childbirth education
While you can take a childbirth education class at any point during your pregnancy, most couples chose to take a class at some point in their third trimester. We recommend the class finishing by the time you are 36 weeks pregnant.
We offer our childbirth education classes in several formats, 4 week, weekend intensive, express and private. The most popular is our 4-week class which meets weeknights. For those with busier schedules, our weekend intensive and express classes meets on a Saturday and Sunday. Please check our schedule for dates and times. We also offer privates and semi-privates at our Studios or in your home, making childbirth class convenient for everyone.
Our full schedule of classes are taught at our Park Slope studio. We also offer some classes and/or workshops at The Motherhood Center in Midtown East, at Wild Was Mama in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Love Child Yoga in the West Village. Please check our schedule for dates/locations.
Although we are certified through Lamaze, we don’t teach any one method; rather we pull the best parts from the most popular methods, as well as from our extensive experience in the field. There is no one right way to labor. We stand by the philosophy that birth is a normal process and hope to inspire confidence in the couples that we teach. It is our goal to teach the full spectrum of options a woman has when preparing for her birth, and then to support her unconditionally. The most important way to approach your birth is with confidence and relaxation. You achieve this by knowing what possible things to expect, developing a pain-coping mindset to move through your labor, and by feeling prepared to work through whatever your journey turns out to be.
Our class is extremely dynamic and engaging. We have worked hard to create a rich and interactive class that we know our students love. Our classes were created by highly experienced doulas and mothers who have trained in several forms of childbirth education. We pull from our experience and the best of everything out there to make a class you will love to attend! Our classes also foster a sense of community, so many of our students remain in touch after the class.
Yes! Single mothers and couples of all genders welcome!
Yes! Please join us in our living-room like Studios. We have couches, chairs, lots of pillows and footstools. And you are welcome to eat and move as necessary during class.
The maximum for our classes is 9 couples. However on average our classes have between 6 to 9 couples. We feel this is a good size as couples can learn from the group while still receiving individualized attention.
Do you offer something like that? Yes! Please join us at our Childbirth Refresher Class.
Terms, conditions and policies
Our classes provide general information and discussion opportunities about preparing for pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, and related subjects. The content provided in our classes is for informational purposes only. Our instructors are not medical providers, and any information, advice, or recommendations provided in our classes may not be considered medical advice nor relied upon as such. Any and all medical concerns or questions should be directed to your physician, midwife, pediatrician, or other certified medical provider who is licensed to practice medicine and dispense medical advice.
Cancellation Policy:
If you miss your class:
If you cancel your class for any reason:
- 30 plus days in advance, you receive 90% refund
- 30-15 days in advance, you receive 50% refund
- 14 days or less in advance, there are no refunds
Rescheduling Policy:
If you need to reschedule a class:
- 30 + days in advance, no fee, as long as there’s availability
- 30 – 15 days in advance, $35 rescheduling fee, as long as there’s availability
- 14 days or less in advance, $35 rescheduling fee + up to cost of class if the seat you leave does not fill
We highly recommend that you schedule any prenatal classes or workshops to end prior to 30 days of your expected due date. If bedrest or delivery happens while you are in the middle of a series (and you would have completed your classes prior to 30 days before your expected due date), you may apply the fees from the unused portion of the class toward another class or service at Birth Day Presence.
Birth Day Presence is not responsible for providing make-ups or issuing any credit for classes missed as a result of scheduling conflicts, vacations, illness, emergencies, or other circumstances beyond our control.
Class Cancellation / Adjustment Policy :
Birth Day Presence reserves the right to alter class times due to low enrollment. Every effort will be made to work with students’ schedules to ensure that the student receives the instruction she signed up for. If we cannot place you in another class or schedule a private session comparable to what you signed up for, a full refund will be given.
