You're not alone. Turns out most expecting families have no idea childbirth classes can be taken outside of a hospital. This is usually because most care providers work for a hospital and recommend their hospital for birthing classes. There's more out-of-hospital childbirth educators than you think!

I am certified through Birth Arts International as a childbirth educator after completing 2 years of an intensive, in-depth childbirth education program. Below is a copy of my certificate and a link to my certifying organization. https://www.birtharts.com/

Out-of-hospital childbirth education classes give you much more than hospital classes. The focus is on preparing for birth your way. YOU are the center of class not hospital policy. Hospital classes are usually shorter and cover fewer topics. The cost of a hospital class may be less of a hit to your pocket book but it's extremely important to have a comprehensive course over the span of a few weeks versus a 1 or 2 day hospital class. You'll have more hours of education under your belt which will give you more confidence in the end. Out-of-hospital classes are not bound to a specific curriculum or policies. Oftentimes hospital classes are biased when it comes to interventions. In my classes you'll have a candid discussion on commonly used interventions. You will also be provided a very reliable list of local resources if you need care outside of what I offer. You will also have a more intimate group setting which ensures the one-on-one time you deserve. My group classes are usually between 2-10 couples. Small class groups create a more cozy, relaxing, home-like environment. It also helps you to build relationships with other expectant families in your community. Most hospital classes are large and many couples feel lost in the mix of all the students.

You certainly could but there is a lot of misinformation out there. Having gone through an extensive training program to become professionally certified as a Childbirth Educator guarantees you will have up-to-date evidence based information from my classes to make the most informed decisions regarding your care. As the saying goes,"You don't know what you don't know." There are no limits to what you don't know. You might know to look up a specific topic but then you will skip over a topic you didn't even know existed. I am the funnel that takes all the evidence based, accurate information you actually need and I provide it to you in an unbiased way in class while also incorporating hands-on activities for your own personal experience. In regards to childbirth, "If you don't know what your options are, you don't have any." -Roberta Scaer

I do not teach a specific childbirth method. I composed my own group curriculum when I formed Birth Guidance. I am not restricted or bound to a certain organization or hospital that tells me what I can or cannot teach. My "Childbirth & Beyond 4 Week Series" curriculum incorporates a range of childbirthing methods for an all encompassing learning experience.

I believe you must prepare your mind, prepare your body & prepare your environment. In the "Childbirth & Beyond 4 Week Series", during our first class we discuss each of these topics in depth and how to advocate for the birth you desire. My end goal is to give you enough knowledge to confidently make informed decisions to ultimately have a positive birth experience.

How to prepare your mind, body and environment during pregnancy What informed consent means How to advocate for yourself Overcoming fear The normal, natural process of labor and birth, and health-care practices that support it Changes during late pregnancy and the stages of labor Recognizing the beginning of labor A wide variety of coping strategies for managing pain in labor The importance of labor support Movement and positioning during labor and birth Medical interventions and their indications, risks and alternatives Developing a birth plan Breastfeeding and newborn care

With the "Childbirth & Beyond 4 Week Series" you will have a total of 12 hours of education. The cost is about $20.83 per hour of education. This means the total amount for the entire series is $250. I always recommend you call your health insurance to see if they offer reimbursement for prenatal classes. Payment plan available: $70 deposit plus 3 payments of $60.00, paid weekly. Register

I do not bill insurance directly. Your insurance may reimburse the cost for your class. I recommend that you call your insurance to verify your reimbursement coverage for childbirth education classes. I can give you the information you will need to submit a reimbursement but I do not guarantee you will be reimbursed. If your insurance does reimbursements, you will pay the full amount for the class, submit the forms your insurance requires, and then your insurance reimburses you directly.

