Childbirth Essentials Classes

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
A well organized and very informational class to go through before baby! Went in feeling nervous and am finishing up classes confident and ready for baby! Would recommend
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Emma Campbell 
 
21 October 2026
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
TLDR: Very informative course, esp wrt how partners can provide support during labor and how to care for babe postpartum. Virtual workbook and breastfeeding videos were excellent. Course instructors should be more careful with recognizing their professional boundaries and staying within their scope as birth/postpartum supports without a medical training background.

THE LONG:
I took the 7+1 course offered. The course is run by Doulas (ie. professional support people during labor/birth and the postpartum period; they do not deliver babies nor train in medicine and are not midwives unless they also train as such). As a family doc who delivers babies, my goal in taking this course was to gain unique information that I know our medical system does not provide, especially during the postpartum period.

PROS: This course provides great info on how your partner can best support you during labor/birth mentally and physically, and great tips and tricks for how to take care of your new baby after birth (eg. Swaddling, bathing, feeding). The videos on breastfeeding were excellent. The workbook that comes with the course is digestible and super helpful. It is taught near Chinook Mall in person and offers virtual if you aren’t able to make one of the classes for whatever reason. The +1 part is an opportunity for your classmates to get together after you all have your babies which is really sweet.

CONS: There is bias in this course towards what is perceived to be a “natural labor/birth” (eg. no medications, home > hospital birth) which is great for some people but not the reality for others due to preference, medical conditions, etc. There were also several explicit or implicit comments made about doctors/nurses being paternalistic in the birth space by intentionally counselling people towards interventions when it comes to pain management and inducing labor (eg. they don’t “let you” try other labor positions, they “always” want you to birth on your back), and “withhold their statistics” rather than offering options and having shared-decision making discussions with the pregnant/labouring person. The subsequent advice to course participants is to go to your appointments and enter the birth space “ready for a fight” with your healthcare staff which is the opposite of what we try and promote in a patient’s pregnancy and labor journey. I also found many times that the Doulas would attempt to provide counselling on medical topics in response to my co-participants questions that are out of their professional scope without a medical training background (eg. What low platelets means in a pregnant person, managing postpartum hemorrhage, evidence for and against delayed cord clamping). Some of the information provided in response was outright wrong (eg. “There are no studies on benefits and downsides of delayed/prolonged cord clamping”, “low platelets means you have an infection”) which promotes misinformation and distrust in the information provided by health care staff due to conflicting advice. Instead, they should have clarified that Doulas do not have the training to provide counselling on these topics and appropriately redirect class participants to book an appointment to discuss this information with their healthcare practitioner or midwife further. Was very disappointed by these comments overall as there is already a silo effect between practitioners in the labor and delivery world; these comments only further this effect when we should all be promoting each other’s strengths in supporting pregnant people and their partners through some of the biggest events in their lives.
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Jordan Stariha 
 
12 October 2026
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
My husband and I are currently in the middle of the Birth Essentials course with Polina, and we are really enjoying it! The classes are very informative and full of helpful, practical information that is making us feel much more prepared for the birth of our first baby. Polina is very knowledgeable, warm, and easy to talk to, and she creates a comfortable environment where we can ask questions and learn without feeling overwhelmed. We still have a few classes to go, but we have already learned so much. We highly recommend Polina and Calgary Birth Essentials!
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Rachel U 
 
1 October 2026
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
We had such a great experience with Polina and the Birth Essentials class. She was incredibly easy to talk to, warm, knowledgeable, and made the whole experience feel relaxed and comfortable from the beginning.

What we appreciated most was how practical and informative the class was. We learned so much about the stages of labour, pain management, different interventions, what choices we may have along the way, and how we can work together as a couple during birth. Polina explained everything in a way that was easy to understand without ever making it feel overwhelming, and she created lots of space for questions and honest conversation.

With the birth of our daughter coming up very soon, we genuinely feel more prepared and confident because of what we learned. It also helped us have conversations together about our preferences and birth plan that we probably wouldn’t have even known to have otherwise.

Polina has a really natural way of making people feel comfortable while still giving you a ton of useful information. We’re very grateful we took the class and would absolutely recommend it to other expecting parents.
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Jeremy Mielke 
 
30 September 2026
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Took part in their parenting class with Polina and she was amazing. Very knowledgeable, kind and honest. Highly recommend!
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Carly T 
 
30 September 2026
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Google rating score: 4.9 of 5, based on 292 reviews