What You Need to Know: The Benefits of Professional Labor Support

Learn how a Professional Labor Support person, also known as a Birth Doula, can help you and your partner have a safe and fulfilling labor and birth experience. Enjoy an evening meeting with

How to Birth in Comfort with Hypnosis

Learn how to accomplish your goals for birth using the power of your mind. Discover how you can be completely at ease during labor using self-hypnosis skills and techniques. Hypnosis also helps alleviate many symptoms of pregnancy, turn breech or posterior presentations, increase breastmilk supply, and so much more!

What You Need to Know: The Truth About Postpartum Depression

What are the differences between normal or typical postpartum emotions and depression? How does postpartum depression affect the mother, her baby, and her family? Learn how to recognize the symptoms of depression and what to do if you suspect it. This workshop will provide insight into mainstream thinking and research realities. Discussion will also be held on the alternatives available in our very own community.

FIRST TRIMESTER WORKSHOPS

What You Need to Know: Proactive vs. Passive Birth

Do you know that you have choices, rights, and responsibilities as a childbearing woman? Do you know what alternatives are available when it comes to your pregnancy, your birth, your baby, and your body? Discover the benefits and risks of routinely used medical procedures so you can make informed decisions about the options which are best for you.

What You Need to Know: Midwifery vs. the Medical Model of Care

Do you know what the differences are in the kind of care you receive from midwives and physicians? Learn how the midwifery and the medical models of care differ for pregnancy and birth. Find out how societal views of birth have evolved into our current Medical Model of Care. This workshop provides the facts you need to make an informed choice about which is best for you.

What You Need to Know: Home vs. Birth Center vs. Hospital Birth

Do you know what your options are when selecting where to birth your baby? Would you like to learn more about the risks and benefits of each before making a decision? Find out what the evidence indicates about the safest place for women to birth.

Hypnobabies: Hypnosis for Childbirth Education

Hypnobabies is a complete and thorough education course taken to help ease discomforts during pregnancy and alleviate fears and doubts about childbirth. The course provides excellent training in selfhypnosis & techniques in a small, personalized class setting. Hypnosis for childbirth is not for everyone. Telephone interviews are held to qualify couples for the Hypnobabies course. Contact 610-451-0786 to schedule your interview. Cost includes all course materials.

THIRD TRIMESTER WORKSHOPS

How to Position Yourself for Easier & Faster Birth

Learn how you can help your baby become properly aligned during pregnancy in order to facilitate easier labor. During this workshop, you will also learn many positions and some techniques to use during labor to achieve a shorter and more comfortable birth. You will also discover more about the positions which are ideal for gently easing your baby into the world.

The Birth Partner

This workshop is designed to provide information to anyone who is planning to support a birthing mother. You will learn effective ways to offer support during childbirth in order to maximize physical and emotional comfort. Learn valuable tools and tips and discover hands-on techniques that will bring about a more positive experience for the birthing mother in your life.

Childbirth Preparation Class Series

This series of classes taken during the 6th or 7th month are designed to educate parents about the physical and emotional aspects of the birthing process. Fathers and support persons will learn their role as coach during labor. The classes are offered as a 2 week or 4 week series, weekdays or weekends.

What You Need to Know: Preparation for Breastfeeding

The benefits of breastfeeding for babies, mothers and the family are numerous. This class is designed to help get breastfeeding off to a great start by dispelling myths, teaching evidence-based current information and some practical tips for the family. A doll would be helpful to bring to class. Fathers and grandmothers are welcome!

What You Need to Know: Postpartum Realities

Postpartum Support: What do you really know about life with a new baby? This workshop will help dispel common myths and misconceptions about the realities of having a new baby in your home. Learn how a Postpartum Doula can help ease the transition into motherhood.

How to Care for a New Baby

Learn the skills you will need to feed, calm, diaper, bathe, and more. This workshop offers tips and tricks from experienced moms that will help you adjust and minimize the stress of having a new baby in your home.

