THIS IS
YOUR BIRTH.
YOUR BIRTH.
I won't make any under estimations. It was really hard work. Really, really hard work. But we had a great midwife who largely sat by and let us labor. To that end, after all was said and done she complimented us on our, um, performance (?). And asked if/where we had taken birthing classes.
We sung your praises and I'll do so here again. Your classes were perfect. Digestible enough that we could pluck things from memory and put them into practice easily. Because really, in the throes of delivering a baby, forethought and planning are reduced to one-liners and simply making it through the next 90-seconds.
Thanks to my husband and I being a super well-suited pairing, a great midwife & nurse, a wonderful little girl who did her fair share of work and your thoughtful preparation, our family had the birth experience we desired and deserved. - Emily and Job K.
Birth Works Childbirth Education
Group childbirth classes, voted Top Birth Class in Philly by CBS Philly and winner of the 2017 Love Awards for Best Prenatal Class and 2018 and 2019 Best Birth Class, are available
in Fishtown, South Philadelphia, and Germantown
in a 3 week or one day format.
Classes are also available privately and online.
Online childbirth preparation classes are available at any time and can be completed at your own pace in your own space. The course materials can be reviewed at any point during or after your enrollment. You have access to the materials forever!
Homebirth preparation classes are held at Philadelphia Midwife Collective in Germantown and Ohm Chiropractic in South Philly
in a group setting, one day format,
and are also available privately.
Check out our upcoming workshop for expectant parents, "Moving Through Labor," held at LifeCycle WomanCare in Bryn Mawr and at Ohm Chiropractic in South Philadelphia, devoted to understanding the pelvis, exploring baby positioning, and developing hands-on techniques for encouraging a
smooth labor!
Group childbirth classes, voted Top Birth Class in Philly by CBS Philly and winner of the 2017 Love Awards for Best Prenatal Class and 2018 and 2019 Best Birth Class, are available
in Fishtown, South Philadelphia, and Germantown
in a 3 week or one day format.
Classes are also available privately and online.
Online childbirth preparation classes are available at any time and can be completed at your own pace in your own space. The course materials can be reviewed at any point during or after your enrollment. You have access to the materials forever!
Homebirth preparation classes are held at Philadelphia Midwife Collective in Germantown and Ohm Chiropractic in South Philly
in a group setting, one day format,
and are also available privately.
Check out our upcoming workshop for expectant parents, "Moving Through Labor," held at LifeCycle WomanCare in Bryn Mawr and at Ohm Chiropractic in South Philadelphia, devoted to understanding the pelvis, exploring baby positioning, and developing hands-on techniques for encouraging a
smooth labor!
The information you shared in the childbirth class was invaluable and really helped me get through labor and delivery. I felt totally empowered and look back on the experience with a great sense of pride. Your lactation and newborn care classes have also been really helpful as we've been adjusting to being at home. - Rochelle and Shawn K. |
Thank you so for such a great class! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned so much. We definitely feel more confident going into this experience than we did before. Thank you for the follow up email too -- we appreciated all the additional information you sent. - Lauren and Joe I. |
Blossoming Bellies childbirth preparation classes are research-based, hands-on, interactive courses to support expecting parents in gaining knowledge, skills, and confidence for their birth and parenting journey. All classes are developed and facilitated by certified Childbirth Educator Brittany Sharpe McCollum, CCE(BWI), CD(DONA).
Class topics include belief systems surrounding labor and birth, refocusing of fears to positively impact pregnancy,
birth, and postpartum, antenatal and postpartum nutrition and exercise, visualization and relaxation techniques for
pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, understanding medical interventions - when they are really necessary, what their impact is, and
how to avoid unnecessary interventions, the normal emotional and physical labor process, understanding the cesarean, touch and comfort
measures to reduce discomfort and fear in labor, medical pain relief options, how to become a truly informed client, pelvic bodywork and
awareness, and understanding positioning of the baby for labor. In person classes focusing on breastfeeding basics, postpartum changes, infant care, and postpartum life are available in separate two hour workshops (check them out here).
Childbirth classes for those birthing in a hospital, birth center, or at home are offered in a 3 week series, a condensed one day class, or a comprehensive online format (that includes two live webinar sessions with Brittany). Topics covered in the 3 week and one day classes include knowing one's rights in the laboring room, informed and evidence-based decision making, pelvic bodywork and understanding baby positioning for a smoother and more efficient labor, understanding the role of interventions and how to make decisions regarding their necessity, exploration of cultural perspectives on labor and birth, the emotional and physical aspects of the labor process, medical pain relief options, and natural comfort measures. The online class covers all of the topics above as well as the immediate and extended postpartum, breastfeeding, infant care overview, and postpartum planning. The online course also includes two live webinar sessions held with Brittany so that clients can ask questions and seek guidance for positioning, pelvic bodywork, and more. Brittany encourages an environment where expectant parents and their partners, if applicable, feel secure in exploring their options and developing their own priorities while building positive communication skills and confidence for their labors and births.
Classes are offered privately or in group settings in South Philadelphia, Fishtown, and Germantown or are available in an online course that can be completed at your pace and in your own space.
