Multiple Class Discount
Receive 5% off your purchase of two or more classes, including any combination of onsite and online programs.
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Online Childbirth Classes
Navigating your birth journey with confidence …
Learn at your own pace, in the comfort of your home, on your time!
These multi-media online childbirth classes were developed by expert childbirth educator and author Patty Brennan. The collection represents the culmination and synthesis of Patty’s 30+ years’ experience educating and supporting expectant parents. She serves as a guide on your journey to having a healthy baby and fulfilling birth experience.
Try this FREE early pregnancy class now! ($18 value)
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Identifying the type of care you want, the best provider of that care, and the location for your upcoming birth are critical decisions that too many couples regretfully decide by default. Learn the pros and cons of your full range of choices in today’s maternity care market.
Introducing our Childbirth Preparation Online Classes
Your choice of 16 classes or 3 collections:
- Purchase one class at a time (click on each title below for more information)
- Create your own customized mix of classes (save 5% off your choice of two or more classes)*
- Purchase a collection (discounted packages of Healthy Pregnancy, Labor & Birth, or Postpartum classes)
- Invest in the entire collection (a substantial savings!)
*Our multiple class discount includes any combination of onsite and online classes for expectant parents.
Healthy Pregnancy (4 classes)
- Choices in Childbirth (FREE)
- Healthy Mom & Baby: Focus on Prevention ($18)
- Optimal Nutrition for the Childbearing Year ($18)
- Essential Exercises & Stretches for the Childbearing Year ($35)
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Labor & Birth (8 classes)
- Preparations for Labor & Birth: Proactive Strategies ($18)
- The Process of Labor & Birth: Nature’s Design ($18)
- The Mother’s Experience & Needs in Labor ($35)
- Fear: Conquering the Monster in the Room ($18)
- Coping with Pain in Labor: Natural Approaches to Pain Management ($35)
- Navigating the Medical Setting: What Parents Need to Know about Epidurals, Cesareans, Birth Plans & Informed Consent ($50)
- Support for Difficult & Challenging Births ($18)
- Especially for the Birth Partner ($18)
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Postpartum: The Early Weeks (4 classes)
- The Mother’s Postpartum Recovery ($18)
- Breastfeeding Basics ($35)
- Caring for Your Newborn ($35)
- Postpartum Emotions & Adjustment Strategies ($18)
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Or, make three monthly payments …
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The 2nd and 3rd payments will be automatically charged to your credit card (on the same day of the month) for two consecutive months.
Healthy Pregnancy Classes
Choices in Childbirth
- Is an OB/GYN surgical specialist the safest attendant for a low-risk, healthy mom?
- Are midwife-attended births safe?
- What about water birth?
- How is the midwifery model of care different than the medical model?
- Are hospitals the safest place to have a baby?
- Should I hire a doula?
- Who constitutes my dream support team?
Identifying the type of care you want, the best provider of that care, and the location for your upcoming birth are critical decisions that too many couples regretfully decide by default—the hospital that is closest to your home, the OB your friend used, the in-network provider approved by your HMO or just blind luck. Maximize your chances of being attended by a trusted team of care providers who understand your hopes, dreams and expectations for your birth. Learn the pros and cons of your full range of choices in today’s maternity care market.
Access this FREE class now.
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Healthy Mom & Baby: Focus on Prevention
Optimize your chances of having a healthy, full-term baby with this unique class focused on preventing common pregnancy-related complications. What is the truth about hazards pregnant women should avoid (your beloved coffee, a glass of wine, diet soda, hot tubs)? What are the signs of premature labor, often missed by the mother until it is too late? While we may experience urgent problems and poor outcomes as a stroke of lightning hitting us out of a clear blue sky, complications rarely occur in a vacuum. We can choose whether to fret and worry OR to become proactive and do everything in our power to ensure the outcome we desire.
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Optimal Nutrition for the Childbearing Year
- Optimize your baby’s brain development.
- Improve your energy level and feel great all day long.
- Enhance the elasticity of your skin and tissues (prevent stretch marks and perineal tearing at birth!).
- Generate an abundant supply of breast milk for your baby.
What’s the truth about vitamins, supplements, eating fish, weight gain, and safe use of herbs during pregnancy? What nutrients do I need more of and why? What if I’m a vegetarian? In this program, we draw a clear connection between nutritional choices and discomforts of pregnancy, complications of pregnancy, complications of labor and delivery, a healthy baby, and breastfeeding success. Connect the dots!
