Childbirth Education Resources in the Time of Covid-19

Raise your hand if you were excited to go to a childbirth education class that got canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Or, did you want to sign up for a class but it was just outside of your budget? Well, I have a few solutions for you! Even if we cannot know what to expect from the coming weeks, you can learn what to expect from childbirth at CHI Health through the resources listed in this post.

As an expectant parent, there are few certainties in this uncertain time of our lives:

• Women will go into labor.
• Women’s water will break.
• Babies will be born.

What Does This Mean for How You Will Prepare for Childbirth?

In a time where many people are making preparations for staying at home in an effort to avoid the hospital, you must make preparations for when to leave your home and go to a hospital to give birth. But, how do you know when you are in labor and when to make your way to the hospital? I hope the following list of online resources for childbirth education helps you.

I have spent the past couple weeks watching a lot of YouTube videos and calling upon my colleagues to pass along recommendations for alternative offerings of online childbirth education classes. There are some wonderful people who have put content on YouTube and their own websites over the years as well as quite a few local businesses who offer childbirth education. Luckily, the CHI Health Childbirth Educators have worked quickly and very hard to get their classes online for all of our patients. So, please use the information below to learn as much as you can about the process of childbirth from our very own trusted Childbirth Educators. Here is a list of resources:

• CHI Health Maternity Care Blog: this is a comprehensive list of articles that can help answer quite a few questions you might have throughout your pregnancy.
• CHI Health Maternity Care Videos: these videos include information from each individual CHI Health Maternity Center as well as short videos about what to bring to the hospital, what to expect at certain weeks of pregnancy and more.
• Postpartum Resources: Dr. Jeffrey Stearnes discusses what is normal during your postpartum time:
• Taking care of Mama: A virtual opportunity for pregnant and new moms to connect and gain support during these challenging times. All are welcome at no cost - Join one meeting or join all. Zoom meetings facilitated by Maternal Mental Health NOW staff Anna King, LCSW, PMH-C & Gabrielle Kaufman, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT, NCC, PMH-C
• Breastfeeding
• New Parent Tips
• Register for this series and the course videos will be emailed to you.

If you have concerns about Labor and Delivery at CHI Health reach out to your Obstetrician and they will help answer your questions.