City Births Childbirth Education Services

Highly recommend City Births for first time Dads to be. I took the Daddy boot camp class with Brad, and together my wife and I also took the Labor and Delivery class with Vanessa. The daddy boot camp class was especially helpful for me. It’s a class taught by a dad for a group of dads-​to-​be. We had a «veteran» dad who took the class also join us with his 3 month old son, and he told the class about his recent experience and pointers. We touched on many helpful topics in the class, including: hospital pre-​registration and paperwork, tips for what to expect and ask for at the hospital when your wife is in labor, tips for caring for your baby when you bring him/​her home (sleep patterns, Easy scheduling, what to expect from your baby, and yes — changing a diaper!). My biggest fear was not knowing what to expect after you bring your baby home from the hospital for the first time. This class certainly helped prepare me well. Brad did an awesome job. Highly recommended for first time Dads.
My wife and I also took a Labor and Delivery class with Vanessa. While I had a general idea of what labor was, I didn’t really understand what actually happens during the labor process. I’m really glad I took this class, because now I’m prepared for what to expect when the big day comes. Vanessa walked us through everything in detail. She was great, and the 6 hour class few by. She answered all of the questions from the couples in the class. I learned tons of valuable information. Examples include: what is considered a contraction? how long should you stay at home, and when do you know that it’s time to go to the hospital? What you should be discussing with your doctor in the weeks before your due-​date? What should you bring to the hospital? What should you expect in the birthing room at your specific hospital? How do you know if you should be telling certain hospital staff that you do not prefer certain exams or checks? What to expect and ask for after your wife gives birth.
Very helpful classes. For Dads — take the Daddy Boot Camp class. For couples — take the Labor and Delivery class.
— john

I highly recommend City Births! My husband and I have attended two classes. I am about 33 weeks pregnant and this is our first baby. Both my husband and I had an extremely positive experience. I attended the Breastfeeding/​Infant Care class and the Labor and Delivery class. I also registered for the infant CPR class. I particularly like Vanessa Anton. We spend a full day with her for the Labor and Delivery class and she was wonderful.
The instructors are very knowledgeable and had a lot of real life experience on the topics they were covering. Becoming more knowledgeable allowed me to know what to ask for from my doctor and hospital. After taking these classes, I have a much higher confidence level in our ability to take care of the baby once we get home from the hospital. You will get a ton of practical advice that is easy to digest. Knowing what to expect will help with anxiety leading up to delivery. If you are thinking about taking classes, City Births should be at the top of your list!

What an amazing childbirth class! A really great small environment, animated and knowledgable instructor, valuable information and a humorous touch. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who would like to feel more confident going into childbirth. Having things explained so well removes the fear of the unknown.
FIVE stars. S. Lynch

We had a great experience with City births’ Childbirth preparation class. We are expecting our first child early in 2016 and feel that the class really helped prepare us. The class was very informative and, importantly, there was much time for any questions. Andrea’s a great teacher and the hours in class just flew by! Even my husband, who was initially not super enthusiastic about following a childbirth preparation class, had a very positive experience and thought the class very helpful.

My husband and I took the childbirth prep class on Saturday from 10 – 5 with Vanessa. We absolutely loved the class. Vanessa was such a great teacher! She’s enthusiastic and very knowledgable. Five stars and worth the price.

Took the Infant CPR class with Vanessa tonight — she’s a star! (Tell me how it’s possible your baby is 21 years old?!) She started by asking us a few questions including what we wanted to learn from her. «Everything.» Got that and more (three words: car seat safety). She knows what we don’t know to ask. She is funny and smart and quick and the passion she has for her work is obvious. Class size is small, too. Perfect.

Vanessa was absolutely amazing! She made a long day go by quickly, was extremely informative and left us feeling very prepared for what’s next, the birth of our baby girl. Thank you City Births for a wonderful experience :)

We took the Childbirth Preparation class with Vanessa on Saturday, and it was beyond informative & helpful. Vanessa is fantastic, high energy & answered every single question that came up — with ease. We learned so much and could not have been happier with our decision to take a childbirthing class in such an intimate, comfortable setting. It was also very convenient for us to be able to complete the full class in one day. Looking forward to our upcoming CPR & Infant Care/​Breastfeeding in a few weeks. Thanks City Births!