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Essential Exercises & Stretches for the Childbearing Year
- Prevent and correct back pain (both before and after baby).
- Relieve sciatic pain (nerve pain shooting down one leg).
- Balance circulation-related stresses (varicose veins, numbness and tingling).
- Practice hip-opening stretches in preparation for labor and birth.
- Optimize the functioning of your pelvic floor (correct urinary stress incontinence, prevent trauma, and more!).
- Tone your abdominal muscles postpartum (includes adaptations for post-cesarean moms).
This program includes:
- How to Do Pelvic Rocks video
- Miscellaneous Tips for Pregnant Mamas video
- Yoga and Your Pelvic Floor videos
- How to Practice Squatting video
- Build a Tier of Support—Relaxation Pose video
Understand how your body is changing and what you can do to provide balance and support in preparation for birth and mothering. Integrating basic principles of good pregnancy body mechanics with yoga stretches and simple exercises, we’ll help you care for yourself throughout the childbearing year.
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Invest in the Entire Healthy Pregnancy Collection
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Labor & Birth Classes
Preparations for Labor & Birth—Proactive Strategies
- What does your ideal support team look like?
- What about hiring a doula?
- Does prenatal perineal massage prevent tearing at birth?
- What position is your baby in? Why is that important?
- Strategies to encourage rotation of breech or posterior babies
- Baby showers, Blessingways, and belly casts—ritual preparations for birth (fun!)
- Wish list of baby stuff (what’s really necessary?)
So much emphasis is placed on “the stuff” in our culture that we tend to think of preparation in terms of a shopping trip (or ten!). We are proactive about providing a special place for our babies to sleep, get changed, or ride in a car, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. But too little thought is given to encouraging baby to settle into an optimal birthing position, lining up appropriate support, ensuring mom has the necessary energy stores for labor, toning the uterus, or preparing the perineum. Let us help!
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The Process of Labor & Birth: Nature’s Design
Women’s bodies are perfectly designed to birth their babies. Just how does it all work? We will cover basic anatomy and physiology of labor and birth and walk you through the signs of impending labor, the stages of labor, and the first two hours after giving birth. We can reduce fear through understanding and appreciating the body’s purposefulness. This is your basic core information class on the natural birth process.
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The Mother’s Experience & Needs in Labor
What is the experience of labor and birth like? What are the mother’s needs—mental, emotional, and physical—as she moves through her labor? How can she best respond to contractions so as to minimize pain? How do her needs change as the process unfolds? How can partners and supporters help? We’ll answer these questions and more! This class builds on information presented in The Process of Labor & Birth class.
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Fear—Conquering the Monster in the Room
How does our culture of fear affect birthing women? What are the physiologic effects of fear in labor for both mom and baby? Learn about the fear-tension-pain cycle that can turn birth into trauma. In this program, we will encourage you to face your fears related to birth and identify a number of fear-busting strategies. Can we reframe our fears, manage them, and come to a belief that birth is not something that happens to us but, rather, is something we DO? Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for birth.
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Navigating the Medical Setting—What Parents Need to Know about Epidurals, Cesareans, Birth Plans & Informed Consent
Here we cover key information on medical interventions in the birth process for both mom and baby. Emphasis is placed on informed decision making and providing evidence-based information rather than preaching the “right” way to have a baby. The framework for discussion will be benefits, risks, and alternatives to medical interventions. You will gain an appreciation of how interventions are inter-connected and can turn into the “cascade” of medicalized birth. If interventions are chosen, or become necessary at your birth, how can you best minimize the unintended consequences? We will provide a sample birth plan template, discuss the limitations of birth plans, and teach you how to be your own best advocate.
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Coping with Pain in Labor—Natural Approaches to Pain Management
There is a difference between pain and suffering. Labor pain need not overwhelm the birthing mother; it can be managed. Suffering is, by definition, not okay. Here we present non-pharmacological approaches to pain management. We will:
- Demonstrate positioning and rhythmic movements that encourage good progress through labor.
- Practice conscious relaxation.
- Explore the use of your breath and vocalization as a tool.
- Discuss the use of visualization and affirmations.
- Practice comforting massage techniques.
How do you know when the laboring mother is coping well and when she is not? What does coping look like? This program includes video demonstrations and guided audio exercises.
