Mama Natural Birth Course Review {2023}: Is It Right for You?

In 2019, I originally wrote this Mama Natural Birth Course Review. Prior to this, I had an awful vaginal birth that I was woefully unprepared for. Fast forward to 2023. I’m happy to say that I had the most wonderful unmedicated childbirth experience ever…and I think this class had a big hand in it.

In this review of the Mama Natural Birth Course, I have one goal: to help you figure out if it’s the right childbirth class for you. Because, Mama, I’ve been there.

Do you dream of a peaceful, unmedicated birth experience?

In a world where most hospitals see birth as a medical event and friends and family don’t quite understand your motivations, getting the support you need to achieve a natural birth can be difficult.

That’s where natural childbirth classes come in. A natural childbirth class can help you prepare for your labor and give you the confidence you need to have the unmedicated birth experience you want.

If you’ve been considering purchasing the Mama Natural Birth Course, I’m so glad you’re reading this! I’ve taken the class from start to finish and I want to share my honest experience with you.

For my firstborn, I desperately wanted a natural childbirth. Unfortunately, I ended up begging for an epidural 19 hours into a very rough labor. The problem wasn’t that my labor was truly unbearable.

In fact, the complications that led to my epidural were covered in this very class and, had I taken it at the time, I believe I could have easily overcome them. While my birth story was still beautiful, I still grieve over the lost experience. A lost experience that stemmed from a lack of proper education and support.

Fast forward three years… I had a beautiful natural birth!! It was one of the best experiences of my life and completely different than my previous horror story. I owe it all to this online birthing class.

That’s why I am so thrilled to review this course and help you get one step closer to the natural birth you want.

Let’s get started!

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Pros and Cons: The Mama Natural Birth Course Review At-A-Glance

What is the Mama Natural Birth Course?

The name is a bit of a misnomer. Don’t think of this as just a childbirth and labor course.

The Mama Natural Birth Course actually teaches you how to have a natural pregnancy. Meaning, from first trimester to the postpartum period, Genevieve takes your hand and teaches you how to have the most natural pregnancy you possibly can.

So while a large portion of the course focuses on labor, you’re getting so much more than some fancy breathing techniques.

The course is taught by Genevieve Howland and Maura Winkler. Genevieve is the owner of Mamanatural.com, but you might know her better as the author of the bestselling book, The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth.

Genevieve’s co-host, Maura Winkler, is an IBCLC (lactation consultant), Certified Doula, and Certified Nurse Midwife. She’s super passionate and has personally assisted the natural birthing of hundreds of women.

Class Structure

The majority of the class is taught through video lessons with Genevieve and Maura.

The lessons are taught in a conversational format, rather than lecture style. I actually loved this technique because you very quickly become emotionally invested in the course and the hostesses.

The course includes 8 lessons, plus a full-sized class on breastfeeding and a bonus section on VBACs. The video content alone is massive! It includes over 10 hours of instructional footage plus a several birthing videos and stories.

On that note, if you’re still a little squeamish about birthing videos, I highly recommend watching the videos included with the course. Unlike many hospital-led classes, these videos depict moms efficiently coping with childbirth, rather than writhing in pain.

Genevieve also includes plenty of bonus goodies to help you prepare:

• Suzanne Bowen’s Long & Lean Prenatal Workout video
• Secular and Religious Birth Affirmation Audio Files
• The Natural Labor Playbook- A step-by-step guide to laboring naturally.
• Mama Natural Affirmations App
• Pregnancy Meal Plan
• 20+ Pages of Helpful Worksheets and Cheat Sheets (Including a visual birth plan, pregnancy natural remedies, and provider interview sheets)

Content

I’ve taken childbirth courses that go through an entire anatomy lesson before getting to the good stuff.

I love that the Mama Natural Birth Course immediately throws you into natural childbirth. Within the first 25 minutes of the course, you’re watching Maura and Genevieve deliver their babies naturally.

