Julia was an amazing educator and I would highly recommend her and this class to new parents.

I went into the class feeling apprehensive about giving birth and what to expect during labour. I left feeling prepared, confident and excited for when I go into labour in a few more weeks. Brandie provided us with a wide set of tools that we could draw on during the labour to deal with a number of different situations, should they arise.

Michelle was an amazing educator. I was very engaged the whole time.

What a wonderful human!! She was so nice and extremely informative :)

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!

Great class, I signed up mostly for my husband to get him ready, I was so nervous that he would not know what to do but now I feel more confident. We are a first time parents.

This class got my partner and I talking practically about becoming parents: Where will Baby sleep? How will we maximize our sleep? What items do we really need? What kind of diapers will we use? We were given information (i.e. the pros and cons) on so many issues and were left to make decisions that work best for us. I really appreciated the class and would recommend it to new parents who, like us, just don't know where to begin planning life for three.

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

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.

This course exceeded our expectations. It covered topics we never would have even thought of looking up on our own.

The OCEA prenatal class was so informative. My husband and I walked away from the classes feeling like we had a lot of information and the necessary tools to make informed decisions that fit our birth plan and our own family preference for our at-hospital birth. My husband was also really pleased with the course because it offered a lot of information on the role of the birth partner, which is information you don’t find readily available online unfortunately. We highly recommend any new parents to take this course so that you can feel prepared and make decisions on your birth date that you feel comfortable with.

Phenomenal workshop with an equally phenomenal facilitator. Erin was so knowledgeable on ALL topics relating to this course, it was a breath of fresh air to know that we could ask any question and she would reply with personal, professional experiences, or both. My husband and I learned so much in this course, as a couple we feel more confident in preparing for our first baby, and now are aware of many additional resources that are available to us. Amazing experience!

Easy going, could speak up and ask questions without feeling judged.

Of course! Ottawa CEA Pre Natal Class was the most informative source of information that I've come into contact with since getting pregnant! This isn't an old-fashioned, dry course that tells you not to smoke (because you should know that anyway), or shows you how to swaddle a baby. The information provided was up-to-date, reliable and relatable. The teaching method was objective, with no judgements of one's perferred method of childbirth. There was much more active learning than I had expected, but it never got overwhelming. The pacing was perfect for two days! The course gave me a clear idea of what it might be like to be in labour, and empowered me with information. I know feel as though I have actual tools that will help me prepare for the big day! I highly recommend this course for both soon-to-be parents, as my support partner also gained much knowledge from the course and feels more comfortable with being my support.

Julia was really informative and full of excitement, so it was indeed a wonderful series of class

The OCEA pre-natal classes are extremely valuable for first-time expecting parents. The information is shared in a very open, practical and fact-based manner without any judgement attached. It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the advice and research that is out there, but the OCEA classes really manage to distill this information and present it in a clear and structured way. The instructors are very experienced and knowledgeable and are great inter-personally. We were particularly impressed by how they handled giving online classes during the pandemic. They also provide a lot of Ottawa-specific information on the amazing resources that are available here. This was particularly useful to us as newcomers. We have many friends who have given birth in other countries, and when telling them about our experience with OCEA they have all said that nothing like this was available to them and it would have been so useful. Overall, we would highly recommend taking these classes.

Erin was phenomenal. She is obviously very knowledgeable, but more than that, she is clear with her method of delivery and strikes me as honest and genuine. My husband and I felt like this course was worth it after day one with Erin, and it's because of how she gave us the information, as opposed to just the information itself. We learned a lot from Erin and are very grateful to her.

Julia was very informative and engaging. She kept the topics interesting through the online format.

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!

My partner and I took the Bringing Baby Home course through the Ottawa CEA, taught by Erin Shaheen. Erin is very knowledge and took the time to answer any all questions the class had. All the topics were thoroughly presented and never felt rushed. She even provided lots of links, resources as well as information on local support services. We took this course about three months before the baby's due date, and we are so thankful that we did. After taking this course, we felt more confident about our decision making regarding feeding, sleeping, diapering and what items to purchase We look forward to taking more classes with Ottawa CEA!

Yes!! You are welcome to use the following with our without Michelle's name. "We are so happy with our experience through OCEA. We would recommend their prenatal class to every new parent! Our educator Michelle made us feel so supported and taught us so much without giving us information overload. We feel so much more empowered and ready to face this new chapter of life."

The value of this class cannot be understated. Even with all the research that I did on my own beforehand, I still learned so many new things about what to expect for the labour and delivery process as well as post natal. We had a great instructor and meeting other moms and sharing experiences helped me to feel more connected and validated in my own experience. Thanks again to Brandie for a great weekend.