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Support for Difficult & Challenging Births
Everyone hopes for a smooth labor with regular, steady progress, in a reasonable time frame, and absent of trauma. Each mom and baby is a unique pair and, unfortunately, some labors run to the extremely tough end of the continuum. How can we best cope with the unexpected? What can we do in labor to ease and resolve specific challenges?
- Correcting posterior presentation (a.k.a. “back labor”)
- Comfort measures for relief of back labor
- What to do when progress in labor stalls
- How to help the exhausted mother (when labor goes on too long)
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Especially for the Birth Partner
What is the job of labor support? How can dads/partners best support the laboring mother? We will help partners explore and define their preferred level of involvement at the birth. Building on your understanding of the process itself and appreciation for the needs of the mother, we will provide concrete labor support suggestions (complete with quick-access reminder checklist). This class also provides tips for how to take care of your own needs through the process!
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Invest in the Entire Labor & Birth Collection
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Postpartum Classes-The Early Weeks
The Mother’s Postpartum Recovery
It is undoubtedly difficult to imagine yourself on the other side of the looming door in front of you, but I guarantee you’ll get there! Once you are home with your baby, a whole new set of questions and concerns come to the forefront. We will define normal for you and identify major red flags that should generate a call to your midwife or doctor for follow up. We’ll provide tips for healing, including holistic approaches. And we’ll address the pink elephant in the room—sex after the baby.
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Breastfeeding Basics
The breastfeeding relationship combines instinct and learned skills. This class focuses on the first critical weeks of your baby’s life and provides basic information and resources to prepare the mother-to-be for a satisfying breastfeeding experience. Learn the basics of breastfeeding and how to get off to a great start. How often should you nurse your baby and how do you know that the baby is getting enough? Topics include understanding your baby’s instincts and hunger cues, positioning and latching the baby, and how to overcome common obstacles.
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Caring for Your Newborn
Incorporating the latest research on the abilities and behaviors of the newborn, we hope to increase your understanding of your baby. From variations on the appearance of the newborn, to newborn reflexes, sensory capacities, and states of consciousness, parents will become familiar with what is normal for newborns. What does your baby need? How does the baby communicate his/her needs? How do you care for the baby? This program includes video demonstrations on swaddling, diapering, and bathing the baby, as well as “how to” use a sling or baby carrier. In addition, we will identify major red flags that indicate a need for medical follow-up.
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Postpartum Emotions & Adjustment Strategies
Postpartum emotions can be a bit of a rollercoaster! Major life changes—even joyful ones—can be a stressor for all of us. So, when do normal adjustment challenges cross the line into “this is not okay”? From baby blues to postpartum depression, we’ll walk you through the symptoms and provide tools to help you determine whether you should seek help for what you are experiencing. We will also explore a variety of coping strategies to help ease the transition into parenting, no matter the circumstances.
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Invest in the Entire Postpartum Collection
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Invest in All 16 Classes for a Comprehensive Approach
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Or, make three monthly payments …
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The 2nd and 3rd payments will be automatically charged to your credit card (on the same day of the month) for two consecutive months.
How it Works
After purchase, we will provide you with password-protected links to secure pages on our website within 24 hours. You will then be able to stream video across a variety of devices. You will also receive links to download audio files (included with some programs) and a course pack of additional resources (PDF format). Access is limited through two devices of your choosing and will expire nine months after your purchase date.
Classes will engage you and your partner through:
- Audio-visual slide presentations
- Demonstration videos
- Guided partner exercises
- Audio downloads
- Course packs include worksheets, check lists, “Best of the Web” resources and links, and more!
Benefits
Our online childbirth classes allow you to …
- Enjoy the convenience of self-paced learning.
- Customize your education, choosing only topics relevant to your needs.
- Learn current, evidence-based information and strategies from a trustworthy source.
- Review information and practice techniques any time, as needed.
Our classes will help you to …
- Increase your chances of having a healthy baby.
- Overcome your fears.
- Master natural approaches to pain management.
- Practice comfort techniques to support your partner.
- Make informed choices.
- Plan for a birth without trauma (avoid unnecessary cesareans!).
- Integrate holistic approaches into your care.
- Breastfeed with confidence.
- Learn the basics of caring for your newborn.
- Know what to expect in the early weeks postpartum.