In this class, we focus on helping you understand how your body works in labor and what the birth process can look like, while also creating space for flexibility and informed decision making.

Topics include:

• Understanding your care team, including the roles of doulas and midwives
• How your body prepares for and moves through labor, including hormones and anatomy
• The stages of labor, with a closer look at transition
• The importance of rest and pacing yourself in early labor
• When to reach out to your provider, including water breaking, bleeding, or meconium
• Comfort and coping options, including both medicated and unmedicated approaches
• Common hospital interventions and how to navigate them with confidence
• Pushing, birth of your baby, and delivery of the placenta
• The golden hour and early bonding time
• Postpartum considerations, including awareness of hemorrhage
• Immediate newborn care and safety
• Understanding fetal heart tones and APGAR scoring