ALACE ~ Birthing From Within ~ Bradley Method ~ CAPPA ~ Hospital ~ Independent ~ Lamaze

Below are links to some of the childbirth classes offered in Kitsap County. Please contact the instructors directly with questions about their classes.

“If you don’t know your options,

you do not have any.” 

~  Roberta Scaer & Diane Korte

Photo courtesy of ALL Round Doula Care

ALACE - Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators

Birthing From Within - Week by week, expectant couples master a variety of mind-focusing practices which include breath awareness, mindfulness, self-hypnosis, and visualizations . . . and explore the wise and compassionate use of drugs and epidurals.

The Birthing Inn Tacoma, WA - check their website for classes.

The Bradley Method^{® _} classes stress the importance of Healthy Baby, Healthy Mother and Healthy Families. We attract families who are willing to take the responsibility needed for preparation and birth.

CAPPA - a comprehensive pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum organization ...caring for women before, during, and after birth through education and support.

Harrison Hospital Class Schedule (Silverdale)

Independent (not affiliated) – Instructors who have been trained through some of the best childbirth education programs available, offering private instruction unaffiliated with programs like Lamaze or Bradley Method^®.

Lamaze - Attending Lamaze childbirth classes will help you to learn more about normal birth and to give birth with confidence and joy.

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There are as many ways to prepare for childbirth as there are women who are birthing. Before you commit to taking a childbirth class, ask yourself some questions to see which class might be the best fit for your goals, your personality, and your vision for your birth.

• Would you prefer a one on one class, or a group setting?
• Are you looking to be informed of the physiological process, the emotional process, or both?
• Is the spiritual aspect important to you?
• Does the class you’re looking at fit into your schedule?
• Does the class emphasize (through video, language) normal, healthy birth, or medical, interventive birth?
• What role does your partner expect to play? What role do you expect your partner to play, and do those two roles mesh? (A Bradley class might not be right for a couple where the father does not want to be the primary support person, etc.)
• Is the instructor willing to work with you on financial arrangements?
• What are the instructor’s feelings about birth? Is she strictly anti-hospital, anti-intervention? Is she giving the risks and benefits of pain medications? Do you feel pushed into something you’re not planning or comfortable with? Do you feel supported and educated enough to make informed decisions?
• Do you feel like you have access to your instructor to get your questions answered?
• Do you feel it is important to practice pain coping techniques, or breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, or all of the above?
• Do you feel comfortable incorporating art into your birth preparation?
• Are there other types of classes offered, i.e. newborn care, breastfeeding, postnatal classes, etc.? Is that important to you?
• Where are the classes located (in your home, in a class room, at the hospital, in a clinic, in the instructor’s home)?
• Who is funding the childbirth class? (Hospital based classes may be limited by what the hospital approves in the curriculum, etc.)
• Do you have access to other professionals in the community through the class?
• Will my insurance cover my class (Even DSHS covers more than just hospital classes! Ask your instructors what they can accept.)
• What does your intuition say?These questions in no way encompass all of the factors that may go into your decision of what class to take. Some classes are two hours, some are longer. Some are 3 weeks, some are 12. Some instructors are willing to meet with you privately, and some only facilitate group classes. Go into your childbirth education class with three specific ideas of what you’d like to get out of the class. “I would like to learn pain coping techniques.” “I would like to learn positions for laboring.” “I would like to understand how my fears can stall the labor.”

Disclaimer: Be a responsible consumer: check references, trust your gut, and ask questions! Inclusion on this website is not an endorsement of services. The owners of this site can not be held responsible for the actions of professionals listed herein. Professionals listed here may or may not have paid a fee to be included. No information presented on this site is meant to be medical advice. Seek the guidance of a medical professional if you have any questions about your care. While we strive to keep information current, you may find a broken link or come across someone who is no longer practicing. Please send us an email so that we can keep the site up to date.

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