Birth Classes in Winchester, VA
When we first met Jillian, we knew she was special. Those who travel across the country for our training usually are! Jillian Freeland teaches birth classes in Winchester, Virginia. She is fun, vibrant, and passionate about birth and we are so very excited that families in the Winchester, Virginia area can have her on their team as they prepare for birth. Oh, and she is a Birth Boot Camp DOULA too!
First, could you introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about your own birth experiences and how they influenced your desire to teach birth classes in Winchester, VA.
I feel so blessed to be the mother of four precious girls. My brave husband is quite adored by all of us. Currently, we live in Winchester, Virginia – home of the famous Apple Blossom Festival.
I have experienced quite a variety of births; I have had a birth center birth, a cesarean, an induction accompanied by an epidural at 8 centimeters, and then five days of prodromal labor followed by a beautiful, all natural birth!
My hope is that through education, more families will feel capable and knowledgeable in their birth decisions and find have AMAZING births!
What first got you interested in birth?
Each of my own births journeyed me further in my education, I learned something new every time and I wanted others to be able to share in the knowledge I wished I had known from the onset of this season of life.
But it was at my last birth, when I finally felt empowered, and supported by a doula, that I knew teaching and serving families was exactly what I wanted to do.
What are your particular passions concerning birth?
I can’t narrow what I love to one thing in regards to birth work. I love working with first time parents; the excitement, joy and eager anticipation that bubbles out of them.
I love working with dads; when their strength and vulnerability collides, it is the most humbling thing to see.
I view childbirth education like a tool box. As you learn new things, you add more tools to your tool box. If you wanted to build a beautiful, elaborately crafted hope chest, you would need intricate, details tools. Could you do it without those specially made tools?
YES!
But it may be easier with the right tools!
There are lots of different birth educator training programs out there. Why did you choose Birth Boot Camp?
My husband and I attended a birth class in preparation for our first daughter and it wasn’t everything we had hoped it would be – my husband especially felt disconnected. So, when I decided to teach classes I wanted to find a childbirth education program that covered EVERYTHING and MORE!!!
Birth Boot Camp is exactly what I was looking for – even my husband said Birth Boot Camp was the kind of class he would want to attend.
Tell us a little about your Birth Boot Camp training experience. Where did you train? What did you like about it?
This past February I trained with Birth Boot Camp and had an amazing experience. The training was so thorough and the continued mentoring has been wonderful. All the other trainees were incredible women that I felt so honored to learn along side.
Each of us brought unique ways of teaching and communicating and it helped to open my scope of understanding. The Birth Boot Camp leadership is so invested and desire to help you be successful; they are genuine and incredibly encouraging!
How is teaching your own classes going for you? What do you enjoy most about it?
Teaching is so much fun! Just visit my Facebook page and hear the responses of the couples from my classes! The conversations, the hilarious inside jokes, the sweet quiet moments during relaxations… All of it is so fun. I have to admit, I cry a little when a class series comes to an end.
It is always a rewarding moment when I see a couple learn something new and you can tangibly see how it changes their birth philosophy.
In what ways did the Birth Boot Camp teacher training help prepare you for teaching actual classes?
The Birth Boot Camp curriculum is so well developed and brings a professionalism that assists both the instructors, but also gives a tangible tool to the attendees. When I completed my training, I had all the tools I needed to successfully teach families.
Tell us a little about your students. How do you believe childbirth education is having a positive impact on them?
In my last class series, I had two couples preparing for a birth center birth, and one for a hospital birth. I could see them have “ah ha” moments… another tool in their birth education, another development in their birth philosophy. These are priceless moments to me.
I know that we can’t choreograph our birth, it is a beautiful mystery, but we can prepare for it, and these couples are preparing for amazing births. They are ready for whatever nature brings their way and they will rise to the occasion!
To close, tell us how you see natural childbirth education having a positive impact? Why does this work matter to you?
Winchester is filled with wonderful natural birth resource. We have wonderful midwives, beautiful birth centers, and a natural birth friendly hospital – we are blessed! Having a childbirth education program that compliments these models of care is only going to enhance our community.
I love teaching, I love serving families. My hope is to provide more tools for their childbirth, so families can walk into their births feeling prepared and walk away from their birth feeling blessed!
You can find Jillian Freeland, childbirth educator, teaching birth classes in Winchester, VA and:
On her website at : www.shenandoahbirths.com
And on facebook at: www.facebook.com/naturalchildbirtheducationwithShenandoahBirths
