Ultimately where you feel most comfortable is a personal choice. While some would never dream of having their baby anywhere else than in a hospital, others would prefer the comfort of home with an experienced midwife. Please know that I will never judge your choice and I support whatever you choose is right for your birth experience. For those of you who are considering a home birth, the following is an interview with midwife Rachael Cook.

During both of my pregnancies, my husband and I went to birth and labor preparation classes, and I remember how daunting it was trying to figure out which classes or workshops to choose. There are classes held at the hospital, natural childbirth classes from various institutions, hypnobirthing classes, and the list goes on. After experiencing a variety of these, I was blown away by Marissa’s workshop and wished I had known about it when I was pregnant. The Birthing from Within Inspired workshop included a lot of art projects and time for reflection and journaling, as well as the physical labor preparation you would expect.