Birth Preparation Classes
“Megan and Marlee were great! We found them a wonderful balance between the two birth class extremes - Western medical model and all-natural approaches that view epidurals or c-section births as failures. They provided current evidence-based information and insightful ways to approach the decisions you might need to make during labor.
Highly recommend as a good balance of philosophies, and they are gracious, kind and informative to boot!”
— Becky
Private online classes:
Prepare for birth from the comfort of your home!
Are you…
overwhelmed by “information overload” when it comes to birth?
wondering how you might cope during labor?
planning to have an epidural and can’t find a birth class that feels welcoming and helpful for you?
Take a class with us!
We’ve been helping people prepare for birth since 2014.
Marlee and Megan Malone-Franklin (photo by Amanda Cagle)
We focus on the practical side of things. We love helping parents-to-be understand what to expect and how you can navigate this process as smoothly as possible.
Whether you are planning to birth in a hospital, birth center, or at home, you’ll find strategies and perspectives here to enrich your preparation and help you feel more grounded as you prepare for birth.
Our engaging online classes include:
information about the process of labor, birth, and the postpartum time - easy to understand and without the medical lingo!
focus on connection with your baby, your loved ones, and your self
practical tools for coping with intensity, pain, and unexpected or challenging events that may come up during labor
Our goal is to not only give you information, but to help you discover and cultivate internal resources already within you that will help you meet the challenges birth and parenthood can bring.
No matter what type of birth you're planning - or if you don't have a plan at all - our classes are a time for you to ask questions, explore your feelings around birth and parenting, and prepare to meet your little one.
“We attended 3 of Marlee and Megan’s birthing classes. It was great to be educated beforehand. They prepared not only me, but my husband as far as what to expect during labor.”
- Yary
Rates
Private Online Birthing Classes
Rather than a pre-set curriculum of classes, we offer the opportunity to build your own class series according to your needs.
Taken together, these 4 classes provide comprehensive preparation for birth and the newborn time.
Simply choose the topics you want and the dates that work with your schedule! Classes are 2-3 hours each and are held live via Zoom.
Typical class availability is 10am-5pm Eastern Time. Limited weekend times are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Class topics (more info about each class below):
Rates:
1 class: $175
2 classes: $325
3 classes: $450
4 classes: $550
Request birth classes and get our free guide:
Pack the Perfect Hospital Bag
“My wife and I took all four of the classes Marlee and Megan offer and we are so glad we did! Each class was the perfect mix of reflection, information, and time for questions. Marlee and Megan stay up to date with new researchers in various fields and had tons of invaluable information and insight.
This was our first pregnancy and birth, so we had so many questions. It was so nice to talk out our hopes and fears with them! I definitely felt more at ease after the classes.”
— Samantha
Class Descriptions
Birth Basics
If you’re wondering just what exactly happens during labor, this class is for you!
You’ll finish this 3-hour workshop with a thorough (but not graphic) understanding of the physical birth process. Our clients usually share that de-mystifying this process helps them feel so much more calm and ready to meet their baby!
We’ll cover:
Signs that labor is coming
How to know when to go to the hospital or contact your doctor or midwife
What labor can feel like
Tips for pushing effectively
What happens in the hour or so immediately following birth
Your rights during labor
A helpful paradigm for how to approach the unpredictable nature of birth
“Wow! Now I FINALLY understand so much about birth that I couldn’t really get just from reading books. You are both so good at explaining these really complicated concepts. I feel so much more prepared now!”
- Alex
Comfort Measures & Labor Positions
You’ll leave this 3-hour workshop with a toolbox full of ideas for making your way through the sensations of labor with as much ease as possible.
We first focus on strengthening your existing coping skills that may serve you well in labor, and then introduce some new ideas. If you have a partner or other support person who will be with you during labor, a big part of this class will focus on ways they can play a positive role in supporting you during birth.
You may find this class especially helpful if you are planning to birth without pain medication (whether in a hospital, at a birth center, or at home). But many of our clients who are planning to labor with an epidural have reported that this class was really helpful as well!
