childbirth education program
I created an online program that offered coaching and mentoring to parents and at-risk patients on various topics related to pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The program aimed to increase accessibility, affordability, and flexibility for the learners, and to foster a sense of community and support among them.
Challenge
I faced two main challenges in delivering my in-person classes. First, parents had a hard time committing to 2-hour classes over 6 weeks, due to their busy schedules and personal preferences. Second, I had many inquiries for classes from potential students who were not local to the Kansas City area or did not have the funds to afford the class fees. I needed to find a way to reach more learners and meet their diverse needs and expectations.
Solution
I converted my standard multiple-session in-person course to a more affordable online option, through a private Facebook group and weekly 1-hour Facebook Live classes. The Facebook group enabled social and student-led learning, where the learners could interact with each other, share their experiences and questions, and access curated content, research, and assignments. The Facebook Live classes provided coaching and mentoring on the key concepts and skills related to childbirth education, such as anatomy, physiology, stages of labor, pain management, interventions, breastfeeding, etc. The learners could also reach out to me privately to do virtual or in-person consultations to enhance their learning and any demonstrations.
My Role
I was responsible for the following roles:
- Curriculum Developer: I designed the learning objectives, outcomes, and assessments for the program, and ensured they were relevant and up-to-date with the latest research and best practices.
- Facilitator: I facilitated the Facebook Live classes and the Facebook group discussions, and provided guidance, feedback, and support to the learners.
- Facebook Live Producer: I set up and managed the Facebook Live platform for the weekly classes, and ensured the smooth delivery of the sessions.
Impact
The program increased the accessibility, affordability, and flexibility of childbirth education and created a community of parents who learned from and supported each other during a vulnerable time of their lives. This online program enabled me to meet my mission of offering quality childbirth education to those who may not be able to afford it, while also providing additional private consultations if needed.
This is snippet of a class filmed on my phone during Facebook Live. During in-person classes, this was a role-play where I would ask a birth partner to be the patient on an operating table, so they could feel what it was like for a birthing person. In this scenario, I used the phone camera to recreate the angle of looking up. This was my favorite part of classes because it encouraged parents to face any fears around surgical birth, the birth partner learned how to support the birthing person with empathy, and both gained coping tools to hopefully reduce subsequent trauma.