Birthing Basics

strongly recommend the birthing class! Lisa is extremely knowledgeable, personable, and compassionate. My husband and I felt that the setting and class was helpful and relaxing. We loved how the class prepped us for end of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn care. The information is presented in a variety of ways which makes the six hour class fun! Every question was answered and we left feeling much more prepared! Thank you Lisa!!!

Lisa was great! Long class but very informative. Well worth it. Recommend this class for any new parents. Will definitely give you a great idea as what your role is as the support person as well. Thank you Lisa!

My husband and I took the 6+ hour long birthing basics class with only four weeks to spare before our due date. Lisa Marie is AMAZING!!! I HIGHLY recommend taking her class. Both my husband and I are first time parents, and we both learned so much. She went over what to bring to the hospital, medical procedures (she passed around the tools they use and explained how they are used), massages, relaxation/​breathing techniques, and infant care.
She made it very interactive, which I really enjoyed. The class consisted of four other couples, it was a very relaxing environment. Both myself and my husband feel a lot more confident of what to expect. Once again, I highly recommend taking her class.

Strongly recommend this class, if you can book it early. We were lucky to snag a spot in the six-​hour Childbirth Basics course, and we are still impressed with the breadth of information and practical tips we covered in one day. Lisa-​Marie is not only an expert, but a talented presenter and teacher who punctuates each chapter with an illustrative story or anecdote that makes each lesson memorable. The classroom setting is extremely relaxed and comfortable, and it’s a small group of four or five couples max so very intimate. I preferred this much more to a class in a hospital, and we look forward to using the up-​to-​date course book and materials. We covered the basics, the practical overview of what to bring (and what not to bring), the differences between area hospitals, birth plans and procedures, massage, relaxation and breathing techniques (not just useful for delivery) and infant care. I didn’t buy the comfort pack (massager and heating bag) ahead of time, as is an option when you register for the class, but was convinced to scoop one up right after the course as it is great value and very useful.
My husband was so glad we took this course, despite his apprehension at spending six-​hours indoors on a beautiful day. He felt more confident and excited about what lies ahead! As the first-​time expectant mom I got exactly the knowledge and advice I was hoping for.

My husband and I took the Comfort/​Refresher class at the end of last year to prepare for our second child. Lisa was very knowledgeable and her class made me feel more mentally prepared for «the day»
This class had a lot of tips for how daddy can make mommy feel more relax, massages that can help ease back pain, things to do to help with contraction pains, signs to look for and so more.
If its been a few years since your first baby, I would recommend this class :)

As many others have already stated, Lisa is awesome! The 6 hours flew by and frankly I was left wanting more :) All the information was extremely useful and so well communicated. Lisa is extremely personable and I definitely wished she could be my L/​D nurse :) I also appreciated all the props and visuals she had because slideshows/​pictures and words can only do much. I highly recommend this class to all expecting parents!

My husband I took the birthing basics class with Lisa and we HIGHLY recommend it! It’s a 6 hour 1 day class but Lisa is so engaging time just flies! She truly knows what she is talking about and I loved how she incorporates a lot of new research and pain management techniques that you don’t normally find in hospital based classes. I can only hope my nurses are as amazing as Lisa come delivery day!

Just took a class with Birthing Basics and Lisa this past weekend. It is a great course. Lisa covers so much, and has a wealth of experience that is so helpful. She is able to answer any question and she’s very accessible and relatable in her teaching style. The approximately 6 hour course covers everything from pregnancy to newborn care during the first few weeks. I feel a lot more confident about the labor and delivery process after this class. It’s also one of the more affordable courses of this high quality that I found while doing research to select a course.

Lisa is absolutely amazing. My husband and I are SO happy we took this course tonight. We feel so much more prepared for whatever happens on our daughter’s birth day. I highly, highly, highly recommend her! She is so knowledgeable and well spoken; 6 hours was a breeze. Wish it wasn’t too late to change hospitals, we’d go to hers just to have her as our l&d nurse!

Thank you Lisa for an excellent class! My husband and I learned so much and feel much more prepared for what to expect before and during labor. We would highly recommend your class! (we took the 6+ hour Birthing Basics class)

I’m so glad that my wife’s OB recommended Lisa’s class. Lisa quickly made everyone comfortable and she was quick to ask us what our biggest fears and concerns were. In addressing her material she made a point to address those items and engaged the class using our names and tailoring the materials to each one of us specifically. Her clear experience in the field made it so that she had quick examples and I there wasn’t a single question that she couldn’t answer with (1) experience to back it, (2) medical information to back it. That knowledge made us feel more secure and comfortable. Lisa’s information and how she delivered it made us less nervous about the birthing process and the first steps of what to do as we took our new baby home.

