Birth Works® International Prenatal & Childbirth Preparation
Surviving & Celebrating Your Pregnancy, Labor & Newborn Baby!

If you want to attend, it is ideal to be in touch first trimester: cristin@aconsciousempoweredbirth.com.

Birth Works philosophically believes that:

• Birth is instinctive and that women's bodies are designed to give birth.
• The knowledge about how to give birth is born within every woman: women do not need to be taught how to give birth but rather to have more trust and faith in their own body knowledge.
• Integration of the mind, body, and spirit is essential when giving birth.

Birth Works Philosophy

Birth Works courses are open to any woman with any birthing history (i.e. new parents and parents with prior vaginal and/or cesarean births). The classes are innovative and experiential in design. They help women gain confidence in their ability to birth, and help birth companions become aware of ways they can make labor safer and more comfortable. The classes are interactive and provide both a physical and emotional preparation for birth. The program is suitable for parents planning a hospital, birthing center or home birth.

Birth Works is a process, not a method. It recognizes that there is no one right way to labor and birth. Birth Works does not teach breathing patterns, but instead encourages slow deep breathing as one of many ways to promote relaxation and facilitate labor.

Families are encouraged to take Birth Works early in pregnancy, or even prior to pregnancy, as this is an optimal time for identifying and exploring beliefs about birth, interviewing caregivers, and choosing a birth place that feels safe.

Birth Works Outline

In the typical 20-hour course, the first two classes are very successful in opening up the heart and establishing a close feeling among all those present. Couples immediately learn that Birth Works is very different from other childbirth education programs. It is here that they can begin to have more trust and faith in their body knowledge that already knows how to give birth. They realize that learning will be enhanced through their participation in discussions and in sharing experiences all led by their trained, experienced Birth Works facilitator. Pelvic bodywork is introduced each class. Birth films, music, small group work, and experiential exercises are interspersed throughout making classes a place of laughter, joy, learning, and a feeling of what it is like to be in a safe place.

First Class: Feelings, Breath Awareness, Relaxation, Philosophies of Childbirth
Identifying feelings, expectations, fears and concerns about birth; Birth Works philosophies and concept of Educare: serves as a basic introduction to the course and gives others an opportunity to know more about our beliefs of birth in our culture today.

Second Class: Directed breathing, Toning, Pelvic Bodywork, Nutrition, Exercise
Role of good nutrition, exercises; a discussion of upright positions in labor and birth; guidelines for indications for a cesarean and uterine dependability.

Third Class: Pelvic Bodywork, Medical Procedures, Human Values in Birth, Place of Birth and Birth Team
Discussion of common diagnostic and labor interventions in terms of the risk-benefit ratio and alternatives to routine use of interventions. Accepting responsibility and taking an active role in birth. Understanding how physicians are trained and the legal pressures that confront everyone. Finding a balance, using interventions only when the benefits outweigh the risks, and most importantly, gain confidence in our ability to birth. The importance of doulas, labor companions, choosing a birth place that feels safe and a birth team that shares a woman’s philosophy of birth. Understanding how the practice of human values improves decision-making and leads to a more positive birth experience.

Fourth Class: Pelvic Bodywork, Identifying and practicing good positions for labor, Obstetrical Analgesia and Anesthesia
Personal and cultural belief systems about pain. The concept of healthy pain. Types of medical pain relief, the risks/benefit ratio and alternatives, birth sounds. Comfort measures for birth.

Fifth Class: Pelvic Bodywork, Belief Systems
Identifying belief systems and attitudes about birth and learning how to change those not conducive to positive birthing. Tools for strengthening positive beliefs about oneself and birth will be explained and practiced.

Sixth Class: Pelvic Bodywork, Grieving and Healing
Discussion of childbearing losses and grieving, followed by grieving exercises and healing visualization. This class is very powerful in demonstrating the influence of our mind and emotions on our physical bodies. Once we are aware of these influences, we can begin to make changes, if desired. When the mind is relaxed, the body will follow. This class takes great strides towards facilitating more normal and natural birth.

Seventh Class: Pelvic Bodywork, Labor and Birth
Labor process and review of comfort measures, working with contractions, labor sounds, conscious birthing, birth visualization, the physiology of birth and role of hormones.

Eighth Class: Postpartum and Breastfeeding
Postpartum care of mother and baby, breastfeeding, parenting, possible visit of parents with newborn baby, closing activity.

Some of the topics covered are:

• Beliefs and attitudes about pregnancy, birth & postpartum
• The safety of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)
• Healing past emotional pain in preparation for birth
• Physical and emotional aspects of labor and birth
• The importance of nutrition, exercise and pelvic body work
• Developing confidence in decision-making skills
• How to take more responsibility for birth
• Choosing a birth team and writing a birth plan
• Physical and psychological interventions in birth
• Factors which influence the safety of birth
• Current information about risks and benefits of medical interventions
• Ways to avoid unnecessary cesareans
• Your personal strengths and resources for birth
• Human values training and character development
• Trusting our bodies and the energy of the birth process
• Personal support and comfort measures for labor and birth
• Discussion of post partum care, breastfeeding and infant nutrition
  

Parent Testimonials

• "I have given birth 17 days ago. After Birth Works®' classes, I was no longer afraid and I trusted my body, to do the job." -VA
• "The classes helped me have confidence not only in my ability to birth, but in the innate capabilities of my body - that my body knows what to do and will do it as long as we are not interfering unnecessarily with the natural process. That assurance and confidence gave me patience during a long labor." -WY
• "As a result of Birth Works®, I feel more comfortable and prepared for birth and have an "I CAN do this’ attitude rather than "I hope I can do this’" -OH
• "Birth Works® teaches about choices you have during delivery - not "how to deliver". -MA
• "I wanted to develop the confidence that my wife can succeed in VBAC. The birth was incredible. Thank you Birth Works®!" -MD
• "Birth Works® provided an incredible foundation as I went from "I’m never having another baby…to I know I can birth my next baby ." I worked hard to make the best choices I could. It was incredible." -MD
• "I was surprised to learn how much of an active role the father actually has! I now think my role is very important." -VT
• "We felt better equipped to take an active role in our birth experience, rather than simply let it happen to us. All the topics covered were very valuable. The small class size made it so easy and comfortable asking questions, which was perhaps the most valuable of all." -CA
• "I struggled trying to decide which childbirth preparation class to take. I gave birth yesterday…a very powerful experience and will always be grateful to BirthWorks for the paths and options it introduced into my birth plans. It led me to my own path." -DC