You probably already have an idea what you want on your birth plan, and now you just need help solidifying your plans and making them happen. You may have even decided that you’d like to delay or even avoid getting an epidural if you can. But you’ve gotten your information a bit haphazardly from websites, articles, and a few books. You know that you’re probably missing things, but you don’t know what you don’t know. And you’re nervous about coping with labor. You’re not sure exactly what to expect, but know that it won’t be a walk in the park and you want to physically and emotionally prepare for that as much as you can. You want to learn all about labor positions, comfort measures to help you cope, and what your partner can do. You also want to be sure you know what decisions you want to make if something unexpected happens like a longer than average pregnancy or an unusually intense labor.
I was skeptical about the popular websites and forums that offer information for moms-to-be. I wanted childbirth classes that took a perspective on women's bodies as powerful and able. Mandi provided that a thousand times over! I was impressed by Mandi's sheer knowledge in the field of birth. My husband and I attended several of her birth workshops, and Mandi has the level of expertise that is only possible by true immersion, consistent self-study, and passion for this field. Mandi absolutely impressed me with her ability to communicate the information to us clearly and her passion for teaching families everything they need to know to achieve their goals in labor and birth... I knew I didn't want to use standard interventions such as an epidural or induction, and I knew I did want to breastfeed. Mandi taught me everything I needed to know about these topics and we were successful in all of these endeavors!”Kati, first time mom in Italy
Attending a comprehensive workshop series like "Cultivating Confidence" is the single best way to prepare for your birth. As a birth doula, I consistently see families who take a comprehensive class about labor and birth having healthier births with fewer unplanned interventions than their peers who do not attend a class. They are also much more likely to achieve their personal goals, regardless of what those goals are. Every single family who has ever attended a workshop with me has said that they feel more prepared and more confident!
You'll Learn How To...
- Relieve tension and fear about what to expect by learning about the what will happen in your body and mind during each stage of labor
- Gain confidence in your birth partner with role playing activities to ensure that they know how to support you when you need it the most
- Prepare your body for labor and birth with tips on how to help prevent complications so you can stay healthy and low risk
- Reduce pain during labor by learning how to use those pesky pregnancy hormones to your advantage
- Avoid dreaded “back labor” and bond with your baby along the way by learning about your baby’s position
- Plan ahead by discussing possible complications and what options you have if you experience them
- Avoid unwanted interventions by learning techniques to prevent the "cascade of interventions"
- Make informed choices during pregnancy, labor, birth, and early parenting by learning which questions to ask and what the answers mean
- Plan a healthier birth by learning about the gap between best practice and common practice
- Effectively communicate your informed choices to your care provider with different birth plans for different situations
- Effectively communicate about your plans and preferences regarding coping measures and pain medications by creating a pain management plan
- Make informed decisions with up-to-the-minute evidence about surprising best practices for an healthy birth
- Minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of interventions like induction, epidurals, cesarean births, and more
- Stay comfortable and promote progress during labor with 55+ positions, 15+ movements, 5+ massage techniques, 10+ breathing techniques, vocalization, heat/cold therapy, music, hydrotherapy, the 3Rs of childbirth, and more
What you can expect from every "Cultivating Confidence" workshop series
- The highest quality of up-to-the-minute, evidence-based information and practices relying on science, reason, and logic. You won't find anything outdated or included because "this is the way we've always done it.” This course uses the Lamaze Six Healthy Birth Practices, which have been proven to increase safety as well as satisfaction in birth.
- Unbiased information in a judgement-free zone. You’ll get balanced information about all of your options and respect for your values and choices. The only “right” way to have a baby is the way that’s right for you.
- Instruction from a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, the gold standard for childbirth educators. I’ve been a childbirth educator fortune years and I genuinely enjoy teaching these workshop series - be careful though, my enthusiasm has been known to be contagious.
- Fascinating and interactive learning - no boring lectures, no sitting in seats for hours, no need for coffee (unless that’s your thing). You will be surprised how much you genuinely enjoy learning about labor and birth!
- High-quality workbooks, handouts, and other materials. This series uses workbooks, worksheets, handouts, pamphlets, and videos from the highest quality sources including Lamaze International, Evidence Based Birth, Plumtree Baby, VBAC Facts, Penny Simpkin, and more
- Enough time to really learn what you need to know to have a safe, healthy, and satisfying birth. This series consists of six 2.5-hour workshops designed to teach you what you need to know, allow you time to practice it while getting feedback from an experienced expert, and still leave time for you to ask all of your questions.
- Leave feeling prepared, confident, empowered, excited, and (shockingly) looking forward to birth.
- For group classes, you'll get an opportunity to come back for a class reunion to meet all the babies and talk to everyone about how their birth & parenting journeys are going.
Workshops are now offered as private sessions! This works much more conveniently for most families because the workshop works around your schedule. If you'll be out of town one week, you won't miss anything - we'll just pick up where we left off the following week. Plus private workshops mean that you don't even have to leave your home - I'll come to you!
The investment for six weekly 2.5-hour workshops is $350
"Mandi’s childbirth education class utilized Plumtree Baby education materials and employed a multi-faceted teaching approach that catered to all learning styles, making supplemental use of a host of visual aids, props, videos and hands-on learning opportunities. The class gave a detailed overview of all aspects of pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery, and Mandi respectfully and professionally delivered the material in an unbiased manner. Mandi maintained an excellent balance of lecture and discussion, and she was exceptionally thorough in answering questions and taking the time to elaborate on the material as needed. Mandi was impressively knowledgeable about all aspects of the curriculum, and diligently looked up any points that required further explanation. She freely and frequently quoted current, evidence-based research ad lib with remarkable eloquence, demonstrating an expertise honed by diligent self-study and experiential learning. Mandi further deepened our understanding of the research and increased our self-sufficiency by providing links to quality resources and assigning us to educate ourselves outside of class so that we could return to share our findings with each other. Her passion for the subject matter was contagious, and she instilled confidence rooted in preparedness in her students. The knowledge and confidence that I took away from Mandi’s class imbued me with a sense of calm through the remainder of my pregnancy.”Erika, second time mom in Italy
My Promise to You...
- I promise I’ll support you. Sometimes families worry that attending a childbirth class means that they’ll be pushed to birth a certain way or judged if they decide not to. Not at Misawa Birth & Baby! No matter what you want, I’ll support your decisions. From a home birth to an elective cesarean, it’s your body, your baby, your decision.
- I promise I’ll help you meet your goals. I’ll teach you what you need to know, help you make a plan based on your preferences, answer all your questions, and occasionally challenge you to think outside of the box. It’s like having a personal trainer for birth.
- If the plan changes, I still promise I’ll support you. If you decide that your original plans aren’t right for you or your family anymore, I'll help you make the change. There are no right or wrong choices - only the choices that are best for you and your growing family.