This course
Preparing for Your Hospital Birth
$97
- Video lessons covering hospital protocol and options
- Downloadable activity workbook to complete with your partner
- An informed decision-making framework you can use in the room
Preparing for Your Hospital Birth
Know how a hospital birth works before you're in one.
A four-hour class on hospital protocols, your options and how to use informed decision-making — so the room, the paperwork and the choices all feel familiar.
$97
- Self-paced online class
- 4 hours
- Video + workbook
- Anna Rodney, M.Ed.Your instructor
- 15+ yearssupporting families
- 4 hours4 hours
- Video + workbookPractice and revisit as you go
Walk in knowing the room.
Preparing for Your Hospital Birth prepares you for the parts of a hospital birth that are specific to a hospital — the protocols, the options and the conversations.
Understanding hospital protocol
Learn the routines and procedures you'll meet, and why they exist.
Your options, plainly
Understand the choices available to you and how to ask for them.
Informed decision-making
A practical framework for decisions that come up quickly.
Talking with your care team
How to raise a question and be heard.
Navigating the whole process
From arrival and triage through to postpartum.
Planning with your partner
Agreeing on roles and how they can advocate for you.
What families say
Words from families who have taken BBU classes.
“I was pretty nervous about all things birth, but their birth class and breastfeeding class really put me at ease.”
“These classes were super helpful for my husband and I! I was pretty nervous about all things birth, but their birth class and breastfeeding class really put me at ease.”
“As a first-time parent, I felt overwhelmed by all the information out there, but this course broke everything down into clear, supportive, and easy-to-understand lessons. They made me feel confident and empowered going into labor and early parenthood.”
“The best online birthing class!! Absolutely loved, super helpful!”
“We absolutely loved these classes! So informative and we liked that we could pause for the day and resume when we had time. I highly recommend them to all expectant parents.”
“Birth and Baby University is so helpful. I was able to take so many great classes to help me prepare for birth.”
Your instructor
Learn with Anna Rodney, M.Ed.
Anna has supported families through hospital births for 15+ years and teaches the hospital specifics the same way she teaches everything: clearly and without jargon.
- Master of Education (M.Ed.) with 15+ years supporting families
- Former special-education teacher
- Doula trainer and childbirth educator
- Newborn Care Specialist and Lactation Educator
- Founder of Chicago Family Doulas and Birth & Baby University
What you'll learn
Six sections covering the hospital setting from arrival to the first hours after birth. Open any section to see what it covers.
Choosing where you give birth The decision that shapes the rest.
- What to ask a hospital or birth center
- Matching a setting to the birth you're planning
- What your provider's own practice looks like
Arriving and triage What happens when you walk in.
- When to go in and what to bring
- How triage and admission work
- What monitoring is routine and what is asked for
Hospital protocols The routines you'll meet.
- Common interventions and why they're offered
- Standard procedures for you and for your baby
- What you can decline, and how to say so
Informed decision-making A framework you can use in the moment.
- Questions that get you the information you need
- Weighing benefits and risks when time is short
- Working with a partner as your advocate
Labor and birth in hospital The parts you can prepare for.
- Stages of labor and what to expect at each
- Positions and comfort measures that work in a hospital room
- Pushing, and the moments around it
The first hours After birth, in the room.
- What happens immediately after birth
- Feeding and skin-to-skin in the first hours
- What to expect before you go home
How it works
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Enroll in the class
Check out securely and access the class through the BBU student portal.
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Learn at your own pace
Four hours of lessons you can watch when it suits you, as often as you like.
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Complete the workbook together
Work through the preferences worksheet with your partner before the birth.
Choose how you'd like to prepare
Take Preparing for Your Hospital Birth on its own, or choose the All Access Class Pass for five core classes.
Optional upgrade: All Access Class Pass
The information every expecting parent deserves before baby arrives.
$149 total
Get all five classes for $52 more
| Preparing for Your Hospital Birth (this course) | $97 |
|---|---|
| Intro to Childbirth | $97 |
| Comfort Measures | $67 |
| Bringing Home Baby | $97 |
| Breastfeeding | $47 |
| Bought separately | $405 |
| Bundle total | $149 |
Save $256
A separate purchase you choose instead of the single class. Nothing is added to your order automatically.
Get all five classes for $149Questions, answered.
Who is this class for?
Families planning to give birth in a hospital or birth center, and the people supporting them.
Is this the same as Intro to Childbirth?
They overlap on labor, and they are built for different questions. This class focuses on the hospital setting — protocols, options and how to decide. Intro to Childbirth covers labor itself in more depth. Many families take both.
Can my partner take it with me?
Yes, and partners are encouraged to. The class is built so you can watch together.
When do I take the class?
Whenever it suits you. The class is online and self-paced, so you can watch on your own schedule and revisit the videos.
What's included?
Video lessons you can watch at your own pace, plus a downloadable workbook to practice and keep.
How is this different from the All Access Class Pass?
Preparing for Your Hospital Birth ($97) is one class. The All Access Class Pass ($149) includes it plus Intro to Childbirth, Comfort Measures, Bringing Home Baby and Breastfeeding.
Who can I contact with a question?
Email info@birthandbabyuniversity.com and the BBU team will help.
Be ready for the room you'll be in.
Preparing for Your Hospital Birth is $97, self-paced and about four hours.