• birth in America: historical & social perspectives

• exploring attitudes/fears about birth

• nutrition in pregnancy

• discovering your internal resources

• physiology of labor

• stages of labor

• dealing with pain

• fathers

• birth environment

• relaxation & labor techniques

* the needs of the laboring woman

• sexuality & birthing

• labor scenarios

• medical interventions

• complications & variations

• labor support

• postpartum

• becoming parents

• breast feeding

* films and discussions

 

Supported Birth couples say:

“I can't begin to say enough good things about our Supported Birth birthing class. My husband and I wanted to have as much information as possible about what to expect – in terms of what was happening to the mother physically and emotionally, what the father needs to be responsible for, what happens at the hospital, which procedures are necessary and which are not, what our options were for pain management, what to look for in a doctor/birthing location, etc. .. This class met all of our expectations. Each class was well-organized, informative and interesting. [Our teacher] was able to answer every question we had and never judged any of the parents in her class. She explained everything that would happen in great detail and had movies and other visual aids to back up her lectures. We had ample time for questions and she was always very generous with her time.... If you are looking for a class which will prepare you for a natural childbirth but isn't judgmental then Supported Birth is the one for you! “

“Supported Birth provided us with the perfect combination of clear honest information and exercises to help us see what birth experience we really wanted. It's so easy to get wrapped up in preconceptions (no pun intended) when it comes to birthing decisions, or feel that you can't trust the source of information, but our teacher's approach, her honesty, and her insight into the birthing community here in Los Angeles gently empowered us. As a direct result of our class, my anxiety has been greatly relieved and my husband and I are looking forward to our birth, instead of bracing for it. At the same time, we had fun, and enjoyed being part of the community that was facilitated - we already miss our weekly sessions!”

“Thank you so much for your class. My husband and I grew as a couple so much and really bonded over discussing all the class topics. It gave us a solid jumping off point for discussing our fears, our hopes, and our ideas. We happily endorse your class to any expectant parents. We look forward to the reunion as well, and love that you have made that part of the class.”

“The Supported Birth class was wonderful. We really liked that it was small (4 to 6 couples) and intimate. Unlike some of the other courses that focus on natural childbirth like Bradley, Lamaze or Hypnobirthing, it didn't draw from just one source but taught various techniques for pain coping and helped each person figure out what works most intuitively for them. There were a lot of exercises that help the couples explore the emotional and psychological aspects of bringing a child into their relationship. We also learned about the benefits of having a labor support person present (in addition to the father) to help the mother cope with the pain and new experience. My husband and I really enjoyed these classes and felt that, in addition to getting a lot of great information, we felt closer as a couple every time we went.”

“Just what I was hoping for...knowledge, confidence, education, faith in myself and my husband - I don't think I would change anything about the classes”