Childbirth Education classes in Los Angeles that empower you with knowledge, confidence, and support, while you share the journey from pregnancy to parenthood with others.

Located in West Los Angeles

Childbirth Education classes in Los Angeles that empower you with knowledge, confidence, and support, while you share the journey from pregnancy to parenthood with others.

Located in West Los Angeles

Supported Birth

Supported Birth childbirth classes educate couples to make conscious choices about the birth of their baby, based on a combination of technical knowledge, confidence in the natural process of birthing, rediscovering and trusting instincts, and many time-proven pain-coping tools and techniques. Lamaze is still used as a catch-all phrase for birthing classes, but Lamaze classes are now eclectic and acknowledge the importance of the birth environment, labor support, and collaborative “methods.”

There is no right way to give birth. Our birthing classes in Los Angeles explore the factors that can influence labor, what are true complications, and when medical intervention is appropriate. However, the naturalness, normalcy, femaleness, and primitiveness of birth is emphasized.

What Our Childbirth Classes Provide

Birth is the bridge into the major life transition of parenthood, and Supported Birth classes also explore issues facing couples, fathers, and mothers as they confront the challenges of enormous change. Giving birth can be a transformational experience. Supported Birth wants it to be an empowering and positive one.

Understanding the
Birth Process

Relaxation & Tools
for Managing Pain

Dads/
Partners/
+

Medical
Interventions

Postpartum/
Becoming Parents

What Our Couples Say

"I know you're thinking what we thought: 7 weeks, 2+ hours per class, too much of a commitment! We almost had to drag our husbands to class. But after 15 minutes in Jana's presence, you'll quickly realize how wrong you were and how glad you are that you signed up. Both husbands came out of the first class with eyes wide open and in awe of how much they had already learned and how excited they were to continue on. Jana shares an incredible wealth of information in an objective, fact-based way, never judging how you feel or what you want to do with your birth. It turns out, there really IS a lot to learn and process about this huge, life-changing event; and the class isn't just about coping with labor- it's about absorbing a new way of thinking, a skill absolutely needed upon becoming a parent!"

"Jana's class was a complete game changer. After the first class alone, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I was able to be more excited about the birth experience and less terrified. Not only did Jana teach about the birth process but she dedicates important time to topics I didn't even realize are tantamount to understanding the transition to becoming parents- such as the changes in a couple's relationship after becoming parents. Her sessions helped my husband and I have deeper conversations about our expectations and what we want- out of birth and parenthood. Jana is warm and inviting and takes a genuine interest in every couple she teaches. I absolutely recommend Jana's course to every first time parent."

"This is the best birth class you can find. I learned so much more than I expected -knowledge of what is happening to my body & my baby, with PERFECT insights, skills & tips for labor. I was happy to find that there was as much emotional & mental preparation for labor & parenthood as much as facts about labor & birth. My husband and I would have wonderful discussions after every class and it brought us so much closer. I so appreciated all Jana's knowledge and experience, how she carefully & strategically planned out the course, and how she connected with us personally as well as connecting us to other labor support resources. I LOVED the course & feel so much more confident and prepared."

"By far the best action I took preparing for my birth was attending Jana's Supported Birth class. Jana's class prepared me for birth in an informative, holistic, and non-judgmental atmosphere. She is so well informed on all birth options and gives women the tools they need to create the birth experience that works for them. I also really appreciate how Jana involves the fathers/birth partners in the process. My husband was fully present and really understood what was happening during the delivery. He also really liked going to the classes because they are so rich in material. Supported Birth is a MUST if you live in the LA area. I cannot recommend it highly enough."

"We can't imagine a better teacher than Jana. Her class was invaluable and gave us the power to make informed choices and have a beautiful, positive birth experience. We learned that there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" birth but because we were presented with information in such a clear and organized way, in a non-biased and non-judgmental manner, we knew what to do when labor began. Because of the class, my husband played an important role, supporting me and offering comfort and pain-coping tools that we had learned. I cannot recommend it highly enough; I truly believe our birth experience was incredible because of her classes."

"My husband and I cannot recommend this class more highly. Jana is an expert in childbirth and her warm and caring presence really helped calm all my fears and apprehensions about the birthing process. Her class really brought me closer together with my husband and we have such wonderful memories of laughs and good times! Her class also helped me deal with the unexpected change in our birth plan, when I had to have a c-section vs. a natural birth, which is what I really wanted. I cannot say enough about Jana and this class. We drove from the Valley each week to attend the class in West LA and it was totally worth it!"

"Jana was fantastic! I cannot imagine what my birth would have been like without this class. Her class has enriched our lives and prepared us for something that most people would say you cannot prepare for. This class goes beyond merely relaying information -- you learn facts AND you grow comfortable and confident about the birthing process, AND you meet and become friends with other soon-to-be-parents AND you learn about yourselves. Take the class -- you will be thankful."

"I can't begin to say enough good things about our Supported Birth class, one of the best decisions my partner and I made to help us prepare for our first child. Jana was able to relate to all of us as individuals and was perceptive & sensitive to our needs. The thing I appreciated the most was that she did not try to indoctrinate us with dogma. She presented the material in a balanced and reasonable way...I simply feel much more knowledgeable and prepared for something that previously was a total unknown to me. I feel ready and even excited by it. I no longer view the birth of my baby with as much fear and trepidation in terms of anticipating the pain of labor. By informing us intelligently, these classes were everything I hoped they would be."

Supported Birth wants each woman to know that she already instinctively knows how to give birth, when given the freedom to labor with as much support and privacy as possible. A woman’s need to feel safe in her birthing environment can be greatly enhanced by experienced labor support. Our Los Angeles childbirth classes offer low-cost, mid-range, and full price doulas from the Supported Birth Directory.

Jana Wernor

CSBE, ACHI, AAHCC, ICEA

“I believe that successful childbirth classes are not a series of instructional lectures, but rather a process of growth and self-discovery that prepares new parents for this life transition. Instincts plus knowledge, together, form the core of strength and yielding that a woman needs. Different women have different hopes, fears and desires for their birth so it is up to the parents to find the tools that resonate.”

On Pregnancy Classes & Birthing Classes:

Adapted from writings by Sheila Kitzinger, Pam England, A. Lowe, R. Zimmerman

“It is terribly easy to tell people how they ought to have their babies and run their lives and bring up their children. To give advice seems such a simple, obvious thing to do when people are confused and muddled, especially when they are eager to be given a formula for success....I have learned that telling people how they ought to behave creates more problems than it solves and all too often means that they are unable to adapt to challenges confronting them, because instead of flexibility they are armed with a series of magic formulae which they hope will work when the going gets difficult. It is much more valuable to give people information and self-confidence so that they can make their own informed choices in terms of the reality they face. To do that it is also important for you to know yourself, be honest about your own feelings and start from inside awareness rather than external mechanical acts.”

“We need approaches in childbirth education (formerly but not now limited to Lamaze) which are fluid enough to adapt to different women’s personalities and the varied choices they make....also giving a woman the best opportunity to adjust to any sort of labor."

“Authentic preparation for childbirth opens the mind and instills a hopeful attitude and a sense of proportion...imparts a dignity and a sense of awe toward the birth process, the life a woman is carrying, and the woman herself. It should enlarge a woman’s - and a couple’s - vision about the significance of what they are undertaking in bringing a baby into the world, and what the baby - and the mother - will need, emotionally and physically, in order to thrive.”

"Birthing is never a small event. It is the event that changes your life permanently, from that moment forward. It's the event that demands your attention, mentally, emotionally, and physically, in a way that nothing else can in life. And the way birth is handled can affect women and their families long into the future."