Resources for Childbirth and Parenting Classes in St Louis
Click on the name of the class for more information!
New Generation Childbirth Education is a six week class series held here at Birth and Wellness Center. Classes are designed to help you and your partner discover tools you need on your journey to childbirth. From helping you to create a picture of the birth you desire to learning information you need to make the best decisions you can along the way, these classes will help you feel confident in your knowledge and inner strength.
Classes will focus on natural birth out of the hospital, but students planning a hospital birth will also greatly benefit from the topics we cover and are encouraged to attend. Nutrition, exercise, ways to stay comfortable in pregnancy and birth, tools for birth, how to handle a transfer, unexpected outcomes, bonding with your baby, and working with your care team is only part of the wide material we will cover.
CAPPA certified childbirth educator Genevieve Calkins believes that childbirth classes should be fun and engaging for both the mom and her partner. Coming together in a class with other expecting students is a great way to build lasting relationships with others who can join you on your journey through pregnancy, childbirth, and onto parenting.
Please email Genevieve at newgenerationbirth@gmail.com to register or visit her facebook page at www.facebook.com/newgenerationbirth
Naturally Prepared is dedicated to empowering families on their pregnancy journey through education and support.
A variety of classes are available for families. Whether you are just ”Beginning the Journey” or you’re ready to “Prepare for Birth and Beyond”, our engaging and interactive classes will give you the knowledge, confidence and resources to trust the journey.
Classes are specifically designed for those exploring or choosing an out-of-hospital birth. Whether you are considering a homebirth or birth center birth assisted by a midwife , or if you are committed to a natural birth in a hospital surrounded by a supportive team, Naturally Prepared would love to be part of your journey.
I welcome all couples and their preferences for birth, yet I focus on the benefits of natural birth, empowered choice, healthy lifestyle, and active parenting. Positive communication with my client's birth team is paramount for my success as a support person and positive, fulfilling births for my clients. I prefer to customize my doula services for each client to suit their unique and individual needs during pregnancy and birth.
Jen is a DONA trained doula since 2005, and a childbirth educator since 2009. She has previously taught birthing women and their partners The Bradley Method ®, Brio Birth Courses, and is currently certified as a childbirth educator with Informed Beginnings. Jen believes that a mother and her partner, during the preparation for and process of birth deserve emotional, spiritual, and physical support, choice, advocacy and respect. Jen understands that few experiences can be as empowering and rewarding as realizing your body's full potential to bring life into the world.
As a childbirth educator, Jen works to provide accurate, current, and evidence based information. Every couple leaves the class with information to navigate labor using safe and effective comfort techniques, knowledge of a “textbook” labor and birth, basic benefits and risks to common interventions, and an understanding of common complications and variations of labor. Jen also focuses on the postpartum period - educating her students on breastfeeding, newborn procedures, and adjusting to life with an infant. Many of the classes include activities, games, videos and group discussion.
Delightful Pregnancy and Birth, offering Birthworks Classes
BirthWorks childbirth classes are for any woman with any birthing history. The classes are innovative and experiential in design. BirthWorks believes that the knowledge about how to give birth already exists within every woman. Therefore, birth is instinctive and what is instinctive doesn't need to be taught. Rather than "teaching" women "how" to give birth, they help women gain confidence in their ability to birth, and help birth companions become aware of ways they can make labor safer and more comfortable. The classes are interactive and provide both a physical and emotional preparation for birth. BirthWorks is suitable for parents planning a hospital, birthing center or home birth.
The full BirthWorks class is 8 weeks and is held at Kangaroo Kids, located in Glendale. Private BirthWorks classes are also offered, held conveniently in the couple's own home and scheduled around the couple's availability. For a complete list of topics covered during the class, please click on the above link or contact Sarah directly at: delightfulbirth@gmail.com.
Natural childbirth is an important goal since most people want to give their babies every possible advantage. Without the side effects of drugs given during labor and birth. The Bradley Method® classes teach families how to have natural births. The techniques are simple and effective. They are based on information about how the human body works during labor. Couples are taught how they can work with their bodies to reduce pain and make their labors more efficient.
(Note: As of July, 2012, there is no longer a Hypnobirthing instructor that we are aware of in St Louis. However, there is a self-study module available) HypnoBirthing® - The Mongan Method is as much a philosophy as it is a technique. The concept of HypnoBirthing® is not new, but rather a "rebirth" of the philosophy of birthing as it existed thousands of years ago and as it was recaptured in the work of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, an English obstetrician, who, in the 1920s, was one of the first to forward the concept of natural birthing. The method teaches you that, in the absence of fear and tension, or special medical circumstances, severe pain does not have to be an accompaniment of labor.
Brio Birth Childbirth classes offer the perfect mix of time-honored traditions and comprehensive curriculum that includes cutting edge research to empower 21st century moms to give birth with confidence. Brio Birth is made up of a team of top childbirth educators and birth professionals.
Brio Birth ensures that mothers and their birth partners are well educated and well prepared for labor and birth. Your classes will teach you how to stay healthy throughout your pregnancy and to prepare your body for the big day. You and your birth partner will learn how to work as a team to help you cope with the sensations of labor. You will learn about the natural process and why it is healthiest for most mothers and babies. At the same time, you will also be well educated about common medications and procedures so that you can make informed choices.