mindfulness based childbirth education and parenting
Mindfulness Based Childbirth Education and Parenting is a unique approach to childbirth preparation. Like a traditional class, MBCP includes detailed information that is vital for navigating the birth process and the early postpartum period. In addition it teaches the skill of mindfulness for coping with stress, fear, pain and uncertainty that often accompany this important life passage. Learning mindfulness skills can contribute to a healthy pregnancy, a positive birth experience and can set the stage for attuned and mindful parenting and can provide a foundation for coping with the inevitable “contractions” of everyday life.
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mbcp // founder
nancy bardake
“In mindfulness practice there is nothing to achieve, nothing to get, and nowhere to go. Instead, you are cultivating another way of being, learning how to be fully aware of exactly where and how you are in this very moment, even if the moment is painful or you don’t like it, because in this moment, this is your reality. A non-striving attitude can be especially valuable during childbirth. As you will see, allowing things to be exactly as they are during labor actually creates the optimal mind-body condition for your body to open, change, and give birth.” ~ Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond
How will this help me, my baby and my family?
It will help decrease the negative effects of stress on the mother and the baby.
It will help engage inner resources for physical and mental wellbeing.
It will increase confidence and courage for the birth experience.
It will empower you to make choices that are appropriate for you.
It will provide the opportunity to explore your own unique approach to parenting.
It will develop skills for working with stress during pregnancy, birth, postpartum and the rest of your life.
- Instruction and experiential learning of mindfulness practices such as mindful awareness, body scan, yoga and mindfulness in daily life.
- Review of the physiology of labor and strategies for navigating the birth process to optimize a healthy birth.
- Exploration of the mind body connection and the physiology of stress and its effect on pregnancy, labor and life.
- Learning to use the mind to work with fear and pain during labor
- Communication with birth providers.
- Getting started with breastfeeding.
- Parenting a newborn.