Basics of Childbirth

Meet our curriculum:

All fact,
no fantasy.

Our curriculum explains how birth works, what to expect when interacting with the healthcare system, and outlines standards of care. We teach you what options are available, when and why they might be useful, and how to center your values during your journey to parenthood.

We don’t promise you anything fancy because, well, you can’t control birth. What we can offer you are the tools you need to be involved in communication and decision making, so no matter what happens, you feel empowered.

A curriculum for everyone.

In birth there is no one-size-fits-all approach to coping, so we don’t spend our time focusing on teaching specific coping methods. Instead, we focus on giving you information about how birth functions, why certain coping mechanisms work, and the pros and cons of common interventions. If you understand birth, you can make more informed decisions around your preferences.

Visualize your experience

If you’ve never given birth before, so much is left to the imagination. One of our goals is to show you what things look like so you can start to visualize what to expect. Our presentation includes images of birth itself, as well as common tools and scenarios that you’re likely to encounter in a hospital setting.

We also pass around a variety of birth related items for you to touch and familiarize yourself with. Want to see how an epidural catheter works? How sharp is an amniotomy hook? What does the vacuum suction feel like? We can help you out!

We know how hard it can be…

We are all parents, which means that we know how long your to-do list is, we are familiar with the pressure to do it all perfectly, and we remember the decision paralysis that came with expecting a first child. We also know that your time is precious and that you have a choice when it comes to birth classes. We designed out class to help you feel more confident as a parent. We crammed it all in to one day so that you can get this task done and move on to the next thing. We provide you with ample resources and a curriculum workbook so that you don’t have to take notes - but if you want to it’s easy to do. And we’re always here by email to answer the questions that inevitably pop up on the drive home. Let us help make your childbirth education easier.

FAQs

This class is split into four sections. It starts with a foundational section that covers anatomy, the basics of how birth works, and an overview of informed consent.
The second section covers late pregnancy and includes routine tests and procedures, preparing for birth, and how to know when you’re in labor.
The third section is the largest - Labor and Delivery. Here we cover stages of labor, what to expect from a basic vaginal delivery, pain management strategies, OB tools (including assisted delivery and c-section, labor augmentation and induction), and what happens at delivery.
The fourth section is what to expect after delivery. This covers immediate postpartum, infant and birther recovery and warning signs, and general information on what’s next.
No. in order to keep our class to one day, we only cover the topics above. Breastfeeding and newborn care are very important, involved topics that deserve their own dedicated education. We recommend that every expectant parent meet with a private lactation consultant (most are covered by insurance) whether breastfeeding or not, to prepare for their feeding journey. Most newborn care will be taught at the hospital by the mother baby nurses after delivery.
Of course! This class is open to everyone, regardless of your birth plans. While we do talk a lot about the hospital experience, much of the education is still relevant. Additionally, homebirth always has the potential to turn into a hospital birth for a variety of reasons. Knowing what to expect from the hospital may ease some of the anxiety associated with tat potential outcome.
We use our own proprietary curriculum. The WOMB Basics of Childbirth curriculum was written by Taryn Adrados, RN, and Grace Brian, CD(DONA). We base our facts off of the current standards of practice, and our own experience as both birth workers and mothers.