Local Chilbirth Education Classes
"I think that women can be just completely surprised by the change in them from giving birth—you have something powerful in you—that fierce thing comes up—and I think babies need moms to have that fierceness—you feel like you can do anything and that’s the feeling we want moms to have.”
Ina May Gaskin, midwife
I absolutely love birth classes. I love walking into a teacher’s home and breathing in the smell of scented candles and warm herbal tea. I love spending hours talking about natural birth and watching videos of strong women birthing naturally and freely. During these classes, teachers take care to delve into every aspect of birth while simultaneously providing support and community. I feel that there is something truly special that comes in taking an in-preson class during pregnancy. I find that families feel more grounded, content and prepared for their births in every way with a community of other couples by their side.
Please take the time to look over my local directory of favorite childbirth education classes in the hopes that you and your family will find a class that best suits your needs. There are many to choose from! Ultimately I hope this will lead you to a have a better, more informed and more enjoyable birth.
The Bradley Method 10-12 weeks
A light-hearted class that delves into the purpose of partner-coached childbirth and the benefits of natural birth. This is an amazing class that prepares mothers for homebirth, birth center births and natural birth in the hospital. They go in-detail through nutrition, natural birth, pain relief, birth physiology, stages of labor and complications. They believe that birth is natural and a family-event. They believe that every woman can give birth naturally. They teach the dad how to be an informed support person and to be the one to remind mom to calm and release tension by practicing techniques at every class. They use comfort measures like dark or dim lighting, solitude, comfort, familiarity, sense of safety, confidence, physical relaxation, controlled breathing, and sleep-like relaxation to help mom’s achieve a natural birth.
Hypnobabies 6 weeks
This class delves into hypnosis during hospital, home or birth center births. They use hypnosis to relax fully and speed up the labor process. They teach a woman how to enter hypnosis. This class that also goes in depth into nutrition, partner support, stages of birth, hormones in birth, birthing options, complications and birth planning. They use comfort measures of hypnosis and different tracks “Deepening”, “Affirmations”, “Pushing”, and more to help a mom cope with the sensations of labor. The class also touches on belly breathing which really helps to calm the nervous system during birth.
Holistic Childbirth Education 1-3 weeks
This class is made and taught by a local retired homebirth midwife. It is a short intensive class about the stages of birth, exercise and nutrition. For comfort measures she shares techniques such as the rebozo, tennis balls, and counter pressure. Because this class is done at Okra Yoga, you can take a prenatal yoga class and then head in for her childbirth education right after class!
HypnoBirthing 5 weeks
This class uses hypnosis to help moms experience birth in a different light.
Mooresville, Rebecca Duerr
Rebecca Duerr is a local doula and also counsels women on nutrition. She is a calm and amazing resource.
Mooresville, Bri Blankenbicker
Bri Blankenbicker is a local mom who has given birth naturally and had a homebirth herself. She is an inspirational support person.
Mama Natural Birth Class 8 Weeks
This class goes in depth into having a natural birth and really shares well all of the options in pregnancy. I highly reccomend her site and class as a resource.
Miss Daisy Doula 4 Weeks
These prenatal classes go in-depth into:
1: Exercise and nutrition (addressing nausea and keeping you low-risk)
2: Birth planning
3: Labor prep: ice bath and stages of labor
4: Postpartum preparation
In-home
