When I first began teaching Childbirth Education, it was from a desire to help my doula clients prepare more completely for their births.  For several years, I taught 9-week long classes packed with information and hand-outs and booklets and all the “right” things to do.  But then I accompanied these same parents into their births.  It didn’t seem to matter how much information they had assimilated in class.  What really mattered was how well the mother could cope with pain, how the couple could work together, how they were able to navigate the unknown.  And these factors were almost unpredictable before labor began.

I had a moment of clarity during a birth one Spring , this wonderful couple had done everything “right” to have a natural birth, but the mother was just unable to cope with early contractions.  No matter how many tools I invoked or how much her partner supported her, she couldn’t find her way.  I felt I had failed her in our preparation together.  I thought about this birth for months, wondering what would have helped her prepare.

Then I found Birthing From Within.  In this style of preparation, parents invest time in learning to cope with the intensity of birth.  But more than that, they learn what their unique journey is about.  They learn about normal labor, and what to expect of the natural birth process.  But they also learn to cope with the unexpected and to navigate modern medicine without being traumatized by it.  They get to relax, do some birth art, talk about their pregnancies.  They spend 2.5 hours every week focusing on their transition into parenthood.

I have been so pleased with the results of this mode of Childbirth Preparation.  More than achieving the “perfect” birth, couples are refocused on achieving love and awareness.  That can only come from within.

To fully experience what Birthing From Within is about, please register for a class.  For more details about Birthing From Within, you can peruse their site.  Or purchase Pam England’s book of the same title.