The homebirth-specific group childbirth class is offered in a one day format. Class topics are
similar to the general childbirth classes and follow the same holistic philosophies but are geared towards those
choosing to birth at home. Topics include informed decision making and shared trust between the client and
midwife, pelvic bodywork and understanding positioning of the baby for a smoother labor, nourishment and movement for a
healthy pregnancy, mindfulness and partner exercises to build confidence and trust in oneself and each other, the
physiological and emotional process of labor, interventions and hospital transfer and when they are necessary,
natural comfort measures and positions for labor, and the immediate postpartum period. Classes are offered in a group setting
in Germantown or South Philly or can be taken privately.
All class participants receive customized class materials full of thorough resources for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum life. A receipt will be
provided at the completion of class; most insurance companies will reimburse at least $50 for a birth class.
Class topics include belief systems surrounding labor and birth, refocusing of fears to positively impact pregnancy,
birth, and postpartum, antenatal and postpartum nutrition and exercise, visualization and relaxation techniques for
pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, understanding medical interventions - when they are really necessary, what their impact is, and
how to avoid unnecessary interventions, the normal emotional and physical labor process, understanding the cesarean, touch and comfort
measures to reduce discomfort and fear in labor, medical pain relief options, how to become a truly informed client, pelvic bodywork and
awareness, and understanding positioning of the baby for labor. In person classes focusing on breastfeeding basics, postpartum changes, infant care, and postpartum life are available in separate two hour workshops (check them out here).
Childbirth classes for those birthing in a hospital, birth center, or at home are offered in a 3 week series, a condensed one day class, or a comprehensive online format (that includes two live webinar sessions with Brittany). Topics covered in the 3 week and one day classes include knowing one's rights in the laboring room, informed and evidence-based decision making, pelvic bodywork and understanding baby positioning for a smoother and more efficient labor, understanding the role of interventions and how to make decisions regarding their necessity, exploration of cultural perspectives on labor and birth, the emotional and physical aspects of the labor process, medical pain relief options, and natural comfort measures. The online class covers all of the topics above as well as the immediate and extended postpartum, breastfeeding, infant care overview, and postpartum planning. The online course also includes two live webinar sessions held with Brittany so that clients can ask questions and seek guidance for positioning, pelvic bodywork, and more. Brittany encourages an environment where expectant parents and their partners, if applicable, feel secure in exploring their options and developing their own priorities while building positive communication skills and confidence for their labors and births.
Classes are offered privately or in group settings in South Philadelphia, Fishtown, and Germantown or are available in an online course that can be completed at your pace and in your own space.
The homebirth-specific group childbirth class is offered in a one day format. Class topics are
similar to the general childbirth classes and follow the same holistic philosophies but are geared towards those
choosing to birth at home. Topics include informed decision making and shared trust between the client and
midwife, pelvic bodywork and understanding positioning of the baby for a smoother labor, nourishment and movement for a
healthy pregnancy, mindfulness and partner exercises to build confidence and trust in oneself and each other, the
physiological and emotional process of labor, interventions and hospital transfer and when they are necessary,
natural comfort measures and positions for labor, and the immediate postpartum period. Classes are offered in a group setting
in Germantown or South Philly or can be taken privately.
All class participants receive customized class materials full of thorough resources for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum life. A receipt will be
provided at the completion of class; most insurance companies will reimburse at least $50 for a birth class.
Aaron was an incredible support person. I think a lot of his skills and ability to be calm and helpful in a large part came from taking your class. It really helped both of us to have a solid understanding about what is normal and what is not and to also believe in the capability of my body to do what it needed to do to bring the baby into the world. Thank you for helping us have the labor experience that we wanted even when things started off on an unexpected path!
I feel like a complete rockstar and Noah is doing just amazing. We are so so in love!
Thank you again for everything!! We really appreciate having the opportunity to learn from you!
- Autumn and Aaron P.
Click here for a full group class schedule.
Click here for information specifically about homebirth preparation classes.
Click here for more information about private birth classes.
Blossoming Bellies also offers Infant Care Basics, Prenatal Breastfeeding 101, Infant Nutrition and Solid Food Introduction, and more!
For more information or to set up dates for a private class,
please contact Brittany at
267-261-0284 or
britt@blossomingbelliesbirth.com
Blossoming Bellies is proud to provide wholistic birth services to the greater Philadelphia area. For clients taking a
private 6 week class series who live outside the county of Philadelphia, a one-time $40 travel-related expense fee
will be added to the cost of services. For clients taking a private 3 week class series who live outside the county of
Philadelphia, a one-time $25 travel-related expense fee will be added to the cost of services. For clients taking a
private one-day class who live outside the county of Philadelphia, a $15 travel-related expense fee will be added to
the cost of services. For clients taking a private homebirth-specific series who live outside the county of
Philadelphia, a one-time $30 travel-related expense fee will be added to the cost of services.
Thanks so much for such great classes!! Jay and I learned SO much...I feel like we could go to class everyday for 9 months and still not know everything, but as nervous as we are I feel like you helped to ease a lot of our concerns and we feel like we are in much better positions to make more informed decisions!
- Carly and Jay A.