Today we want you to meet Rebecca, a natural childbirth teacher in Mansfield, TX. We love our instructors and all the talents they bring to our company as a whole. If you would like to become a childbirth educator, we would love to have you at training! The process is a big one but well worth the effort. You can find more information about becoming a Birth Boot Camp childbirth educator here.
First, could you introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about your own birth experiences and how they influenced your desire to teach childbirth classes?
My name is Rebecca Grochowski and I am a stay at home mom in addition to teaching Birth Boot Camp. I am married to an amazingly supportive husband who is a bit of a birth junkie himself (though he may not admit it)! I have one beautiful daughte
r named Emma who is 2.5 years old and I’m currently pregnant again. When I was thinking about getting pregnant initially, a church friend had just had a natural birth with a doula. I didn’t even know what a doula was at the time!
I did some research and called her just to chat about preparing for pregnancy, etc. She told me to watch the Business of Being Born. As soon as my husband got home from work that day, we sat down to watch it. That was all it took and I knew I would have a natural birth! We hired a doula and took comprehensive childbirth classes. I had my daughter at Harris Methodist Fort Worth with the UNT Midwives. My awesome husband caught our daughter and it was the best experience of our lives! I feel that my natural birth also allowed us to have a wonderful start to breastfeeding and a very successful breastfeeding experience. After Emma’s birth, I couldn’t get enough information. I loved reading birth books and watching birth videos. That’s when I decided to take my passion to the next level. I applied to be a Birth Boot Camp Instructor and the rest is history. I am really looking forward to the home birth of our next baby sometime in January!
What first got you interested in childbirth?
I have actually always been interested in birth. From the time I was in sixth grade, I decided I wanted to be an OB/GYN. Throughout my later high school years, I actually interned with a local OB/GYN and witnessed several births, including scheduled cesarean sections. I loved it at the time and never really thought anything of it.
Obviously, my life took a different direction which I am very thankful for. It wasn’t until watching the Business of Being Born that I realized that the medical view of birth was not “normalâ€. After learning more and personally experiencing natural childbirth, I couldn’t wait to share the knowledge!
What are your particular passions concerning birth?
My passion is teaching women that their bodies are made to birth babies. I believe that God made women to birth babies and breastfeed. Our bodies know exactly what to do and they should be allowed to do it. This is true for low risk, healthy moms which make up the majority of pregnant women in our country. Obviously, we live in a very medical, convenience based culture which has led to the high rates of induction and c-sections. It seems from the outside that women have so many choices, which is great. The bad thing is that many women don’t realize that they don’t have to be induced at 39 weeks for no medical reason or that a breech baby doesn’t have to automatically mean a cesarean. I love educating moms and dads so that they have options. The power is in their hands and they can truly make informed decisions about their birth.
There are lots of different childbirth educator training programs out there. Why did you choose Birth Boot Camp?
When I was researching companies to certify with, my personal childbirth education instructor recommended Birth Boot Camp. After looking at the program, it seemed like the perfect fit! I also love that we cover EVERYTHING in these classes. You will walk away with knowledge of pregnancy exercise and nutrition, relaxation techniques, comfort measures, the pros and cons of interventions, stages of labor, newborn procedures, the postpartum period, newborn care, and so much more!
I love that we provide the tools for your toolbox so that you can customize your birth experience. I have always said that every pregnant woman needs a Birth Boot Camp class. Even if you are the mom who wants an epidural in the parking lot, you will still need all of this knowledge so that you can make truly informed decisions!
Tell us a little about your Birth Boot Camp training experience. Where did you train? What did you like about it?
I attended Birth Boot Camp instructor training in October 2013 in Grapevine, TX. It was a wonderful experience! I loved meeting women from all over the country who shared the same passion for birth. I learned so much during the training and we had so much fun. It didn’t feel like work at all!
My husband and daughter came along and had some great bonding time. My husband loved it so much that he is already looking forward to our Birth Boot Camp instructor conference in 2015!
How is teaching your own childbirth classes going for you? What do you enjoy most about it?
I have absolutely loved teaching each class! From multiple couples to private classes, I love getting to know the moms and dads. It is so wonderful to see them working together to achieve their personal birth goals. So far, I’ve had hospital births, birth center births, and home births. Every one has been awesome and I love hearing the birth stories at our reunion!
In what ways did the Birth Boot Camp teacher training help prepare you for teaching actual childbirth classes?
Even though I had learned so much about birth and the curriculum before training, I was still nervous to actually teach. I had previously been a kindergarten teacher, but there is something totally different about teaching adults. We received numerous helpful tips from Donna and Sarah which gave me ideas I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. We also taught a specific topic to the group. That helped get rid of a lot of my anxiety and I received constructive feedback. I still get a little nervous before the first class of each series, but once I meet my couples and we dive in, I absolutely love it! I’m always so amped up after each class is over!
Tell us a little about your students. How do you believe childbirth education is having a positive impact on them?
In each of my classes to date, I have had moms of 1-2 children. Each one of them has been unhappy with aspects of their previous births which is what originally led them to Birth Boot Camp. I have loved watching these couples use the tools they learned to have the birth they’ve always wanted. I recently had a mom with two previous cesareans. She had never birthed a baby vaginally. With the knowledge she gained from Birth Boot Camp, plus an amazing support team of doulas and midwives, she rocked out her VBA2C like it was nobody’s business!
When moms and dads have the knowledge of evidence based practices and their tools for how to cope with labor, they are empowered and end up with great experiences. Even if things don’t go the way they thought, these couples usually still end up feeling good about the birth because they were able to make informed decisions about their care.
To close, tell us how you see natural childbirth education having a positive impact? Why does this work matter to you?
I am very blessed to live in a large community of birth professionals here in Dallas/Fort Worth. I am constantly seeing a positive change because more women are demanding a better standard of care. I love sharing this information with women because it might just mean the difference between a vaginal birth and a cesarean. Knowledge is power and I see the results of that all the time!
Where can we find you?
You can stop by my website: www.tinyblessingsbirth.com. My next childbirth class in Mansfield, TX begins Saturday, November 1 and I hope to see you in it!
