2a. Labor of Love: Movement and Partner Support for Birth (part 1)
How can movement help a baby be born? Does kneeling really open the pelvis wider than lying down? How on earth does a baby fit!? Can you stand while pushing the baby out? How can you use movement if you’ve had an epidural? And how can support people be most helpful and engaged in birth?
In this duel-focus class, learn how movement helps our body and baby’s body find their best fit; support sensation coping; and increase endurance and confidence.
Then delve into partner support tools, practicing how to be sensitive to a laboring person’s needs and how to offer physical and emotional supports. Together discover the powerful connection that is built between birth partners as they breathe and move together.
Below you will find a sample class meditation audio recording as well as a video about Choices In Birth that we encourage families to watch as early in pregnancy as possible. (This topic is explored in more depth in the Informed Choices workshop.
SYLLABUS
The Awareness Scan (birth meditation)
Why Move in Birth (group discussion)
- Baby positioning
- Baby descent
- Uterine Function
- Comfort (physical and emotional)
- Supporting endurance
- Heightening likelihood of Vaginal Delivery, whether planning medicated or unmedicated birth
Supporting the Laboring Parent: Tools for Birth Support
- Feeling the Breath (partner exercise)
- Understanding the laboring person’s experience and needs
- Reading and adapting to the signals of a laboring parent (group discussion)
Practicing Movement for Labor
- Dance, baby dance: move those hips!
- Forward leaning
- Side-lunging/asymmetric poses
- Squatting
- Pushing + Birth
- Movement for parents choosing epidurals
Pacing Yourself in Labor: What to Do When
*Resources found on the Birth Education Resource Page provide instructional videos on hands-on manual supports techniques, acupressure, fetal positioning + more.
Kaeli is an amazing instructor! Her kindness and patience helped me so much during my pregnancy! I’ve learned a lot during the 7-Week Comprehensive Series, from understanding birth, to newborn care and postpartum. Her classes empowered me and gave me confidence! What I appreciated most about her teaching style was the fact that she used evidence-based and real-life examples during the class. Also, my husband and I loved the opportunity to meet other couples expecting a baby, just like us.
Guided Meditation + Choices in Birth
Additional Workshops
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
My husband and I both found Kaeli’s birthing class extremely helpful. Kaeli has a wonderful gift of gently delivering empowering information that helped us feel more connected in our own unique pregnancy, birth and post birth experience.
The class covered important detailed information about what to expect during the birthing process that was not covered by our healthcare providers. The information also helped us identify and communicate what each of our needs were throughout the birthing process and post birth.
Being a first time mom, what I found to be one of the most useful things I experienced is an exercise Kaeli gave to help me connect to where “pushing” comes from in our body. I found this to be extremely helpful during labor.
Birth may unfold in many different ways. My husband and I feel Kaeli’s class prepared us very well emotionally as well as gaining valuable information.
–D + T, Barrington