Come and discover a hands on, exciting approach to Lamaze Childbirth Classes!

We have developed an innovative series of five week natural childbirth classes. Sessions are two and a half hours each, one evening per week. A weekend “fast” option is also available for those with busier schedules.

In these classes, expectant parents will learn:

• How to take the fear out of childbirth
• The anatomy and physiology of normal birth
• Variations on “textbook” labor, and how to respond to them
• The emotional roadmap of the birth experience
• Comfort measures for labor and birth including coping tools and strategies,
  deep abdominal breathing and relaxation techniques
• Risks and benefits of common interventions and how to avoid needing them
• How to communicate with your caregiver to get the type of birth that you desire
• How to write a birth plan
• How Dad can thrive in his role in supporting Mom and what he can do

Cost:

• 4 week series $125
• One night classes are $25 each
• Weekend classes are $125
• Private Classes $125

All classes are taught by Heather Shelley at our partner location, Mothering Your Way. Click here to register for upcoming classes.

From Kelly:

I highly recommend the Lamaze classes at Birthing Your Way to any mother wanting to feel strong and confident in her labor decisions. After class each week, I felt more empowered as a woman and a soon-to-be new mother.

They taught us how to speak our mind and be heard while also educating us about what to expect in both labor and new parenthood. They helped us practice different scenarios to help us know how to respond to different situations. I’m grateful the class focused on all of the aspects of labor and recovery.

I had planned on a purely natural labor, but ended up with a c-section due to complications. Luckily, I never worried and felt confident the whole time because I knew all of my options and felt confident I was making the best choice for me and my baby.

I hope everyone can feel as comfortable and prepared for labor as I did after the birthing classes at Birthing Your Way.

 

From Heather Lewis:

I want to enthusiastically recommend Heather Shelley as both a labor doula and childbirth educator.

Heather and I clicked almost immediately after we met. After discussing our philosophies on pregnancy as a normal event until proven otherwise, I knew she was going to be the person I wanted in the room with me. She was knowledgeable, professional, and I felt very relaxed around her. She also has a fabulous library of childbirth books and videos.

I wanted to have a natural, drug free childbirth at the local Austin birthing center. My husband was initially not so excited about this ‘weird’ birthing center idea. Over a few months with Heather’s help, I was able to educate my husband about birthing centers and midwives, and we were able to make my husband much more comfortable with the idea of the birthing center.

Part of this process was taking Heather’s Lamaze Childbirth classes. My husband learned about different types of birthing environments, and some of the women in the classes shared their different experiences with hospital births. After learning about what birth should look like, my husband was finally willing to tour the birthing center.

My husband and I learned a lot about relaxation and focus techniques from Heather and her partner Laura, and when I finally went into labor at 41 weeks, I needed every one of them. I was in back labor for the entire labor, so I was grateful for the classes.

I even succeeded in my goal of spending at least half my labor at home. My family has a history of 20+ hour labors. We just take forever. I went into labor at 3am with contractions coming regularly at 13-15 minutes. I spent the next 6 hours in the shower and on the birthing ball in my house until my husband woke up. Thanks to Heather’s great classes I was able to get through these first hours, and let my husband sleep.

I knew I’d need him more later in the day. We even managed to go out for breakfast. By 3pm though, things had starting getting a lot more uncomfortable, and we decided to head to the birthing center, and we called Heather to meet us there.

The birthing center was incredibly busy that night, if we had not had Heather, we would have been alone for much of labor. Heather and her partner Laura were fabulous while I spent most of labor in the tub at the birthing center. She always had new positions to try and helped guide my husband through supporting me. She took over when my husband needed a break or had to call family, and when I needed to be left alone to pace or yell or hold on to the wall, she knew when to give me space.

After 21 hours of labor at the birthing center, my son arrived happy and healthy, and I’m glad we had Heather there. She was exactly the support my husband and I needed. I only wish she were going to stay in Texas so I could hire her again for the next baby!