Whole Pregnancy ~ 3 Trimester Childbirth Education

Whole Pregnancy 3 Trimester Series

In classic Childbirth Education, mothers and their partners wait until the last trimester of pregnancy, and then take a 'crash course' in labor and birth. That 10-15 hours of classroom time is chock full of as much information, support and skills as the teacher can possibly fit in; and parents are eagerly absorbing that information- hoping they will remember it all in the moments of labor.

This model of teaching has served women and families for years, but there's something not quite right about it. Would a marathon runner train for only 10 hours before a race? An athlete spend only 10 hours learning a game before a big match? What if we gave women mentoring, education and skills for pregnancy, labor and birth beginning with day one? This is the goal of the Whole Pregnancy series.

Whole Pregnancy is 3 sets of once-a-week classes, 5 weeks, 5 weeks and 7 weeks; each series focused on information and education appropriate for that trimester, with an overall focus on developing labor coping skills that will be reflexive and ingrained, rather than something that needs memorized and remembered.

Take one set of classes, or the whole series- each will enrich your understanding and experience of pregnancy and birth. These are just some of the topics explored in each class:

Whole Pregnancy- First Trimester

~Birth in our Culture
~Comparison Shopping-Who & Where
~Nutrition & Healthy Habits
~Avoiding Information Overload
~Building a Foundation for Labor Coping Practices

Whole Pregnancy- Second Trimester

~Prenatal Tests & Exams
~Excercise & Activity
~Caring for Yourself, Caring for Each Other
~Parenting Comes With Baggage
~Baby Stuff- What do you really need?
~Labor Coping, From Practice to Habit

Whole Pregnancy- Third Trimester

~Labor 101
~Babyproofing Yourselves
~Getting Information & Making Decisions
~Birthing in Awareness
~Labor Coping-Labor is Hard Work
~Bringing Baby Home

Upcoming Class Schedule

Wednesday Afternoons ~ Noon-2:30pm	Friday Evenings ~ 6:00-8:30pm
1st Trimester Dec 21-Jan 18	1st Trimester Dec 2-Dec 30
2nd Trimester Feb 1-Feb 29 (no, really!)	2nd Trimester Jan 13-Feb 10
3rd Trimester Mar 13-Apr 25	3rd Trimester Feb 24-Apr 6

One session- $100/couple; Two sessions- $175/couple; Three sessions- $275/couple

If you are under the age of 21, or are eligible for WIC, Medicaid or other assistance programs, please let us know when you register- your registration may be reduced or waived.