Welcome to Ottawa Childbirth Education Association

Let's talk birth and babies!

Freedom of choice Based on a Knowledge of Alternatives

Practical tools to prepare for birth

Hands on parenting class for expectant parents

Bringing baby home

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For over 40 years, trusted by Ottawa's parents-to-be.

People who took our online class had this to say:

Given the continued need to physically distance, the size of our room rentals and the evolving state of our global pandemic, OCEA will continue to offer all classes online throughout 2022.
We dearly want to support the health of expectant families.

Erin was amazing and I would highly recommend her class. We found it incredibly valuable and she was just so lovely!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

This class was great! She was so well prepared and had wonderful images and props and ways of explaining things that made learning about giving birth very accessible.

Pre Natal One Day – with Brandie Lekovic

Great use of zoom. Thank you.

Pre Natal One Day – with Brandie Lekovic

I've been reading a lot about parenting and have a sister in law who is very passionate about parenting and I have been around to watch her raising three kids so I have been exposed to a lot of the philosophies. I really appreciated the break down of the sleep discourses and looking at the sleep training stuff, as I had a friend who sent me a huge amount of sleep training info that was like an airplane manual it was so complex and I thought it seemed a little intimidating and unnecessary/counterintuitive, so I was glad to hear that it is not the bible of baby sleep approaches.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

She was fantastic ! Made the class fun to attend !

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Fantastic - very engaging Clearly loves what she is doing and made the class fly by (even in a virtual setting). Felt comfortable asking questions & that we were getting very informed up to date information.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Great class! Would definitely recommend it!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

I was recommended Ottawa CEO Pre Natal by our midwife and I am so happy my partner and I took the course, as there was so much that we did not know! The 6 part class allowed us to digest and reflect on the information at a pace that helped ensure we fully understood the stages of labour, comfort measures available and post natal expectations. Our instructor, Michelle, was very personable, informative and answered all of our questions thoroughly. We certainly feel more confident entering the final phase of pregnancy after taking this class. Thank you Michelle!

Pre Natal – with Michelle Morra

This course was provided via zoom and I don't feel like I missed out on anything by participating virtually. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and answered every question. I felt her sympathy for all of the birthing women during this COVID19 environment.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

I would recommend this class to all expecting parents. It really increased my confidence in myself going into birth and the first few months with our child. It has facilitated my ability to communicate better with my partner. This course is worth every penny and every minute of time.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

I’ve taken two courses with OCEA, and both were chock-full of useful and practical information and tips. I like that the instructors were careful about discussing the evidence for various claims, and were very engaging and responsive to questions.

Pre Natal – with Misty Pratt

Misty was great! It's obvious that she's passionate about labour and birth, and she approaches all topics with tons of knowledge and absolutely no judgment. It was a pleasure to take this course with her!

Pre Natal – with Misty Pratt

Before baby gets here

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Pre Natal Classes

OCEA's prenatal class will give you all the practical tools to prepare you for your birth whether at home, hospital or birth centre. Our small interactive group classes include the following information presented in small group formats ... Pre Natal Classes Schedule

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Bringing Baby Home

Our Bringing Baby Home class is a hands on parenting class for expectant parents that covers normal newborn behaviour, diapering decisions, bathing strategies, bonding and attachment and more! ... Bringing Baby Home Schedule

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Comfort Measures

This hands on class includes coping strategies to help you feel confident understanding the Pain - Tension - Fear cycle. How to interrupt this cycle using a variety of positions, massage and breathing techniques to help you at each step of labour and birth ... Comfort Measures Schedule

With baby

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Infant & Toddler sleep class

Are you an exhausted parent that has tried everything and cannot get your baby to sleep? Do you want to find a solution that is not crying it out? We will be creating a space for parents to follow their instincts when it comes to their new baby... Infant sleep class.

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Infant Massage

Learn the health-giving properties of Infant Massage: growth and motor skill development, blood and lymph circulation, immune system stimulation, building bones, helping with gas and colic, aid with deeper and longer sleep, emotional and physical bonding time ... Infant Massage Schedule

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Baby at the Table

Baby at the Table – a baby foodie class for the first year. Thinking about introducing solids? Not sure when or where to start? Purées or Baby Led Weaning? Baby is eating solids and you want to connect with others, diversify recipes, or create mealtime routines? ... Baby at the Table

Specialty

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It Takes a Village

About to be a Grandparent? Or maybe an Aunt, Uncle or another "villager"? This class is just for you! Sure, babies will always be babies, but parenting has so many new dimensions these days. Let us get you up to date on newborn development, sleep, tummy time, infant feeding, car seats, and more. We also explore how to be helpful and supportive while keeping your family relationships happy and boundaries healthy. It Takes a Village

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CPR

CPR classes are Level C certification level. This life skills class is excellent for family and friends who are interested in learning all aspects of infant, child and adult CPR. Class training is approximately 2 1/2 hours and ... CPR Schedule

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OCEA workshops

Join OCEA for workshops on practical topics that include Building a Communication Toolkit, Creating a Family Social Media Strategy and more! Each participant will leave the workshop with a practical checklist of tools that will help their family achieve their workshop goals. Full list of our specialty workshops

Tutoring

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Private Tutoring

OCEA provides private tutoring for individuals and couples unable to commit to an evening series or weekend class. Take a session on your own or with friends and we will meet your scheduling needs ... Private Tutoring Schedule

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NICU Doula

Pregnancy and birth are almost always joyous times. However, sometimes we get news we might not have prepared for that changes our expectations and plans, and we find ourselves preparing for the arrival of our newborn in a different way than we planned. ... NICU Doula

OCEA Social