saturday December 7 11am-1pm
Pushing Prep Class
Wednesday August 14 6-8pm
Saturday September 14 6-8pm
Thursday October 24 6-8pm
Saturday November 23 10am-12pm
Sunday December 15 10am-12pm
Induction Class + C-Section Class
These two classes are always on demand and I send along recordings for you to watch at your own pace.