Class Schedule
- Class 1 – Staying Healthy and Low Risk
- Why a balanced diet with plenty of protein is important to a growing baby
- What harmful substances should be avoided during pregnancy
- Conditioning exercises that will help prepare your body for giving birth
- Introduction to relaxation and slow breathing
- Plus, an overview of the physical birth process as a baseline of knowledge
- Class 2 – Trusting the Normal Birth Process
- How do you know you are really in labor? what does a contraction feel like?
- Physical and emotional signposts of labor
- Natural comfort measures and the importance of the support person’s role
- Class 3 – Knowing Your Birth Options
- Understanding your options and becoming an "informed medical consumer"
- The risks and benefits of common medical interventions and pain relief medications
- Plus, what happens if a cesarean is needed (25% of all births in Louisville are surgical!).
- Class 4 – Planning For Your Birth
- Several birth videos will be shown to bring together everything you have learned and help you begin to envision the type of birth experience you want
- Tips for preparing your own birth plan
- The benefits of having a trained birth professional (birth doula) to provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support
- Class 5 – Succeeding at Breastfeeding
- Why breastfeeding is the best nutrition for your baby
- Getting off to a good start and getting the baby latched on correctly
- How to overcome common problems with breastfeeding
- Plus, we will rehearse some common labor scenarios and positive positions to use during labor and birth.
- Class 6 - Preparing for Your New Family
- Characteristics of a newborn
- Developmental milestones
- Diapering, bathing and comforting a newborn
- Common postpartum adjustments for mom and dad
- Plus, an overview of the physical birth process as a baseline of knowledge
- We will practice relaxation techniques (including Hypnobirthing) and we will learn a variety of labor support skills in every class.