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These private classes are tailored to meet your individual needs and schedule. They are taught in your home and you can invite anyone who is going to support you at the birth to this class. We cover a lot of material in a short amount of time and it's explained so you understand it all. April teaches using visual aids, demonstration, drawings, handouts, practice of coping measures, and a touch of humor. This is a professional, current class where information is shared in an energetic way that is engaging and memorable. There is a class outline of topics to cover and you would review the topics prior to your class. Since it is your class, you can choose which topics/practice techniques you would like to emphasize. For example, some parents want a complete overview of labor and birth, including breastfeeding and newborn care. Others may have read many books and have a good idea of what to anticipate in labor and just want to concentrate on certain aspects of birth, breastfeeding or newborn care. Others still just want to concentrate on building a strong strategy for coping with labor pain. You can choose what is right for you.

A labor support person, also called a birth doula, provides:

• a continuous presence
• emotional support
• physical comforting
• assistance with non-pharmacological coping measures
• non-medical information
• anticipatory guidance for both the mother and partner

Women who had continuous labour support from a non-hospital staff doula:

• had 26% fewer cesarean section births;
• had 41% fewer instrumental vaginal deliveries;
• were 28% less likely to use any analgesia or anesthesia;
• were 33% less likely to be dissatisfied or to rate their birth experience negatively, and
• had increased likelihood of being satisfied with their birth experience as measured by:
  -- overall satisfaction and feeling that one coped well
  -- finding labour to be as expected or better than one expected
  -- feeling of personal control

Having a labor support person may help the labouring woman to delay, reduce or avoid the use of pain relieving medication, thereby reducing the likelihood of experiencing the adverse effects that can be associated with these methods.

For postpartum benefits...

This is childbirth book is written by a collective of women for women. April contributed to two chapters: Preparing for Childbirth and Coping with Labor Pain. An excerpt from Coping with Labor pain chapter is here. On page 3 of the book, you can find a list of Informed Choice questions that April and Great Starts contributed to the book.

On April 27, 2008, Judy Norsigian, executive director of OBOS, joined Seattle-area childbirth advocates and birth book contributors at the University Bookstore in Seattle to celebrate the release of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth.

Seattle contributors are (left to right): Toni Weschler, April Bolding, Judy Norsigian, Penny Simkin, Janelle Taylor, Christine Morton. Other contributors not present: Heidi Raykeil, Caitlin Rothermel and Ann Keppler.