At Birth Boot Camp, we believe that the education our instructors receive will help make them teachers who can change birth, impact couples, and improve the world. We strive to give our instructors the best childbirth educator instruction out there. We are so proud of them and the impact they are making. We are excited to share some of their thoughts with you.
Hannah Reasoner
Fort Worth, Texas www.intuitivemothering.com
What got you interested in becoming a natural childbirth educator?
I believe in natural birth and believe education is a huge part of helping families achieve this.
There are lots of different birth educator training programs out there. Why did you choose Birth Boot Camp?
Birth Boot Camp offers a lot the information I was looking to share on breastfeeding and attachment parenting. The detailed information and education that couples are provided with on how to have a successful and satisfying birth was key to my decision to teach BBC.
What most impressed you about the Birth Boot Camp training?
The pre-training reading and study requirements.
How is teaching your own classes going for you? What do you enjoy most about it?
Teaching has its joys and its challenges. I enjoy seeing the light bulb moments and being challenged by my students to know and learn more.
In what ways did the Birth Boot Camp teacher training help prepare you for teaching actual classes?
I enjoyed the mock teaching topic. It was helpful to see others present and gain ideas. It also helped calm my nerves as a teacher about to start a class.
Tell us a little about your students. Can you see how having a comprehensive natural childbirth education is positively impacting their birth experiences?
My students love class. Since June, I have had 20 couples come through class. Four hospital birth, five home and eleven birth center births. All have given birth and when I hear from them, they are all eager for the reunion and to share their birth stories with their fellow classmates. I can definitely see how the classes have helped my students prepare for birth, especially the emotional aspect. Watching the birth videos has been helpful for them as they prepare as well.
We would love it if you would share with us your favorite student birth experience so far.
One of my couples from my first class was having their second baby. Her first labor was 56 hours before she transferred from the birth center to the hospital for maternal exhaustion. She had an epidural. Her mother had been sitting at the end of the bed she was laboring in at the birth center. Each time a contraction came on, her mother would grip the arms of the rocking chair. The tension in the room was obvious, as she felt like a watched pot. During Birth Boot Camp, she discovered that having her mother come to the 2nd birth was not a good idea. She hired a doula and prepared for a home birth. When labor came on late one night, she sent her husband for last minute necessities and she labored alone and was happy. Her midwife arrived 30 minutes before the baby was born. Doula and birth photographer missed her short, 4 hour labor. She was very happy with what class had taught them and that they had chosen the birth support team that they did this time around.
To close, tell us how you see natural childbirth education changing lives and birth in the world.
The more that women have natural births in a variety of settings, the more stories that can be told to provide inspiration, hope, and encouragement for others who desire to do the same. I believe that a lot of women feel empowered when they hear stories and think “if she can do it, then so can I!”
