At New Life, we offer a variety of classes in our Birth Center taught by MariMikel Penn and her staff.  

They are designed for both moms and dads.  Basically, we try to educate our parents as much as possible during the pregnancy because Knowledge Is Power. 

The topics include: Early Pregnancy, Breathing Techniques,  Sibling Preparation, Childbirth Education, Nutrition, Breastfeeding, Unexpected Childbirth, Coaching Techniques (for the father).

After everyone in the childbirth class has had their baby, we have a New Baby Party.

• We teach free Early Pregnancy classes every other month. These are open to the public as a community service. We go over nutrition, exercises, new ideas in childbirth, questions and answers, and show a video. Mates are welcome along family or a friend, but we ask that children ten years and older come to the nighttime classes. Feel free to ask us about exceptions.
• We teach Sibling Preparation Classes about once a month to get big brothers and sisters ready for the new baby and answer some of the questions brought up at such an event.
• The Childbirth Education Classes are designed are designed to connect the couple as a unit. A portion of the class focus is on preparing the father. Some fathers want to catch their babies while we continue to support their perineum and help prevent tears.
• Please see the Class Outline for the agenda of class topics. We use lots of videos, films and visual aids to enhance the learning process and to make it more fun.
• The classes begin in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy and meet once or twice a week from 7 to 9 PM. Should a birth occur on a class night, there will be enough time to reschedule and complete the series of classes before anyone’s due date. We don’t require that everyone go to all the classes, but they are each important. Being well informed and taking personal responsibility for the birth experience is a necessary part of a midwife attended birth. Classes are an easy way to do that. If coming to classes is difficult for you, please let us know. We try to be negotiable on most of the requirements and standard operating procedures’ of New Life.
• After everyone in your childbirth class has had their baby, we will arrange a New Baby Party. The whole family is invited to a wonderful pot luck dinner. Everyone can share their birth story and great food.

Childbirth Class Topics

Class content will be covered in the first class. MariMikel goes in-depth on a variety of subjects including anatomy and physiology of birth, support techniques and coach's role, what to expect from us, experiences in the postpartum period and positive parenting skills.  Knowing what to expect greatly minimizes the normal fears associated with childbirth and enables you to bring your baby into an environment of love, safety and respect.

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