The Best Birth Prep Course in Nashville, Tennessee | Nashville Birth Photographer + Videographer

When preparing for birth, particularly vaginal and or natural birth, whether it is at home or a hospital… an enormously important aspect is how you move and what positions you do not only in labor but also the weeks and months leading up to giving birth.

Having 9 years of Crossfit under my belt helps me understand anatomy, ligaments, mobility, flexibility and strength to the point that when I attended this Birth Prep Course by Tandem Birth and Body, I truly could absorb all of the material. It was truly easy to comprehend anyway, but my point being that I could comprehend that this course was an ultimate way to truly prepare for labor and delivery.

When I’m in the birth space, I have noticed that my knowledge of how the body moves, how we need to engage certain muscle groups, how we have to mobilize and release tension to help baby get out has helped me in seeing birth and helping occasionally with moms progress. I have on occasion, grabbed a massage gun to massage mom’s IT band, or suggested a position change to help her engage her posterior chain, etc.

I say all of this to help you understand where Im coming from on my recommendation of this course.

Other Courses vs This Course

Standard birth prep courses tell you about meds, C-sections, how to push a baby out, the stages of labor etc. But actually teaching you what your body needs to be able to LET baby come out, how to best avoid tearing etc…. that’s where the real knowledge is.

As a mom who had 2 c-sections from sunny side up positioned babies, I can tell you that this course truly could have changed those outcomes. I was so ignorant and didn’t even squat in pregnancy. I walked, and that was about it. My pelvis was not in an ideal place to let baby position themselves well.

If you are hiring a doula (which btw I HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and paying for a home birth, you are spending a LOT of money on your birth. This $295 course is WORTH increasing your odds of not having to transfer by preparing your pelvis for birth.

P.S. I have 2 amazing blogs written to help you choose a doula! One is titled What to look for when choosing a doula. The other is titled The Best doulas in the Nashville Area.

The Birth Prep Course Breakdown

This course is about 2 hours long and is made up of 2 parts. The first part is taught by Aline and covers the pelvis and how it can be positioned or helped in loosening and expanding to allow baby to come down properly positioned and to make delivery more successful and smoother. The 2nd part is taught by Abbey as she leads moms through PT and stretch type movements that help the pelvis to be aligned and mobile to lead to the biggest successes in the birth process.

Something to note: midwives and doulas were in attendance at this course to advance their education and help them help their clients in birth and labor.

The Women Teaching This Course

Let’s talk about these 2 women who lead this course. The first is Aline Pinkston. Aline and I have been to so many births together, she is absolutely incredible. She is a Home Birth nurse with Haven Birth and Wellness, a home birth Certified Nurse Midwife practice in Brentwood, Tennessee. Aline comes as a nurse but also as a Perinatal bodyworker & corrective exercise specialist. She is also certified in CFT (cranialsacralfascial therapy) which is something I believe all humans should experience in their lives. She does CFT on moms and new babies, it’s an incredible gentle way of unwinding fascia.

During labor, Aline can aid in helping mom get into various positions, helping her pelvis to move just right and she can even help baby to descend better and drastically improve outcomes of natural birth success. Aline is a Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner, which is a trauma informed and physiological approach through healing touch, fascia release and movement to decrease and eliminate the aches and pains of pregnancy as well as restore balance to the pregnant body for better baby positioning and easier birth and recovery. She is also trained in the Body Ready Method, which helps ease and prevent pregnancy related aches and pains, including pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic girdle pain (sacroiliac joint pain and /or symphysis pubis dysfunction) and issues with abdominal separation (diastasis recti).

P.S. I had a 4 finger diastasis and symphysis pubis issues. Again, wish this had existed when I was pregnant!

The other amazing woman helping teach this course is Abbey Faye Harris. Abbey is such a bright gem in the world. She loves everyone and is such an encourager. She is passionate about birth and motherhood. She is also a nurse with Haven Birth and Wellness. She is also a Certified Yoga Teacher with 200 Hours of teaching under her belt. She doesn’t attend births but does a lot of clinical work in the office with Mothers who come for their prenatal and postnatal appointments.

I mean a course for unmedicated birth prep run by 2 incredible nurses with an amazing array of accreditations and 40 years of experience between the two of them? Not to mention, they are just absolutely wonderful humans. They are prayerful Christian women who support women so well in our community. You will never have an interaction with either of them that doesn’t leave you feeling loved and seen.

If you want your birth captured, please reach out to me here!