Fresh on the heels of the excitement of your positive pregnancy test, you find out that there is an overwhelming amount of information out there for pregnant people, much of it telling you what you can't eat, can't do, and what you should be worried and afraid about. This class is designed to be taken before 20 weeks of pregnancy when you have the opportunity to set a positive course of hopeful expectations for a healthy pregnancy and a birth that you can look forward to. Learn to distinguish between the real dos and don'ts of pregnancy, set a foundation of appreciating pregnancy and birth as normal life events, surround yourself with positive stories about birth, sharpen your decision making skills and intuition and discover the exercises and practices that you most need to be doing to prepare for birth, but that no one is probably telling you about.
+ $50 (includes pregnant person + one support person)
+ this class will take place in the Kith + Kin space with a virtual option from home!
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth Varaso of Mama Bird Birth Services is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, a DONA Certified Birth Doula and the mother of four very ornery children ages two to twelve. She originally came to Philadelphia 21 years ago to complete her MSEd in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania and to serve at-risk children and families in the Kensington community.
Following a decade in community outreach work, Elizabeth discovered an unexpected calling as a birth professional after being profoundly impacted by the birth of her own children. In particular, the experience of adding a doula to her team of caregivers gave her a vision of how satisfying a well-supported birth could be.
As a doula, Elizabeth has served over 80 birthing families which has given her experience and insight of the inner-workings of most of the city's major hospitals. Her first three children were born at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr and her fourth at Pennsylvania Hospital, so she has a special fondness for helping families prepare to welcome their babies there. In her 9 years as a childbirth educator, Elizabeth has taught hundreds of expectant couples through her classes offered at sites all around Philadelphia and was recognized by Philadelphia Family Magazine Love Awards as the Best Birth Class in 2021.
It's Elizabeth’s desire to provide empowering, evidence-based childbirth education and strong, gentle & loving doula support to birthing people and their partners with the hope that they will not just cope, but thrive through their childbirth experience. Elizabeth is pleased to serve people from a variety of backgrounds and seeks to honor the sacredness of each pregnancy journey and birth by respecting the needs, goals and values of each individual birthing person. She hopes that her calm and confident demeanor, her enthusiasm and optimistic outlook will help make the adventure of preparing for childbirth an enjoyable one!