The birth of a child and becoming a family are significant experiences in the life of a couple. A good preparation for the birth, the first days of the child's life and the weeks following will alleviate coping with the birth, bring cooperation and constructive communication between you and the medical staff in the delivery room and also ease the adjustment to the expected changes in your family life.
Every woman has the capability to positively influence her birth. This influence is made possible with preparation that includes understanding the physiological process, and simple and practical exercises during pregnancy.
While the woman may be the one giving birth, her partner takes part in the process. Consequently, it is of utmost importance for the woman's partner to prepare for his supportive role in the birth and as communicator with the medical personnel in the delivery room, and for his new role as father during the postpartum period.
Currently, a great amount of information is available on the internet, in books and even on television shows about birthing and parenting. Despite our large exposure to this information, it is crucial to take part in a childbirth education course for the following reasons:
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The course summarizes and organizes the large amount of information currently available so you can use it productively.
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Because the birth will take place in a hospital, it is important to become familiar with the terminology, regulations and common procedures that occur in a delivery room.
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During the course, you have the opportunity to ask questions about subjects not fully understood. In addition, the questions posed by other couples might raise points you have not thought about.
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What are your expectations regarding your birth? What would you like your birth to be like? The course helps you form an opinion and to prepare yourself accordingly. Likewise, you can best choose the hospital suited to your needs and expectations.
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What is the role of your partner in the birth? What is expected of him? Usually, the woman is the one who reads the books and collects information about pregnancy and birth. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that your partner has a significant role in the process. In the course, you and your partner learn how he can help during the birth to ease coping with contractions, to create a positive atmosphere in the delivery room, and to form constructive communication with the personnel. The course also deals with the common changes that occur in a couple's relationship after the birth of a child.
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During the course, visual aids and movies are used to illustrate the birth as a physiological process.
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In the course, the couples practice positions suitable for each stage of labor along with massages, breathing techniques and timing contractions.
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Learning about breastfeeding before the birth is crucial in preventing prevalent lactation problems. As I am also a lactation counselor, I provide a comprehensive and professional preparation for breastfeeding. After the birth, I can also provide counseling for breastfeeding difficulties and, if necessary, you can arrange a house call after the birth.
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At the end of each meeting, couples receive handouts summarizing the important points taught in each lesson.
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The course is a social setting where you can meet other couples going through the experience of pregnancy and birth.
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Contact with an experienced, qualified educator during and after the course provides support and counsel when needed.
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Knowledge and understanding of the process of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and the outset of parenthood reduces the natural concerns every parent-to-be feels and imparts confidence in the future.
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After the birth, the couples with their babies meet to share their experiences with giving birth and the beginning of parenthood. This meeting closes the circle and strengthens the couple's support network during the period of acclimation to parenthood and its challenges.
My courses are offered in several formats to meet your specific needs:
- Group course - classes in small groups of up to 6 couples, 6 meetings before the birth and 1 meeting after the birth
- Private classes – 4-5 meetings before the birth
- A refresher course for second births – 2-3 meetings before the birth
Classes are conducted in English or in Hebrew.
The main topics addressed in the courses are:
- Positions to use at the end of pregnancy to help your baby engage correctly in the pelvis
- How to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles for the birth
- How to avoid an episiotomy
- The different stages of labor and what characterizes each stage
- Timing contractions and when to leave for the hospital
- How to cope with contractions without pain medication
- Practicing breathing techniques, massages and different positions for labor
- How to progress labor naturally
- The role of your partner in labor and birth
- Methods of pain relief offered in the delivery room and how to use them wisely
- Common interventions in the delivery room, how to avoid them and how to use them wisely if they are necessary
- Preparation of a birth plan
- Choosing the delivery room that suits your needs
- Tools for constructive communication with the delivery room personnel
- Different birth scenarios
- A guided viewing of films about births
- Preparation for breastfeeding
- Life after birth: the baby, changes in your relationship, transition to life as a family and adjusting to your new life
I strongly recommend to enroll when you are 24 weeks pregnant.
It is recommended to start class when you are 28 weeks pregnant and no later than 32 weeks pregnant.
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Childbirth education for homebirth
Studies all over the world have proven that home births are a safe option for women with low risk pregnancies, when the woman gives birth with an experienced midwife and there is the backup of a hospital within 30 minutes.
Even though you have decided to give birth at home, it is still necessary to prepare for the birth.
In the past, women gave birth in their homes in the presence of other women. The participation of women in a birth allowed women to become familiar with the behaviors of a woman in labor. They were exposed to the sounds birthing women make, and to the movements and the positions used during labor. They were witness to the site of a newborn and saw how to take care of the infant. Likewise, women helped each other during the postpartum period because they understood the importance of support and help during this sensitive time. The experience of witnessing other women's births prepared the younger women for their own births and taught them what to expect and how to act when the time came. This cultural – communal knowledge was passed down from mother to daughter for generations and empowered the inner physical knowledge of the body's ability to birth.