What You Need to Know: Routine Prenatal Tests

Do you know why certain routine tests are performed? Do you know the benefits, the risks, or the alternatives to each test? This workshop will answer these questions and more. Learn what the evidence shows about the tests discussed in this workshop so you can make informed choices about the care you and your baby receive.

How to Stay Healthy & Low-Risk During Pregnancy

Learn how diet and gentle exercise during pregnancy impacts your health, your baby's health, the experience of birth, and postpartum outcomes. During this workshop, you will learn about the basics of nutrition and how to minimize your risk of pregnancy-related concerns. You will also learn about the specific exercises and techniques that are beneficial throughout your pregnancy.

SECOND TRIMESTER WORKSHOPS

What You Need to Know: Unmedicated vs. Medicated Birth

Do you know why unmedicated is better than medicated birth? If you would like to find out what the studies indicate about the use of medication for labor & birth, this workshop is for you. Discover truths about the drugs routinely used for laboring mothers. This class will help you to make better informed choices for your body and the birth of your baby.

How to Minimize Your Risk of Cesarean Surgery

Learn how the choices you make during pregnancy and for labor can minimize your risk of having to undergo major abdominal surgery – the cesarean section. During this workshop, discussion on the varied reasons surgery occurs today and the emergencies that necessitate the cesarean.

How to Write An Effective Birth Plan

Learn how to write a Birth Plan that effectively communicates your desires, wishes, and needs for the birth of your baby. During this workshop, you will create a Birth Plan designed to encourage dialogue with your care provider on important issues, concerns, and the many possibilities surrounding your upcoming birth.

What You Need to Know: Combining Work and Breastfeeding

Returning to work does not mean you need to stop breastfeeding. In this personalized class, topics include the benefits of continued breastfeeding, manual and mechanical pumping, milk storage, and helpful tips for the workplace, and the baby’s caregiver. Babies are welcome. Class size limited to 4 mom-baby couplets.

What You Need to Know: Helping Siblings Welcome a New Baby

For brothers and sisters, the months of pregnancy are especially exciting. They will be taking on a new role when the little one arrives. Designed for children 3-10 years of age, this class helps children learn what to expect of a new baby, gets hands-on practice of ways to help mommy, and a tour of the Family Birthing Center to calm separation anxiety. Please bring a copy of your child(ren)’s baby picture to class.

The Happiest Baby on the Block

Have you ever wondered why some parents seem to have fussy, crying babies and some parents seem to have calm, content babies? Did you know that there is a proven system of calming crying babies in order to create peaceful days and nights, with more sleep and greater enjoyment those first few months at home? Learn Dr. Harvy Karp’s six steps in this hands-on class. A take-home CD is included in the fee.

Additional Offerings

Reiki

Reiki is a wonderful complementary technique used to restore balance and well-being in mind, body, and spirit. Expectant and new mothers, fathers and even babies benefit in many ways from this form of energy work. Reiki helps you to experience deep relaxation, alleviate fears and anxiety, and reduce muscle tension and pain. Call and schedule your 1-hour Reiki session today.

Infant Massage Classes

Our 5-week series of 90-minute sessions teach parents a gentle, loving baby massage that strengthens the bond between a parent and baby. Parents often find their babies sleep better and fuss less often when massaged regularly. This special class is for parents, or caregivers and their pre-crawling infants. Materials are covered in the fee.

Prenatal and Postpartum Massage

Pregnancy and childbirth involves many physical and emotional changes to a woman’'s body. Massage is a supportive therapy that assists women throughout these changes, relieving many of the aches and other physical discomforts, and reducing the everyday tension and stress they experience. Call and schedule your prenatal or postpartum massage today.

Miscarriage, Still-Birth & Infant Loss Support Group

Meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month, 6-7pm, Immanuel Church of Christ, Shillington. (Free) Call 610-777-7107 for more information.

Natural Family Planning

Natural Family planning uses day-today observations of the naturally occurring signs of fertility for couples who wish to achieve or avoid a pregnancy and is offered by a certified instructor in the Diocesan symptom-thermal method of natural family planning. Please call 610-378-2068 to schedule an appointment.