Welcome to Ottawa Childbirth Education Association

Let's talk birth and babies!

Freedom of choice Based on a Knowledge of Alternatives

Practical tools to prepare for birth

Hands on parenting class for expectant parents

Bringing baby home

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For over 40 years, trusted by Ottawa's parents-to-be.

People who took our online class had this to say:

Given the continued need to physically distance, the size of our room rentals and the evolving state of our global pandemic, OCEA will continue to offer all classes online throughout 2022.
We dearly want to support the health of expectant families.

Comfort of my own home :)

Pre Natal One Day – with Brandie Lekovic

Very very pleased. I'm difficult to impress, do a lot of research on my own and have very high (some would suggest too high) of expectations with very low tolerance to incompetence....i give Julia a 10/10 :D

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

The OCEA prenatal course was amazing. We are first time parents and honestly didn't know what to expect or how to prepare for the arrival of our baby. This course and Brandie were excellent and have really helped us prepare with the most useful in depth information. It was more than we could have hoped for. .

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic

My partner and I were both really happy with how easy Zoom was to use. Brandie made it feel like we were really in class!

Pre Natal One Day – with Brandie Lekovic

This class was great! She was so well prepared and had wonderful images and props and ways of explaining things that made learning about giving birth very accessible.

Pre Natal One Day – with Brandie Lekovic

The Bringing Home Baby course offered by OCEA was worth every penny. My husband and I were thoroughly impressed with the educator’s level of knowledge and experience. The class covers a lot of material but somehow flies by! 10/10 would recommend!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Lilly was incredible, she shared the information that can appear as quite daunting in such a calm, humble matter. At no point did she make my husband and I feel overhwlemed by the information abd when information felt overhwhelming, she ensured to make the time to calm all of our worries and answer all our questions

Pre Natal – with Lilly Bianchi

The prenatal class we took with OCEA was informative and reassuring. We appreciated the experience our instructor brought to the class both as a midwife and a mom. We appreciated that facts were shared in context to make stats less scary as well as providing a broader understanding of labour and delivery. Would recommend!

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Erin is AMAZING! She is warm, supportive and beyond knowledgeable. She is always available to answer questions. The way she presents information is truly superior. I’m sad that our course is over and we won’t see her on a regular basis. Erin truly made the experience. My husband and I are so happy we took this course and had her as our instructor. Thank you so much, Erin!!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

I’m a healthcare provider and I work with prenatal and postnatal women. I took this class, as the birthing partner, with the expectation that I can at least learn with my non-birthing partner. I ended up learning a lot myself that I didn’t know. I really appreciateD the opportunity to stimulate discussion between me and my partner so we can make informed decisions together!

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic

It was useful to understand the real benefit of breastfeeding compared to formula, as opposed to all the judgemental information that is out there.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

Erin was an outstanding educator. You can tell she really enjoys what she does. She has a huge wealth of knowledge and wisdom and is very skilled at sharing it and making it easy to understand. The use of props, play-alongs/demos , videos, images, slides, breakout groups, etc., were done. Online courses are challenging, but Erin made it engaging and the two days went by much better — and were much for fun— than I was expecting!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Before baby gets here

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Pre Natal Classes

OCEA's prenatal class will give you all the practical tools to prepare you for your birth whether at home, hospital or birth centre. Our small interactive group classes include the following information presented in small group formats ... Pre Natal Classes Schedule

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Bringing Baby Home

Our Bringing Baby Home class is a hands on parenting class for expectant parents that covers normal newborn behaviour, diapering decisions, bathing strategies, bonding and attachment and more! ... Bringing Baby Home Schedule

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Comfort Measures

This hands on class includes coping strategies to help you feel confident understanding the Pain - Tension - Fear cycle. How to interrupt this cycle using a variety of positions, massage and breathing techniques to help you at each step of labour and birth ... Comfort Measures Schedule

With baby

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Infant & Toddler sleep class

Are you an exhausted parent that has tried everything and cannot get your baby to sleep? Do you want to find a solution that is not crying it out? We will be creating a space for parents to follow their instincts when it comes to their new baby... Infant sleep class.

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Infant Massage

Learn the health-giving properties of Infant Massage: growth and motor skill development, blood and lymph circulation, immune system stimulation, building bones, helping with gas and colic, aid with deeper and longer sleep, emotional and physical bonding time ... Infant Massage Schedule

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Baby at the Table

Baby at the Table – a baby foodie class for the first year. Thinking about introducing solids? Not sure when or where to start? Purées or Baby Led Weaning? Baby is eating solids and you want to connect with others, diversify recipes, or create mealtime routines? ... Baby at the Table

Specialty

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It Takes a Village

About to be a Grandparent? Or maybe an Aunt, Uncle or another "villager"? This class is just for you! Sure, babies will always be babies, but parenting has so many new dimensions these days. Let us get you up to date on newborn development, sleep, tummy time, infant feeding, car seats, and more. We also explore how to be helpful and supportive while keeping your family relationships happy and boundaries healthy. It Takes a Village

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CPR

CPR classes are Level C certification level. This life skills class is excellent for family and friends who are interested in learning all aspects of infant, child and adult CPR. Class training is approximately 2 1/2 hours and ... CPR Schedule

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OCEA workshops

Join OCEA for workshops on practical topics that include Building a Communication Toolkit, Creating a Family Social Media Strategy and more! Each participant will leave the workshop with a practical checklist of tools that will help their family achieve their workshop goals. Full list of our specialty workshops

Tutoring

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Private Tutoring

OCEA provides private tutoring for individuals and couples unable to commit to an evening series or weekend class. Take a session on your own or with friends and we will meet your scheduling needs ... Private Tutoring Schedule

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NICU Doula

Pregnancy and birth are almost always joyous times. However, sometimes we get news we might not have prepared for that changes our expectations and plans, and we find ourselves preparing for the arrival of our newborn in a different way than we planned. ... NICU Doula

OCEA Social