Free Expectant Parents Orientation

Pennsylvania Hospital is pleased to offer an Expectant Parents Orientation. This free session will include a virtual tour of our Labor and Delivery and Birthing Suites, as well as an opportunity to ask all the questions you have about giving birth at Pennsylvania Hospital. We will introduce you to our Baby-Friendly hospital practices and let you know how we will help you to meet your infant feeding goals. We will also cover the nitty gritty details about where to park, what entrance to use, etc.

Watch the orientation video to learn what to expect and take a virtual tour of Pennsylvania Hospital's Labor and Delivery and Birthing Suites. If you have any questions, please email michelle.rodriguez@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Labor Lab

Currently available as an interactive online class

Perfect to refresh your relaxation skills for a second or third birth or enhance your childbirth education class for baby number one. This "lab" class focuses exclusively on comfort measures for labor. Taught by certified childbirth educators and birth doulas, this will be time well spent for expectant women and their partners. Two hours of class time and homework that you will love!

Fee: $40 per expectant mother and one support person.

Childbirth Prep 101

Currently available as an interactive, 4-week online series

Expectant parents will learn the value of working as a team during the childbirth process. Class covers breathing and relaxation techniques, stages of labor, medication options, and cesarean birth. You will also tour the labor and delivery units, space permitting. One-day Saturday or Sunday class options are offered.

Fee: $150 per couple, including parking

Prepared Childbirth PLUS

Currently available as an interactive, 4-week online series

For those considering a low-intervention birth, this three-class series focuses on tuning in to the maternal body and emphasizes non-pharmacologic relaxation techniques, birthing imagery and physiologic positions for labor. The class series encourages optimal communication among expectant parents and their health care providers.

Fee: $160 per couple

Understanding Birth e-Learning

This evidence-based, engaging online program is available for you and a partner to enjoy from the safety and convenience of your own home. Includes narration from a professional educator, engaging videos, 3D animations, learning activities and more.  Includes downloadable PDFs and a Parents' Toolbox. Registration provides access to the course content for 60 days, so it is recommended to launch the program 2.5 to 3 months before your due date.

Fee: $120

How to Have a Safe and Active Pregnancy

Currently available as an interactive, online course

Penn Therapy & Fitness offers an interactive, virtual class on exercise and fitness during and after pregnancy. This monthly program offers guidelines for exercise during pregnancy, including specific exercises and ways to move to avoid injury. This course, delivered through the BlueJeans videoconferencing platform, also highlights activities to avoid and warning signs to stop exercise, as well as postural changes and their effect on your overall well-being.

The instructor will also discuss:

• Common discomforts during pregnancy and how exercise can help
• Proper positioning during feeding
• Proper lifting and carrying techniques
• General stretching and strengthening exercises important during and after pregnancy

Upcoming classes are July 7, Aug. 4, Sept. 1, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, and Dec. 1.

Cost is $10 per class. Register at pennpartners.org/pregnancy or email ActivePregnancy@uphs.upenn.edu.

Instructions for accessing BlueJeans and a link to the meeting will be provided before class.

Baby Care Basics

Currently available as an interactive online class

Boost your confidence as a new parent by learning safe and comfortable ways to care for, swaddle, diaper and bathe your baby. We will also discuss normal newborn appearance and characteristics.

Fee: $40 per couple

Infant/Child Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

This CPR class is taught by instructors certified by the American Heart Association. This "friends and family" non-certifying course focuses on rescue procedures for infants and children up to eight years of age. Instruction covers emergencies such as choking, respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest. Parents, grandparents, and child care providers are encouraged to attend.

Fee: $55 per person

Pediatric First Aid

This class is taught by an American Heart Association certified instructor who will help expectant and new parents learn how to handle many emergencies that can occur with babies and young children. There is a focus on child safety and prevention, as well as specific action plans for when mishaps do happen and how to stock a first-aid kit.

Fee: $55 per person

Beginning Breastfeeding

Currently available as an interactive online class

Taught by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), this class will help get you off to a good start with breastfeeding. Partners and your support team are welcome to come at no additional cost.

Fee: $35

Becoming Grand

Currently available as an interactive online class

This one-evening course helps grandparents-to-be and new grands tap into the wisdom they have acquired through experience while learning ways to help and support the new parents. Come learn what's new and evidence-based in the world of infant safety and parenting and share with other grands.

Fee: $25 per person/$40 per couple

Baby Whisperer Workshop

Currently available as an interactive online class

This two-hour workshop is packed with magic. Learn to understand your baby's unique language, pick up on the nuances of behavior, and adopt strategies to soothe your little one. Perfect for partners wanting pointers just for them! Baby Whisperer is a complement to, rather than a replacement for, Baby Care Basics.

Fee: $40 per couple

Junior College: Just for Siblings

Geared for soon-to-be big brothers and sisters between 2 1/2 and 5 years of age, this 75 minute session includes age appropriate discussion about baby behavior including crying, feelings, becoming a "big", and how to "help". A parent will attend with the child.

Fee: $20 per child and parent, $30 for a second child in the same family

Breastfeeding and Returning to Work

You've got the basics down and even feel like a pro…but now it's time to start planning for your return to work. What are your options? How can you make work work? Taught by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), you need this 90 minute class. BYOB: Bring Your Own Baby.

Fee: $30

Stronger After Pregnancy

Your body has been through a lot and you may feel overwhelmed with questions about your recovery, your weak core, and how to begin an exercise program. This interactive workshop, taught by mom and an exercise physiologist Ashley Reid of Active Mom Fitness, provides a supportive space for you and other moms to address your concerns about recovery, abdominal separation, safely caring for your baby and your first steps toward fitness.

The format of the workshop is mostly discussion-based, but attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing that's appropriate for light movement. All fitness levels are welcome.

Fee: $30, and babies younger than six months are welcome to attend.

Sweet Sleep Seminar

Currently available as an interactive online class

This 90-minute class will help you develop an understanding of infant sleep and maybe help you get some sleep yourself! There is so much advice about sleep — and much of it is contradictory. What is normal? What is safe? And how can I foster healthy sleep patterns in my baby?

This session is geared for parents of infants 4 weeks to 4 months old. However, expectant parents, grandparents, and caregivers will also benefit from attending. Babes in arms are welcome!

Free Support Group for Breastfeeding Mothers

Mondays from 12:30 to 2 pm. Come share questions, trials, and triumphs with other parents. This is mother-to-mother support facilitated by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Every Monday except for holidays at Solutions for Women.