Do you want a positive birth experience? Whether that be with an epidural, all natural, or c-section, it’s so important to be prepared for everything that labor might throw at you. Finding the right birthing class is super important. That’s why I’m sharing my review of the Mama Natural Birth Course.
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A Little Back Story
A few months ago, I shared my Birth Story, and from that, I received so many questions! Many pregnant mamas wondered how I was able to have such a positive birth experience even though my daughter was sent to the NICU. I 100% believe it was because of the Mama Natural Birth Course.
Originally, when I found out that I was pregnant, I would have never even considered an online birthing course. I just pictured myself taking one at a hospital, but when the pandemic hit. Honestly, I was left with no other choice.
Looking back, I am so thankful that I found the Mama Natural Birth Course. It really impacted my mindset, my preparedness, and my comfort level when giving birth to my little girl.
So, today I’m going to be sharing a my honest review of the Mama Natural Birth Course covering everything from what I loved, what I wish would’ve been different, and even what my husband thought about it!
What’s Included in the Course?
If you purchase through my affiliate link, I will give you my 40 Week Pregnancy Devotional! Just send me a copy of your receipt and I will send you over the bonuses!
Before we jump into the Mama Natural Birth Course review, I want to simply provide a list of what is included! So, with the course, you will get the following:
- 8 Classes
- 4 BONUS Classes (Breastfeeding, Fears, Hospital Birth, VBAC)
- Digital Downloads for Each Week
- Hospital Bag Checklist
- Birth Plan
- Affirmations (One that’s Faith Based!)
- Prenatal Exercise Videos
- Natural Labor Playbook
- Affirmation Cards
What I LOVED about the Mama Natural Birth Course….
If you purchase through my affiliate link, I will give you my 40 Week Pregnancy Devotional! Just send me a copy of your receipt and I will send you over the bonuses!
There are so many things that I absolutely loved about this course! While I’m sure there are more than listed above, these are my biggest reasons for loving this class and feeling like it truly made an impact on my birthing experience…
1. It Wasn’t Boring
With online courses, it can get boring really quickly, but that just wasn’t the case for me with Mama Natural Birth. I felt like the videos were the perfect length to keep my attention but also provide enough information. I truly felt like it was very easy to stick with it!
2. I felt Prepared
There was so much information! They were really detailed about everything. While some natural birthing courses only talk about giving birth naturally, I truly think that this course did a wonderful job going through all of the different outcomes and what to expect.
3. Go at Your Own Pace
Being able to go at your own pace is a big win in my book! Because of my husband’s work schedule, it would’ve been really difficult for us to attend any classes together. But, because of the online format, we carve out times that worked for both of us and take as much time as we needed on each section.
4. NOT AWKWARD
This was HUGE for me! I guess I hadn’t thought about it beforehand, but as we were doing the course, it was so nice to just snuggle up in bed and watch one of the videos together. We didn’t have to worry about the awkwardness of being in a room full of other couples. It was such a relief to learn from the comfort of our own home without any awkwardness!
5. Learning All the Scientific Stuff
This wasn’t just a frou-frou course that provided a lot of opinions. This course did a great job of not being boring but also providing us with the science behind the information. My husband really appreciated how this course used medical terminology in its teachings. When the day arrived for us to head to labor and delivery, he understood what the nurses were talking and where I was at in labor.
6. Couples Share Their Own Birth Stories
Coupled with the scientific information, I really loved how we were able to hear real-life birthing stories. At the end of each section, there is a positive birth video to watch. It was this perfect blend of being given a lot of technical information, but then hearing a real-life example of how things went.
Just how every person is different, every mama’s birth story is different. This part of the Mama Natural Birth Course really boosted my confidence because I was able to hear all of these different, wonderful stories that all had positive outcomes. It was almost like in my head I was saying, “Oh, well this mama did it, so I can, too!”
7. Taught by a Midwife
Genevieve Howland and Maura Winkler are the brains behind the Mama Natural Birth Course. What I love about this is that Genevieve is a best selling author, while Maura is a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). I love the balance that they bring in each section. Genevieve (a mama) provided a realistic side to things. While Maura, being a CNM, brought the scientific information and gave practical applications.
Maura was great about breaking down the more complex medical terms and information. She was very natural based, but was also very knowledgeable about potential interventions!
8. Everything Geared Towards a Natural Birth
If your goal is to have a natural birth, then this video is truly for you! While I did mention above that they do touch on other interventions and options when it comes to birth, such as getting an epidural, the true focus is giving birth naturally.
Because this course is geared towards natural birth, I genuinely felt that it helped boost my confidence and my comfort level when it came to giving birth to my own child naturally. I feel like if this was a general birthing course, it wouldn’t have done the same for me.
