Bay Area Birthing From Within Collective

We had such a great experience in Shannon’s class. I was a little hesitant at first to commit to the course as I thought maybe I could get all the info I needed in one of those weekend options when you go in for a day and then you’re done — but upon the recommendation of my doula we signed up for Shannon’s class and could not have been happier. Spreading the courses out over many weeks was absolutely the way to go. There is so much valuable information shared that it’s nice to have more time to reflect on it all. Shannon provides a follow up after each course with details of everything that was covered as well as additional resources to learn more. This meant I could relax and take everything in during the classes but not worry about having to frantically write down every detail.
Shannon is a natural teacher and provided a very supportive setting. I felt comfortable asking any questions and sharing with the group without fear of judgement and I got the sense that the others in the group felt the same. There was a lot of laughter and every class flew by!
I went into the class not knowing a great deal about the birthing experience. Shannon’s course was incredibly comprehensive. She covers the full details of our physiology and the birthing process, but also gives great focus to pain management techniques, comfort measures and what I found most valuable: a thorough discussion about what your options are. I was interested in a non-​medicated birth, but wasn’t positive and had a lot of people in my life (my mother included) telling me that I was insane and why wouldn’t I get the epidural? I finished the course with the confidence that I could deliver naturally, but also the understanding that if I didn’t — that was absolutely okay. I had a relatively short labor and was able to deliver unmedicated but was surprised by how early in the process inducing measures were suggested. Without this course I am positive I would have said «okay, whatever you think is best» rather than asking «can we wait just another hour or two to see how things progress?»
This course also completely altered my husband’s expectations about his role in the birthing process. He was so grateful to learn how much he could support me and advocate for me throughout labor. It truly made the experience «our birthing story» not just mine. I would recommend this course to any expectant parents — it is so worth it!

We attended classes with Shannon Padlog in May, and it was a wonderful experience. Shannon is very knowledgeable about what to expect during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and beyond. She takes a very thoughtful and positive approach to sharing her wealth of information in a way that is easily absorbed. She keeps the classes lighthearted with her sense of humor, but manages to empower moms-​to-​be and their partners with valuable coping skills, offers insight from her experience as a doula. Shannon provides clarity around the physical changes a mother and baby experience during pregnancy and childbirth. I personally walked away with a much better understanding of the various things we may potentially encounter along the way — the things that we, as first-​time parents, would have never knows, and never thought to ask. I’d highly recommend Shannon’s classes to anyone and everyone who is expecting.

My partner and I really enjoyed the Birthing from Within class with Shannon. We looked forward to the classes each week, and even though each class was 3 hours long, the time flew by and we found ourselves eagerly awaiting the next one. Shannon created an inclusive space. She is so incredibly knowledgeable, and she also has a great sense of humor, which made the awkward parts of birth class less awkward. Shannon is a natural educator. She knows her stuff and is very passionate about this work.
We walked away from these classes feeling empowered, informed, confident and excited about our imminent labor and birth. We ended up having a beautiful birth experience, and we attribute how smoothly it went to our preparation from the Birthing from Within class. We used a lot of the positions, coping strategies and techniques during the labor. I was able to labor at home for the majority of my labor (when I went into the hospital I was already 9 cm dilated) and was able to have an unmedicated birth. My partner felt like she was able to support me throughout the labor because of what she learned in this class.
When I told a couple of my friends about the class, one asked if it was a «hippy dippy woo woo» kind of class. It wasn’t. There is a good balance of self-​discovery, straight up information, physical practice of techniques, and bonding experiences with your partner.
I’d recommend this class to anyone… but it is an absolute MUST if you want to have a natural, unmedicated birth.

These classes truly helped my husband and I to be informed and more than anything truly surrender to our birth experience.
This being my first baby I was extremely anxious with how the birth was going to go. I was a C section baby and my husband was an emergency C section preemie baby. That being said I didn’t have very positive birth stories surrounding me. Shannon was an amazing facilitator around birth. These classes are so much more than learning about labor and the birth process — they were healing! It was also about learning more about myself and my husband. I know it sounds cheesy, but it truly was life changing. Shannon has an amazing gift to help people process birth and to hold a safe space to grow. She is extremely dynamic and has a gift of being able to shift the energy to help people move forward in a positive way. We truly could not have had the birth experience we had without Shannon, these classes, and her doula services.
Everyone’s birth story is different and beautiful in it’s own way. We feel so blessed to have experienced the birth we did and so grateful we were able to have Shannon by our side. My husband and I talk about how we would not have been able to have a natural birth without her and we felt so prepared/​informed around this rite of passage.
Thank you thank you Shannon for sharing your amazing gift with us and for helping to gently usher us into the labyrinth of pregnancy, labor, birth and ultimately parenthood! We are forever grateful!!!