[sddlnscp]

Hi everybody! I know this is going to sound weird given the fact that I am still a pre-nursing student, but we live in a very small area where it is hard to come by people willing to teach prenatal classes. Given that fact, our current prenatal teacher had to leave and she was looking for anybody to volunteer for the position. There was fear that the program might die out because of lack of interest from volunteers and, given the fact that I plan on working somewhere, somehow with babies (thinking more neonatal ICU type work at this point, but still unsure given my status), this would be a good thing for me to overtake.

Anyway, I volunteered and I am the new childbirth educator for our county. I have all the materials, but most of them are extremely old and the teaching plan itself is approximately 25 to 30 years old. I am just trying to compile as much new and useful information as possible. Anybody out there with any great tips/advice/websites for someone new to this teaching? Is there anything you wish patients would have been taught prior to their admission into your facility? I want to work with the program to make it as great as I can and I am very happy for any help received!

Thanks so much all of you! Please give as much input as possible, I really want to make this a great experience for any of the new Moms that I teach.

[Altalorraine]

Try prowling around this site

http://www.icea.org/

You can't go wrong

[sddlnscp]

Originally Posted by Altalorraine

Try prowling around this site

http://www.icea.org/

You can't go wrong

Wow - it looks like there is a ton of good information in there - thanks so much!!!

[CEG]

I'm not a nurse yet but the class I took with my first pregnancy combined some Bradley, Lamaze, and natural pain relief techniques, then threw in info about meds, hospital procedures, etc. It was a "something for everyone" approach that had some great info about what to expect in the hospital. I think my teacher was a certified Bradley and Lamaze teacher, though which would involve some work. It was really a good class though.

[sddlnscp]

That's cool. That's kind-of what I want to do. The information that I currently have also teaches development of the baby, nutrition, and even pros and cons of breast/bottlefeeding as well as getting into spoon feeding and beyond. It is a really great program with a wholistic approach - looking at everything, but I would love updated information! I am finding a lot of good stuff online though and did get in touch with our county health nurse who gave me some great websites!

[ljds]

PM me if you want; I used to teach childbirth, breastfeeding and newborn care classes; still do occasionally. I would be happy to email you the handouts I have on my computer for you to use or to look at when developing your own.

[CallMePatti]

I'm a certified childbirth educator and lactation educator, and I strongly suggest that every educator become certified prior to teaching. Your class members deserve it.

One certifying agency is here: www.cappa.net. They have a distance learning certification program and help you with setting up your classes.

Best wishes! Teaching CBE is wonderful!

[tinyscrafts]

ALACE has a distance one too. www.alace.org I know they just redid/updated the whole program

[sddlnscp]

Thanks you guys. I really would love to get certified, but anything I do is going to be self-funded since we are completely non-profit and have no money. I don't know if I can afford that right now, but I have bookmarked the sites and will do that in the future if I can.

Thanks so much! I am really looking forward to this!