Prenatal Classes

Do you know that you have many choices in birth? Learn your options and how to make informed choices with Birth Essentials Prenatal Classes, available in-person at the YMCA, and on-demand for those that prefer to learn from home. Take charge and create your version of an ideal birth! You will prepare for your birth, learn important tips and tricks, and can ask questions. This 4-week prenatal series is loaded with the essentials of prenatal education, with a focus on preparation through pregnancy to 8-weeks postpartum, birth, and the immediate postpartum hours.

One of the great perks to doing these classes is that you have access to a real person who attends births and understands policies, practises and how to prepare, and will answer your questions. Angie is one of the most experienced prenatal teachers in Canada. The info presented is evidence-based and also includes 20 years (and counting) of experience attending births. Current obstetrical practices and guidelines are discussed.

If you miss a class, you can watch a video-replay. An online hospital tour and newborn class are included.

The prenatal class series includes access to my online Regina Hospital Tour for Birth Prep.

(FAQs are at the end of this page.)

Birth Essentials – Prenatal Class Online Series

The Birth Essentials Prenatal Class focuses on preparation through pregnancy to 8-weeks postpartum, birth and the immediate postpartum hours. It’s loaded with the essentials of prenatal education.

In-person classes are offered at the YMCA, South Albert St, in Regina, at 3801 Albert Street. If you’re interested in the on-demand classes that you can do at your own pace and on your own schedule, please see below.

2026 Dates (click a date to register):

Wednesdays, July 8-29. 7pm

Wednesdays, Aug 26 – Sep 16. 7pm

Tuesdays, Sep 29 – Oct 20. 7pm

Saturdays, Oct 31 – Nov 21, 10am

Tuesdays, Nov 24 – Dec 15, 7pm

(Ongoing classes, future dates will be posted.)

You will learn about:

Designing your Ideal BirthHow to make informed choices
Tips for a more comfortable and shorter labour
Up-to-date hospital policies and practices
Options for those planning homebirths
Things to discuss as a couple and/or with your support team
Ideas to put into your birth plan
Actions you can take to prepare for your birth and postpartum weeks

Birth Prep and Foundations:

How birth is portrayed in media vs. real life
Six most common concerns and what you can do
How our bodies are designed to cope with labour
Pain and power in birth
What to do when waters release (a.k.a. “water breaks”)
Partners and their journey
Factors that influence how your birth will go
Preparing for birth and postpartum
What to bring to / have in your birth place

Labour Stages and What to Do

How to making informed choices
Communicating with medical care team
Your rights
When to go to hospital
Signs of labour
Stages of labour – what to expect and what to do
Common terms you might hear in obstetrical care
Timing contractions / sensations /surges
How positions affect labour and birth

Interventions (taught in an informative and empowering way)

What the interventions are
Detours / change of plans
When / why each might be used
Benefits of each
Risks of each
Alternatives and options
Routine procedures and choices
Pain medications
Shared decision making with your team

First Postpartum Hours and Life with a Newborn

What happens in the first minutes and hours after birth
Routine maternal and newborn tests/procedures
Optimal cord cutting
Your placenta and options
Maternal recovery from birth; short and longer term
Breastfeeding basics and getting started
First days and weeks
Baby-care basics – when to feed, signs of good health
Family sleep
Sexuality / intimacy
Mental health while navigating life with a newborn
The realities of those first 2 months – all the stuff no one wants to talk about!!

These prenatal classes include the following bonuses:

Newborn Care Class – This class includes my on-demand newborn care class which you can do on your own schedule.
Hospital Tour – This class includes my local hospital tour (Regina General Hospital), which I used to do in-hospital in the Before Times.
Client Resource Document: Local and online resources to deepen your knowledge on certain topics. The basics are covered in class. Some people wish to get into the geeky details. For the on-demand classes, these resources are posted with the applicable modules rather than on one long document.
Nuts and bolts of prep, covered throughout the classes: Things to put on birth plans and how to word them, tips for what partners can do during the birth to keep themselves healthy and to provide support, things to discuss ahead of time with your team or as a couple, things to do to prepare for birth and parenting.
Birth Bag packing list.

Fees

$135 per pregnant person, including their partner or birth companion.

Fee for current YMCA members with an active membership throughout the classes: $100
Membership will be verified. Please use the code “YMCAmember” and enter your membership # in the “comments” section of the registration form.

