One Day Immersive
Our One Day Childbirth Preparation Immersive class is a best selling class, and a student favorite. It’s the complete content of our 5-Week Childbirth Preparation Course— taught in one day.
Available Sessions
Please select the class type you are interested in to be taken to the booking calendar.
Course Breakdown
1. Birth Foundations for an Empowered Birth
The fundamentals of birthing, and our foundation for the class.
2. Physiology of Labor
Anatomy! Everything we forgot from 8th grade biology, and then a really in depth picture of birth and your body.
3. Finding Comfort in Labor
Positioning, movement, massage, and more! A class where your birth partner can really shine with partner support.
4. General Interventions and Advocacy
What’s on offer when you’re giving birth, and how you and your partner can advocate for your best birth.
5. Navigating Birth in a Bay Area Hospital
We have so, so much experience helping people give birth in the Bay Area.
6. Postpartum
You made it! An orientation to recovery and caring for your brand new baby.
Save 15% with a package!
Our most popular classes, paired with our most popular workshops. Save on both by buying together!
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1-Day Immersive Package 1
Our Immersive Package 1 includes our 1-Day Childbirth Immersive, our Newborn Care class, and Breastfeeding 101. You will walk away knowing everything you need to know in preparation for your birth and postpartum experience.
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1- Day Immersive Package 2
Our Immersive Package 2 includes our 1-Day Childbirth Immersive, our Newborn Care class, and Infant CPR & First Aid. You will walk away knowing everything you need to know in preparation for your birth and postpartum experience.
Purchase the package, then use the emailed code to schedule our most popular classes and workshops at a discount.
Meet the Instructors
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Throughout her entire life, Heidi has been a reassuring voice to others. A leader and supporter, a woman and a friend. Heidi earned an associate degree from Northern Arizona University in Environmental Sciences and a Dual Masters from the University of California Berkeley in Urban Planning/Environmental Sciences. After working for several years and earning a high-level management position in the solar power industry, Heidi had a life-changing realization. She became a mom and immediately realized that support is a fundamental need during pregnancy, labor and birth.
Heidi left her degree and career to pursue becoming a professional, certified doula. Heidi knew that with her passion for providing support, her commitment to education, and her ability to encourage and reassure others, becoming a doula was an obvious choice. It was almost as if the position was created specifically for her!
Heidi is certified to teach HypnoBirthing and Lamaze Childbirth classes. She has trained as a birth doula through DONA, CAPPA, Cornerstone, ProDoula, and Dynamo Doula. Her additional focus of study includes Spinning Babies and Evidence Based Birth. Heidi has also earned her Master rebozo credentials and placenta certification.
With a passion for vaginal birth after cesarean section, Heidi has supported and celebrated more than 50 clients as they reached this powerful goal. Her deepest desire is for her clients to know that they are cared for, that they can feel confident in their choices, and that they have the information they need when they need it.
Heidi married into a 4th generation Bay Area family and has resided there for the past 13 years. Together she and her husband raise their three children. When Heidi is not working, she loves spending time with her extended family, living an eco-friendly lifestyle, reading, watching BBC period dramas and doing seasonal canning.
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My role as a doula is steeped in reverence, authenticity, humility, and advocacy. I believe in community-based care, reproductive justice, informed consent, and bodily autonomy for all! As a mixed-race, queer birth worker, it's important to me to cater my approach to each individual's unique needs and wishes for their birth. I want my clients to feel seen and heard.
It takes a village to raise a baby. Birthing persons and their partners deserve the support of that village, as well! Through the powerful experience of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, I am here to stand beside my clients in their journey into parenthood with an empathetic ear and tender heart. Together, we cultivate a sense of connection, honor our experiences as personal power, and navigate the profound experience of bringing a life earthside.
Outside of being a doula, you'll find me spending time with my partner and cat in our cozy home in Oakland. My most joyful moments often involve the outdoors, 35mm film photography, a new vegan recipe, or something to learn.
