In my 16 years of experience working with couples transitioning to parenthood, one thing I have seen them commit to are out-of-hospital childbirth education classes. For some it’s that they took the one offered by their hospital and didn’t find it helpful, and others were looking for more depth to bring them closer to the result of a healthy baby and healthy mama in the end.
The bottom line, my friends, is to stay healthy and low risk in your pregnancy, labor and delivery.
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With health and no risk come lots of options. Options come from doing the work by educating yourself on the process.
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I will just briefly say both of our babies were planned home births. There I was at age 12 with this strong knowing of how I’d bring my babies into the world. To this day neither my mom or I know where I got this idea as nobody we were connected to were having discussions on the topic!
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Our oldest was born 10 years ago via the Bradley Method, and it was such an exceptionally awesome experience that I began to walk the talk of Bradley based teachings to my clients as their birth doula. It was so easy to connect these clients to Bradley instructors in our area because they could see the results living out loud in front of them.
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When our youngest was born 6 years ago, it made me realize I ought to get the Bradley natural childbirth education training so I can work even more closely with the couples who are attracted to the way I teach and connect with.
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Childbirth classes are a rite of passage. I firmly believe they connect us to our higher self. They are a cause for us as parents and parents-to-be to dig deep inside and see where our beliefs come from, what we want to change or commit to and why. Time and again I see my couples take on inspiring lifestyle changes based upon a few simple learned facts.
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There are many reasons why a couple chooses to pursue childbirth education outside a hospital setting.
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A family I do nutrition work with had this to say about the choice in an out-of-hospital childbirth class for their in-hospital births:
Hospital classes teach you what THEY typically do. They also encourage(or don’t try to avoid) intervention (pitocin, epidural) & all unnecessary intervention can lead to more and more…
I took Bradley classes with my #3&4 pregnancies and I was so prepared, so healthy, and my husband and my relationship was so strong. All because of Bradley classes.-P.L.K.
Our community is listening to these mama’s and in the past 6 years we have seen one prenatal education center and free standing birth center after another pop up all around the Minneapolis/St. Paul MN area. It’s impressive, inspiring and makes me so proud to be a contribution to this culture and experience for our community of mothers.
The next mama to share her outcome had an in-hospital birth experience that left both she and her husband traumatized. They knew an out of hospital experience for their next birth was out of the question, so they set themselves up for success by participating in a Bradley series and the result was successful and more than they could have imagined:
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Thank you so much for meeting with us. With all your extremely helpful and useful information, we were able to birth our baby in a hospital on our terms. My water broke at 11:30 pm Tuesday and because we didn’t want to rush in, we waited for my mother to arrive from an hour and a half away. We got into our room at 2:00 am Wednesday and I had a vaginal birth at 4:00 am! Besides being jaundice, our baby is healthy and happy and I am OVERJOYED to be able to say that she is nursing really well. Not having to pump this time around has made this experience so much better and more calm. I hope you know how much you contributed to the health and well-being of little Bea’s entrance. If she could, she would thank you herself.-Jen
Out of hospital childbirth classes are what prepared this couple for the unexpected. After a beautiful birth in a free standing birth center, it appeared their baby needed a bit more support. She was transferred along with her dad and myself as the Birth Doula to the hospital, while the birth team stayed back to support mom:
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There is no way to fully express our gratitude for your support & encouragement throughout the labor and delivery process as well as the knowledge & confidence you helped to instill in us during our Bradley classes. We are so thankful to have happened to meet you this past fall. You are such a strong rock; so calm & nurturing-just what first-time parents need! It was so wonderful that you were able to accompany Aaron to Children’s Hospital & support both Daddy and baby. Your knowledge, experience & expertise has put us at ease both during the pregnancy and postpartum. Thank you so much for your ongoing love & support.-Lauren Robbins
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What has definitely changed over all these years is the level of dad/husband/partner involvement. It is absolutely breathtaking to watch them roll up their sleeves and jump in to support, love and encourage their pregnant, laboring and delivering partners. They are a demand for coaching, for information and for the support they need to make a difference in the experience their partner is having.
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It’s goose-bumpy. Just sayin’.
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I’ll never forget this email I get within hours of his son’s birth. There is nothing like seeing an empowered new dad!
“Jessie and I can’t wait to talk to you and fill you in on the details a couple of the outline… She stared minor contractions Monday at 5:30 in the morning, and we labored at home until 2:45 when it started to become pretty intense. Jessie is so tough she wanted to wait longer, but I thought we should go to beat traffic. When they checked her just after 3 she was dilated 6 cm! Things really picked up after that as she was transitioning, so it was good timing that we got there. She labored on the ball and in the tub and at the end on the bed. I was so thankful for all the education I received on what was going on and how to coach, thank you so much. Jessie worked SO HARD and I was so proud of her. She did do everything without any medication and earned every minute of her, as you called it, “love cocktail.”. Noah Jon was born at 9:05 and was 8 lbs even. He is healthy and strong. We decided to keep the placenta and Kelly came and picked it up for encapsulation. Jessie will give you a call sometime to chat and fill you in on more details. Thank you for everything it really made a BIG difference.”-Tyler Moberg
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Whether you are seeking out of hospital childbirth classes to simply become more educated about the birthing process, some expecting parents seek them out for a specific need. Perhaps mom is carrying multiples, wants a vaginal birth after a previous cesarean or is committed to a water birth. There are classes that speak to each of these situations, and you can find them all over the Twin Cities.
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Join the movement to bring more to your birthing experience by knowing more.
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Natural Childbirth Education Classes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul MN area:
My Healthy Beginning is located in the west metro (serving entire metro) and offers the Bradley Method classes, Birth Doula, and Nutrition Support.
Amma Parenting Center is located in Edina and offers courses in a handful of local hospitals.
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Blooma has locations in both St. Paul and Minneapolis and offers prenatal education, wellness services and yoga.
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Health Foundations offers both home birth and birth center support, naturopathic medicine, mama’s groups, yoga along with Bradley classes and birth intensives. They are located in St. Paul.
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The Childbirth Collective is a unique opportunity for parents to attend weekly topic nights for low to no cost. They have locations in Minneapolis and St Paul.
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Enlightened Mama is located in St. Paul and offers services and classes from preconception through postpartum.
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