Childbirth Prep: 6 Week Series

A deep dive into understanding birth and preparing for your new baby

Invest in preparing for your birth experience with our most popular class! With weekly 2.5 hr meetings over six weeks, this class covers all our material in depth and focuses on practice and preparation for birthing folks and partners. Community building is at the heart of this series: you’ll have lots of opportunities to connect with the other parents, and we do a reunion after all the babies arrive!

Includes a free All About Lactation workshop!

  • Understand the stages of labor, physiologic birth, your body’s innate skills and capabilities

  • Get lots of opportunities to practice breathing, labor positions, comforting touch, support techniques (massage, relaxation, visualization), verbal support, and more

  • Learn how to work as a team with your partner and communicate with your care providers

  • Exercises to help identify your preferences, learn how to advocate for yourself, and tips for making informed decisions about your care - including wise use of pain medication

  • Combine with our Baby Care class to round out your preparation

6 Week Series FAQs

  • We often hear this question, and Loving Arms alumni have answered with a resounding YES! Our independent perspective covers evidence-based best practices, hospital protocols, and tips from experienced local birth workers & educators to help navigate both the hospital setting, early labor at home, and circumstances like induction. Plus: meet other new parents & make some new friends!

    We aim to provide:

    • In-depth focus on preparing for the mental, emotional, and physical work of birth

    • Hands-on practice with comfort measures and labor positions, so you have a big tool box of coping techniques

    • Get connected to other folks who are experiencing the same life transition

    • Learn about all the available options and feel equipped to advocate for yourself

  • Week One: Intro to birth, understanding labor discomfort, breathing and relaxation techniques

    Week Two: Stages of labor, physiologic birth, your body’s innate skill set, birth mindfulness, visualizations practice, and how doulas can help

    Week Three: Your senses in labor, hands-on comfort techniques, and labor positions practice

    Week Four: Interventions, understanding inductions, what to expect from your care provider in labor, pain medication options

    Week Five: Assisted delivery, complications, birth visits, communication with your team

    Week Six: Postpartum recovery, your awesome newborn, class review & practice, birth blessing

  • Choose a class that ends close to your due date, but ideally finishing by the time you are 37-38 weeks pregnant. The six week series has a rolling start of once every month. If you don’t see a class that works for your due date, our classes are full. Send an email with your due date to be placed on the waiting list.

  • Many insurance plans cover our classes. Depending on your plan, many people are eligible for reimbursement in part or in full for the following classes through their insurance plans:

    • Childbirth Preparation

    • CPR/Child Safety

    • Breast/Chestfeeding

    • Baby care

  • If you cancel with at least two weeks advance notice we will issue a refund, minus a non-refundable deposit of 25%

    If we can fill your spot, we will issue a refund less credit card fees. If you cancel with less than two weeks advance notice and we are unable to fill your spot, we are unable to issue a refund.

    Once the class has started, no refunds will be issued.

    Of course, please check in with us about extraordinary circumstances.