Birthing From Within FAQs

Birthing From Within® is the title of a book and the name of the organization created by midwife and psychologist, Pam England. Due to the overwhelming success of the book, Pam created this class to train people in birthing preparation classes based on the book’s philosophy. As Birthing From Within® Mentors, Cherish Doulas use the same techniques as the book and the prenatal classes to work through challenges in their own lives. This allows us to support our clients through the process with compassion.

Birthing From Within® is an invitation to pregnant couples to uniquely and holistically prepare for the journey of the birthing process. By teaching the physiology of pregnancy and birth through storytelling and art, parents learn to build a pain-coping mindset and how to birth in awareness. This allows parents to prepare for what birth and parenthood means to them individually.These classes are a mental and emotional preparation to the journey of childbirth and parenting unlike any other!

Reading the book is definitely recommended, but not required. It will give you a familiarity with the Birthing From Within® philosophy. Even simply flipping through it should be enough to prepare you for the classes.

Reading Birthing From Within®, by Pam England, is wonderful preparation for birth and an excellent complement to the classes. While the classes are based on the book, they are much more than just the book, as they are in live form. The activities and ideas presented in class go far beyond what any book could offer. In fact, some people have disliked the book but loved the classes.

Come on your own or bring a family member or friend who will be joining you at the birth as a support person. Birthing From Within® classes are not dependent on having a partner or “coach” and all kinds of families are included in group discussions.

To quote Pam England, “Pain is an inevitable part of childbirth, yet much can be done to ease suffering.” Even Epidurals are not inserted painlessly and most women will experience at least a few hours of contractions until their labour is “established” before an Epidural can be administered. Few women experience a pain-free postpartum period as well. Pain is part of life, and the coping practices you will learn in class can be applied to all of it.

Birthing From Within is all about the fact that you already know everything you need in order to give birth - it is going to happen with or without childbirth classes. But birthing in awareness and being part of the process both physically and emotionally is ideal. Birthing From Within® classes help you and your partner dig deeper to go beyond the mask of technical information and pop-culture dramatizations. It helps you discover your own deepest questions, face your fears or doubts, learn to cope with unexpected outcomes, and remain connected to your experience, your partner, and your baby as you give birth.

Birthing From Within® classes have something for everyone. Because of the unique class format, each class is able to address the needs of each individual. If you are seeking a class that will meet both your need for practical knowledge about birth and babies, and support you in exploration of the emotional aspects of birth and parenting, Birthing From Within® is the right class for you.

Using art in several mediums to explore your perceptions and feelings about birth provides a great way to help you understand how you are approaching your upcoming birth. You don't need to be Picasso to benefit from the process of art, just like you don’t need to be an obstetrician or midwife to give birth. The creative activities are designed to help you explore birth from the intuitive side of your brain and see things with a new perspective.