Chicago Birthing From Within® Childbirth Classes:
Please contact me at amy at chicagodoula dot net or 773-255-4542 with questions or to request a registration form.
Upcoming Chicago Birth Class Schedule*:
Birthing From Within …for Expectant Parents:
-June 1st, 8th, and 15th from 11 am to 4 pm each day –
-Next Class TBA
This is a series of six classes, arranged to fit into a slightly more intensive and shorter time frame with two classes on each Saturday. The series is usually held in my home in the Logan Square/Humboldt Park neighborhood. The price for this class is on a sliding scale from $200 to $400 and includes lunch and snacks (On the second and third Saturdays we will work out a potluck rotation).
These are not your mother’s (or even your sister’s or co-workers’s) birth classes! In addition to practical information, you will learn multiple hands-on pain coping strategies as well as extensive interactive activities and self-reflective work to build confidence and strengthen your ability to meet whatever your birth may bring. You can find out more about what we cover in Birthing From Within® classes here.
Birthin’ Again …for Repeat Parents:
-September 7th, and 14th from 11 am to 4 pm each day -
This is a series of four classes arranged to fit in to a slightly more intensive and shorter time frame with two classes in each Saturday. The series will be held in my home in the Logan Square/Humboldt Park neighborhood.
The price for this class is $250 and includes lunch and snacks (On the second Saturday we will work out a potluck). The class will run only if at least two couples register in advance.
This series is designed to help parents reflect on and learn from previous birth experiences, dust off old pain coping strategies and learn new ones, connect with this pregnancy and each other and help with preparing older siblings.
*If my current schedule for group classes does not work for you, private classes are available. My fees for private birth classes begin at $500 for a full, 6-session series in your home. I also have Pam England’s Birthing From Within Pain-Coping Practice cd available to borrow or purchase. I also recommend checking out local BFW mentor, Holly Barhamand’s class schedule.
Doula Services:
- Labor and Birth
- Siblings at Birth
- Birth Tub Rental
- Postpartum
- Abortion Support
- Miscarriage Support
You can check my availability around your due date on my profile at doulamatch.net
Please call or email me to discuss what working with me would include and to see if you would like to set up a phone interview or time to meet in person. I can be reached by phone at 773-255-4542.
Please also shop around! There are many amazing doulas and birth educators in Chicago and it is important to find the one who is right for you. You can check out local birth and postpartum doula listings at Birthlink or visit doulamatch.net.
My Lending Library:
I make my own personal collection of books and movies available to anyone who uses my services. Here is a sample of available titles:
Books:
Birthing From Within, by Pam England
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn, by Peggy Simkin, Janet Whalley and Ann Keppler
Mama’s Little Baby – The Black Woman’s Guide to Pregnancy Childbirth and Baby’s First Year, by Dr. Dennis Brown and Pamela A. Toussant
Gentle Birth Choices, Barbara Harper
The Nursing Mother’s Companion, by Kathleen Huggins
The Birth Partner, by Peggy Simkin
Laborinth of Birth, by Pam England
Operating Instructions – A Journal of My Son’s First Year, by Anne Lamott
and many more!
DVDs:
“Birth Day” with midwife and mother Naoli Vinaver Lopez
“The Business of Being Born” with Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein
“Delivery Self Attachment” with Dr. Lennart Righard
“Baby Led Breastfeeding: The Mother Baby Dance” with Dr. Christina Smillie
“The Happiest Baby on the Block” with Dr. Harvey Karp
Other Anti-Violence Work:
In addition to birth and reproductive rights work, I provide a range of adult education about domestic and sexual violence (including “DV for Doulas”) as well as anti-oppression trainings and workshops such as Unlearning Racism and Heterosexism. I am a frequent trainer for the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network’s 40 Hour Intro to Domestic Violence Training. Please email me if you are interested in setting up a training or class in Chicago or elsewhere.