When you register, you will be taken to a PayPal page. You do not need a PayPal account to use your credit card on this secure site.
If you prefer to pay with cash or e-trans, please contact me.

To Register

For in-person classes, click on the date you’d like, above.

For on-demand classes, sign up and get immediate access here.

If you need a class but the fee is a barrier, then please get in touch.

On-Demand Classes

Birth Essentials Prenatal Classes are also available as On-Demand / Learn On Your Own Schedule Prenatal Classes. You may reach out via e-mail with questions, which will be answered in a timely manner. One of the great perks to doing these classes is that you have access to a real person who will answer your questions.

The on-demand, work at your own pace, classes contain the same info as the group classes. You’ll do the series on my Member Vault site, a teaching platform with everything laid out for easy access and a progress bar.

Cancellation Policy:
1) For in-person class, cancelled 24-hours or more before the first class, a $15 admin fee is retained; the remaining fee will be refunded.
2) There is no refund for no-shows, last minute (under 24 hrs) cancellations, or withdrawing after the first class.
3) If a class is missed, a replay video will be offered at no charge.
4) One may transfer from the in-person classes to the on-demand series at no charge, anytime before or throughout the series.
5) On-demand classes are non-refundable, as the entire class is opened immediately upon purchase.

FAQs:

Can we ask questions? Yes. You are welcome to ask questions during the in-person classes, either during class time or between classes by e-mail. For the on-demand classes, please send you questions via e-mail and they will be answered in a timely manner.
Can my partner / birth companion attend? Yes! The class is designed for them too and I highly encourage your partner to do the classes with you.
My partner is working away; can they watch from another device? Yes. Absent partners may watch the video-replays for the in-person classes or watch the on-demand classes at their own convenience.
When is the best time to start the classes? It’s never too early to start. The best time to start the prenatal series at your 30-32 weeks gestational date. Then your prenatal classes will be completed by 34-35 weeks of pregnancy. The hospital hospital tour would ideally be done by around 36 weeks or earlier.
Why should I take this class instead of others? Instead of just watching TikTok? Basically, people don’t know what they don’t know. Free videos might be great if you find someone knowledgeable making the video and only if you know what topics to look up. Everyone looks up things like, “How do I know I’m in labour” but most don’t know to look up, “Best positions to avoid birthing on my back” and, “What’s the importance of fetal movement” and, “What position should my baby be in before birth to ensure I have a more comfortable and faster labour?” My classes are curated to provide optimal prep for birth and are completely up to date since I attend births regularly.
How will this class help my have a better birth and postpartum? All of my classes really focus on choice and your rights. Most people don’t know they have choices to make, don’t know what those choices are, or how to discuss options with medical staff, and how to express their wishes in the way that gets them their best chance of getting what they want. My classes cover information about how to have a more efficient (i.e. shorter) labour and many things that can be done ahead of time and in labour to decrease pain and complications. People who do the work to prep greatly increase their chances of having the birth they want.
Do you talk about postpartum and after the birth? Yes! My classes are meant to prepare you for the first 8 weeks postpartum and beyond.
How long do the classes take? In-person classes are a 4-week series. The Hospital Tour is a 1-hour video and the Newborth Care Class will take about an hour. On-demand classes are approx 8 hrs total (4 x 2hr total classes, but posted in smaller chunks), plus the tour and newborn class.
Is the online access easy for the on-demand classes? What if I have trouble? I use Member Vault because it’s so user-friendly. If you have trouble, please get in touch. I’ve only ever had to help one person with access since I started using this platform 7 years ago, meaning several hundreds of people found it to be a straight forward platform.
How long do we have access to the on-demand classes? Until at least 4 months postpartum.
How many times can we watch the on-demand classes? As many times as you like.
What’s covered in the classes? Please see a complete list on the Prenatal Classes page on my site. You can find the other individual classes described there too. Basically, the 1st class covers the foundation of choices, rights, and the foundation of preparation for labour, birth, and the first 8 weeks postpartum. Class 2 covers stages of labour, what to do, when to go to hospital, warning signs in pregnancy. Class 3 covers interventions in the most empowering way possible, ensuring participants know how to ask questions to make informed choices and what some alternatives may be. Class 4 covers things that happen after the birth – cord & placenta, first 24 hours in hospital or home, realities of life with baby, basics of breastfeeding, mother and baby recovery.