Birth Classes in Salt Lake City, UT

Today we are thrilled to introduce one of our longtime instructors and doulas. Hollie Hauptly is experienced as both a Birth Boot Camp instructor and doula and is now bringing all that skill and love for birth to Salt Lake City, UT, and surrounding areas.

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Welcome to Utah, Hollie!

Let’s meet Hollie…

Hi, I’m Hollie! I’ve been a doula for seven years and a childbirth educator with Birth Boot Camp for four years. I’ve had three natural births; my first two were amazing natural hospital births with a CNM and with my third, I decided to change care providers at 30 weeks to have a home birth.

I’ve been lucky to have three uncomplicated pregnancies and births. I wasn’t sure what kind of birth I wanted to have when I was pregnant with my first so my midwife recommended I take a childbirth class from a local doula. When I started learning about all the interventions and how they can affect birth, I decided that I wanted to have a natural birth.

My husband and I decided last minute to hire a doula when I was 38 weeks. My first birth went smoothly and my husband and I loved having the support of an amazing doula and midwife.

After achieving my first natural birth, I changed professions (my last assignment for my master’s degree was due the day I had my first baby) and completed my doula certification.

After about a year, I had more people asking me about classes. We were in a small town without many options and my friends knew that I was passionate about birth. My husband then encouraged me to pursue my certification as a childbirth educator.

I still remember the night I taught my first class. I loved seeing everyone get excited when they realized they had birthing options and could also have an amazing birth experience.

What first got you interested in birth work?

I first became interested in birth during my first pregnancy and after my first natural birth. Just a few weeks after giving birth I decided that I wanted to begin the process of becoming a certified doula. I began reading books, following multiple birth blogs, and a friend introduced me to the documentary The Business of Being Born. The more I learned, the more I wanted to get certified! I became a sponge and soaked up everything I could!

Do you have any particular passions concerning birth?

I am passionate about helping women know ALL their options. Diana Korte said, “If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any,” and I absolutely agree with her. I want women to know what their options are so that they can make the best decision for them and their baby.

I am also passionate about helping women feel supported in their decisions and they are able to find the right care provider for them. Women should feel that their providers support them in their birth choices. If not, they should be able to easily find another provider that they are more comfortable with.

Breastfeeding is another passion of mine. I hope to eventually become an IBCLC. I struggled to breastfeed my first child (you can read more about that here), and I feel that it was largely because I did not have the support or a knowledgeable lactation consultant that could help when problems presented themselves. I’ve continued to study and learn as much as I can about breastfeeding so that I can help my support my clients during their breastfeeding journey.

Why did you choose Birth Boot Camp as your certifying organization?

I knew that I wanted to certify with Birth Boot Camp from the day they first announced it! First, I knew that the women that had created the curriculum were experienced childbirth educators. I wanted to learn from people who had been doing it successfully.

I also loved the length of the class and that it is so comprehensive. I also loved that there were ready-made materials, with modern, up-to-date workbooks for my students and materials that would make my career as a childbirth educator easier.

Tell us a little about your Birth Boot Camp training experience.

I absolutely loved the training with Birth Boot Camp! I trained in April of 2013 with Donna and Sarah. I love that everyone shows up on the same page with all their pre-workshop reading and study guide done. I love that training is so interactive and really prepares you for all aspects of being a childbirth educator. You become very familiar with the curriculum and materials, as well all of the many teaching tools that are available to you as an instructor.

Tell us about your classes, how they are going, and what you most love about teaching.

I’ve been teaching for about four years and I absolutely love it. I’ve taught private classes and group classes. I recently moved to Utah and I am helping spread the word about Birth Boot Camp in Utah! I will be teaching a variety of classes in birth centers in Salt Lake and Weber Counties.

I love seeing couples come together to learn and prepare for birth. I love to see the excitement grow as they learn more and realize that they CAN have an amazing birth experience!

How did your training help prepare you for teaching?

The training includes everything you need to get started! The continued support and encouragement after training is especially helpful, too. I love that training includes a good portion of business topics with lots of ideas of how to organize your business and get in the community to meet other birth professionals.

Tell us about your students and how classes are helping them.

I have taught a variety of different couples in my classes. Many have been first-time parents, but I’ve also taught couples expecting their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th baby as well. I’ve taught couples that wanted to achieve an unmedicated birth, and also those that were planning to use medication and they wanted to be sure to know what to expect and be prepared for the many possible scenarios.

Many of my clients have thanked me afterward because they felt prepared for every situation. Because our class is so comprehensive, they knew what to expect if their labor didn’t go quite as expected and required interventions or even a cesarean section.

I have seen childbirth education change the course of a woman’s pregnancy and birth. I’ve seen women take control of their care and become active participants in their pregnancy and birth. I love to see them become empowered in making decisions and communicating with their care providers. The pregnancy and birth are just the beginning. When women feel confident in their ability to birth, this will lead to confident mothering and strong families.