With the transition of giving birth at home to giving birth in a hospital, women have been distanced from the sites and sounds of a birth. Giving birth has been separated from daily life and hidden from women. As a result, the ancient knowledge about birth, breastfeeding and caring for newborns has been forgotten. The transition from home births to hospital births has caused a severing from this instinctive knowledge and created a need to obtain this knowledge from another source. The aim of childbirth education classes for home births is to awaken this ancient forgotten knowledge and to bring it to consciousness.
Most of the childbirth education classes offered today prepare the couple for a hospital birth. However, home births are different from hospital births in terms of the birth process, the atmosphere, the role of the partner, and in finding medical treatment for the birthing mother and the baby after the birth. For couples planning on a home birth, it is recommended that they enroll in a home birth education course that answers their specific needs.
A childbirth education course for a home birth have the following goals:
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To describe the various possible scenarios of a natural birth and to develop a wide range of options for the birthing process. This preparation allows the birth to happen physiologically correct and appropriate for each individual woman.
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To provide tools for dealing with pain during childbirth
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To dismiss societal myths about the "dangers" of giving birth. By doing this, the course empowers the couple and strengthens their confidence in the decision to give birth at home. Furthermore, it legitimizes this type of birth at a time when home births are not accepted or understood. When a number of couples meet for a home birth course, the group becomes a source of support and gives a sense of belonging and power.
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To prepare the couple with realistic expectations of the birth and for situations when going to the hospital to receive medical treatment is necessary.
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To prepare the couples for the postpartum period in practical terms while directing them towards the professionals: doctors, well baby clinics, lactation consultants etc., who offer the services necessary postpartum. This preparation makes coping with the postpartum changes easier and is extremely important since home birth couples do not receive the initial instruction other couples receive who give birth in hospitals.
For couples planning to give birth at home I have designed a course which focuses on their specific needs. The course deals with the following subjects:
- How to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles before and after the birth
- How to prepare the perineum for birth
- The different stages of labor and when to call the midwife
- Nature methods to cope with contractions and to help the labor progress
- The role of the birth partner
- Cases that demand transferring to the hospital. Introduction to medical interventions and hospital terminology and how to deal with hospital regulations
- A guided viewing of home birth films
- Breastfeeding during the first days and weeks after birth
- How to turn to the medical system to receive postpartum medical treatment, to receive the birth grant and to register with the Ministry of Interior
- Vitamin K and vaccinations
- Conventional and alternative medical follow-up
- Life after birth: the baby, changes in the relations between the couple and the transition to family life
My courses are offered in several formats to meet your specific needs:
- Group course – 5 meetings before birth and one meeting after birth
- Private course – 4 meetings before the birth
- A refresher course for second births – one meeting before the birth
Classes are conducted in English or in Hebrew.
I strongly recommend to enroll when you are 24 weeks pregnant.
It is recommended to start class when you are 30 weeks pregnant.
Breasfeeding class before birth and house call after birth
"Breastfeeding is the most natural way to nourish an infant, nevertheless it isn't instinctive behavior. While the infant is born with reflexes that help him find the food source, he still needs direction and help from his mother to successfully nurse. Every woman has the capability to nurse her baby. However, sometimes, because of mistakes made in the nursing method that may be small, problems develop causing discomfort or pain discouraging an inexperienced mother.
In social frameworks that existed in the past, when breastfeeding was the only means of nourishing an infant, a woman could receive counseling and advice from experienced women in her family. For various reasons, breastfeeding is no longer part of our normal way of life and oftentimes women lack the advice and encouragement of experienced mothers to start on the right path and to prevent the problems many women encounter.
A new mother who encounters difficulties in the beginning, turns to the medical system for counseling out of feelings of distress and urgency, but in many cases she receives varied and incomprehensible advice that is sometimes contradictory and only heightens her confusion and frustration. Consequently, it is recommended that every woman learn about breastfeeding during her pregnancy so she will know ahead of time how to deal with the difficulties of breastfeeding and how to direct her baby in the art of suckling from the first moments of life.” (taken from "How to Teach an Infant to Nurse" by Batya Davis and Dr. Aliza Finkel)
The preparation for breastfeeding class is three hours long and is conducted in groups or privately.
It is recommended to enroll in the preparation for breastfeeding class during your eighth month of pregnancy.
Breastfeeding is not meant to cause pain or sores. A baby not correctly latching on to the breast or an incorrect hold of the baby are the main causes of nipple soreness. Breastfeeding problems can worsen if treatment is delayed. Consequently, it is recommended to receive professional counseling as soon as possible.
To arrange a house call for lactation counseling, please contact me by phone.
