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 face barriers to in-person attendance due to transportation limitations, for participants outside the City of Ottawa, and for those who may be on bed rest or have an immune-compromised condition.

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 causes of injuries and how they can be prevented
  • Where to purchase home safety products

The cost of the class is $230 (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 cancellation occurs less than 14 days before the class, a 50% cancellation fee applies. If it is less than 7 days, no refund will be issued.  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.

Erin provided good information regarding on screen time with infants/children which is something that we have always been concerned about.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

We liked being able to following the course from our home. We also appreciated how flexible and understanding Erin was throughout.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

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

OCEA's classes are fantastic! I have taken a handful and learned a bunch from each one. The facilitators are stellar, every class is worthwhile

Bringing Baby Home – with Brandie Lekovic

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.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Erin was absolutely PHENOMENAL. Her immense knowledge, calm demeanor, and insight was so helpful. So so so glad we had Erin as our teacher!!!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Julia is EXCELLENT! She was very knowledgeable and very funny! She knew how to navigate those awkward and uncomfortable topics with care and grace. If we have a 2nd baby, I would love to have Julia as my midwife :)

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Julia's manner and the information she provided was so reassuring. We feel prepared for the birth and so excited to meet our baby girl. It was a delight to be enrolled in her class.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

We really appreciated the very frank, honest, non-judgemental explanations. It has helped us to separate the facts from the opinions.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

It was easy to share questions verbally or in writing, or that you had the opportunity to ask them more privately, before or after the class via text with Julia. It was a nice option that made me feel more at ease.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Lilly is awesome. She presented information in helpful ways that felt really supportive. I went into the class kind of panicked and came away with a sense of confidence and trust in my abilities.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

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.

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic


 
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  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    1 Registration Left
    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
    FULL
    Sat, Aug. 9 · Aug. 10 · Aug. 16 & Aug. 17, 2025
    09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Waitlist

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Thu, Sept. 4 · Sept. 11 · Sept. 18 · Sept. 25 ·
    Oct. 2 & Oct. 9, 2025

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

  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Tue, Sept. 16 · Sept. 23 · Sept. 30 · Oct. 7 ·
    Oct. 14 & Oct. 21, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 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
    6 weekday evenings
    Thu, Oct. 23 · Oct. 30 · Nov. 6 · Nov. 13 ·
    Nov. 20 & Nov. 27, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 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
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  • Online

    Bringing Baby Home
    6 weekday evenings
    Tue, Nov. 4 · Nov. 11 · Nov. 18 · Nov. 25 ·
    Dec. 2 & Dec. 9, 2025

    07:00 PM - 09:15 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