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Alana always knew she wanted to work one-on-one with people in a meaningful profession that would help support and empower them. After taking college courses in fetal and infant development and women’s health and reproductive rights, her interests in birth began to develop. She was introduced to doula work after being a nanny for 11 years and working for a number of women who had had traumatic birth experiences. Hearing their stories motivated and inspired her to want to learn everything about birth.
She is captivated by birth and the amazing things of which our bodies are capable. Having a science and physical therapy background, she loves the anatomy and physiology side, but feels compelled to the mental and emotional side as well. She has a desire to help and be of service, and feels she is a natural nurturer. Birth work is a perfect combination of everything that fascinates her and she feels inherently meant to do.
In her free time you can find her on a hike or exploring new destinations in nature, inventing new recipes in the kitchen, getting sunburned at the beach and floating in the waves, re-watching her favorite rom coms, traveling to new places, cuddling with her cat, or skateboarding at a local skate park.
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Maureen is a mom of three who found the birth of her first child unexpectedly profound. The years following this birth and the subsequent births of her other children, Maureen found herself counseling and advising many of her friends and family members regarding their birth options and how to accomplish their own desires for an empowered birth. In 2012, Maureen decided it was time to leave her corporate job and to transition into her life's passion of supporting, encouraging and nurturing birthing people and their families through labor and birth. Maureen is DONA trained, has taken several types of birthing classes (The Bradley Method, Hypnobirthing, Loving Arms, Natural Resources, Bay Area Birth Education) and lactation training classes. In 2015, Maureen added postpartum services to her practice after seeing many of her clients struggling to find their rhythm at home. Maureen will be a forever student of prenatal, birth and postpartum learnings and will continue to bring these learnings to her families that she is supporting. Maureen's peaceful demeanor and genuine care provide families with a strong base and level of support that is heartfelt.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Your birth partner! All our classes cover two people, so make sure to bring them along.
We also recommend something to take notes with, as this class is a lot of information at once.
We have tea and snacks in our space, but some people also like to bring their own snacks and a waterbottle.
Overall, bring your positive attitudes and curiosity! It's a day filled with information and activities.
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We have a break for lunch, don't worry! During our one-hour lunch break, you're welcome to stay in or go out.
Staying in: We have limited amounts of napkins and cutlery for you to use, though you may also bring your own. Our porches are a lovely place to eat lunch, weather permitting!
Going out: We're right in the middle of an awesome shopping street, so you have plenty of options should you wish to go out. Please note that an hour can go by quickly! We recommend keeping an eye on the time so you don't miss anything.
Our favorite recommendations: Tacubaya is excellent and has fast service. Oceanview Diner is great, and can be ordered online (they offer order scheduling!) for takeout and eaten in our space.
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Our classes can be taken at any time during pregnancy, however, we recommend the late second trimester or early third trimester which allows you plenty of time to immerse yourself in the information prior to birth.
We do not offer refunds if you go into labor before the series ends. We recommend taking a class early enough that that won't be an issue, whatever that looks like for you!
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For the health and safety of our students, Brilliant Births requires COVID-19 vaccination. Proof may be requested. Masks are not required but welcomed.
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We know plans change! After sign up, you may cancel up to 7 days before your class and receive 75% percent of the cost back. Cancellations within 7 days of a scheduled class cannot be refunded.
We aim to fill our classes, but if there are less than three sign-ups for a class, it will be canceled, rescheduled, or moved to Zoom. If the dates of the reschedule or Zoom don't work with your needs, you will be issued a full refund.
Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, the format may change from in-person classes to virtual classes if required by public health guidelines or at Brilliant Birth's discretion. No change in fee will be issued, and no refunds will be given outside of the allotted cancellation policy.
More Information
Are you interested but still have questions?
Feel free to send us an email and we will be sure to answer any questions that you may have.