We’ll cover:
Effective coping techniques (things that we have seen firsthand help people through labor)
How you can use your breath to cope during labor
How to develop and maintain a coping mindset for labor (and how your support people can help)
Positions that can encourage labor to progress (including ones that work well with an epidural)
Positions that can relieve discomfort during labor
Techniques for touch and massage your partner/support people can use in labor
BONUS: You’ll also receive exclusive videos we created demonstrating positioning exercises you can use before and during labor
“This childbirth class was so relaxed, informative and enjoyable, and the tools and techniques you shared really came into play during my 24 hour all natural labor! Thank you for your openness and support.”
- Ashley
Decision-Making Skills for Labor
In this 2-hour class, the name of the game is STRATEGY. This class is solely focused on how to make decisions as best as possible in any given moment of labor. Many parents find that they felt unprepared for the intensity of labor and all the decision-making points along the way, and we’re here to change that.
We’ll share some of our favorite techniques to help you make decisions that feel right for you and your family in the moment with the knowledge you have at the time, helping you to find moments of balance and calm even when things feel really intense.
We also focus on the practical side of how to communicate decisions with your care team in effective ways (including informed consent and refusal). This is an especially important topic for people who are members of oppressed groups, and we’ll share our best advocacy strategies for getting what you need during labor.
While focused on people birthing in the hospital, we also love working with parents planning to birth outside the hospital setting on these topics. It can be so helpful to have a plan for how to handle these situations ahead of time in case of a transfer.
We’ll cover:
Informed consent and refusal and your rights during birth
Routine medical care during labor at your place of birth
Medical options available, when they might be helpful, and how you can use them strategically
Key questions you can ask to get the information you need during labor
Ways to communicate effectively with your care team
Strategies for navigating challenging conversations should they arise
“I think this class should be required for anyone who is expecting a baby! We both feel so much more equipped to make some of these difficult decisions. I especially appreciated this class because I know some of these decisions will fall to me while my partner is laboring.”
- Mateo
Marlee teaching our Bringing Baby Home class virtually for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic
Bringing Baby Home
This 3-hour workshop with Marlee - our resident postpartum doula, lactation counselor, and gentle sleep educator - helps to set the tone for your after-birth experience.
If you haven’t cared for a newborn full-time before, or if it has been a while since you’ve had a newborn in your life, you will leave this class with a blueprint for a cozy, confident start with your little one!
We’ll cover:
A day in the life of a newborn
What to expect in the early weeks with your baby
Setting yourself up to get the most sleep possible
Our favorite techniques for soothing your baby
Learning to read your baby’s cues
Infant feeding if you plan to use formula (breastfeeding/chestfeeding is not included in this class. See The Practical Parent’s Plan for Nursing a Newborn if you’re looking for a lactation course)
Caring for your body after birth (including our favorite postpartum healing tips)
Caring for your soul after birth
Navigating changing relationships
Bonding as a growing family
“I can’t tell you how helpful the newborn class was! A few weeks into parenthood, we have already implemented so many of the ideas and strategies that Marlee shared with us. Thank you so much for helping to minimize the overwhelm of this crazy time!”
- Bianca
How to Sign Up
We’ll send you an email with a registration link (including online payment)
Once you’ve completed your registration, we’ll email you with scheduling options for each class you want to take
You’re all signed up!
You’ll get the Zoom link for each class in your confirmation email, as well as any supplies needed for class (just simple household items)
Attend your classes
Keep in touch with us! We’re happy to answer any additional questions you have afterward, and love hearing from our clients after birth!
Looking for a lactation class?
We’ve created an online breastfeeding/chestfeeding class, The Practical Parent’s Plan for Nursing a Newborn!
This engaging, self-paced course will give you a solid foundation so you understand what to expect from nursing your baby, and how to set yourself up for success.
We based this course on the questions we hear most frequently in our practice. It is truly a practical approach to learning about nursing your baby!
Preparing for a cesarean birth?
Cesarean Preparation Class
This is a private birthing class just for you if you know ahead of time that you will be meeting your baby in the OR for any reason.