The class had a good flow and was very informative. I had done some reading prior to attending and the class was great for confirming what I’ve already read as well as filling in the gaps that you can’t find (or know to look for) in books and online. Plus, you just can’t predict what questions the other attendees will come up with and how much extra information can be gleaned from those answers. The class environment was welcoming and safe. My husband and I agree that it is a great value. Thank you!

I cannot say enough great things about City Births. My husband and I took CPR (with Geoff), breastfeeding/​infant care (with Andrea), and childbirth prep (with Jamie). We loved every class and teacher. The class size was small enough to feel comfortable and conversational. We were encouraged to reach out to instructors after the class (Andrea helped my find my postpartum doula). The classes are fast-​paced and comprehensive. We learned so much and feel much more prepared for birth and parenthood.

My husband and I took child birth prep with Jamie earlier this month, and are signed up for infant cpr /​care in a few weeks. We found the child birth class to be very informative and comfortable. We covered a wide range of topics in the short time we had, and with a small group of ~5−6 couples had plenty of opportunities to ask questions along the way. The class helped us identify key decisions we need to make in the weeks leading up to the birth and we feel more prepared for what lies ahead!

My husband and I took three classes at City Births — 1. Childbirth Prep, 2. Infant CPR and 3. Infant Care and Breastfeeding. I cannot give the instructors enough praise. They were all incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. My husband and I left each class feeling much more prepared to handle expected and unexpected situations. Additionally, City Births intentionally keeps the classes small so you can be sure any and all questions you have will be answered and any issue you want to discuss will be done thoroughly. They also provide an ample variety of refreshments for the mother-​to-​be and her partner/​support/​friend. I highly recommend City Births if you’re looking for an informative class where you will not be lost in a crowd and will leave feeling like it was worth your time and money to attend.

My husband and I took the Infant Care/​Breastfeeding class taught by Vanessa. Vanessa is an excellent instructor and we learned very practical and useful information. We left the class feeling much more confident as we are expecting our first baby in a few months. We highly recommend City Births for new and expecting parents!

My husband and I took Childbirth Prep with Meredith Fein Lichtenberg and were very happy with our experience. There were 5 couples including us. Meredith was entertaining, knowledgeable, informative and presented information is a very neutral way (like to have an epidural or not), explaining reasonable questions to ask and options to consider. I really wanted to take a more intense multi-​week class but feel unexpectedly satisfied with our one day intensive. My husband (who was not particularly looking forward to this class) was very enthusiastic and thought it was worth every cent of the $ 375 fee.
We also took the infant care/​breastfeeding class with Vanessa and it was equally as great. We feel much more prepared to welcome our baby into the world, and learned a lot of information that our friends had to learn through trial and error.

Expecting a first kid is perfect but in the same time stressful period full of questions. I needed to know what to expect on that big day and on Childbirth Prep Class at City Births I found all my answers. My husband and I learned more than we expected. Class was very interesting and educative. Fact that we were surrounded by other couples who have the same fears that we do, make us to feel much more relaxed. Teacher was wonderful, women with a lot of experience. She shared with us many interesting childbirth stories and had an answer on all our questions.
Really great experience!

My husband and I took Childbirth prep, breastfeeding/​infant care and Infant CPR.
Couldn’t have been happier with our teachers Vanessa and Meredith, which gave great advice on all topics. And kept it upbeat to keep us focused — insomnia has kicked back in and at times I was becoming sleepy.
My husband walked away from Infant CPR saying «you are never going to leave the baby alone with me» and the class really informed us about what could occur if you do not use a car seat at 25mph. Maybe couples should take this class before thinking about having kids.
Greatly appreciate their follow up as I emailed Meredith about Breast pumps and Vanessa regarding doula’s. They both responded promptly and with wonderful support.
Thank you!

