Main Menu

Additional Classes

Breastfeeding Couple Class, taught by Teresa Howard and Pam Roe, is to prepare you prior to the birth of your baby in understanding the whys, hows and whens to breastfeeding to insure success. This is a unique class with new approaches to learning positions and latching techniques.

Infant and Child CPR Class, taught by Natalie Coleman who is certified with the American Heart Association. Know what to do in an emergency situation to save your childï¿½s life.

Infant Massage Introductory Class taught by Teresa Howard. Learn how to sooth your baby with some basic techniques that you may find invaluable. Come with your baby to have some fun! Better digestion, happier baby, longer sleep and great bonding times!

Preparing for Parenthood taught by Teresa Howard to help you flourish as new parents- helping the transition flow much smoother. More sleep, more money, more family time, more fun, more intimacyï¿½ want to learn more?

Line Up your Baby for Labor! Optimal fetal positioning techniques to avoid back labor taught by Guina Bixler based on her training with Gail Tulley.

There's a Big Baby in the House: Parenting your Toddler beyond babyhood, now what do you do? Taught by Pam Roe. Having a toddler can be very challenging at time- this class will help you navigate new ground.

VBAC/CBAC- what is right for me? - taught by Pam Roe & Guina Bixler. Explore the options for a safe and satisfying birth experience after a previous surgical birth.

Baby Sign Language WeeHands taught by Persis Bristol Dodson. Communicate more effectively! Babies are more content when conveying a need is not a constant struggle. Learn preverbal communication and teach your baby the ability to express his or her needs and thoughts. Baby sign language will benefit babies from ages 4 months to 36 months.

Fathering in Awareness class for dads by dads. The dads share tips on partner skills for labor and birth as well as parenting skills.

Happiest Baby on the Block, CALMS/ HUGS parenting and soothing your baby classes.This class is multifaceted. We offer the techniques of Harvey Karp of the Happiest Baby on the Block along with the CALMS techniques for soothing your baby based on Drs. Contey and Takikawa in combination with the HUGS techniques by Jan Tedder.

Dr. Karp's 5 soothing techniques to prevent colic and help to calm your baby will be accompanied by a take home DVD with the techniques as well as a white noise CD that has a retail value of $40+. Plus, we include the ideas of CALMS which teach five ways to interact with your baby to keep you and your baby calmer, along with Tedder's techniques to learn to understand the amazing language of your newborn and help to regulate your baby- therefore having a baby that cries less in the first year and is more independent in the 2nd year of life.

These are essential tools to equip every parent. This is a coupleï¿½s class and it is strongly recommended that both the mom and partner attend to get the full benefit of the class. This class is facilitated by either Teresa Howard or Pam Roe.

For more information on classes or events call Teresa at 770-923-6914 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please visit our Calendar to see when our next classes will be held.

Birthing Again These classes are for those who have birthed previously. It is only 9 hours of classes over a Friday evening time with just the moms and two Saturdays for the couples . This is not to be taken as an initial class- you must have taken a childbirth class with your previous pregnancy. Teresa Howard teaches this series. The series includes:

Review and learn more pain coping techniques
How to push effectively and with less perineal trauma
Sibling integration
Birth trauma resolution and self discovery
Partner reminders
Baby care and breastfeeding review

Please visit our Calendar to see when our next classes will be held. For more information on classes or events call Teresa at 770-923-6914 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Private Classes Although we believe that the group interaction is something that helps not only solidify the information, but also makes our classes more fun, we offer private classes in our childbirth class locations or your home for those whose schedules don't allow a group interactive class setting. If you have children, childcare is necessary so that you will not be distracted during the class time set aside if it is in your home. There are four modules that last about 2.5- 3 hours each that can be selected ala carte to tailor them to your specific needs. For a full class you would need to take all four modules. Each module can be individually priced or the set of four modules are available at a discount.

For more information on classes or events call Teresa at 770-923-6914 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Childbirth Classes

Each childbirth class is a bit different from the previous one or the one to come. In teaching Birthing in Awareness classes, the curriculum is different due to making the class individualized to meet the needs of the individual students who are attending the series. Teresa teaches the group classes on Saturday mornings and Pam teaches Sundays, early in the evening. Guina teaches an abridged weekend immersion class.

