Photo by Devi Pride Photography.
“Through soul-searching and listening more deeply to the women I was working with, I finally understood that women have to prepare for birth in their heart and soul, not their head.”
Pam England
Author of Birthing from Within & Ancient Map for Modern Birth
About Classes
Mother’s Journey childbirth preparation offers a balance of practical information and creative exploration. Through group discussion, breathing and mindfulness practices, videos, and sample scenarios, the class will prepare expectant parents with information and a mindset to meet labor as it unfolds. Recognizing that one can influence, but not totally control how birth unfolds, this approach gives parents tools to work with the pain and intensity of birth, and also a mindset to birth through any unexpected twists and turns in the birth and postpartum experience.
Kymm Ann recognizes the importance of not only preparing for birth, but also for the early postpartum period. One class in the series is dedicated to exploring/preparing for postpartum – hereby acknowledging not only the birth of the baby, but also the birth of the parent.
The curriculum which Kymm Ann brings to her birth classes comes from having attended hundreds of women in birth, in a variety of settings – hospital, home, and birth center. She has been highly influenced by her training in the Birthing From Within approach, as well as from various other trainings/teachers. She credits much of the wisdom which she shares in classes to the many women she has accompanied through labor and postpartum.
Class Highlights
- Overview of normal labor and its variations
- Build a pain coping mindset through breath and mindfulness practice
- Physical techniques (positions, touch) for pain coping and labor progress
- Birth partner support skills and communication
- Experience birth as a rite of passage
- What to expect from your care provider and birth place
- Compassionate and appropriate use of medical intervention and pain medication
- Create a birth space and team that will facilitate your labor
- Birthing by cesarean
- Connect with other expectant parents
- Prepare to navigate through any unexpected elements that arise in labor
- Create a healthy postpartum period/early transition to parenting
- Postpartum reunion class
Class size is small (usually 6-10 couples).
Participants will have access to a google classroom page with centralized class information including handouts, articles, and links related to class topics.
As you may know classes have been offered through Luma Yoga and Family Center for many years now. Sadly, Luma recently announced it will be closing it’s doors on 2/14/21 (due to financial stress related to the pandemic). Although my classes have been offered in different locations over the years, Luma has been the “home” for my class for several years now. I will greatly miss the community of Luma Yoga and the beautiful gathering space for expectant and new parents. The Mother’s Journey childbirth class will continue to be a haven where expectant/new parents can connect with one another as they walk through this unique time in life together.
*The July/August series was the first series returning to an in person format. In person classes are currently offered in a comfortable outdoor setting on the west side of Santa Cruz. The hopes are for classes to remain in person, however should CDC guidelines change, classes will return to a live zoom format.
Please visit the class schedule tab for dates of upcoming series and contact Kymm Ann with questions about the classes or to register.