Participating Partner Bundle

Having a supportive birth team can create confidence as you head into labor and birth. Knowing your team has an array of coping skills and an understanding of what birth looks like and ways to support you can lead to a more satisfying birth experience.

In these two workshops, partners learn essential tools for reducing stress and discomfort during labor so that you can focus on the all-important task of birthing your baby!

This bundle includes:

Childbirth Education (Note: Choose between Childbirth Express and Childbirth Preparation below)!
Comforting Touch for Birth

Childbirth Education

Upcoming Dates (Childbirth Express): December 14 | January 25 | March 22 | May 17

Upcoming Dates (Childbirth Preparation): December 8 | January 12 | February 23 | March 30

This Childbirth Education class will help you prepare for what to expect during labor, at the hospital, and how to confidently participate in your care and express your desires to your support team. Our goal is to help you determine which options are right for you – we offer unbiased, evidence-based information on the reality of birthing in NYC.

Choose between two formats below:

Childbirth Express: This accelerated class is packed full of important information to help you feel prepared for labor and birth. It’s perfect for those who have limited time but want to learn the essential elements of birth, or for those who have previously given birth and are looking for a refresher.
Childbirth Preparation: In this comprehensive course, we’ll cover the same information that would take weeks to cover in larger groups in a one-day format .

Comforting Touch for Birth

Upcoming Dates: December 15 | February 2 | March 16 | April 27

For parents-to-be who love massage, Comforting Touch is for you! Knowing how to touch your partner before, during, and after birth will help you feel more connected as a couple and help them feel more grounded and comforted throughout the birth process. When pregnant and birthing people feel supported and held by their partners it helps them know they can relax, let go and handle the work of birth.

In this 90 minute online class couples will:

Learn a variety of massage techniques and acupressure points to use during labor to bring comfort, both during and between contractions.
Understand the fundamental principles of skillful touch so partners have the tools they need to succeed in providing the touch you want and need.
Receive time devoted to practicing with your partner to help you both feel more connected to each other and support you in giving birth.
Receive guidance from a seasoned practitioner and birth doula with over 25 years of experience.
Leave feeling more confident about using touch to comfort and support your partner.

After purchasing your bundle, we will email you within 1 business day to enroll you in the dates of your choice. Details (including times) are available on each individual workshop’s page.

Please note our cancellation policies here. We reserve the right to move any in-person workshops online if necessary.

Option 1: Includes Childbirth Express

$440 PER TWO ATTENDEES

IN STUDIO

Option 2: Includes Childbirth Preparation

$565 PER TWO ATTENDEES

IN STUDIO

MEET THE INSTRUCTORS

Please note: Many of our instructors are active birth workers and therefore subject to change. In the event your scheduled teacher is called in to a birth, a substitute will be sent in their place.

Emma Kvaale

Emma is a Labor & Delivery nurse at NYU Langone in Manhattan. After working with new parents, she realized how much more empowering birth could be if couples had childbirth education. This began her interest in teaching new parents at City Births.

Emma received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science & Dance at Elon University. She then received a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at New York University. She worked in orthopedic surgery and cardiac medicine prior to becoming a Labor & Delivery nurse in 2020. Emma is certified in Electronic Fetal Monitoring, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, and Neonatal Resuscitation. She is also currently studying for her breastfeeding certification.

Lisa Cirigliano

Lisa is a Certified Nurse Midwife. She graduated from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s in nursing, and then went on to receive her master’s in Nursing & Midwifery from Stony Brook University School of Nursing.

Prior to becoming a midwife, Lisa worked as a certified RNC-OB labor and delivery nurse, lactation counselor, as well as a birthing center nurse at Mount Sinai West.

Lisa is a CNM at Weill Cornell and delivers at Alexandra Cohen’s Hospital for Women & Newborns. She deeply believes in the power of a woman’s body and its innate ability to give birth. She supports and respects the normal physiological processes of labor and birth using evidence-based practices to enhance best outcomes for mother and infant. Lisa resides in Long Island with her 3 children and 3 dogs. She enjoys reading, spending days at the beach, and skiing with her family.

Ceridwen Morris

Ceridwen Morris is a childbirth educator, doula, and writer who has taught and supported thousands of expectant parents for the last 20 years.

She is co-author of the pregnancy guide “From the Hips” (Random House, 2007), served on the board of the Childbirth Education Association for 5 years, and has taught at City Births, Real Birth, Tribeca Pediatrics, Prenatal Yoga Center, and NYC Birth Prep. Born in London, raised in the UK, Washington, DC, and Australia, she has lived in NYC since 2000.

Jayne Freeman

Jayne Freeman is a CEA/MNY certified childbirth educator, breastfeeding counselor and postpartum doula specializing in mood disorder prevention. After the birth of her two daughters, Jayne started a public access show about birth and parenting, titled “Mamarama.” It aired for over a decade on Comcast Cable and made her a local celebrity in her hometown of Jersey City.

Eventually, she turned her hobby into a profession and has been working full-time in the birth world for over 12 years. Jayne has taught for several pediatric practices, worked with pregnant teenagers, volunteered at the Jersey City clinic, and gave Snooki & J-Woww their childbirth class on MTV. She is also a passionate advocate, successfully petitioning the PATH train to create signage and announcements for pregnant passengers and creating a dedicated lactation room for her former employer, The Princeton Review.

More recently Jayne’s area of focus has been on postpartum mood disorders and she is working on advanced certifications for perinatal mental health. Her current mission is to shift our feeding paradigm to one of choice and inclusion. Every month she teaches a class on infant formula for us at City Births. Jayne also writes a regular column for the Jersey City Times where she highlights the challenges of new parenting.

Website: Mamarama.tv

Instagram: Mamarama_jc

Yiska Obadia

is a passionate teacher and healing arts practitioner, with over 25 years of experience as a massage therapist, acupuncturist and birth doula. Yiska created Comforting Touch for Birth to teach doulas and parents-to-be how to skillfully provide hands-on support for birthing people, through her workshops and digital guidebook. Most recently she added Comforting Touch for Babies and Havening Techniques to her repertoire. Yiska is based in NYC. Find more info at yiskaobadia.com.

Please Note: Yiska is a working doula. In the event that she gets called to a birth during the scheduled workshop, she will send a teacher in her place.

Listen to our podcast episode with Yiska: Comfort for Birth

Please Note: Many of our instructors are doulas. PYC & Boober reserve the right to provide a substitute teacher should the need arise.

We reserve the right to move any in-person workshops online if necessary.