During our eight week long class series, we cover all topics pertaining to childbirth education (process of labor to newborn care) but an important difference between our classes and others, is the devotion to and time spent on labor support techniques.  In every class we practice breathing, sounding, positions, massage & counter-pressure techniques, relaxation, visualization, verbal support, use of rebozos, acupressure, & more.

We prepare you to give birth in a hospital, birth center or at home.  You will have a deeper understanding of the value of a birth team, the role of the doula, how family members can participate, how to choose medication wisely when appropriate and will be able to understand the vast array of options and interventions available to birthing women.

We encourage each class of seven or fewer couples to get to know one another so that after the babies are born an instant support group is already born as well!

One entire class is devoted to breastfeeding and another to newborn care and the emotions and realities of the postpartum period. 

As compared to other classes Loving Arms offers 20 hours of class time plus a reunion with all the babies when they’ve arrived.  Our classes are small and the comfortable living-room style setting is personal, intimate, and conducive to open learning and growth.  Each parent receives as much individual attention and continued support as they need. 

Our approach is “eclectic” in that we use techniques from various “methods” (Bradley, Birthing from Within, Lamaze, etc.) that we as doulas have seen really work for laboring moms.  We’ve been doulas and educators for 16 years and have attended many births, so over the years we have used and discarded various approaches and continue to evolve as we go.

The fee for the course is $275 per couple (sliding scale available) and the classes are held in our office in Albany which is easy to get to from anywhere in the Bay Area.

Reunion Class babies

“Attending the birthing class with Janaki and Alice was the best preparation gift we could have ever given ourselves prior to the birth of our daughter. The class was the perfect blend of medical information and spiritual, mental, emotional preparation. We bonded deeply with the other class members and value the community and support, as well all the empowering information, we gained from the class.”

1. -Amy and Rob Ahlers
   

(and our now 1 ½ year old, Annabella)

“I’ve been singing the praises of Janaki ever since we took her birth class, and then used her as a lactation consultant.  As a birth class teacher, Janaki made both me and my husband feel not only well prepared for the birthing process, but genuinely cared for and supported. She is an amazingly warm and generous woman, and her passion for birth and babies is contagious. 

The class focus on natural childbirth was exactly what I wanted, but I also appreciated Janaki’s balanced and nonjudgmental look at interventions, particularly since I ending up needing an emergency C-section for my breech baby.  I left her class feeling confident in myself and my ability to both birth and parent a newborn – something I didn’t go into the class feeling. 

Janaki was also a lifesaver as a lactation consultant. I had numerous problems breastfeeding my newborn, and Janaki, as I told her every time I went to see her, was “my favorite person in the world” at that time.  She is expert at what she does, so much so that my pediatrician was completely at ease as soon as she learnt I was under Janaki’s care.  c

Janaki is gentle and loving with both babies and mothers, and  not only helped me technically, but listened to my frustrations and hormonal breakdowns with great compassion.  I’m so grateful to have had Janaki’s help, support, and friendship at such a tender and extraordinary time.”

- Melanie Chandra