9. She Touches on the UNEXPECTED
I feel like this course does such an excellent job of building your confidence in knowing that you CAN have a natural birth, but it’s realistic and prepares you for the unexpected.
No matter how perfect your birth plan may be, something is bound to come up. I loved how, during this course, they not only walked me through different scenarios but had a way to prepare for the unexpected. I actually used this when my midwife wanted to give me Pitocin!
10. Each Class has a POSITIVE Birth Story
There are 8 different classes in this course, and each class ends with a positive birth story! Every single story, no matter what was happening, was very encouraging and uplifting. From water births to hospital births, they had a positive story for them all! I truly believe mindset is so important when you are going into giving birth, and showing so many positive birth stories really helped to set up my mindset!
11. Class on Breastfeeding
Maura is not only a midwife, but she is also a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and I absolutely loved that the Mama Natural Birth Course had a class on breastfeeding! Because my little one was unexpectedly admitted to the NICU, our breastfeeding journey was WAY different than I had planned! If it weren’t for the class on breastfeeding, I know that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to continue since we had such a rocky start.
12. Talk about Nutrition
I also loved that they did touch on the importance of nutrition throughout this journey! I feel like this is something that is oftentimes overlooked when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, and I really appreciated it being included!
13. The Facebook Group
Okay, I saved the best for last on this one! If there’s one thing you take away from this entire Mama Natural Birth Course review, it should be that the course has a Facebook group that is absolutely priceless! I cannot speak highly enough about how helpful it is to be surrounded by other mamas throughout this journey into motherhood. There are thousands of moms at your fingertips to post to and ask questions about anything motherhood and childbirth related!
What I was disappointed in…
Genuinely, there were very few things that I was disappointed in, but this wouldn’t be a comprehensive review if I didn’t include them!
1. They Talked up Birth Center + Home Birth
If you are set on having your baby in a birth center or at home, then this course is absolutely perfect for you! But, because my midwife only did hospital births, I was always planning on delivering there. So, I was a little disappointed at how much they talked up birth centers and home births, which made me feel like the birth I was going to be experiencing wasn’t going to be as special.
3. The Dad’s Section is Corny
Some of the husbands from the sessions discuss what to expect, but we felt like it was way too corny and forced. My husband and I actually ended up skipping through this part of the course, so I wish it had been more insightful and authentic!
4. Very Repetitive
From session to session, there was quite a bit of overlap. While this can be good, I felt like whenever certain things were brought back up, it was a bit overkill with re-explaining. So, just know that there will be parts throughout the course that they continue to repeat and touch back on.
5. Used the Word “Intervention” a Bit Aggressively
Similar to the way the course made me feel like hospitals were less than desirable, it felt the same with the word intervention. Actually, it probably was worse. Throughout the course, it just seemed like intervention was this big, bad, and ugly thing that you completely didn’t need and shouldn’t want, and I was really disappointed in that.
What if I had decided that I needed or wanted an epidural? I don’t think it should be looked down upon, but from the course, it made it out to be that way.
If you purchase through my affiliate link, I will give you my 40 Week Pregnancy Devotional! Just send me a copy of your receipt and I will send you over the bonuses!
What did my Husband Think?
You will have to watch our Youtube video to see everything my husband had to say, but all in all he thought this course was well worth it. But I want to share a little bit of our Q&A with you here!
Q: Would you recommend Dad’s-to-be go through the course too?
A: Absolutely! I will say that for everyone it’s different. For us it was important because in the moment I knew she could do it. I had so much knowledge about what was going on, which I think was really helpful.
Q: What advice would you give to the mama who’s husband doesn’t want to take the course with her?
A: My mindset was that we were going to do some kind of birth class, so this was the class we were going to take together. But if he’s not into it try the reward system, if you watch these with me than you get a bowl of ice cream.
Q: Do you have any encouragement for the dad who is unsure about taking the course?
A: Do the course with the mindset of gaining knowledge of what is going on in the birthing room. Until we did the Mama Naturals Course, I really had no idea what to expect. I liked learning all the medical terms, which was super helpful when the nurses were talking.
Q: What did you like about the course?
A: I like to learn, so I thought it was interesting to learn about the medical terms and interventions during birth. I feel like the course helped to give me confidence that I could be there to coach her. It also gave me the tools to pull out of my pocket to help her through the tough moments.
Q: What didn’t you like?
A: It was “crunchy” or a little too natural for my liking. Also, the guys section was a little cheesy.
Q: What was your biggest take away from the course?
A: That a lot of birth is a mind game. With the right knowledge and tools, you can coach your wife to have a positive birth experience and grow closer together as a couple.
Wrap Up…
If you are wanting a positive child birth, I would recommend this course! I truly believe that Mama Natural is why I was able to have a completely unmedicated childbirth and remain calm throughout my entire labor! I truly can not say enough good things about this online birth course.
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