Child Birth Classes & Workshops

 *If you would like to register for any of these workshops, please click the “Register Now” button at the bottom of the page and then be sure to click on the “workshops” tab after signing in at the registration site*

Birthing From Within
Birthing From Within (BFW) is a unique holistic childbirth preparation class.  The classes are designed to prepare parents to give birth in awareness, not to achieve a specific birth outcome.  BFW’s philosophy affirms that pregnancy and birth are a profound rite of passage, not a medical event (even when birthing in a hospital.)  The essence of childbirth education is self discovery, not assimilating obstetric information. New! 2-day series format: Choose from Class #1 Sunday July 7th and July 28th 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  OR Class #2 Sunday September 15 and October 13th 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. OR Class #3 Sunday November 10th and December 15th 9:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Instructor: Debbie Lane
Cost: $225

Bradley Method® Childbirth Classes
Bradley Method® childbirth classes teach families how to have natural births.  It is a system of labor techniques in which a woman and her partner (Coach) play an active part.  It is a simple method of increasing self-awareness, teaching you how to deal with the stress of labor without interventions or medication.  Instead of seeking to control the sensations of labor, the Bradley Method® empowers you to trust your body using natural abdominal breathing, education, teamwork with your Coach, and relaxation.
When you’re in class, you can expect:

• Information on healthy nutrition, exercise & other ways to stay low-risk
• A safe environment to explore the emotional journey of childbirth
• Hands-on labor rehearsals using experience-based techniques to manage pain without medication
• Guided practice with relaxation and visualization techniques
• Engaging teaching tools
• Awesome birth videos showing the wide range of normal in natural childbirth
• Support and empowerment

Included in your class fee is a copy of the Bradley Method® Student Workbook and a supplemental handout binder that I put together for my students, which are our main sources of class materials each week.  Birth videos and copies of suggested reading materials are available for students to checkout.
Instructor: Sarah Mills
Cost: $375
Wednesday nights from May 15- July 31 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (12 week series) and Wednesday nights from August 7 – October 23 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (12 week series)

HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method
HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method is a unique method of relaxed, natural childbirth education, enhanced by self-hypnosis techniques. HypnoBirthing® provides the missing link that allows women to use their natural instincts to bring about a safer, easier, more comfortable birthing. Emphasis is placed on pregnancy and childbirth, as well as on pre-birth parenting and the consciousness of the pre-born baby. As a birthing method, HypnoBirthing® is as new as tomorrow and as old as ancient times.
Instructor: Melissa Johnson
Cost:$295/couple includes books, cd and class materials
Thursday nights June 13-July 18th (no class July 4) from 6:30-9:00 p.m. (5 week series) OR Thursday nights August 8-September 5th from 6:30-9:00 p.m. (5 week series) OR Thursday nights November 14th-December 19th (no class November 28th) from 6:30-9:00 p.m. (5 week series)

Active Birth Weekend Intensive Childbirth Education Class
An interactive and lively childbirth education class focusing on pregnancy and birth as a state of wellness – centered on the knowledge that all aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum are delicately interwoven.
Our time together will cover:

• Prenatal nutrition & exercises for easing labor

• Stages of labor

• Relaxation practice & optimal birth positions

• Common interventions, variations and options for birth

• Labor support techniques & hands on practice for the partner

• Birth plans & labor rehearsal

• Intro to breastfeeding, newborn and postpartum care

• And much more….

You and your partner will learn how to effectively work with your body in labor.  The ultimate goal of the class is optimal health and wellness for both mother and baby.  Judith and Johanna take a balanced and down to earth approach to childbirth education, welcoming families of all persuasions to join in this essential preparation for welcoming baby.
A good community of expectant parents is formed as we embark on the journey of parenthood together. We laugh, play games and have a ton of fun while we explore pregnancy and birth with a fresh perspective!
Instructors: Judith Nowlin AAHCC, CD (DONA) and Johanna Quesenberry
Cost: $125/couple including materials
This is a 2 day workshop held the weekend of June 21-22 (Friday June 21st 7-9 p.m. and  Saturday June 22nd 12-5 p.m. ) or the weekend of July 26-27th (Friday July 26th 7-9 p.m. and  Saturday July 27th 12-5 p.m. )

Authentic Movement Afternoon Retreat: Building Connection for Pregnancy & Beyond (New mamas welcome too!)
Give yourself and your growing baby the gift that cannot be measured: intimate time to be with your body, with your heart, and with your experience  – in community with other pregnant women and new mamas. We will spend time together exploring our deepest truths, developing trust in our bodies and listening to our hearts’ whispers, using the form of Authentic Movement as a template.

About Authentic Movement:
Authentic Movement is a movement-centered awareness practice in which there are movers and a witness. With eyes closed, the mover listens to, and follows an inner impulse to move in the presence of an accepting witness. Movement may arise from sensation, image, memory, thought, and/or direct experience. This practice supports individuals to align with and move their essential truth in the presence of another, strengthening their ability to track embodied experience, and practicing embodied speech as a means to bring consciousness to their body’s wisdom.

This AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT retreat offers:
• A simple yet profound practice for deep listening, connection and support
• A map for embodied transformation, inner growth & deepened contact with your baby
• An opportunity to slow down, quiet, and be with our direct and inner experiences.
• A trust in our body’s capacity to sit into and move with fear, discomfort and anxiety.
• An invitation to explore being seen, held, and trusted in relationship.
• A safe space to move and express freely without judgment or limitation.
• A loving community with which to intimately share the journey of pregnancy.

$25 for the afternoon. Upcoming workshop dates: Saturday August 10th and December 14th from 2:00-4:30 p.m.
Pre-registration required.
Group size is limited so please reserve your spot!

Birth Get Together
Join us for an hour of pampering with other expectant mamas and find out what services the family garden offers for pregnancy and early postpartum support.   Join us in the living room on select Saturdays at 11 a.m. right after the Prenatal Yoga class. Please make sure to pre-register so that we know how many mamas to prepare for.
Cost: Free!
Upcoming Get Together Dates: Saturdays 5/25, 6/15, 8/24, 9/28, 10/26 and  11/23 at 11:00 a.m.

Newborn Care Class – Surviving and Thriving!
You’ve spent months eating right, exercising, preparing for the birth, and relishing in the first days of your baby’s arrival.  You finally get to bring your sweet little one home! Now what???? Oops!  Did you forget to read about that part? No worries!  Just attend our class in your third trimester or even in your first weeks home, and we’ll send you home with essential newborn care skills and parenting strategies to help everyone in your family survive and thrive!  Our approach to the first three months of life (what many of us call the 4th trimester) is a gentle and natural one.  Topics covered in this class include newborn care essentials – diapering, bathing, and wearing your baby, as well as post-partum care tips for new parents.  We’ll discuss infant behavior, sleep and feeding – they’re all related!  In addition, we’ll give you practical and need-to-know tips for creating a safe and healthy nursery and baby-friendly home.  You will come away feeling empowered and eager for your first weeks as new parents.  And when you find yourself exhausted and up with a fussy baby and you just can’t seem to remember the tools we taught, you can refer back to the newborn care booklet we’ve created especially for this class.
Instructors: Betsy Bush and Sarah Mills
Cost: $50/couple  (includes a take home resource binder)
Saturday June 1st from 12:15-3:15 p.m., Saturday August 3rd from 11:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Saturday October 5th from 11:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Saturday December 7th from 11:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m.