Course Content
Courses have 1-2 childbirth Educators for each class, with PowerPoint, some group activities, and hands-on demonstrations.
Compass Health can provide an interpreter if you need one.
Please let us know in advance -If you have any other special requests or requirements
Week One
Pregnancy - baby movements, safe sleep on your side.
-calling your Midwife or Hospital for urgent advice
- What is labour and what does it feel like? How will I know?
- Focus on breathing techniques for labour
- Preparation for feeding baby at the birth- hand expressing colostrum
Normal labour and birth
- Informed consent and decision making
- Optimal foetal positioning
- Positions to assist natural birth
- The stages of labour and coping at home in early labour
Going to the birthing unit, or hospital birthing suite or calling your midwife for a planned home birth
- What to take with you to the birthing suite
- When to contact your midwife or go to the hospital/ birthing unit
The role of the support person
Packing your bag for the Birthing Unit or Hospital in labour/ postnatal stay and what's needed for your baby or babies
Week Two
We focus on labour tips and what to do at home in early labour for normal birth, when to call the midwife or when to go to the birthing unit or hospital if you're not planning a home birth. Tips on making the labour room/ lounge room your space and encouraging positions and activities in labour. We cover complex birth and both natural and medical pain relief options. We add more breathing techniques as well as ways to breathe/push your baby out.
- More on labour -what to expect at all the different stages with coping strategies
- Natural pain relief methods, rebozo, breathing for the stages of labour, comfy positions, hydration, the support person roles and so much more...
- Positions for comfort and to assist the labour
- Options to consider how and where to birth your baby safely
- Medically interventions / assisted birth methods
- Induction and augmentation for labour
- Caesarean sections- pre-planned before labour and changes to the plan in labour
- Medical pain relief options including Epidurals
After the birth- in the birthing suite or at home
- Routinely delayed cord-cutting and the importance for your baby
- Immediate skin-to-skin contact for baby's microbiome and getting to know baby
- Mother and baby checks and decisions to make
- Initiating baby's first feed's
- Inpatient sleepover for mother-baby and the support person
- Getting rest at home and who can help?
Week Three
Postnatal mother and baby
- What to expect on discharge - discharge check and paperwork, the prescription for pain relief
Baby checks and care
- Newborn baby checks
- Bathing baby
- Nappy changing
- Settling baby
- Winding baby
- Safe sleeping (including Pepi-pods)
- Baby blood tests
- Immunisations
- CPR / Saving a choking baby
- Dental care
- Car seat safety
- Baby tummy and playtime
- Cord care
- Clothing layers
- Baby Well Child checks
- Parenting tips
Postnatal maternal care
- What to expect in the first six weeks
- Sleeping - what to expect- team work and trying to care for yourself
- Lochia and afterpains
- Postnatal anxiety and depression
- Support at home - what's available in the community
Support person/family member/ friend
- Helping to care for a new baby and care for the postnatal woman and looking after yourself
Follow up WhatsApp group for those who want to catch up with the class they attended. All you share is your name and cell phone number.
Feeding your baby class
Getting to know baby, skin-to-skin to encourage feeding and setting up baby's microbiome. Ways to feed a newborn baby (babies) by looking at different holding and feeding positioning including laid-back nursing. getting your home/flat prepped for feeding and caring for a baby. Milk expressing and collecting, plus storage of human milk. Nipple and breast care for comfort. Community feeding support for at-home parents. returning to work and enjoying your baby.
If you are birthing in a facility then look at the virtual hospital tours:- Vimeo
Hutt maternity / virtual tour http://www.huttmaternity.org.nz
Wellington, Kenepuru and Kapiti virtual tours https://www.ccdhb.org.nz.maternity,