Penny Simkin

I have to start out by saying that Penny Simkin’s classes aren’t for everyone, myself included. I believe in the Penny Simkin philosophy and have enjoyed her books («Pregnancy, Childbirth, & the Newborn» and «The Birth Partner»), but my husband and I tried out one of the classes taught through her center (West Seattle location) and it wasn’t for us.
We went to one birth class and were surprised by how much time was spent going over what we had already read in the materials provided for class and/​or readily available facts. Of our 2.5 hour class, about 1.5 hours was spent mostly reviewing, almost 30 minutes on a 10-​minute break, and about 30 minutes practicing relaxation/​focus techniques for labor (our favorite part of the class). We get up really early in the mornings, so being out at this class until 9:30pm with what felt like such a small portion of the class being really helpful to us just wasn’t a good fit.
So why the good review?
We shared our thoughts with our teacher and someone from the center and got a prompt, very understanding response. Our entire class cost was refunded, minus just a small amount for overhead, which seemed completely reasonable to us. Obviously this class is a great fit for many — it has a great reputation and all the other couples in our class seemed to benefit from it more than we did. I think it wasn’t a perfect fit for us because of our learning style (we read ahead of class and understood/​retained the information) and schedule, but we really appreciate the philosophy of the class (natural childbirth from an evidence-​based perspective, not fear-​mongering about modern medicine) and it was overall a positive experience.

Enthusiastic instructor and informative classes!

Penny Simkin is the guru of all things birth in Seattle. She’s a big part of the reason we have an endless supply of great doulas, three hospital-​based midwife practices, and a ton of class/​group options (from PEPS to baby yoga). I commend her and am deeply grateful for her excellent work in this field. I’ve also greatly enjoyed two of her books.
So, why the bad review? If you get pregnant in this city, EVERYONE will tell you that whatever else you do, you MUST take Penny Simkin’s birth class. So, I did. I signed up months in advance, paid a hefty fee, and dutifully made the long, traffic-​filled commute to Madison Valley for Tuesday night classes that didn’t get out until 9:30pm. In case anyone’s wondering, that is LATE for the pregnant set. I did the pre-​reading cover-​to-​cover. I did my homework.
What did I get for my devotion? A class taught by a colleague of Penny’s who spent most of each session in a stream-​of-​consciousness rant about some birth– or baby-​related topic that had nothing to do with the provided agenda. Everything we had already read was rehashed multiple times. Most of the class was half-​asleep most of the time.
People go to birth class for practical, hands-​on experience with coping techniques. Although about 20 minutes of each 2.5 hour class offered this, it was poorly managed and not the focus of the experience. Instead, we got 18 couples facing forward in a poorly equipped room listening to a woman (not the guru) talk. If they want to fix this formula, they’ll need to cut the class size, turn the chairs inward for relatively brief, on-​topic questions and discussion, and make the bulk of the class focused on practicing labor techniques.
Until they fix their formula, I recommend the Swedish classes, instead. For $ 250 you (+1) can take all of their classes (not just birth class, but infant CPR, breastfeeding, pregnancy body mechanics, etc.) I got more out of their two-​hour Labor Coping Skills than I did from 6 weeks of the Simkin class.

Whatever it is you’re looking to learn about, Penny is as good as it gets. A simple Google search will make that point: she is an educator, but she’s also taught the best educators and written their textbooks. Don’t miss your opportunity to study under a living legend.