Our Classes

We are proud to offer

Bringing Baby Home

The OCEA Bringing Baby Home class was developed in 2004, by Erin Shaheen, to fill an information gap for expectant families on the transition to parenting after birth.  With a strong background in mental health counselling, post-partum Doula support and a variety of additional certifications (CPR, Car seat Installation, Breastfeeding counsellor, Infant Sleep Educator, Circle of Security Training, Self-Reg with Stuart Shanker), Erin brought all of this information into a full two day or six evening class.

As our other classes have shifted back to in-person or online, the BBH class remains exclusively online. This has allowed us to present resources, websites and videos, in ways not possible in person. We acknowledge that this also increases inclusivity for those who have barriers to in-person attendance due to transportation limitations, for participants outside the City of Ottawa and for those who may either be on bed rest or are immune compromised.

This is NOT your regular online class! Erin has a Master's in Education specializing in course development and has tailored the content delivery to an online, small-group format. We look forward to having you join the BBH class!

This class welcomes all families including families giving birth to babies, or having babies join through adoption or surrogacy.

We ask that all participants keep their video on throughout the small online class. Like an in-person class, this creates a sense of community and safety. If you prefer not to be seen, we recommend a private one-on-one session with one of our instructors.  Online classes are accessible to anyone across Canada and run over four weekend mornings from 9 am-12 pm or online over six evenings.

Our Bringing Baby Home class is a hands-on parenting class for expectant parents including
  • Choosing daycare and managing the wait list
  • Building your after-birth support system, including filling in service gaps when you do not have a Family Doctor
  • How to decide what items to purchase for life with a baby
  • Basic baby care including bathing, swaddling, and holding the baby
  • The difference between cloth diapers, disposable diapers and diaper service and the diaper loaner program
  • Benefits of babywearing and how to pick baby carriers for ergonomics
  • Infant Feeding and introducing solids
  • What you need to know when purchasing a car seat for your baby
  • Learn how to properly and safely install your car seat
  • How to properly restrain newborns in car seats
  • How to deal with choking
  • Babyproofing: how to make your home safer for your baby
  • Learn the most common cause of injuries and how they can be prevented
  • Where to purchase home safety products

The cost of the class is $200 (CAD) (per couple). 
*A couple is defined as a pregnant person and one support person (which can be a spouse, partner, friend or family member)

Refund Policy: When cancelling a prenatal class after it has been booked there is a $25 (CAD) administration fee. If the cancellation occurs less than 14 days before the class there is a 50% cancellation fee. If it is less than 7 days there is no refund.  Requests for changes within 7 days of class will reflect a $75 fee.  Please remember this when booking classes and plan to finish your session by 35 weeks.

People who took our class had this to say:


We dearly want to support the health of expectant families.

If you are in the fence about taking this class just do it! You will not regret your decision. Highly informative class that is great for both mother and partner. We are definitely more confident as first time parents! Thank you:)

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Ottawa CEA is a fantastic organization. My husband and I have taken two classes through them and feel less anxious about welcoming our first child, and more prepared about what to expect both during labour and when we bring our baby home. The instructors who lead the classes (Erin and Brandi) were extreme knowledgeable, friendly and explained everything thoroughly.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Lilly was amazing. She approached sensitive conversations (sex, positions, comfort measures, anatomy) with grace and took the awkwardness of the conversation away.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

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.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

It was interactive and live so we could ask questions as it went on and get instant feedback.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

The Bringing Home Baby course offered by OCEA was worth every penny. My husband and I were thoroughly impressed with the educator’s level of knowledge and experience. The class covers a lot of material but somehow flies by! 10/10 would recommend!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Lily was fabulous and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend the class and the instructor.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

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

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

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!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Money well spent! We weren’t sure what we would walk away with, but would recommend to everyone we know looking for a prenatal class!

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

The online session was really informative. The instructor was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

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.

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic


 
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  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    FULL
    Sat, April 26 · April 27 · May 3 & May 4, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    FULL
    Tue, May 6 · May 13 · May 20 · May 27 ·
    June 3 & June 10, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, May 10 · May 11 · May 17 & May 18, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Mon, May 12 · May 19 · May 26 · June 2 ·
    June 9 & June 16, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, June 14 · June 15 · June 21 & June 22, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Mon, June 30 · July 2 · July 7 · July 9 ·
    July 14 & July 16, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, July 5 · July 6 · July 12 & July 13, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Tue, Aug. 5 · Aug. 7 · Aug. 12 · Aug. 14 ·
    Aug. 19 & Aug. 21, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Aug. 9 · Aug. 10 · Aug. 16 & Aug. 17, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Oct. 18 · Oct. 19 · Oct. 25 & Oct. 26, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Nov. 1 · Nov. 2 · Nov. 8 & Nov. 9, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Nov. 15 · Nov. 16 · Nov. 22 & Nov. 23, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    weekend
    Sat, Dec. 6 · Dec. 7 · Dec. 13 & Dec. 14, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now