Giving birth is a powerful, life changing experience for women and their loved ones. Whatever kind of birth you will have, in hospital, at home, without interventions or through a C-section; it will be a rite of passage into parenthood.
In Belly to baby and beyond you and your partner will learn various valuable practical skills and strategies for childbirth and beyond. Through a series of 9 weekly classes in English, we help you prepare physically and psychologically for birth through the training of breathing techniques, relaxation and visualization exercises. Also we provide you with extensive, experience-and research-based information to help you make good decisions about your childbirth and newborn care. And of course there is time to get to know other English-speaking pregnant women and their (birth)partner.
Our comprehensive weekly classes will empower and equip you and your birth partner with knowledge and confidence for your impending birth. It is our belief that preparation skills and having sufficient support are key tools that enable you to have a positive and gentle birth experience and easy transition into parenthood.
General outline of the sessions:
1. “An introduction to birth”. In this session you will receive information about normal birth; what are the different phases in birth, what happens with your body when giving birth, etc. Also we will talk about the different birthing options in Barcelona.
2. “The psychological changes when being pregnant”. In this session we will talk about the bodily and emotional changes you go through when being pregnant. How the relationship with your body can change, the relationship with your partner, and with your family during this transition.
3. “Why breathing is such a big matter”. In this session you will understand the real meaning of breathing, how you can maintain high levels of oxytocin and how to keep the adrenalin low in labor. You will also learn powerful coping strategies to use in the initial phase of labor, the latent phase. We will have a look at different breathing methods, for example the prophylactic deep breathing that encourages a flow of oxygen to the baby and to the laboring mother in this first part of dilatation.
4. “The fear-tension-pain cycle”. In this session we’ll talk about how becoming anxious when giving birth, tenses up the body which can make you experience more pain. We’ll work on breathing techniques and relaxation. You will also receive a CD to practice at home.
5. “When the real fun begins – Active labor”. In this session we will have a deep look into active labor, coping strategies, natural pain relievers, what the hospital offers and what you can do to stay home as long as possible. We will also go through some very good massages techniques that the birth partner can practice, bodily changes in active labor and we will continue using breathing as one of our most complete tools. In this session you will learn how the medium and the light breathing work, and how they can help during delivery as well as coaching & visualization techniques that might be useful.
6. “Prenatal attachment”. In this session we will continue practicing relaxation and visualizations, thinking about the baby you carry inside.
7. “Your baby is almost here – The birth”. In this session you will learn everything about the expulsion phase, the birth of your baby. You will learn powerful as well as gentle techniques to deliver your baby safe and calm. We will practice pushing, know about moaning and how moaning can help, how you can use different letters from the alphabet to avoid an instrumental birth (!). We will also talk about the umbilical cord and the expulsion of the placenta.
8. “The birth of a mother”. In this session we will talk about the changes women face when becoming a mother and point out the things that women find helpful in this transition.
9. “Postnatal – The baby is here, and it is all yours!” In this session we will talk about the first days and weeks after the baby has been born, how you take care about the newborn, what you need to know about breastfeeding, and how to have a good rhythm in the family those first very important days. It is also the very last class so you are very welcome to stay a bit longer after this session to talk about anything that comes up in mind, doubts, fears, questions or illusions.
*Uneven sessions are for women and their (birth)partners
Even sessions only the pregnant women meet
When: Monday night, 20.00 to 21.30-22.00, starting January 30th 2012
Where: Barcelona Well Woman Clinic
C/Casp 80 primero, 1-3a
(esquina con C/ Bailen 27)
Barcelona 08010
Cost: 190 Euros for both woman and (birth)partner, including reading material, relaxation CD’s, tea and cookies.
When to start? From being 12 weeks pregnant or more
Who are we?
Viktoria Löwenthal is an experienced and highly qualified doula and birth preparation instructor, trained with professional midwifes in Sweden in 2008. As a doula and birth partner she has assisted various births, home births as well as in private clinics and public hospitals and therefore she has an extensive knowledge on different birth options in Barcelona. She also runs the popular Baby Café (together with midwife Raquel Faust) in the Barcelona Well Woman Clinic, supporting mothers, fathers and their babies. Viktoria is the founder of Mare Meva, founded in 2008, offering antenatal classes and doula service (pregnancy, birth and postpartum support) in Barcelona. Viktoria speaks English, Spanish, Catalan and Swedish fluently.
Anna Jansen is a qualified and registered dance movement psychotherapist. She has been working in the mental health field for more than 10 years. Before moving to Barcelona in 2005 she worked in Holland and the United States. She works in private practice and as a lecturer and supervisor at the Universidad Autónoma of Barcelona. She is the founder of BabyBluesBarcelona, offering psychological support to women and couples during pregnancy and after delivery. Anna is member of ADMTE (Asociación Española de Danza Movimiento Terapia) and NEST (Network English Speaking Therapists). Anna works in Dutch, English and Spanish.
For more information:
Contact:
Viktoria:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 667546194
Anna:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 657183542
Antenatal intensive classes in Barcelona