Welcome to Beata Birth
Whether you’re a first-time mama or this is your next go-round with labor and delivery, Beata Birth classes will provide you with a well-rounded education in issues surrounding pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period. All classes are taught from a prayerfully Catholic perspective and utilize evidence-based modern techniques combined with age-old wisdom and your God-given intuition. Beata Birth classes will offer you information, support, practical advice, and encouragement as you prepare to meet your little one.
Topics
What will you learn in a Beata Birth course?
I’m so glad you asked! Courses consist of approximately 12 hours of video instruction (six two-hour live lessons in the Zoom course, smaller segments in the on-demand series).
Whether you’re choosing a live Zoom course or the on-demand version, each class is infused with our Catholic faith, scientific research, and practical techniques that will help you to have a beautiful, God-centered, family-focused, empowered birth.
Classes will cover the following, along with any questions and concerns you may have.
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Nutrition is the basic building block for a healthy pregnancy, easier delivery, and faster recovery. Based on holistic and scientific principles, this lesson will help you make wholesome and realistic choices that support you and your baby.
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Labor is often compared to a marathon. You wouldn’t run one without preparing, would you? Fortunately, pregnancy exercises don’t have to be time-consuming or arduous to be very efficacious in shortening your labor and preparing your body for birth and beyond!
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One of the biggest stumbling blocks to labor is the sense of mystery that surrounds it. What will I experience? What can I do to ease discomfort? How can my husband help? All these questions and a lot more will be answered!
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What is an induction? Is it necessary? Are there natural ways to get labor started? Let’s go over all of that and more!
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Hospitals can be scary places. This class will demystify common hospital labor practices and help you prepare for decisions that face you when you deliver a baby. Even if you’re preparing for a birth center birth or a home birth, this class is a helpful ‘heads-up’ should you find your birth going differently than you planned.
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Don’t be scared of labor! This class will give you a wide variety of effective resources and techniques for easing the discomfort associated with labor, all while uniting your sufferings with Jesus on the cross..
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Eye ointment? Circumcision? Vaccines? What are all those little (and not-so-little) procedures the hospital typically wants to do to your baby? Let’s talk about them so you can be informed and feel empowered to make solid decisions for your baby.
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Hey mama! Labor isn’t the end of your journey. Let’s get you healed and happy so you can serve your family.
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Breastfeeding is natural, but it isn’t always easy. This class will prepare you for the journey to breastfeeding success.
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From sleep to diapering to babywearing to choosing a pediatrician, this class will help you prepare for those early months at home with your newborn.
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Now that you’re informed, it’s time to communicate your wishes to your birth team. This class breaks down the dos and don’ts of writing a birth plan-complete with templates-so you can communicate as effectively as possible.
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Whew! The Beata Birth course was a lot! Let’s refresh your memory so you can head into labor with all of it fresh in your mind.
ready to register?
If so, please take a moment to review the class details below, then follow the links to register.
Upcoming class times + dates:
Times: Most classes are on Mondays from 4:00-6:00 pm Pacific. If I have 3 or more couples interested in a later slot, I can add a class from 6:30-8:30 pm Pacific as well.
May-June classes: best for June-August due dates
April 22, April 29, May 6, May 20, June 10, June 17 (No class on May 13, May 27, or June 3.)
July-August classes: best for late August to mid October due dates
July 8, July 15, July 22, August 5, August 12, August 19 (No class July 29)
Cost:
Zoom or in-person: $300 per couple ($50 deposit due upon registration, the remainder due at the time of the first class.)
The cost includes the entire curriculum, 12+ hours of live classes, and text and phone consultations as you near your due date on birth-related issues that may come up. It’s a steal, I promise you!
Please contact me if you need to arrange a payment plan.
On-Demand: $220 per couple
The cost includes the entire curriculum and pre-recorded classes, plus “office hours” where you can pop in to ask questions
Location:
In-person: classes will be held in Eagle Rock, CA. Address will be emailed to confirmed attendees.
Zoom: classes will be online. The Zoom link will be emailed to confirmed attendees.
Class size limits:
Zoom: 12 couples
In-person: minimum of 4, maximum of 6 couples
On-Demand: no limit!
Questions?
Please email me at micaela.darr@gmail.com
If you’re local (San Gabriel Valley, CA), please email me to discuss in-person classes.
If these dates don’t work for you, scroll down for info on the all-new on-demand classes!
Join Beata Birth to get access now.
Choose from below options to start learning.
Want a full-length birth class on your own schedule? This is the course for you!
Live Zoom Birth Classes
Want all the benefits of the full on-demand Beata Birth course, with the added benefit of live interaction with your instructor? This is the option for you.
Early Pregnancy Classes
Are you in your first or second trimester and eager to get started learning? This single session class is made just for you.
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Why should we prepare for the birth of our baby?
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…” -Jer 1:5
The average couple spends more time and money decorating a baby’s nursery than preparing to bring him or her into the world.
