Birth Classes in The Woodlands, TX with Meagan Bender

Birth Classes in The Woodlands, TX

We just love welcoming instructors to our quickly growing program! Texas is a Birth Boot Camp powerhouse, and we are watching these instructors and doulas make birth better for countless families. It’s truly amazing.

That is what our work is all about!

Today we introduce Meagan, a dedicated and excited childbirth educator teaching birth classes in The Woodlands, TX.

Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your birth experiences.

I met my husband, David, at Dallas Baptist University. We got married in 2014 a few months after graduating with our Bachelor’s degrees, and we have a beautiful daughter named Lucy.

Besides birth, art is my greatest passion. My skills are in the realm of visual art, but I am a lover of music, cinema, and literature, as well. I always have a book (or two, or three) that I am reading, and good music is a daily necessity.

I am blessed to be able to say that the birth of my daughter was easily one of my favorite life experiences. While my husband and I were taking a Birth Boot Camp class, I decided to switch from my OB to a midwife. I never felt that my birth wishes weren’t respected by my OB, but I knew that it would be easier to have the birth I wanted at a birth center. It was the best decision I could have made.

After a few days of prodromal labor, my water finally broke and things progressed rapidly. My doula came to our apartment while I labored there for about 3 hours, until I knew it was time to start making our way to the birth center. I was 4 cm dilated upon arrival, and, to the midwife’s shock, I began pushing 20 minutes later. She quickly began to fill the tub, because she knew I wanted to have a water birth. Another great decision. The water provided instant relief!

Pushing lasted for about 45 minutes, and my sweet redhead was born with the soft light pouring in from the sunrise. It was one of the most peaceful mornings I have ever had, and I know that it would not have been so amazing without the education we got through Birth Boot Camp or from the support of our wonderful doula.

What first got you interested in birth work?

I was the first one of my close friends to have a baby. After she was born, my friends were constantly asking me questions about pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. Answering their questions was fun for me, but it made me realize that many, probably most, women my age know little about childbirth.

I had been in their shoes, totally unaware of how much there was that I didn’t know. But childbirth classes changed that for me and helped me to have the birth of my dreams. I decided that I wanted to impart that knowledge and joy to other women, to empower them to take charge of their pregnancies and births, to fill their toolboxes with tools to achieve the birth they desire. So I became a Birth Boot Camp Instructor.

Do you have any particular passions concerning birth?

First time moms are so fun to teach. Even when they do vast amounts of research on their own, they learn so much in class! I love being able to provide them with information on choosing their care providers and birth places, various prenatal and newborn procedures, and variations of labor.

My hope is that women leave my class prepared in such a way that they will not be blindsided by things during labor that could be scary if they had not already known about them.

I am also really passionate about teaching dads. Watching them go from pretty terrified to (at least slightly) confident in supporting their partners in labor is amazing. I don’t expect dads to be full-on doulas when they are done with my class, but I do hope for them to be able to love and support their laboring momma fearlessly.

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

Birth Boot Camp was what helped me to have an amazing birth, so I was confident in how great this curriculum was. I didn’t consider certifying with any other organization, because I was already so in love with Birth Boot Camp!

Tell us a little about your Birth Boot Camp training experience- what did you like about it, where was it, who was your trainer?

My training was held in Dallas in 2016 with our founder Donna Ryan and Sarah Clark. I enjoyed how interactive the entire training was. We each got to practice teaching various parts of the class, and we got feedback from everyone along the way. I really appreciated the hands-on learning approach.

Making forever friends at training.

There was also plenty of time for discussions and getting questions answered throughout our training sessions. But one of the best parts of it all was getting to develop relationships with the other women who were training alongside me. The Birth Boot Camp community is wonderful, and I’m glad to be a part of it!

Tell us about your birth classes in The Woodlands, TX.

My classes have been going well! They are currently small and intimate, which allows for a lot of flexibility and personal discussions that may not occur in large classes.

I love watching the confidence build in my students as they learn more each week and practice the skills that they learn throughout the series.

How did your training help prepare you for teaching?

Part of our training was practicing teaching the various activities, comfort measures, and discussions that we have in each class. We also got to ask our trainers questions about different scenarios we might encounter while teaching. It was an overall helpful experience in preparing me to teach my classes!

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

My most recent series had a mom who was planning a hospital birth with an OB who she trusted, but the odds for a natural birth seemed stacked against her, because she was having identical twins. She remained positive and determined to have the birth she desired.

I was honored to attend this beautiful birth and watch what they had learned in class be put into practice! Dad was an amazing support, and they made well-informed decisions throughout labor that helped them to achieve the natural birth they had hoped for.