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CURRICULUM:
Week 1:
Getting Acquainted. What is natural childbirth and where can you find it? A look at "The Business of Being Born" (excerpts from DVD). A healthy birth starts in the kitchen. Your changing body and your amazing baby. Gentle exercise for birth preparation. Getting ready to meet your baby.
Week 2:
Understanding Birth. What does it feel like to have a baby? Explore the mechanics and chemistry of birth. What is "normal?" Recognize the rhythms of birth. Anatomy of a contraction. Comfort techniques. Birth positions. Pain management and the psychology of birth. The difference your partner makes. The amazing placenta. Your baby's miraculous transformation from fetus to newborn. Why is water birth so popular? This is a very hands-on, active class, so dress comfortably. We will finish up with a very special film from Guatemala. You will leave class confident that the female body was designed to give birth - naturally!
Week 3:
Reclaiming Birth. Learn to be in charge of your own birth experience. We will review the process of normal birth then look briefly at institutional protocols and the "cascade of interventions." One by one, we will explode myths and learn tips, tricks, tools, and strategies to avoid or overcome unwanted intervention. What difference do the place of birth and the birth attendant make? How can dads be guardians of natural birth? Recognize when intervention is wise. Meet a mom who successfully avoided unwanted intervention, and ask her about her surprise unassisted birth and her subsequent planned home water birth.
Week 4:
Movie Night and Meet-a-Doula Night. (Bring movie snacks to share!) Witness natural water birth, breech birth, and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Meet and interview a doula and other birth support specialists. Find out what difference they make in natural childbirth. Who will attend you in birth, and where will it be - home, hospital, or birth centre? Explore your options.
Week 5:
Breastfeeding and In Celebration of Dads. (Yes, the two go together!) Postpartum care for mom and baby. Miracle milk. Breastfeeding in slow motion. Tips and resources for breastfeeding success. Celebrate the dads who celebrate pregnancy and birth. Discover the birth bond between man and woman. Dad's special role in labour and birth. Watch as a midwife gives birth with the gentle, intuitive support of her husband in the documentary film, "Birth Day."
Week 6:
Celebrating Babies! Newborn care. Baby wearing. Diapering options. Natural parenting. The family bed. Grand Finale Feature: Meet a guest panel of experts - real moms and dads! This is your chance to ask questions and get candid answers from a cross section of local moms and dads who have chosen natural birth, breastfeeding, and gentle parenting. Treats for everyone!