My partner and I took a one-day condensed class and feel more prepared to recognize the stages of labour and techniques to cope when the time comes. I would suggest the course for anyone who wants to better understand the birthing process!

CEA's Pre Natal course was informative and allowed my husband and I to walk away feeling more confident in the stages of pregnancy and labour ahead of us, our options and how to prepare for all the next steps. It also alleviated a lot of my fear around labour and made me feel more in control of my choices and confident in my body. Overall it was a fantastic course, clearly offered by someone educator and passionate about the material. We will definitely be suggesting it to our friends when they are expecting!

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.

Amazing class! Very hands on and practical!

I will be recommending this class to each of my friends who become pregnant! Lots of great information and no judgment. Thanks again!

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!"

We really enjoyed the 1-day condensed Pre-Natal course from the Ottawa CEA. Both myself and my husband felt reassured and more prepared for labour after taking this course. My husband especially now feels as though he understands what to expect. Our instructor, Brandie Lekovic, was wonderful. She was very thorough, kind, funny, and knowledgeable. I would recommend this course to all first time parents.

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

My wife and I recently participated in two Ottawa CEA programs - Prenatal/Labour and Bringing Baby Home. Both programs were taught by extremely knowledgeable instructors who were very efficient at passing on the information in a manner that was suitable for everyone in the class. I believe that their information was all up to date as often they were quoting from very recent and varied resources. I strongly recommend that expectant parents who may be uncertain of their own level of knowledge about baby care, consider these programs. We found them to be great value for the money. Trevor McLeod Ottawa

This class prepared us extremely well for the birth of our wonderful daughter. We had planned on delivering at the Birth Centre but due to a fast labour had her at home. The information received during the session greatly helped and took away any worry I had. And Lilly was an absolutely fantastic teacher!

"This is a wonderful class to take as a new parent. It is very inclusive of partners and how they can support you throughout the labor process. It was full of information, much of it I would have never thought to even ask about! Patient teacher, willing to answer all questions. Class is tailored to the needs of those present, that was much appreciated. I recommend this to anyone expecting their first child!"

The one day, condensed pre natal class offered by CEA is an excellent way to hit all the highlights in your preparation for child birth. For people with limited amounts of time and difficult schedules, this class is a great way to cover off the essentials of what you need to know before you give birth. I highly recommend this class.

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.

The class was very thorough, capturing the first weeks of having a newborn! The instructor was fantastic- thorough, knowledgeable, engaging, and made everything relatable to what being a first- time parent is like! I would take other courses offered, because I would feel confident that I was getting the best information to make choices from out there!

I HIGHLY recommend this course. Our instructor was so knowledgeable, and so understanding of the issues facing new parents. I feel so much more confident about our upcoming baby than before this weekend. Both my husband and I walked away from this weekend feeling more excited, and better prepared than before. The information was based on base practices/guidelines, but also incorporating real life parenting experiences. Truly, a really great course.

I heard about this course from my midwife, who said other clients of hers had all been really satisfied with it. They were right! It was definitely worth the cost and the hour drive it took us to come in from out of town.

The one-day class condensed a lot of useful information both for mothers and their birth support person. I felt the course was impartial and provided information to make informed decisions that are right for me. The instructor was warm, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

Ottawa's CEA Pre Natal course helped prepare my husband and I for the birth of our child without being bias towards one method. The class was fun, interactive, and informative; every piece of material covered was useful and beneficial to us as beginner parents. The instructors are very knowledgable with not only the content but with the community as a whole--we learned of so many resources that Ottawa provides to parents-to-be that we would have never known about if it weren't for this class. We would highly recommend taking this course!

"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!"

Great class. Exceeded my expectations and I feel much more prepared as a first-time mom. All the little details you don't think of until after the fact. Definitely worth the small fee for a greater piece of kind.

The six week prenatal class was worth the investment of time and money. It allowed us the opportunity to not only meet other expectant couples, but to absorb the information between classes and then come back to ask questions the following week. Our instructor, Lilly, was very warm, reassuring and knowledgeable. We would recommend this course to others

Sure! The OCEA Bringing Baby Home class was one of the most valuable experiences that my partner and I have had coming into our experience as first-time parents. Our educator was knowledgeable and approachable, not just about the science but also about resources in the community. I would HIGHLY recommend this class for any parent-to-be. It was well worth the investment of time (a weekend) and money (but it was reasonably priced!).

I actually learned about the Ottawa CEA through a friend. I would definitely recommend the Bringing Baby Home course to all first-time parents. It really helps to demystify a lot of things surrounding baby care. I feel much more prepared to welcome baby home after taking this course!

I have been sharing the course information and raving about both the bringing home baby class and the pre-natal classes. Both were informative, well researched, and delivered in a friendly, yet professional means. 2 thumbs up!

Bring Baby Home presented important information that helped my husband and I feel more prepared for our baby's arrival. The class set expectations accordingly around "stuff" baby will need and cleared up any old wives tales that surrounded topics such as: breastfeeding, solids, food allergies and swaddling.

Bringing Baby Home is a great opportunity for new parents to help learn the basics, get answers to common questions, and connect with the local parenting community and resources.

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.

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!

I highly recommend the OCEA's Prenatal Class. As first time parents my husband and I had a lot to learn and this course was so helpful for us. We left class feeling like we are prepared for the birth of our baby. We were provided with all the tools and resources we need and our instructor was excellent. Thank you OCEA!

Everyone should take advantage of the courses offered by OCEA! What a great service for new, local parents.