You will appreciate this experience so much, Mama, because it immediately removes the fear behind childbirth. You’ll finally let yourself believe, “Hey, these women did it. I can do it too.”

The content focuses on having a wholesome, natural pregnancy and labor. Here are the main topics covered:

• The benefits of natural childbirth
• Implementing a natural diet, healthy exercise, and preparing mentally for childbirth.
• Your support team- why it’s important and what provider to use
• How to recognize and cope with early and active labor
• How to recognize (and survive!) the transition stage of labor
• Best positions and coping techniques for pushing
• Interventions and Cesareans
• What to do when complications arise
• Aftercare for baby and you
• Everything you need to know about breastfeeding
• Special considerations for VBAC births

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Who This Course is For

Why You Need a Natural Childbirth Class

First, let’s tackle why you need ANY natural childbirth class. The fact is, we do not live in a country that actively supports natural childbirths.

Mama Natural quotes a crazy statistic in her course: while the World Health Organization recommends a C-section rate of  10-15%, the US’s C-section rate is actually closer to 30%. That’s 2-3 times the recommended amount!

Aside from that, a study by the CDC found that most American women use epidurals. While studies are inconclusive as to whether epidurals increase your likelihood of C-section, it does show that childbirth has become a medical event, rather than a natural one.

The Takeaway: Women that give birth naturally are not the norm.

If you want to have a natural birth, you need to make sure that you’re prepared before you get to that hospital. Whether you choose this class, another online class, or a natural childbirth class near you, investing in your education is the best choice you can make.

Who This Class is Best For

Let me make a bold statement: if you want to have the most natural pregnancy you possibly can, you need this class!

In fact, this is the only prenatal class I recommend at least starting during your first trimester, because it literally holds your hand through the entire pregnancy.

Who This Class Isn’t For

• Textbook-style learner: Prefers presentations and lectures
• Hands-on style learner: Learns best with personal instruction.
• Interested in the mechanics of natural labor more than a wholesome natural pregnancy.

There are two online natural childbirth classes that I recommend: The Mama Natural Birth Course and The KOPA Prepared Childbirth Course.

The KOPA Prepared class is the most in-depth, step-by-step natural labor course I’ve ever taken. The course takes a linear, step-by-step approach to natural childbirth, and teaches about the mechanics of relaxation and coping techniques. With rigorous homework assignments and even a mock labor, it’s the closest you can come to a birthing bootcamp.

If you truly believe that the conversational format of this online birth course isn’t the best learning style for you or if you’re more interested in a methodical approach to natural labor, the KOPA Prepared Class might be a better fit for you.

Otherwise, keep reading, because Mama Natural’s natural childbirth class is pretty amazing.

RELATED POST: The KOPA Prepared Childbirth Course Review

The Mama Natural Birth Course Review: Class Highlights

Conversational Format

While the course is filled with helpful visuals, the experiences of your hosts and other women really bring it to life.

I’m pretty much the definition of a textbook-style learner. If things aren’t extremely structured, I have the tendency to get lost very easily. Yet, I learned SO MUCH from the Mama Natural Birth Course thanks to its unique format.

I was never bored; I found myself genuinely listening, as if I was included in the conversation.

The course includes partners as well! In fact, every lesson features a short segment with “The Dudes” (Papa Natural and his two friends). They discuss pregnancy and childbirth from a partner’s perspective.

If your husband is going to be an active partner during your labor, he really needs to take the course as well. “The Dudes” segment can really help him stay involved and ease some of his concerns.

Hands-On Approach to Preparing for Childbirth

Genevieve realizes that labor positions and pain coping techniques are only half the battle. It’s what you do leading up to the birth that makes a successful natural childbirth experience.

That means lots of practice!

You’ll complete labor exercises throughout the course, rather than in just one section. The idea here is to prepare you gradually for labor and really solidify these techniques.

Diet and Exercise

Throughout the course, Genevieve talks about several natural remedies and alternatives to standard medical interventions. She addresses diet and exercise as well, even interviewing a dietitian and creating a typical pregnancy meal plan for her students.

