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:

Erin was an outstanding educator. You can tell she really enjoys what she does. She has a huge wealth of knowledge and wisdom and is very skilled at sharing it and making it easy to understand. The use of props, play-alongs/demos , videos, images, slides, breakout groups, etc., were done. Online courses are challenging, but Erin made it engaging and the two days went by much better — and were much for fun— than I was expecting!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

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

The condensed Pre Natal Class offered by the Ottawa CEA is an informative and interactive one-day course that assists parents navigating through the final stages of pregnancy and the early days of parenthood. The course has wonderful educators who provide unbiased material on current practices of natural and assisted labour, breastfeeding techniques and provides resources for parents. The course is also beneficial for partners and provides a toolkit of suggestions on how to become a helpful participant in the birthing process. Overall, the one-day course was helpful and more than adequate for us as we make the transition to becoming parents.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

It was well worth the time and money. The amount of information we received has helped both my husband and myself feel much more comfortable with what to expect.

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic

Bringing Baby Home was a great class! Brandie's informative, non-judgemental teaching was perfect and set a great tone for us as first-time parents. She did a great job of creating a sense of community in the online class. Thank you!

Bringing Baby Home – with Brandie Lekovic

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!

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

Erin's enthusiasm for babies, parenting, and supporting new parents really made the class shine.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

I would recommend this class to all new parents. The class offers very practical information that will help you prepare for the arrival of your baby, but also provides information that will be used once your baby arrives all the way into being a toddler.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

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

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

My husband and I were NOT looking forward to taking a pre-natal/birthing class, in fact we tried to get out of doing one. However our midwife urged us to take one because we are first time parents. All we had to go on about what would happen was from movies really and we were both dreading what we thought would happen. Both of us were actually really surprised at how much we enjoyed the class, and how much we learned. I can say now that I eat my words about not wanting to go, and we both are very glad to have all of this information in our arsenal to help us have a healthy birth.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

Great course! Erin is so knowledgeable. We feel like this course will save us a lot of money and angst once the baby is born. I really appreciated how current the information was and the information about local options we can use to get help and support. I wish every new family could take part in this course!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Brandie did an excellent job at teaching the course via zoom. She was engaging, offered great tips and information.

Bringing Baby Home – with Brandie Lekovic

The time that she took at the end to have a group chat and ask us all to check in. I would highly recommend that she do this with classes in the future. Ask questions and have the group check in. It was really nice to get the feedback and feelings of others in the class.

Pre Natal One Day – with Brandie Lekovic

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

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

We thought Lilly was wonderful!! She kept the course engaging and shared a lot of useful information. She was also funny!! We would highly recommend her course to friends.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

Lilly was amazing, she has so much experience to share and tips to give. She makes the entire session super lively and interesting. Barely using any notes makes the whole thing more interactive. We both highly appreciated her and would definitely recommend.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

Misty is a fabulous childbirth educator! Both my husband and I felt comfortable asking questions during the class, which is not always the case with online courses. I would 100% recommend this class to a expecting mothers and their partners. What a great way to prepare for the upcoming birth of our little one! :)

Pre Natal – with Misty Pratt

Before Covid-19, we both had very busy schedules and it was easier for us to sign up for one single day. We’ve also been reading a lot of books in preparation so we felt that a one day session would be ok. It definitely exceeding our expectations. I think my partner is much more ready for when I’m in labour as am I!

Pre Natal One Day – with Brandie Lekovic

The course Bringing Baby Home was suggested to me, I had no idea there would be so many other options - what a great service to the National Capital Region!

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

This class is a great service provided for Ottawans, and at a low cost, especially considering how much we learned. My partner and I feel more comfortable and empowered knowing the stages of labour, ways we can make me more comfortable during labour, and, even though we're planning an outside of hospital birth, what to expect if we have to go to a hospital.

Pre Natal – with Colette Gignac

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.

Bringing Baby Home – with Brandie Lekovic

Misty was phenomenal as a Facilitator, she was unbiased in her approach and research-based which was great. She was empathetic, I felt she spoke equally to moms-to-be and partners and didn't make it all about the moms which was a relief. She answered every question the participants had, she was knowledgeable beyond my expectations!

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 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

Our virtual CPR classes focuses on infant choking, signs of readiness for starting solids, babyled weaning and baby proofing strategies. This life skills class is excellent for family and friends who are interested in learning all aspects of infant, child and adult CPR ... CPR Schedule

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Parenting Group

Join us for the new OCEA parent group, BABY STEPS! Come and discuss life with your newborn. This group is geared to families with babies from 0-6months, covering topics including family adjustments, creating new family traditions, normal sleep patterns, and Parenting Group Schedule

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

OCEA Social