A Time to Birth, Childbirth Education with a Jewish Twist, is scheduled to kick off its fall-winter session next week at KI, congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline. After teaching a pilot version last winter, this year, I’m opening this unique class to the public. Most people expecting a first baby take a childbirth education class. (So do some expecting a second or third who didn’t have the experience they hoped for with the first.) Some love their class and leave feeling prepared, while others aren’t so excited. When my husband I took a class before our first son was born, it was life-changing, not so much because of the information we learned, though that was helpful, but because we left feeling confident and empowered to make good choices for our family. That confidence and the skills for respectful but assertive communication prepared us to deal with both the expected and unexpected aspects of labor and come through the experience feeling like something truly awesome had just happened. But they also carried over into other aspects of our lives – planning our baby’s welcome to the Jewish community, and navigating so many situations we’ve faced as parents.
I created A Time to Birth to pass on what I’ve learned – from that first childbirth education class, my rabbinic education, my studies through Childbirth International, and my own birth and parenting experiences – and to help Jewish parents connect with a supportive community. As a teacher, I don’t have an agenda as to which birth choices my students make, or what kind of Jewish practice each family develops. The goal is to help families experience birth as awesome and miraculous, to feel confident and supported, and to find their way of connecting to Judaism and Jewish community.
The class starts next Tuesday (10/30) and still has room for a few more to register. Learn more at https://www.jewishbirthnetwork.com/a-time-to-birth.html
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