BLOOM FAQs
Birth by Bloom offers Dancing Star Birth prenatal classes, designed to prepare you for childbirth and beyond. With locations all over the Lower Mainland in South Surrey, New Westminster, and Vancouver. Our goal is to provide practical information and a supportive community for expectant parents.
FAQs
When should I start a prenatal class?
Sign up early so you get the class you want. Our classes book up fast!
Most people are over 24 weeks when they start their prenatal class. We recommend that you sign up for a prenatal class that finishes within 3 – 6 weeks of your due date. You will appreciate having time to integrate the information and comfort measures.
Should I choose a weekend class or weekly series?
Your work and travel schedule will likely be the most important factors but also reflect on your learning style and goals. Some do best with an immersion-style weekend class, and others prefer to progress in smaller doses with a weekly series. The content of both courses is identical. Weekly series are one evening per week for six weeks starting on the date shown; weekend classes run on Saturday and Sunday. Our series is 12 hours of childbirth education.
Where are your childbirth classes located?
We have four convenient locations for our Bloom childbirth classes.
Pomegranate Midwives in East Vancouver / Hastings-Sunrise and
Westside Midwives in Kitsilano on West 4th.
Dancing Cat Yoga Studio New Westminster
White Rock Community Centre South Surrey
What if I have my baby early or can't attend classes because of a medical reason?
Should you need to cancel for medical reasons anytime prior to the start of class, you can request to switch your class to a one on one online session. If you have given birth before the start of the class, a refund will be given minus a $100 non-refundable deposit. Please give us as much notice as possible so we can fill the spot. For all other cancellation reasons, up to 3 weeks before the class start date, a 50% refund will be issued. No refunds are available 3 weeks before the class starts and for the duration of the class.
Included in our class registration is our exclusive labour, birth and feeding pdf guide. Every class is invited to a chat group so you can continue to build community and resources from the group.
Our Curriculum
At Bloom we teach Dancing Star Birth childbirth classes. Our goal is to provide expectant parents with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to navigate the transition to parenthood.
Our classes are designed to be participatory and interactive, so that parents can leave feeling empowered and ready to take on the exciting journey of childbirth and parenthood. We also provide a supportive community, where parents can connect and build relationships with other parents who are going through the same experience.
Our classes cover a variety of topics such as pregnancy, labour and birth, newborn care and breastfeeding, to ensure that expecting families are fully informed and prepared for the birth of their baby.
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Where do you get your information from?
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Medical Provider Overview
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Community Providers
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Place of Birth - When to go to the hospital!
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Birth Movie
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Comfort Measures
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Pregnancy Tips
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Physiology of Birth
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Hormones of birth
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Anatomy: The Reproductive System
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Comfort Measures: Breath Awareness, Sounds, Touch
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How to be a Supportive Birth Partner
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How to get the Support you are Looking for
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Newborn Sleep
Building on the Basics
Introduction
CLASS 1
CLASS 2
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What is 311, 411 or 511? Timing Contractions
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Early Labour, Active Labour and Pushing
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What does it feel like?
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What is happening in your body?
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What do you do during this phase?
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What the partner can do during this phase
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What Comfort Measures work for each phase
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Fast Births and Slow Births
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When to call! When to go!
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Placenta and Cord Clamping
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Doula Tricks - Hip Squeeze, Pressure Points ...
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First 2 hours after birth
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Newborn
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First Feeds with your baby
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First 24 Hours with your Newborn
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Caesarean Birth
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Postpartum Tips and Tricks how to take care of your new family
Understanding Physiological Birth
First 24 Hours with Baby + Caesarean Birth
CLASS 3
CLASS 4
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Informed Consent
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How to communicate with your medical team
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Using BRAIN
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Number ONE Dancing Star Birth Rule
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Pain Management
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Non-Medical Comfort Measures
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Medications Options: Nitrous Oxide, Morphine, Fentanyl and Epidural
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Birth Plans Tips
Medication Options and Decision Making
CLASS 5
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Comforting your Newborn
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Diapering
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Babywearing
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Bathing your baby
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Preparing for your Newborn
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Feeding your Baby
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Soothing your baby
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Breastfeeding Basics
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How to feed your baby
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How to know if your newborn is getting enough?
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First 6 weeks with your newborn
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Community Support
Newborn Care + Feeding Baby
CLASS 6
What makes Dancing Star Birth Classes Unique?
Like most prenatal classes, we cover:
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Stages of labour
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Fetal positioning
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Comfort measures – TENS, tapes, visualizations, water, acupuncture
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Physical labour support – massage and positions
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Timing – calling care providers, going to the hospital
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Pain medications – options and procedures
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Cesarean birth – what to expect
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The first 24 hours
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Breastfeeding
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Babycare
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Postpartum – recovery and healing
However, we also go further, and cover:
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Hormones of labour
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Pain coping practices
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Emotional labour support – communication and creating a connection
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Pain medication – tips for partners, making the choice
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Coping with anxiety and fear
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Dealing with the unexpected
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Building a positive dynamic with your care team
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Informed consent and informed decision making
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Culture of birth – opinions, and expectations
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Cesarean birth – enhancing the OR birth experience
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Postpartum – partner support
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Inclusion and roles of the birth partners
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Community resources including prenatal class chat group for continued support.
Our classes fill quickly. If your preferred class is full, please email hello@birthbybloom.com or call us at 604.254.1100 to see about waitlists, private prenatal classes or other options.
Looking for our extensive birth and newborn resources. Check out our resource page.