People who took our online class had this to say:
I feel empowered for the birth, and my husband feels like he understands everything better. The workshop really demystified the process and presented clear information and useful tips. We are so happy that we decided to attend.
Absolutely ! As first time parents the Prenatal course helped us feel informed about the labour, birth and post-partum stages. My husband and I both feel we're better prepared to know what to expect, what is normal, what isn't and it prompted questions and discussions we wouldn't have otherwise thought to have ahead of labour. We both feel more empowered coming out of this course. As a soon-to-be first time mom I now feel like birth isn't something that has to happen to me but rather something I can take more ownership over. I can't recommend our facilitator, Brandie, enough as well. She is absolutely phenomenal!
The course covered all of the major topics that new parents should be thinking about and presented an array of options in an approachable and practical way. From learning about the basics (eating, sleeping, diapering) to gaining a lot of information on important things that we otherwise wouldn't have thought about (infant CPR, baby gear essentials, healthy attachment practices, parenting resources in Ottawa), we came away feeling far more confident in our knowledge and level of preparation for bringing our baby home!
Julia is an excellent educator. Doing online classes on this topic must be challenging but we found it to be a very engaging, interesting and practical class. Julia's experience and vast knowledge is very clear. We really enjoyed Julia's personality and sense of humour which made the class fun to attend. She is also very good at providing a lot of information in a clear and structured manner and at ensuring that the key points are highlighted and memorable.
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.
Lily made online learning more community like than we thought was possible! It was also very nice to learn from the comfort of our own home!
This course was a great introduction in all things labour. Things are a bit different in Covid-19 times and our instructor made a point of keeping us up to date with what to expect while being very empathetic with the challenges this situation brings to labour and tricks to get through it positively.
The one-day condensed course was a great preparation for giving birth and breastfeeding for both mom and dad! We left feeling more prepared and knowledgeable and armed with more resources for future readings.
Was great to be in the comfort of your home. At 33 weeks much more convenient to be on your couch, have your own pillow and make yourself comfortable.
I'm really happy my partner and I took this course. I feel better prepared for going through labour and delivery, and feel I learned lots of practical tips that I had not come across in my work in the medical field. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone I knew expecting a baby in Ottawa!
Julia was excellent. Very personable and she made you feel very comfortable in the class and when asking questions. Really enjoyed her overall approach. I will definitely be recommending her and the class to friends.
Lilly was fantastic and had a calm, informative and empowering approach to educating our class on prenatal subjects and what we could expect as new parents. She was very thorough and welcomed any questions we had, which created a very open and comfortable atmosphere for learning. Lily took the time to learn about each couple's care and birth plans, and was able to cater information to us in a very thoughtful way. My partner and I looked forward to our lessons and felt we benefited from them immensely, I would highly recommend this course to parents-to-be!
We liked when studies, research, etc. were referenced when presenting information. There is so much information out there that it's nice to know when information has been validated by research.
"The Bringing Baby Home class was great and answered a lot of our questions about what to buy and what we could live without. We feel more confident in our decision-making abilities in choosing baby gear and really appreciated the hands-on experiences like diapering, swaddling, and trying out different baby carriers. We have already recommended it to friends and co-workers!"
Bringing Baby Home provided us with much needed information and then confidence in becoming parents. We feel less anxious now that we have taken the class. We loved the session on what products to buy! We especially loved all of the community resources that were shared. I am going to recommend this class to anyone who is about to become a parent!
The virtual class provided by OCEA was very informative and a great way to prepare for labour as well as childbirth. Especially during a global pandemic/lockdown/stay-at-home order this was more than beneficial for mommy and daddy-to-be! We are extremely grateful for this opportunity and feel much more confident bringing our little bundle of joy into this world!
The Bringing Home Baby course was an incredible learning experience for us. Our instructor Erin was passionate about the course content and is a very effective communicator. We enjoyed it so much we immediately signed up for the Pre Natal and CPR courses with Ottawa CEA as well. The course gave us the opportunity to ask questions about conflicting information we’ve heard about while preparing for our baby’s birth and hear how other soon-to-be parents are handling and setting boundaries relating to COVID. I feel this course has given us more confidence in our ability to become capable, calm parents.
The Ottawa CEA Pre Natal Class takes the fear and uncertainty out of the birthing process and replaces it with confidence and empowerment. I went from "I am not sure I am ready to do this" to "Let's do this!"
Lily was fabulous and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend the class and the instructor.
As a pregnant woman, I went into this course with a lot of fear about labour and birth, and I came out feeling like, "I can do this!" Our instructor was unbiased, kind, and funny, and we felt like we could really trust her and the information she offered. We also connected with the other couples in the course, extending the community of support around us for when baby arrives! This course exceeded our expectations. Thank you!
The prenatal course was well worth the cost. I feel confident in my labor options and the role of my support person during labor. From a combination of hands-on exercises to stories and diagrams, I feel like I know what to expect from labor and postpartum. This course eased much of my anxiety!
Brandie was amazing, very knowledgeable, answered all our questions. Very engaging instructor and would recommend her to anyone taking the course.