But there is another way.
As a childbirth educator, I want to share with couples a way of birth in which parents are empowered to make the best choices for their baby, right from the start. A way in which father and mother bond with each other and their baby in one of the most intimate moments of their lives. A way that gives honor, glory, and respect to God for His marvelous design of the female body, while judiciously utilizing technology and scientific advances for safer outcomes.
This course is appropriate for first-time parents, as well as couples who have experienced one or more births and either want a refresher on principles they have learned, or a completely new experience.
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Does God care about our baby's birth?
Yes! God cares about you and your baby at every point in time!
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” -Isaiah 49:15
Childbirth is a time when we can draw particularly close to God, both through the redemptive suffering of labor as well as through the glory and awe of newborn life.
On a more practical level, God desires only good for you, your baby, and your family. What does that look like? Every birth is different, and there are truly no guarantees in life, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t equip ourselves with the appropriate knowledge and do our best! God gave us each an intellect and a will, and He hopes we will use it for His glory!
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Watch my free classes on YouTube!
My name is Micaela Darr, and I’m a trained childbirth educator with a passion for helping women prepare for birth and life with a newborn.
I’m also a mom of seven children with some pretty wild birth experiences of my own! I’ve had 4 hospital births (including a cesarean section), 2 homebirths, and 1 baby born in the car on the way to the hospital! I have also experienced loss in the form of 5 miscarriages. My varied birth experiences have given me compassion and understanding, as well as first-hand knowledge of a range of birth situations.
I’ve had the honor of attending over half a dozen women as a friend and doula as they bring their babies into the world.
I know full well that births are not all rainbows and unicorns, but rather something deeper, more profound, and more intimate… something that connects us to God in a way no other experience can.
I believe you were born to do this.
My goal is to help you believe it too.
Who am I?
The birth of my eldest daughter was fairly traumatic. Before giving birth, I had done little to prepare for the actual labor and delivery, apart from a Lamaze class offered by the hospital, which I didn’t take very seriously. My conclusion from it was, get an epidural and everything will go like clockwork. I got the epidural, pushed for 4.5 hours, and was finally rushed to an emergency cesarean because I just couldn’t push her out.
My plan for the delivery of my second daughter was to have a scheduled cesarean. But on a car ride up to a weekend retreat, my husband happened to mention my plan to Micaela’s husband, Kevin. Kevin suggested I talk with Micaela, who had not only had more than one successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean birth), but was also a birth educator.
From the very first conversation, Micaela began to reshape my understanding of how labor and delivery works. She explained the mechanics of why my daughter might have gotten stuck and suggested a number of solutions to make a successful VBAC possible:
No epidural so I could move around and make a smooth descent through the pelvis possible; that I likely had a tilted pelvis, which could be tweaked with the Webster technique; and TONS of solid gold advice on laboring and managing pain WELL.
I can’t express how strong and inspired I felt after that refresher session. Eventually, I even asked if she’d consider acting as doula for me and she said yes!
It was a truly beautiful and completely holy birth. I entered the labor prepared and ready to welcome the Holy Spirit in with complete surrender to Our Lord’s will.
Micaela walked my husband and I through each of the inevitable unknowns and acted as our advocate and go between with the hospital nurses and my doctor. She was extraordinarily attentive to when I needed her help and when I needed my husband. I can still hear her repeating “Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I trust in you.” as I offered up each painful contraction and she pressed down on my hips with all her strength to alleviate the excruciating pain of back labor. She prayed with us and for us, took careful notes on the labor’s progression, and took the most gorgeous pictures post-delivery.
That successful VBAC with my second daughter meant I healed much more quickly postpartum and didn’t suffer from postpartum depression due to trauma. Further, I was able to birth my son via a second VBAC this last year! What a blessing it has been to understand how to purposefully and prayerfully approach each labor.
— Caroline M., mother to 3 on earth and 1 in heaven
Before Micaela was my doula at my third birth, I had two uncomplicated, unmedicated births - one in a hospital and one at home. Micaela’s presence at my third birth made a huge difference. She knew exactly how to encourage and support me through the whole process. Her suggestions for positions to try, coping techniques, and reminding me to hydrate were exactly what I needed. Once labor was established, I had a relatively fast birth with a big baby (over 9 lbs) and it was my best birth experience. I credit this largely to Micaela. “Doula” means servant, and this is exactly Micaela’s heart. She worked quietly, in the background, and continued to care for me and my whole birth team even after my son was born. Everyone needs a Micaela in their life, and especially at their birth!
-Sarah S.
Join Beata Birth to get access now.
Choose from below options to start learning.
Want a full-length birth class on your own schedule? This is the course for you!
Live Zoom Birth Classes
Want all the benefits of the full on-demand Beata Birth course, with the added benefit of live interaction with your instructor? This is the option for you.
Early Pregnancy Classes
Are you in your first or second trimester and eager to get started learning? This single session class is made just for you.