Parent Topic Nights

Meet Doulas & Gather Information

St. Paul (East Metro) Schedule
Minneapolis (West Metro) Schedule
St. Croix Valley (Stillwater, MN/Hudson, WI) Schedule
Northland (Duluth) Schedule
Red River Valley (Fargo/Moorhead) Schedule
Winona Schedule

Parent Topic Nights are free, fun, informal volunteer-run presentations of information that is not generally available to birthing parents anywhere else in such a format.

Registration is not required, and you can attend any or all sessions, in any order and location you like.

Parent Topic Nights are also great opportunities to meet doulas and other birthing parents, and hear from parents who guided their births with the support of a doula. Donations (tax deductible!) are requested and greatly appreciated, and used to help cover our costs (supplies, printing, host locations, etc.).

We welcome all types of expectant mothers and families. Bring partners, friends, grandmothers-to-be, and others who might attend your birth, or come alone. Quiet children and nursing babies are welcome (please provide toys or books and keep them near you during the session).

The presentations are approximately 1.5 hours with time afterwards for individual conversation with doulas and other birth professionals.

Below the schedules are descriptions of some of our current topics. If you have any questions about topic descriptions, please email us or call the contact number listed.

St. Paul Schedule

Minneapolis Schedule

St.Croix Valley Schedule

Second & Fourth Wednesdays of each month, 7:00-8:30pm
Stillwater Medical Group Women's Center, Lakeview Hospital Campus

Contact: Sue Baldwin 651-439-4100 or Angie 715-338-2880 for more information.

January 7th, Hudson
Waterbirth
January 9th, Stillwater
Doulas Supporting Moms & Dads
January 23rd, Stillwater
Medications & Interventions

February 4th, Hudson
Comfort Measures
February 13th, Stillwater
Keeping Your Relationships Alive
February 27th, Stillwater
Waterbirths

March 3rd, Hudson
Birth Stories
March 12th, Stillwater
Comfort Measures
March 26th, Stillwater
Choices & Planning

April 7th, Hudson
Waterbirths
April 9th, Stillwater
Doulas Supporting Moms & Dads
April 23rd, Stillwater
Waterbirths

May 5th, Hudson
Doulas Supporting Moms & Dads
May 14th, Stillwater
Postpartum & Breastfeeding
May 28th, Stillwater
Waterbirths

June 2nd, Hudson
Doulas Supporting Moms & Dads
June 11th, Stillwater
Medications & Interventions
June 25th, Stillwater
Preparing Your Mind & Body for Birth

North Metro Schedule

Northland (Duluth) Schedule

Red River Valley (Fargo/Moorhead) Schedule

Winona Schedule

Class Descriptions

All About Doulas
This session answers specific questions about what doulas do and how we do it. Research (more than 12 studies) published in major medical journals indicate that doulas reduce the use of drugs and Cesarean surgery in birth. How does this happen? What do doulas do? What should I ask a doula to determine if she's a good match for me? How much do services cost? How accessible is the doula? How will she relate to my partner and family? How does having another person at my birth add to rather than detract from the intimacy? How does she relate to my physician or midwife? We also discuss the role of the postpartum doula and the benefits of trained help those first important days. Answer all your questions and meet several of the doulas who belong to the Collective.

Choices and Planning (i.e., Birth Plans)
Why do we call it a birth plan when everyone knows birth is full of surprises and controlled by the baby? We should probably call it a "guide to consumer preferences for medical staff", but that sounds a bit bureaucratic. Nonetheless, parents are consumers of health care services and in most situations you have a wide variety of choices. Nurses especially appreciate knowing what your expectations are so that they can communicate better with you. It's also a great tool to figure out what you want and how to navigate all those choices! What can you expect from the medical staff and hospital providers, and what should you ask for in advance and at your birth? This session will address those questions and provide you with the tools to create your "plan".

Waterbirth, Homebirth (may be included with Choices & Planning)
A presentation for all parents, whether birthing in hospitals or at home, water or land. We've been taught to fear home birth, yet the facts are that home births result in fewer Cesarean surgeries and have better outcomes for infants and mothers. Why? What about water births? How does it work, and where do you have the option? No matter what your planned location for birthing, this session offers information and perspective that you can use.

Medications and Interventions
In this session, parents are introduced to various medications and interventions commonly used in hospital birth. We'll discuss scenarios in which their use may arise, and present the acronym "BRAIN" as a decision making tool. Parents can learn how to avoid unneccessary medications, and how to more safely use them when they are truly needed. Non-invasive alternatives will also be introduced here, and expanded upon at our Comfort Measures session. Bring your questions!

Comfort Measures
Doulas demonstrate how to follow your instincts and stay more comfortable during labor. We'll show you how to avoid the production of adrenaline (the "fear" hormone which stops labor) and get your endorphins (happy hormones and natural pain relievers) flowing! Dozens of techniques that doulas use will be demonstrated and/or discussed. You will see how partners and labor companions are essential in the process and can take a variety of roles depending on their own comfort level. It's really amazing what you and your body can do, with a little "labor." This is the class where you learn how women can manage their labor in a safe and also rewarding way, so that your baby's birthday can be your happiest memory.

The Natural Rhythm of Labor
What is happening to your body when you are giving birth? What causes the feelings you experience? What are the changes you go through physically and emotionally as labor progresses, and how does this vary from woman to woman? Surely it's more than just Stage 1,2, and 3? What helps the process and what hinders it? This session will prepare you to relate to the entire process of your labor, to understand and identify the passages that are unique to your birth, within the broadest context of "normal". You are sure to gain confidence from attending this session!

Your Amazing Newborn
Learn how bonding and breastfeeding improves the physical and psychological health of both mother and baby. Learn about your baby's amazing sensory and intellectual capacity before, during, and after birth, and how these are related to bonding, feeding, and other forms of nurture. Basic newborn care that supports this development may also be discussed.

The Active Role of the Baby in Birth
Your baby is NOT a passive part of labor and birth! Learn how mom and baby work together as a team to get this amazing work done. Discussion will include baby's reflexes and movements, developmental abilities, positional impact, and how external influences can affect those inherent mechanisms. You're not in this alone!

Keeping Your Marriage Alive Before and After Birth; Postpartum and Relationships
As your family changes, your relationship changes. Suzanne Swanson, a psychologist and therapist specializing in pregnancy, birth and family issues, speaks frankly about those changes and some ways you may work to navigate your own journey. A topic important to everybody!

The Spirituality of Birth
Explore the relationship between your personal values and your experience of pregnancy and childbirth. This session invites parents to consider how you can incorporate your view of the sacred into the birth of your baby, and the welcoming of your child. This is a completely nonsectarian discussion, and all are welcome.

Riding the Hormonal Wave
What happens chemically in a woman's body in late pregnancy, early labor, active labor, birth? How do these events relate to her emotions, physiology, and development as a mother? How do the hormones of the baby and mother interact before and just after birth? We explore these questions and more as we talk about the biology of birth and bonding, and how those around the birthing mother can "stay out of the way" AND support her through this incredible time.