Lisa Marie was a really terrific instructor and she gave us some confidence and peace of mind that we will be fine for our first birth. She has much experience and this came through in her class. She also has a breezy fun personality that made the class a really great experience.

This was a helpful class with a lot of good information! Highly recommended.

Lisa is great! Full of energy, knowledge, and humor. We took her one day intensive birthing class, and it definitely covered everything we’ve learned along the way, while providing lots of information we hadn’t yet heard. Lisa was very accommodating of our group’s questions, and made sure to engage with each couple and provide information that was specific to their birth situation. Highly recommend the class!

We recently took a six hour class with Lisa. She was fantastic and the class covered numerous areas efficiently, providing just enough information without being overwhelming. Lisa clearly knows her stuff and the six hours flew by. If you are interested in an intense, one day birthing class, we’d highly recommend this one.

My husband and I took Lisa’s birthing class about 2 months ahead of our November due date. We took the class just a couple of weeks after completing our hospital tour, which I found to be a little scary/​overwhelming. After Lisa’s class, all my fears were eased and I feel much more confident about what to expect when those contractions start! We found the class especially helpful as we’ll be delivering at GW, where Lisa works, so she was able to give us lots of insight on procedures & policies specific to our hospital.
The 6 hours really flew by and Lisa covers everything in a fun and engaging way.

My husband and I attended Lisa’s 6 hour child birthing class. We choose this class based on the reviews which in hindsight we can say were accurate. We also choose the class because of its one-​day set up. We told ourselves we would try another class to supplement anything we didn’t learn in Lisa’s class. After taking the class there was no need for another class. I went into the class feeling unsure and anxious and left (I know it sounds cliché) feeling empowered. We learned the anatomy of my body, the experience of contractions, labor etc., techniques for dealing with labor pains, options for pain relief and caring for the baby immediately after delivery through its first few days home. Her humor and real world examples kept us engaged for the entire time. The class is offered in her basement which is equipped with ottomans and a comfortable sectional to help her guests relax. To top it off she provided cheese and crackers, water and chips and dip. I’m a glutton for cheese and crackers.
One tip for future attendees — The class is comprehensive and detailed; however, since it’s a 6– hour course versus several days/​weeks some may think the class glosses over certain topics too quickly. For example, Lisa thoroughly explained breathing techniques, and pain relief techniques and positions. However, I would have liked to spend more time than we did while there on practicing those techniques so I can be a little more comfortable and sure of which technique works best for me. I’ll point out there is a private class which most likely would have provided this experience. I’ll also point out Lisa is available for questions and comments after the class so contacting her may provide this experience as well.
Nevertheless, we feel prepared, my husband even enjoyed the class and felt involved and Lisa is awesome, knowledgeable and fun!
Thanks Lisa!
Rufus and Nikki

My husband and I attended the 6+ hour-​long birthing basics class with only five weeks to spare before the due date! Lisa is a wealth of knowledge and her vibrant personality makes the class fun and engaging. She covers a range a information from the stages of labor to relaxation techniques to newborn care.
I didn’t want to attend a course that pushed a certain birthing philosophy so Lisa was a good choice. As a midwife, she naturally promotes a ‘natural-​as-​possible’ childbirth, but she does not urge drug-​free and recognizes the medical necessity of intervention/​c-​sections for certain situations.
We were running a bit late due to questions but she made sure to go over the scheduled time so we could cover all of the information. My husband really enjoyed the course and learned a lot; he has been practicing the comforting techniques which has been great for me!

We did the comfort class as this was our second. Lisa mixed just the right amount of information/​education with helpful tips. Two and a half hours was good, keeps the husbands/​dads to be focused.

The class from Birthing Basics was great for both me and my wife. As we’re expecting our first child at the end of May 2015 we wanted to get more of an idea on the whole process, what goes on, newborn care, etc. and Lisa was able to answer all of our questions.
We opted for the 6-​hour class on a Saturday which is a bit long, but you definitely cover a lot of material and it needs to be that long. Lisa is a very easy going, well-​spoken, funny, and dynamic person so it definitely helps since the class is long.
We’re very happy that we took this class and definitely learned a lot (i.e sedatives available to help manage pain if you’re trying to go all natural, what is involved with each type of delivery method, when it makes sense to go to the hospital, helpful massage techniques and positions to alleviate pain, etc). I would certainly recommend this class to future parents who are expecting their first child.