2003
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was a nursing student in the midst of my labor delivery rotations. Immersed in the study of the physiologic birth process, I was absolutely determined that I would have a natural childbirth! At the recommendation of my midwife, my husband, Seth, and I enrolled in a hypno-style birth class. My instructor had experienced a “pain free” hypno birth, and assured us that we could have a similar experience with enough practice. A pain-free birth sounded great to me! So Seth and I practiced guided imagery and deep relaxation daily. I felt prepared and excited!
A few months later, when labor finally began, I was relaxed and confident. But as active labor progressed and my contractions grew stronger and longer, I found it more and more difficult to focus on my relaxation scripts. And I felt discouraged and certain I was doing it all wrong because I wasn’t feeling the surges of pressure my instructor described…instead I was feeling PAIN. Over the course of the next several hours, I chose to have an epidural. My birth was safe and exciting, and it was a joy to have my baby. And yet I felt a tinge of frustration that despite my best efforts, I was very unprepared for the intensity of birth.
2005
Fast-forward a few years, and I’m pregnant with baby #2. I again felt the desire to experience an unmedicated birth, but after studying the curriculum and philosophy of the most popular natural birth courses, none of them felt right to me. They were either too anti-medical, lacking in practical labor coping tools, or a bit too mystical for my taste. I wanted a course that fed both my emotional need for encouragement and my physical need for tangible tools.
I took my birth prep into my own hands and studied nursing textbooks and medical journals to better understand the birth process and evidenced-based practice for potential labor interventions. I studied natural birth books from authors like Penny Simkin, Ina May Gaskin, Dr. Robert Bradley, Carl Jones, and Grantly Dick-Read. I searched out old-school Lamaze DVDs from the library, and in conjuction with my nursing texts, I taught myself how to do patterned breathing techniques. While I continued to practice deep relaxation and guided imagery scripts, I also incorporated the best-practice in labor positions, pressure techniques, movement, and hydrotheraphy. THIS was the real preparation I needed.
Baby #2 was born 10 days after his due date following a pitocin induction. Due to his large size and posterior position, this birth was more challenging than my first, and I felt significant discomfort in my back. Yet despite it all, I felt more prepared, more confident, and less fearful. The pain was manageable, and after several hours of laboring, I experienced my first unmedicated hospital birth! I felt such a sense of strength, accomplishment, and pride in my body and my baby!
2007
The natural hospital birth of baby #3 soon followed–another empowering life event–and my pregnant friends wanted to know all my secrets. 🙂
I began teaching informal classes free-of-charge in my basement, and this kindled my passion for birth prep. Over time, I earned Lamaze Certification and alongside my nursing degree, I created my first formal childbirth course curriculum in 2009. Kopa Birth® began as private and group classes in Atlanta, GA. The classes were met with so much success that I took the course online in 2016.
Present day
Today, I have 7 children, ranging in age from 2 to 20, and have experienced 6 unmedicated hospital births. Professionally, I’ve had the joy of helping over 20,000 couples prepare for their dream of a natural hospital birth! With feedback from our moms, the Kopa® Birth Course has been refined and improved over the years to become what it is today–a simple yet reliable framework to prepare your mind and body for a natural hospital birth.