Please check our calendar for the upcoming classes and don't hesitate to register early as these classes fill quickly. Teresa will send you a class agreement via email for you to see costs of the varied classes and register.

The purpose for our childbirth preparation classes is to help the couple become closer and communicative about their desires not only for labor and birth but for parenting and to learn to listen to their instinctive voice, and to allow their fears to be resolved prior to labor beginning. This release of fears enables a couple to enter their labor capable, confident, aware, prepared and informed. The class is not specific to one way of birthing or method of childbirth as we believe births unfold in an unexpected and unplanned way many times, and it is important to be able to make the "next best thing" decisions along the way. Instead of teaching one method we teach you at least twenty pain coping skills and practices that you may find useful. We offer the option of incorporating some guided imagery (hypnosis) for birth situations, some active birth postures and information on non-medical pain relief as well as medical. We try to impart a different way of thinking about your labor and birth- one without fear and with an enhancement of knowledge that helps to build communication skills not only between you as a couple but as well as with your care provider. You develop a team mentality instead of a "them and us" thinking.

We make our classes fun! We do some active learning through role playing, hands on teaching and practice. We have videos to watch, homework assignments that are fun and unique and we encourage students to ask questions and involve themselves fully in the process. Our curriculum includes learning a pain coping mindset and the techniques to help with pain in labor. We include some birth art and listening to birth stories as well as some hands on practice of positions that may facilitate a faster labor. You will learn about the mind body connection and its effect on labor, your birth place preparation- whether home or hospital, effective postures for birth and pushing, the companion's role (we offer an additional class for dads), informed consent and making decisions, playing the "Doing the Next Best Thing" game, postpartum adjustment, breastfeeding and care of the newborn and welcoming your newest addition to your family. We want you to leave our class talking throughout the week about the things you learned. We encourage you to explore ideas you may not have ever explored, deepening your awareness about your body, birth in general and your relationship. We want you to leave as an informed consumer, actively involved in the decisions that surround your birth.

We have many years of exposure to different teachings and experiences. We have read tons of books on childbirth methods, parenting ideas and more including our favorite authors who include Ina May Gaskins, Michel Odent, Janet Balaskas, Pam England, Shelia Kitzinger, William Sears, Jay Gordon and others. There is not just one specific type of training that goes into our classes.

Teresa Howard has had experience personally with both the Bradley and Lamaze methods of childbirth when giving birth to her children. She has done extensive training over the 16 years of teaching in many areas that enhance her skills as an educator. She is a retired La Leche League leader after ten years of being an active leader and is also a certified lactation educator (CLE) and previous lactation educator trainer for CAPPA. She is also a previous postpartum doula trainer for CAPPA and is certified as a postpartum doula (CPD). Her training specific to being a childbirth educator has been with Pam England who pioneered the method based on Birthing From Within (www.birthingfromwithin.com), with additional Lamaze training, her labor doula training with DONA (CD) and CAPPA (CLD) as well as with Gail Tully in learning about optimal fetal positioning techniques (www.spinningbabies.com). She is a certified childbirth educator for CAPPA (CCCE), completed two levels of training with Birthing From Within as well as being a Happiest Baby on the Block certified instructor (CHBE). She keeps current with new research and attends continuing education annually.

Pam Roe has had experience personally with Bradley and Lamaze. She is a retired La Leche league leader after ten years as an active leader and is a certified labor doula with both CAPPA (CLD) and DONA (CD). She is a Birthing from Within Mentor and a certified childbirth educator (CCCE) with CAPPA. She is also certified as a Happiest Baby on the Block instructor (CHBE). She too keeps current with new research and attends continuing education annually.

Guina Bixler has had experience personally with the Lamaze method of childbirth while giving birth to her children. She also has personal experience of a cesarean birth as well as a VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean). She is a certified labor doula with CAPPA (CLD) She has completed her training as a lactation educator, childbirth educator and postpartum doula. She has been trained by Gail Tully in learning about optimal fetal positioning techniques (www.spinningbabies.com). And she is currently a Birthing From Within mentor Level I. She will be completing Level II in November 08.

All of these experiences come together in the classes we offer. Please contact Teresa at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to hear more information about the classes and offerings on our upcoming schedule. Please visit our calendar to see when these classes are being offered.