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Just want to sign up?

If you are looking for private childbirth education classes, please click here.

There is so much to learn when you find out you are expecting. Some of it practical and easily accessible. Other things… not so much. The biggest obstacle for a lot of expecting parents? You don’t know what you don’t know. I have redesigned these classes to reteach the knowledge we have stopped passing on about birth, and to give you the information to be in partnership with your pregnancy care provider. Use what you learn to facilitate conversations with them, so you can feel confident going into birth.

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Class 1, 2, 3 – anatomy and physiology of birth

We are going to spend the first three classes talking all about how birth works. Because it does: work. You and your partner/support person will learn what happens in labor, the mechanisms that we possess that will bring our babies into our arms, and what impacts the physiology of birth. What is baby doing during labor? What is your body doing and why are the sensations what they are? How can we support that physiology? This and more will make up the first three classes.

In these classes we will touch on the stages of labor and why we shouldn’t care too much about them. We will also get into due dates, pushing and birth, golden hour (it’s actually 2 hours!) and all things placentas.

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Class 4 – comfort measures and pain management

You now know how birth works. You know why it works and how it may look for you. Now let’s focus on how to increase your comfort during the process. Everything from best practices during early labor, comfort measures during the peaks of labor and tools to get your mind out of the way so your body can do its work are included. Breathing techniques (spoiler alert: you only need two), hip squeezes, setting up the room and alternative ways to manage discomfort/pain.

These classes do not preach of pain-free or orgasmic births. But it also does not have to be the most excruciating experience of your life. The techniques taught in these classes are aimed mostly at physical comfort, but will also touch on the mental piece that is at play. These techniques will be useful for those planning a home birth or a hospital birth. They may be used to either go without any pharmacological pain medications, or put off getting any for as long as you feel you are able.

We will briefly discuss pharmacological pain relief options that are available at our local hospitals. This won’t be a detailed presentation.

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Class 5 – common interventions and informed consent/refusal

At home or at the hospital, things may come up during labor. Unfortunately, labor is possibly one of the worst times to try and process new information. Let’s talk about these things up front, so you can ask questions and learn about these things before you need to potentially make decisions.

Interventions are not inherently bad. The purpose of this class is to introduce you to what you may encounter, so you may be ready and have an opportunity to discuss these interventions with your pregnancy care provider. While some things may feel like a hard no to many (such as episiotomy), most things are more depending on circumstances. It is my hope you will be able to use this class to navigate what does come up in your labor, to support an empowered decision on your part, that feel right to you at that time. (Even if you change your mind an hour later!) No one, not even your midwife or obstetrician, can predict with 100% accuracy what will happen. So let’s give you the information to be part of the discussions, instead of just the subject of these discussions.

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Class 6 – Breastfeeding

Although I would love to spend more than one class on this subject, we will spend our final night together talking about breastfeeding. How does your body make milk? When does that start? How do you know if your baby is getting enough? How can you get off to a great start with breastfeeding? What is normal and what is not? When do you need to reach out for support? All these questions, and more, will be covered. We will also bust some common myths and go over how partners can support breastfeeding.

As a Certified Lactation Counselor, I want to give you the tools and the frame of reference to get breastfeeding off to a good start. Did you know the benefits are vast, for both mom and baby? For example, did you know that when you latch your baby directly to your breast, there is an exchange that takes place between your baby’s saliva and the pores on your breast tissue? Your body detects any pathogens in your baby’s mouth and puts targeted antibodies into the milk, to help keep your baby healthy. Incredible!

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As these are community classes, there will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with others who are finding themselves in a similar phase of life. This will also enable us to have group discussions on the topics we cover.

sign up for classes below

Each pregnant participant is encouraged to bring a support person with them to these classes, whether that is your life-partner, sister, mother or other support person. When you sign up, you are welcome to choose one support person to bring with you for the duration of classes. In the interest of making this group a safe space, I want to thank you for bringing the same person (partner or support person) consistently. By purchasing your course, you agree to our payment policy.

Note: This is only to sign up for group classes. To sign up for a consultation for private classes, please click here.

Follow these instructions to sign up:

Note: I send these emails manually, so it may take up to 24 hours for you to receive your welcome email. If you haven’t received your conformation email after 24 hours, send me an email at justine@risemamadoula.com to check on your registration.

Payment plans are always available. Contact Justine directly to discuss your needs and options.