Our Classes

We are proud to offer

Baby Steps

Welcome to OCEA's Tuesday morning new parent group!  Bring your baby, a warm drink, snack, and come to meet new friends!  
 
This new parent group will run on Tuesday mornings from 9:30-11 for eight weeks.  Each week we discuss a different topic around life with a newborn.  This group is geared toward families with babies from 0-6 months.  Topics will be reflective of each group's needs and may include any of the following:

  • Getting out and about with a newborn: sharing ideas of fun, easy outings with your newborn
  • Finding and creating time-saving strategies as a new parent
  • Family adjustments: setting gentle boundaries with loved ones, and managing expectations from friends and family.  
  • Days with our newborns: sharing ideas and suggestions for setting a nice rhythm to our days
  • Sleep and naps:  let's share our sleep wins and challenges!  
  • Open question week:  Bring your questions and let's discuss and brainstorm some ideas
  • Planning family meals: meal prep is an ongoing task, as support during the "5-7 pm shift" and so much more.
  • Baby wearing: bring your carriers, let's try them on and make adjustments
 
Baby Steps will be facilitated by Michelle Morra, an OCEA  prenatal educator,  postpartum doula and parent to five.   Michelle's calm approach to gentle parenting and supportive care towards new parents will make this a wonderful, non-judgemental, safe group.  Michelle looks forward to welcoming you and your baby in the fall!  
 
The cost of the class is $150 (+hst)

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 date changes within 7 days of class will reflect a $75 fee.  
 

People who took our online class during COVID-19 had this to say:

Given the continued need to physically distance, the size of our room rentals and the evolving state of our global pandemic, OCEA will continue to offer all classes online throughout 2022.
We dearly want to support the health of expectant families.

Julia did an amazing job delivering each and every class. She made sure to answer any questions we had and explained each concept thoroughly. I would definitely take another one of Julia’s classes and would recommended OCEA classes to any future parent.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

We both LOVED Julia's approach to teaching. She provided us with so much useful information and supported all areas of pregnancy. It was nice that she explained the pro's and con's of each topic without making one seem better than another or making us feel like we made a bad choice going the route we've chosen.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

I liked the structure, and being muted at home meant my partner and I could talk about the information as we were learning it.

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

As first time parents, we are wracked with questions and apprehensions to be the best parents we can be. Without courses like this, we would need to navigate a lot of disinformation and marketing on social media and be reliant on anecdotes from friends/family to assuage our concerns. Erin presented evidence-based current best practices in a calm, compassionate, and personalized way for the course attendees and empowered us in our parenting education. We are so grateful!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

We very much enjoyed the online OCEA pre-natal course and are glad we took it. We appreciated that our instructor presented unbiased information on the birth process that was specific to Ottawa hospitals. Even my partner who already has experience with childbirth and babies learned a few new things! Would recommend to other expecting parents.

Pre Natal – with Misty Pratt

The Ottawa CEA Pre Natal course was a great course for all parents to be whether you are a new parent or want to simply refresh your skills. I felt that the instructors were extremely knowledgeable and provided a safe space for asking questions. I also found the additional resources after the course very practical. Overall, very engaging and interesting two-day intensive course. Thank you Brandie!

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic

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

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Thanks for being willing to add in information about how to deal with our fur babies when we bring the baby home!

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

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

She was fantastic. I really appreciated her non judgmental approach. She provided information in a scientific manner, without inserting a personal bias.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Our educator was fantastic. We were really impressed by her. She knew her material, but was engaging and interesting, even remotely for the first time. We felt she was careful with her word choices. She had a pleasant demeanor and was very adaptable and responsive based on our questions and based on the new format of the course without any issues. We would highly recommend this course, but we would recommend any class with her particularly. She made us believe we could bring home a baby and we would all survive!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Erin and Lily are both very knowledgeable, resourceful, practical and pragmatic in all of their teaching and advice. We appreciated that their courses (Labour and Delivery and Bringing Home Baby) were offered through Zoom. We are thankful for their support before we welcome our baby.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen


 
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  • In Person

    Baby Steps
    7 weeks
    Tue, Jan. 14 · Jan. 21 · Jan. 28 · Feb. 4 ·
    Feb. 11 · Feb. 18 & Feb. 25, 2025

    09:30 AM - 11:00 AM
    300 des Pères-Blancs Avenue
    Register now

  • In Person

    Baby Steps
    7 weeks
    Tue, March 18 · March 25 · April 1 · April 8 ·
    April 15 · April 22 · April 29 & May 6, 2025

    09:30 AM - 11:30 AM
    300 des Pères-Blancs Avenue
    Register now