My husband and I took the Childbirth Prep class with Vanessa. It was terrific!
We found it very informative, interesting and extremely helpful. Vanessa was familiar with the different NYC hospitals, their procedures and provided terrific tips in regards to insurance, checking in, common hospital procedures and so much more.
Vanessa was warm, captivating and engaging. The 7 hour class went by quickly!
The environment at City Births is very comfortable.
I recommend this to first-​time parents in NYC.

We have taken 4 classes at City Births.
–Daddy bootcamp where dads educate the expecting fathers on what to expect when the child arrives. The men running the class bring their infants with them and conduct the class while demonstrating how to care for a child and still have a life. Diaper change, Bottle feeding, how has their relationship with their wife changed: every question is fair game. The other expectant dads had questions and concerns very similar to my own and it was good to talk about it without my wife sitting right there.
–Infant Child CPR– Taught by Vanessa– Fantastic! I have taken CPR Classes before. They have always been something to get through and not particularly fun and engaging. Vanessa presents the information in a way that gives you confidence that you can do this if you have to. Her depth of experience as an EMT and educator comes out in the stories and extra information that makes the information real and applicable. Take the class before you buy your car seat in the city: there are seats that are easier to install in cabs; lots of carseats are great and safe and are just not practical to use in cabs but would be great in your own car. Why should you keep your infant in a bassinet and not in the car seat? take the class and find out.
–Child birth prep class– Taught by Meredith– extremely informative, focus on techniques for natural childbirth (what we were looking for) and gave excellent relevant information regarding C-​section, epidural, medicalized birth that we hope not to need but it is good to know. Your doctor will give you specific instructions for you and your birth. The information our OB gave us regarding how long to Labor at home what to watch and watch out for, and the information City births provided had no conflicts.
–Birth and Beyond (taken by my wife alone, like the daddy bootcamp for moms) taught by Meredith and Linnea– I have heard only positive things from my wife about this class.
The Class rooms are comfortable, there are 2 bathrooms, an assortment of snacks, coffee, filtered water, balls, mats and back jacks if you just can’t sit in/​on the couch or chairs anymore.
The classes we have taken have consisted of parents at 4 months pregnant to one of the dads in daddy bootcamp 3 days from his wife’s scheduled C-​section, moms in their 20’s and Moms in their 40’s.
City Births is wonderful resource and I am glad we found them. We are planning to use them for lactation consulting– the infant care and breastfeeding class.

My husband and I just finished the Infant Care class with City Births, and we are *so* glad we took that class! As first-​time parents who don’t have a lot of experience with babies, we learned so, so, so much. It was 3 hours packed with very helpful information, and our instructor Vanessa was friendly, knowledgeable, and so supportive. She even made herself available by phone for post-​class questions, which is above and beyond!
We are also registered to take their Childbirth Workshop; we were supposed to take it this past weekend, and then I came down with a nasty head cold. Not wanting to expose other parents/​moms, I contacted them about rescheduling and Andrea got back to me super promptly and immediately rescheduled us for a class in October. We couldn’t have had a better experience with City Births’ customer service and class! Highly recommend to any NYC area parents!

I recently took the «Pregnancy, Birth and Post-​Partum» class at City Births and it totally exceeded my expectations. First of all, the environment itself is super-​cosy, which I think is an important detail, given that it makes you feel more relaxed and at ease talking about something as deeply personal as childbirth and babies. They provided delicious snacks and «mocktails» which contributed to the cozy and festive feel.
Our instructors, Liz and Meredith were both wonderful. Liz was great at facilitating a discussion and getting the group to open up, and Meredith’s hilarious, expert perspective on it all made me laugh out loud (and take lots of notes)!
I learned a lot, but more importantly, I felt connected to a group of almost-​new moms for the first time. I’ll definitely be signing up for more classes or for a mom’s group, and I would highly recommend City Moms to anyone looking for mommy classes!