Our classes provide general information and discussion opportunities about preparing for pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, and related subjects. The content provided in our classes is for informational purposes only. Our instructors are not medical providers, and any information, advice, or recommendations provided in our classes may not be considered medical advice nor relied upon as such. Any and all medical concerns or questions should be directed to your physician, midwife, pediatrician, or other certified medical provider who is licensed to practice medicine and dispense medical advice.
doulas
Birth Day Presence provides a way for expectant parents to connect with an affiliated doula they can hire to support them through their birth. We believe that the doula’s role is to support a woman unconditionally throughout her pregnancy and birth. The affiliated doulas should not make decisions for expectant parents or expect them to give birth in any particular way. Doulas offer physical, emotional and informational support no matter what is happening during the birth. The doula you hire through our matching service works for you.
Although it is often true that a midwife will spend a significant amount of time with you during your birth, if you are using a birth center, you will still be in labor for much of the time at home. Having a birth doula at home really helps you to feel supported until you are ready to go to the birth center. Also, birth-center midwives may have to care for more than one patient, so your midwife may have to go back and forth between patients, while your doula can be with you the whole time. In addition, should any medical issues present themselves during your labor, your midwife’s primary responsibility is for your safety and the safety of the baby; while she is assessing your well-being, your midwife will not be able to provide the nurturing care you need. A doula can complement the midwife precisely by providing that nurturing and extra support.
All of the doulas affiliated with Birth Day Presence are trained to support expectant parents in their choices for their birth, whatever they may be. Should you choose to use an epidural during your birth, your doula will still play an incredibly valuable role. She will help you at home while you are in labor, help you get to the hospital, support you physically and emotionally until the anesthesiologist becomes available, help you manage any side effects of the medication, suggest the positions that will best help facilitate birth in conjunction with an epidural, help you push your baby out with encouragement and position suggestions and help with initial breastfeeding. Your doula will maintain her role as your advocate and help you seek any information you need during the process.
Prices vary depending upon the level of experience of the affiliated doulas. Your doula will charge according to the number of births she has attended along with any other training and/or experience she may have. Our goal in matching clients with doulas at a variety of price points is to ensure that all expectant parents who want a doula have the opportunity to work with someone qualified within their budget. The price points are $800, $1,200, $1,600, $2,000, $2,400 and $3,000. We also often affiliate with doulas-in-training who work at the $300-500 rate.
Our class is extremely dynamic and engaging. We have worked hard to create a rich and interactive class that we know our students love. Our classes were created by highly experienced doulas and mothers who have trained in several forms of childbirth education. We pull from our experience and the best of everything out there to make a class you will love to attend! Our classes also foster a sense of community, so many of our students remain in touch after the class.
The fee generally includes the following (the doula you hire will tell you how she works specifically):
- Unlimited telephone and email support prior to your birth
- Prenatal meeting at your home to explore and clarify your birth preferences
- On-call 24 hours per day, 7 days per week from your 36th week of pregnancy until the birth of your baby
- Your doula will attend your entire birth with no time limit
- Your doula will remain for 1 to 2 hours after the birth to assist with breastfeeding
- One postnatal meeting one to two weeks after the birth
- The above is subject to the specific doula you hire
Yes! A big part of having the support of a doula is having that support at home before leaving for the birth center or hospital. You and your doula will decide the best time for her to join you; this may be at your home or at the hospital, depending upon the situation.
A doula’s main concern is for your physical and emotional comfort. If at any point you would prefer to be alone, a doula should respect your wishes and will rejoin you whenever you would like.
Doulas should do everything they can to work as a team with the hospital staff. They should help you to communicate your birth preferences and ensure that you have all the information needed to make informed choices. Doulas should not speak your wishes directly to the staff or make any medical decisions for you.
resources
Maternity Care Issues
- The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
- 6 Care Practices that Promote Normal Birth
- Ten Tips for a Normal Birth
- Henci Goer
- Doulas of North America
- Birthing the Future
- Effects of Hospital Economics on Maternity Care
- Citizens for Midwifery
Childbirth Education
Local Birth Centers
resources
Maternity Care Issues
- The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
- 6 Care Practices that Promote Normal Birth
- Ten Tips for a Normal Birth
- Henci Goer
- Doulas of North America
- Birthing the Future
- Effects of Hospital Economics on Maternity Care
- Citizens for Midwifery
Childbirth Education
Local Birth Centers