The course will also teach you how to position your baby correctly, which is extremely important for a successful natural labor.

Your Support Team

A support team (or lack thereof) can make or break your labor. This includes preparing your partner, finding the right provider, and selecting a natural birth-friendly location.

3 out of 5 women received an epidural when their labor was overseen by a doctor. That rate dropped to half when using a midwife. I’m not saying you should nix doctors, but if you want to have a natural childbirth, you need to select a  provider that shares your ideals.

Postpartum and Newborn Care

The course goes over in great detail delivering your placenta, placenta encapsulation, cord banking, and surviving the first few days and even weeks of motherhood.

If you’re anything like me, the thought of bringing home a newborn absolutely terrifies you. Genevieve addresses this extremely common fear and teaches the basics of newborn care, such as diapering, sleeping, swaddling, nursing, cord and circumcision care, and safe sleep.

What to Do When Things Go Wrong: Interventions and C-Sections

Yes, the goal is to have a vaginal birth.

However, even the most prepared mom-to-be can find herself in an unavoidable situation. With this course, you’ll also receive a healthy education on epidurals and cesareans.

The class goes over the most common interventions, how to analyze whether or not it’s the best option for you, and what alternatives you can apply if appropriate.

I can’t tell you how valuable this information is! Despite the fact that my hospital had a 24% caesarean rate, my childbirth class instructor merely glossed over c-sections. I genuinely learned more about C-sections in the Mama Natural Course!

The Bonuses!

Genevieve’s personal touch is sprinkled throughout the class. I mentioned most of the bonus material above, but I wanted to highlight a few final goodies:

Affirmation Cards and Bracelet

Genevieve sends her students an inspirational bracelet and affirmation cards as a bonus. This might seem like a small thing, but during labor you will need as much encouragement as you can get!

Breastfeeding Class

My favorite online breastfeeding class is $19 and that’s considered cheap by anyone’s standards.

The Mama Natural Birth Course includes a full breastfeeding class for free. It will teach you everything you need to know to get started, such as how to position your baby, get him to latch, maintain and increase your milk supply, the basics of pumping, and how to recognize and treat breastfeeding problems.

If you’re planning on breastfeeding, this is a must-have!

Price

Most new moms are concerned about the cost of childbirth classes.

The Mama Natural Birth Course is listed at $264. Personally, I would say that the course is priced at the fair to mid-high range. My hospital-led childbirth class was about $200 and it definitely did not cover nearly as much material as the Mama Natural Birth Course. Having said that, the price of childbirth classes ranges based on your region.

Quality-wise, the Mama Natural Birth Course is stellar. It would be pretty hard to find a better childbirth course, online or in-person. If you do choose a less expensive course or an in-person course, please make sure you’re not compromising quality!

The Mama Natural Birth Class Review Conclusion: Is It Worth It?

My guess is, if you’re still reading this, you know that investing in a natural childbirth course is important but, you’re still wondering if the Mama Natural Birth Course is right for you.

I don’t blame you!

Not only are you investing a lot of money, but you’re spending time and energy learning about a topic that you only have one chance at trying. There’s no dress rehearsals in childbirth!

If you can’t tell by now, I am a huge fan of this class. I feel that this course really helped my own hospital birth and helped me overcome some of my fears from my first experience. My actual labor much quicker (14 hours from the first labor cramp to crowning). I feel this was due to the techniques I used during labor and in the weeks leading up to it.

Also, knowing that I could have a natural birth–having that confidence–made the experience so laid back.

If you can seriously commit to an online class, I truly believe you’ll love it too.

Now you have a choice to make, Mama. Will you invest in your natural childbirth experience? If you’d like to enroll in the class, you can click the button below.

If you have any questions, concerns, or if you’ve taken the course already, I’d LOVE to hear from you. Please let me know in the comments! I hope this honest review was helpful!

Good luck, Mama. You’re going to do great!

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