Childbirth Education Class Spotlight: Advocacy & Communication
Did you know? Four of the classes in our childbirth education series are virtual and are accessible to parents all around the country! These virtual childbirth education classes include The Stages of Labor, Induction of Labor, C-sections, and Advocacy and Communication.
Our childbirth education classes based out of Kansas City cover a wide range of topics — from the typical things you’d expect to learn at a hospital birth class, to all the doula tips and tricks to have a smoother birth experience (no matter what it looks like!).
This blog post is going to dive into our Advocacy and Communication Class, including why we offer it and what you can expect to learn if you sign up.
Advocacy & Communication — Childbirth Education Class
When I first started as a birth doula five and a half years ago, I was surprised to learn how “controversial” advocacy is in the birth space. Many people hiring a doula mention in their initial consultations that they are wanting an advocate for them and their baby during their delivery, but did you know that many doula training organizations teach doulas that they are NOT advocates for their clients?! Both the organization I trained with, and many doulas I talked with, believed that it was not their role to advocate for their clients, but instead their job to teach their clients how to advocate for themselves.
Let me be very clear: I do not subscribe to this belief!!
While we love our light-filled study in Kansas City, there is something so cozy about hopping online and meeting people right in their home (or wherever they are) to teach them birth skills.
Our Advocacy & Communication Class was one that was important for me to offer as a virtual childbirth class, as it’s not something commonly taught in the classes offered at local hospitals but is a vital skill for an informed and empowered birth experience.
While I think it is vitally important for people giving birth and their partners to learn how to advocate for their families (psst… this is a great skill to learn for pregnancy and postpartum when your doula might not be with you!), I also think it is very unfair to expect someone to be able to remember all of their advocacy skills during the heat of labor, especially when they are experiencing pain and unknown circumstances.
As doulas, birth is our job. While it’s a very interesting day of work, it is still a “day in the office” for us; and typically, heightened labor scenarios are less overwhelming for us as we’ve likely experienced similar situations before. As I dove deeper into my advocacy beliefs, I realized many doulas felt like advocating for their clients meant speaking for them, and that is a very misconstrued idea that couldn’t be further from the truth! To lean into my advocacy skills, I trained on nonconfrontational advocacy techniques — ways to make my clients voice louder, make space for conversation, and know what leading questions to ask to get more information and better advice from the medical professionals my clients are consulting.
This is how me and all the doulas in our agency advocate for the expecting families that trust us with their doula care, and it is also what we teach each and every person who attends our Advocacy and Communication Class to do for themselves, their partner, and their baby!
In our class, we will work through an acronym that helps you remember what questions to ask for informed decision-making in birth (and literally all of life’s circumstances — I use it all the time when making decisions). As well as three other non-confrontational advocacy techniques you can use to help get the most from your birth experience, and the best medical care from the system you are giving birth within. We also review how to speak up calmly but firmly when you feel like you or your partners boundaries or bodily autonomy are being threatened, and work through multiple example scenarios to put your new skills into action!
While this class is virtual and open to our doula clients and those not working with us for doula support who sign up online, we limit the class size substantially so that everyone has the chance to ask questions and participate in discussion.
We can’t wait to see you there!
All of our classes are $45 each and paid for on an a la carte basis (only pay for the classes you want to take!). Clients working with us for birth doula services receive all of our classes for free.Sign up now or e-mail Heidi (the owner of The Birth Bloc!) at heidi@blocbirths.com with any questions.