Mind Body Birth by Isis is a popular childbirth education option for those seeking a class that focuses on techniques for achieving a natural or low-intervention birth. This 5-week series offers an opportunity for learning about and practice of a wide range of non-medical comfort measures. The advantage of a series class is not only that a lot more information is incorporated, but also participants can develop a support network with other parents-to-be that extends beyond the classroom. And by integrating the techniques into their everyday lives, moms and their partners are better able to manage pregnancy, labor, and parenting.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. I sat down with Isis instructor and Programming Administrator, Liz Marino, who took the class with her husband Andre for the birth of their first child. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I was Liz’s Mind Body Birth instructor.)
Me: Of all the options for childbirth education classes, why did you choose Mind Body Birth?
Liz: I found mindfulness techniques to be crucial in my journey with infertility, so I thought they’d be just as helpful with labor and delivery.
Me: What did you like most about the class?
Liz: I liked that Andre got to have a window into mindfulness. I had already been using it and then he was learning about it, too. I thought it was really important for us to be on the same page with the techniques we’d be using for the birth. I also like that Mind Body Birth is a comprehensive class so we didn’t have to take another childbirth class, too. We got everything – all the tricks and tips and also all the information about the stages of labor, cesareans, the rest – we got it all in one shot, which was nice.
Me: Was there a favorite technique?
Liz: I was used to listening to CDs for infertility, so it was great to have a CD with tracks about pregnancy and birth, especially as we got closer to labor. I listened to the CD a lot. Also, I really liked the Peaceful Place script. I loved that it’s written allowing you to choose your own place so it could be someplace specific to you.
Me: Did you feel there was a benefit to taking a group class?
Liz: Well, I’m a people person, and I liked being with other people who are going through what I was going through. Also, it was nice when someone asked a question I didn’t think to ask, but then I realized I’d love to know the answer to that, too! That’s one thing that’s so helpful about a group setting.
Me: So what aspects of the class did you end up using during the labor.
Liz: I was home by myself in early labor because Andre was working. I remember I didn’t react at all. I just let it happen. I never once got nervous. I was very calm about it when I called Andre and JaLynn (our doula). I just told myself that my body and baby know what they’re doing. I’m really glad that’s how I approached it. I never had anything mentally tripping me up or slowing me down. I think I adapted to that whole mindset during infertility and Mind Body Birth solidified it for me. And I think Andre thought he’d be nervous, but he was so calm, cool, and collected. That was definitely because of the class.
Me: Do you find you use the philosophy of mindfulness in other ways, in other parts of your life?
Liz: (laughs) I went to the first spin class I had gone to in years. All I could do was stare at the wheels of the bike in front of me as a focal point and breathe. I might as well have been back in the hospital! It really worked!
Me: How about parenting?
Liz: It really affects how Andre and I both parent. We take time to enjoy our daughter. We don’t focus on “Well, when is she going to walk or talk?” It was helpful with breastfeeding, too, trusting in my body giving her what she needed.
Me: And now you teach some mindfulness techniques in our new Mom in the Making class for second trimester
Liz: We did a visualization the other day where mom imagines being in the uterus, comforting the baby. And one mom said the baby started kicking her! The baby was like, “Hey get out of my space.” How funny is that?
Learn more about Mind Body Birth by Isis and other Isis childbirth education options as well as Mom in the Making.