Yes you can! You'll want to do this as soon as possible since you will need to take a class prior to giving birth but putting a cash fund option on your registry is a great idea. You could also pay upfront for the class and use the fund to reimburse yourself. Many expectant parents put a doula cash fund on their registry so it would'nt be out of the ordinary to put a childbirth class fund on your registry. Babylist is a great website to do so. They even have a premade "doula fund" option if you are also wanting to hire a doula ( I highly recommend you do! ). Sign up with Babylist, create a registry and click on "add a cash fund". Click on "create a cash fund", click "add to babylist" and put "Birth Guidance Childbirth Education Course" as the title and you can provide your own description. Voila! Now you have a fund that your friends and family can contribute to! Below is a link to Babylist if you would like to create a registry now. https://www.babylist.com/

A support person is always INCLUDED in the price listed for my classes.

Absolutely! We discuss in detail during the 3rd class on how your support person can play an active role in labor and birth. We do hands-on activities to help retain the information as well as give you access to Birth Guidance's student only portal which includes exclusive content such as info-graphics, handouts, local resources, files & recommended videos.

I understand that everyone learns in different ways. I incorporate many teaching strategies to accommodate different learning styles. For the visual learner, I offer infographics, demonstrations and work through a PowerPoint. For the reading/writing learner, I encourage note taking and have a list of recommended books. For the auditory learner, I incorporate videos into my curriculum and group discussions. For the tactile learner, we have multiple activities throughout the course that incorporates physical movement for personal hands-on experience.

ABSOLUTELY! Each individual has preferences that will be different from person to person. Maybe you don't want any pictures taken of you, maybe you don't want bright lights, maybe you hate being touched. All these things can be spelled out clearly for your birth team and care providers. Another benefit to creating a birth plan is it gives you more confidence to advocate for yourself and it shows your care providers that you have already made an informed decision on what you want for you or your baby. Sometimes it's hard to say "No". It's much easier to say, "I have it in my birth plan already that I do not want that. In our comprehensive Childbirth & Beyond 4 week series I will walk you through making a birth plan that is visually appealing and easy for your care providers to read and understand.

I ALWAYS recommend hiring a doula. You can't have too much support during your labor. I cover many different coping skills that you can use during labor but a doula will tailor her service to exactly what you need in the moment. Doulas are a great investment!

The average class size is 5 couples but can range from 2-10 couples. I prefer a more intimate group during class so I can give one-on-one attention to who needs it and I’m capable of tailoring the class series to the unique needs of my students.

Group classes take place at the Bake House in Wentzville, MO. The Bake House hosts many baby showers and is a great environment to host childbirth classes due to it being a house. I am capable of showing you labor coping strategies and positions within a home like environment. You will spend the majority of your labor in your home regardless of what type of birth you envision so this is the perfect class environment! It's a charming vintage style home. Below is a link to their website where they have a virtual walkthrough if you would like to take a look at the space or if you would like to reserve it for your baby shower. https://bakehouseevents.com/ Click here for directions in Google Maps Address: 205 E Allen St, Wentzville, MO 63385

In general the best time to begin your childbirth class is 28-32 weeks of pregnancy. This means signing up for a class a month or more before to ensure the class doesn’t fill up. So, that means registering for class when you are 20-24 weeks into your pregnancy. Childbirth classes are an important step along your path to parenthood. Don’t let the opportunity to fully prepare for birth slip by.

I recommend that at the latest, your last class ends before your 36th week of pregnancy. Although, if a spot is available, you can still register beyond that window. If you go into labor prior to the end of the course and will not be able to finish the classes, you will be prorated a reimbursement for each class missed.

Please visit my services page to select which class you would like to take, then you will be taken through the registration and payment process. I look forward to meeting you!

At the beginning of the first class you will receive an Ultimate Birth Guide workbook that we will incorporate in class. You will have plenty of space to take notes and you will also be provided a pen so no need to worry about that! I do recommend bringing a drink and a meal if class is during the time you normally eat. There will be a refrigerator and a microwave available to use. We will have a 30 minute meal break in the middle of class. Other than that, if there is anything else that makes you feel more comfortable such as a blanket or pillow, you can bring that as well. I want you to feel cozy and relaxed! I look forward to seeing you!