Our Classes
DC Birth Doulas offers fun and functional perinatal education classes. Our live virtual classes are taught by Lamaze trained childbirth educators, who bring their wealth of hands-on experience in perinatal health into our interactive and lively sessions. Our classes focus on evidence-based information while creating space to discuss practical experience, tips and preferences. Both classes are included in our Birth Bundle and our Birth and Beginnings Bundle. You can also sign up separately.
We recommend completing your classes by your 35th gestational week.
Childbirth Prep Class
Our 6-hour class focuses on the labor and birth process. A growing body of evidence suggests that families who attend a comprehensive childbirth education class which covers shared decision making and allows time to practice comfort measures are more satisfied with their births. We will cover normal physiological birth, common medical tools and hospital procedures, comfort measures, labor positions, pain medication options, and cesarean birth.
Classes include videos of stages of birth, group work with plenty of time to ask questions and actively explore comfort measures such as grounding touch, mindfulness, and breathing techniques.
You can select either a 1-DAY CLASS (Saturday 10am-4:45pm) option or a 3-EVENING CLASS (Mondays 6:30-8:30pm) option. We recommend taking our Childbirth Class in your second trimester.
Stages of physiological birth
Common medical tools and hospital procedures
Comfort measures
Labor positions
Pain medication options
Shared informed decision making
Variations such as inductions and cesarean birth
Postpartum Prep
Including Newborn Care and Infant Feeding
Our 6-hour Postpartum Prep Class is designed to help you prepare for your transition into parenthood. We will share information on managing expectations, exploring strategies to avoid common pitfalls, discussing tips to cope, treat, recover, and heal, and generally build skills to help you adapt during the fourth trimester.
We also focus on the practical realities of feeding an infant. Many of our clients want to feed their babies breastmilk exclusively. The reality is that most feed their babies through some combination of body feeding, pumping, and bottle feeding.
You can select a 1-DAY CLASS (Saturday 10am-4:45pm) option or a 3-EVENING CLASS (Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm) option. We recommend taking our Postpartum Prep Class in your third trimester.
First Hours After Birth
Postpartum Wellness - Physical, Social, and Emotional Care
Infant Soothing, Attachment, & Care
Sleep Expectations, Realities, and Safety
Managing Family Wellbeing - Intimacy, Nutrition, Exercise
Human Lactation
Pumping and Storing Milk
Selecting, Preparing, and Using Formula
Bottle and Nipple Selection and Care
Tips for Combination Feeding