Our compassionate and detailed approach will help you understand what to expect and what your options are, so you feel as calm and confident as possible before your birth.
This 2-hour class taught live on Zoom includes:
An overview of the process before, during, and after cesarean birth (both for you, and for your baby)
Options for a family-centered cesarean that may be available at your hospital
The role of your partner and/or support person during a c-section
Effective communication and advocacy with your care providers
Strategies for relaxation and calming anxiety that you can use before and during your birth
Special considerations for lactation after a cesarean birth
Tips and tricks for making your home recovery-friendly in the days following birth
Our favorite postpartum healing tips for cesarean recovery
Rate: $150
“Once we knew we had to have a c-section (which was definitely not the birth we had envisioned for our first child), Marlee and Megan really helped to put our fears at ease. They walked us through the whole process, made sure we knew what we could ask for (we could still have a birth plan!), and gave us practical tips for making this the best birth possible. We were so much more prepared and it turned out to be a beautiful experience!”
- Naomi
FAQs
Are these classes based in Hypnobabies or Hypnobirth, Bradley Method, or another birthing method?
No, our classes could be described as “non-denominational.” We don’t teach from a workbook of a specific method. Rather, we focus on getting you the information you really need - practical things that we have seen make a positive difference in our work (based on our 7+ years of birth work and attending well over 100 births). We love helping parents explore and build their inner resources and resilience, and then add some extra information and skills that can help too.
Our Pittsburgh birth classes are influenced by the Birthing From Within perspective, which is a trauma-informed lens that focuses on the psychological aspect of birth and new parenthood. We love compassionately helping parents prepare for the the unexpected - something that always seems to show itself at one point or another when welcoming a new tiny human!
Side note: many people looking for Lamaze classes are primarily looking for classes outside the hospital setting that help them learn how to cope with labor. We absolutely fit that description!I’m having my first baby. Which class(es) should I take?
First of all, congratulations! Secondly, if you’re new to the world of birth and babies, we highly recommend taking all of our classes (including our online lactation course if you plan to nurse your baby).
Between these 5 classes, you’ll learn how birth works (Birth Basics), ways you can cope with the intensity of the experience (Comfort Measures), how you can strategically navigate your medical options as needed (Decision-Making), ways you can prepare your mind and body for life with your newborn (Bringing Baby Home), and how to set yourself up for success when it comes to feeding your little one (The Practical Parent’s Plan for Nursing a Newborn).
That’s a pretty well-rounded way to prepare for birth if you ask us!
I’ve already had a baby, but I still want to take a class this time around. What do you suggest?
Reach out to us! We’d love to learn more about your previous experience and work with you to figure out what class might be the right fit. We have also created custom classes before for people who are birthing again, so we’d be happy to do that if needed!Should I still take a class if I’m also hiring a doula?
Absolutely! Usually doulas don’t have time to cover everything you may want to know in just one or two prenatal visits. Taking classes will give you so much more context and actually enhance your work with your doula!Are these classes only for people who want a natural birth?
About half of the clients who take our classes plan to birth without pain medication. The other half are a mix of knowing ahead of time that they want an epidural, or aren’t quite sure.
Many classes that are marketed as “natural birth classes” leave out information that can be REALLY helpful in case plans change along the way. So many parents who planned for a natural birth are left feeling blindsided when unexpected things happened that led to additional medical support in their labor that they were completely unprepared for.
Our classes focus on:The practical information you need to understand exactly what our bodies do during birth, and
How to cope with the twists and turns that birth can bring.
This kind of compassionate, holistic preparation leads to lower rates of trauma! Our clients share with us time and time again how helpful it was to feel informed about all of their options, no matter what their Plan A was for their birth.
What if I can’t afford these classes?
We feel strongly that birth preparation classes should be available to everyone who wants them, regardless of ability to pay (especially for members of oppressed groups). If you are having trouble meeting your basic needs financially and/or if you qualify for Medicaid, SNAP benefits, WIC, or TANF, let us know. We are often able to provide classes on a sliding scale, so please reach out!