hallie greider, cce, cd

Birthing a child is a natural, normal, instinctive process with which the modern world seems to have lost touch. Today, it is too often seen as something that is done to a woman, rather than by a woman. Childbirth education is essential in debunking that falsehood and critical in helping women and their partners reclaim knowledge and an awareness that was once very common. My childbirth education classes are designed to do just that.

I teach from a holistic perspective, not necessarily any single, particular methodology. In my educational series I explore the emotional, spiritual, physical, and medical aspects that are all part of the labor and birth experience. I help women and their partners understand their range choices, crystallize their desires, gain confidence, and feel empowered to advocate for themselves in their own birth experience.

A typical series includes the following:

• stages of labor
• birth films and discussion
• identification of pain coping styles
• strategies for being in labor
• use of positions for labor & birth
• hands-on comfort techniques (massage, counter pressure, etc)
• breathing strategies
• vocalization
• pain management options
• medical interventions
• postpartum issues
• transition into parenthood
• breastfeeding
• newborn care

Wherever you birth, be it a hospital, birth center, or a home, you’ll need knowledge. The goal of my classes is to leave you so well-informed that you will be able to make decisions confidently - whatever the circumstances.

In 2008, my sister and I founded Birth Matters, a free-standing childbirth education center located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Please visit our website for more information on classes and class schedules.