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Class Facts
Classes are normally held on Sundays after everyone has gotten out of church but before the late shift at work begins. The time is variable depending on everyone’s schedules.
Classes are $285 depending on ability to pay. There is nonrefundable $50 registration fee, deducted from your overall fee (so, if you are only able to pay $100 for the class, you will owe the balance by the end of the class). I am happy to offer a sliding scale based on ability to pay — it is more important to me that families learn natural childbirth, than it is that I get my full fee. I’m also happy if couples want to pay on an installment basis, sometimes that’s easier on the checkbook. In the past couples have also bartered their skills in exchange for the fee. For example, photography, sewing, childcare… make me an offer.
The fee includes: 9 weeks of classes for the mother and her birth partner of choice; the spanking-new workbook; and an assortment of handouts. You are responsible for obtaining Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and The Birth Partner yourself.
If you decide during the first two classes, for any reason, you no longer wish to continue, I will happily refund the prorated amount on the classes you did not attend, less the deposit. If you decide after the third class that the series is not for you, there will be no refunds. (Obviously if there is a move or a tragedy this is open to negotiation!)
Families in the major branches of the military, police officers, and firefighters pay only $200 total for the class.
Couples from my class who have experienced medical births, including induction, augmentation, and C-section, still assure me that the class gave them the knowledge and comfort level they needed to cope with the medical system. My class emphasizes “Healthy mother, healthy baby,” and I want every couple to feel that their birth is a success regardless of whether medication or intervention is part of their birth.
Couples should bring at least two pillows to every class. At very least, it will give you a nice place to sit on the floor. Most evenings, we’ll use them for exercises and relaxation practice.
We share a snack based on a food theme each week, respecting everyone’s food needs. We try not to bring food that is too stinky.
On that note, please do not wear strong scents to class, whether perfume, deodorant, body wash … some moms have chemical sensitivity during pregnancy. I mean, do wear deodorant, but not a really fragrant kind…
I assign specific childbirth DVDs as homework. This is not The Baby Channel. These are actual, live natural births. I can promise there is very little screaming and very little medical intervention. There is, however, discomfort, some whining, lots of goop, noise, slime, and total, full frontal nudity. After all, babies come out of vaginas. But during childbirth, they are not cute. The external genitalia during birth, I mean. Just so you’re prepared. Newborn babies aren’t too cute either, so it’s really excellent preparation. I find that even the most squeamish of couples can cope with most of my movies.
We talk about breasts and breastfeeding a lot. We also talk about sex. A lot. I am quite irreverant and use a lot of sarcastic and ironic humor. The class at Swedish I am not.
Please don’t expect some sort of totally slick, professional, organized, elegant class. We are just folks. I teach in my house. Usually my husband wrangles the kids out of the house, but often not in time, so it can be a little bit chaotic until the kids are gone.
We have a pet lizard. He smells like a lizard. Just so you know. We also have a very hyper little kitten who likes to visit the class and chew on my students.
Class can be a nice place to network, make play dates, learn about bargain shopping, and relax. It’s more than a childbirth preparation class, it’s a way of life.
From my work as a labor support professional attending home and hospital births, I’ve learned a lot about the reality of childbirth in Seattle. I bring that personal perspective to the class as well.
Many parents have found Rickie Lake’s documentary, “The Business of Being Born,” to be very useful to them. You may rent this from various online directories or find it in the library.
Two books we use in class, which you can find in the library, used, in bookstores, or online, are: “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth,” and “Natural Childbirth The Bradley Way.” I am considering adding Ricki Lake’s “Your Best Birth” as a class must as well. Buy a breastfeeding book — there are many good ones on the market, but one of my favorites is “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding“. Other books my couples get a lot out of are: On how the medical system is really trying to cover itself and make a buck, not give you the birth of your choice: “Pushed, the Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care” by Jennifer Block, and Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First by Marsden Wagner. Also by Dr. Wagner: “Creating Your Birth Plan: The Definitive Guide to a Safe and Empowering Birth “ For a great approach to making safe choices: “Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering,” by Sarah Buckley (an excellent book by a truly nice person), “Gentle Birth Choices,” by Barbara Harper, and Dr. Sears “The Birth Book.” The latter is a nice, balanced approach with lots of emphasis on natural childbirth and breastfeeding. Some readers may find that the other books listed do not take a balanced approach and are more heavy-handed in their emphasis on staying out of the medical system as much as possible.
For parenting books, my clients enjoy: On the reality of being a mother from a psychological and physiological perspective: “What Mothers Do… Especially When it Looks like Nothing At All …” by Naomi Aldort. “The Baby Book” by Dr. Sears, “The No Cry Sleep Solution,” which everyone should read before the baby is actually born, and Mothering magazine.
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